Safe to try Androgel for a few months n stop it it doesn’t work?

[KenAdams]

I was wondering if I could get everyones opinion and ideas on this.
Dr. Recommended Androgel to try for a few months and see if it helps with fatigue and brain fog. He said I could try it for a few months and if I see no improvement, I could stop and it shouldn’t cause any problems.
I’m not on any other meds. Exercise regularly. Main problems lots of fatigue and brain fog. Don’t build muscle really regardless how often I exercise.
I sleep good at night. No erection issues at all. Very good sensitivity still. Mid 40s. Libido ok but not like in my 30s. Just tired of being tired n not motivated anymore.
Calm personality no anger issues etc. Any chance trying this for a month or two could harm my sleep or erections etc?
Last testosterone was 340 total and
5.5 free test.
Estradiol 23
FSH 6.4
Psa .42
Thank you.

 

[madman]

I was wondering if I could get everyones opinion and ideas on this.
Dr. Recommended Androgel to try for a few months and see if it helps with fatigue and brain fog. He said I could try it for a few months and if I see no improvement, I could stop and it shouldn’t cause any problems.
I’m not on any other meds. Exercise regularly. Main problems lots of fatigue and brain fog. Don’t build muscle really regardless how often I exercise.
I sleep good at night. No erection issues at all. Very good sensitivity still. Mid 40s. Libido ok but not like in my 30s. Just tired of being tired n not motivated anymore.
Calm personality no anger issues etc. Any chance trying this for a month or two could harm my sleep or erections etc?
Last testosterone was 340 total and
5.5 free test.
Estradiol 23
FSH 6.4
Psa .42
Thank you.

Yes there are some men who will fair well using Big Pharma transdermal but you are far better off looking into a compounded T cream especially scrotal application!

No need to jump in on injections off the hop.

Do what you feel is best for you.


Look over my reply in post #7

New TRT user and frustrated on 1.62 Gel

I’m 47 and low T, low energy and no gym gains. I’ve had issue with ED and my libido at the moment is nonexistent right now. 2 months ago my TEST was 160 and my free T was 11 pg/ml! My PA started me on 1 pump per day alternating shoulders and then bumped me to 2 pumps per day (one pump each...

www.excelmale.com

*Although transdermal can be a good starting point when jumping on trt there are men who will continue to be poor responders due to absorption issues or in many cases not using a high enough dose of T seeing as most endos/uros rely on using big pharma transdermal T and the strength/potency is much less than what can be achieved using compounded transdermal T gels/creams.

 

[Systemlord]

Dr. Recommended Androgel to try for a few months and see if it helps with fatigue and brain fog.

Androgen isn’t always an ideal treatment for low-T, many men failing to absorb a therapeutic dose. I could take a shower in androgen and not feel a darn thing, because I have never absorbed transdermal medicines very well.

There’s no harm in trying TRT, there’s way more harm in not getting your testosterone up!

After starting androgel, you need not wait more than a couple of weeks (3-4) to check levels. It’s best to find a specialty doctor that does hormones for a living, and not an ordinary GP who may not be familiar with how to manage male hormones.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

OP, I have a different opinion...there are numerous reports, many of them on this site, of men in your situation who gave TRT a try, decided to come off, but couldn't get their erections back. If you browse through here you will find numerous threads describing this issue. This is probably a small minority of men who try TRT, but it seems like a meaningful risk nonetheless. There are a lot of things that could be causing your issues (infections, vitamin/mineral deficiencies/imbalances, food sensitivities, and many others). I suggest getting a work-up from a good holistic/integrative physician (who is also not biased against TRT) and see if you can identify the root cause. It may be low T alone, but other things can be involved as well. The idea that "there is no harm in trying T" is just not true unless the people who report issues are all just lying and T will likely only be a short-term fix if there is another underlying problem. There are also other hormones to look at first such as thyroid and DHEA.

 

[sammmy]

And here is a 3rd opinion.

Your T and free T seem low so trying transdermal testosterone is reasonable. I would go with pharma grade Androgel because its absorption has been studied unlike compounded creams.

I have a normal T and a low normal free T (due to a high SHBG). I've tried Androgel for a few months - it boosted my testosterone but did not give me any benefits after the initial few weeks of "honeymoon", so I dropped it cold turkey at the end. It did not have a negative effect on anything afterwards, so from my experience it is unlikely to cause lasting side effects - just make sure you don't overdose it. Do regular monitoring testing of the free T level while you are on it, don't fly blind to super high levels - testicular application will lead to those.

If it doesn't help your fatigue and brain fog, really you should look for the cause in other directions - cortisol level, immune status, vitamin status, signs of infections, intestinal infections (stool test) etc.

 

[madman]

Androgen isn’t always an ideal treatment for low-T, many men failing to absorb a therapeutic dose. I could take a shower in androgen and not feel a darn thing, because I have never absorbed transdermal medicines very well.

There’s no harm in trying TRT, there’s way more harm in not getting your testosterone up!

After starting androgel, you need not wait more than a couple of weeks (3-4) to check levels. It’s best to find a specialty doctor that does hormones for a living, and not an ordinary GP who may not be familiar with how to manage male hormones.

In my reply from my thread in post #2.

*2-3 days to reach steady-state.

*Blood work should be done 2 weeks after starting therapy




12.3 Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

AndroGel 1% delivers physiologic amounts of testosterone, producing circulating testosterone concentrations that approximate normal concentrations (298 - 1043 ng/dL) seen in healthy men. AndroGel 1% provides continuous transdermal delivery of testosterone for 24 hours following a single application to intact, clean, dry skin of the shoulders, upper arms and/or abdomen.

AndroGel 1% is a hydroalcoholic formulation that dries quickly when applied to the skin surface. The skin serves as a reservoir for the sustained release of testosterone into the systemic circulation. Approximately 10% of the testosterone dose applied on the skin surface from AndroGel is absorbed into systemic circulation. In a study with AndroGel 1% 100 mg , all patients showed an increase in serum testosterone within 30 minutes, and eight of nine patients had a serum testosterone concentration within normal range by 4 hours after the initial application. Absorption of testosterone into the blood continues for the entire 24-hour dosing interval. Serum concentrations approximate the steady-state concentration by the end of the first 24 hours and are at steady state by the second or third day of dosing.

With single daily applications of AndroGel 1%, follow-up measurements 30, 90 and 180 days after starting treatment have confirmed that serum testosterone concentrations are generally maintained within the eugonadal range. Figure 1 summarizes the 24-hour pharmacokinetic profiles of testosterone for hypogonadal men (less than 300 ng/dL) maintained on AndroGel 1% 50 mg or 100 mg for 30 days. The average (± SD) daily testosterone concentration produced by AndroGel 1% 100 mg on Day 30 was 792 (± 294) ng/dL and by AndroGel 1% 50 mg 566 (± 262) ng/dL.




Excretion

There is considerable variation in the half-life of testosterone concentration as reported in the literature, ranging from 10 to 100 minutes. About 90% of a dose of testosterone given intramuscularly is excreted in the urine as glucuronic and sulfuric acid conjugates of testosterone and its metabolites. About 6% of a dose is excreted in the feces, mostly in the unconjugated form. Inactivation of testosterone occurs primarily in the liver.

When AndroGel 1% treatment is discontinued after achieving steady state, serum testosterone concentrations remain in the normal range for 24 to 48 hours but return to their pretreatment concentrations by the fifth day after the last application.

Dosing and Follow-Ups for AndroGel (testosterone gel) 1.62% CIII

Dosing information for AndroGel® (testosterone gel) 1.62%. Follow the treatment plan as laid out by your doctor and adhere to the follow-up schedule.

www.androgel.com

*it is typical to go in 14 and 28 days after you begin using

Monitoring Patients on AndroGel (testosterone gel) 1.62% CIII

View ongoing monitoring guidelines for AndroGel® (testosterone gel) 1.62% testosterone replacement therapy and see why monitoring is important.

www.androgel.com