Testosterone cream not working

[Gauge]

Good day Gents

I ran a few different search queries looking for this topic but to my suprise came up empty.

I started trt approximately three months ago. My total testosterone was around 150ng/dl, and i had all the common symptoms, lack of libido and extreme low energy being the most troublesome.

I was prescribed %20 testosterone cream (compounding pharmacy), 0.5ml to be applied daily, to the scrotum.

After week four i was starting to feel some results, which I'm sure the missus would attest to. After two months however, all of my positive improvements had gone.

Today i visited the doc to discuss the bloodtest results from last week. Looks like my testosterone levels are now even lower than before starting trt. I would like to add that my doctor gave me no instructions as to the blood test, so i went to the test immediately after waking, 12 hours fasted, without having applied the cream for the day (i typically apply first thing in the morning).

His course of action is to simply double my dosage to 1ml per day, applied in two separate doses.

The main reason i am posting is that i would greatly appreciate the input of anyone else whom has found themselves in this situation. I have my doubts that simply doubling the dose will bring my levels to within normal range. He has made an appointment for me in three months time, and i am praying that i do not have to live with low testosterone symptoms for that much longer. I see that many here go the injectable route and am hoping my doctor and i can agree upon this at my next visit.

Thanks in advance for any replies/help

 

[CoastWatcher]

Good day Gents

I ran a few different search queries looking for this topic but to my suprise came up empty.

I started trt approximately three months ago. My total testosterone was around 150ng/dl, and i had all the common symptoms, lack of libido and extreme low energy being the most troublesome.

I was prescribed %20 testosterone cream (compounding pharmacy), 0.5ml to be applied daily, to the scrotum.

After week four i was starting to feel some results, which I'm sure the missus would attest to. After two months however, all of my positive improvements had gone.

Today i visited the doc to discuss the bloodtest results from last week. Looks like my testosterone levels are now even lower than before starting trt. I would like to add that my doctor gave me no instructions as to the blood test, so i went to the test immediately after waking, 12 hours fasted, without having applied the cream for the day (i typically apply first thing in the morning).

His course of action is to simply double my dosage to 1ml per day, applied in two separate doses.

The main reason i am posting is that i would greatly appreciate the input of anyone else whom has found themselves in this situation. I have my doubts that simply doubling the dose will bring my levels to within normal range. He has made an appointment for me in three months time, and i am praying that i do not have to live with low testosterone symptoms for that much longer. I see that many here go the injectable route and am hoping my doctor and i can agree upon this at my next visit.

Thanks in advance for any replies/help

You're simply another man who found that topical testosterone failed in their case - it did in mine and lots and lots of men. Topical therapy is a rational approach to treatment...except when it doesn't work due to issues surrounding absorption. Doctors respond to the failure by asking the patient to slather on more and more goo; it aint' going to work. Transition to injections, 50mg every 3.5 days is an excellent starting dose, test in a four to six weeks and adjust from there. Since nothing is likely to change, waiting for three months simply keeps you in hormone-limbo. Either go back and tell your doctor you want to transition to injections or find another doctor.

 

[Gauge]

Thanks for the prompt reply. This is what i had expected, inability to absorb.
I suppose now i just have to bring this up with the docotor. Maybe i can get away with another visit in as soon as a month.

 

[CSI007]

Please see my thread:

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?8911-My-journey-so-far-with-low-testosterone

Cream just killed what little I was making " in house".

 

[Gauge]

Hey!
I was actually reading through yout epic thread last week, couldn't put the phone away. I completely forgot that you tried the cream route and crashed your natural T. Seems like for awhile there if it wasn't for bad luck you wouldn't have any! Very glad to hear that you are doing much better, and thanks for the link.

Please see my thread:

excelmale.com/showthread.php?8911-My-journey-so-far-with-low-testosterone

Cream just killed what little I was making " in house".

 

[CSI007]

Hey!
I was actually reading through yout epic thread last week, couldn't put the phone away. I completely forgot that you tried the cream route and crashed your natural T. Seems like for awhile there if it wasn't for bad luck you wouldn't have any! Very glad to hear that you are doing much better, and thanks for the link.

Thanks! I hope it was of some use to you. I just started having some "weirdness" the past few days. Getting some hot flashes again. So I am going to test this Thursday just my T and E2 and see what's going on. Even when you think you got this all figured out a curve ball is thrown at you. LOL I am hoping it's just the almost 2 month old HCG that might be lowering my E2. But I am not sure. Hopefully some of the knowledgeable people here will be able to help me figure it out.

 

[Gauge]

Just wanted to follow up.
I went back to my doctor this week and requested testosterone injections. I was anticipating resistance to the idea but the doctor was very open. He was however inexperienced with the injectable test, as he only prescribes the cream, which he tells me works for %97 of his patients. Thankfully i had researched the available sources in canada, and he wrote me a prescription for testosterone cypionate.
He did however request that i inject daily, subcutaneously. Has anyone tried this approach?

 

[CoastWatcher]

Just wanted to follow up.
I went back to my doctor this week and requested testosterone injections. I was anticipating resistance to the idea but the doctor was very open. He was however inexperienced with the injectable test, as he only prescribes the cream, which he tells me works for %97 of his patients. Thankfully i had researched the available sources in canada, and he wrote me a prescription for testosterone cypionate.
He did however request that i inject daily, subcutaneously. Has anyone tried this approach?

I am a Canadian, inject 16mg of testosterone enanthate every morning, shallow IM-subQ. Very pleased with my protocol. Was HCG prescribed? What are the details of your protocol?

By the way, if he has 97% of his patients succeeding on topical testosterone, his practice is a statistical outlier (or very small).

 

[Vince Carter]

That's exactly what is supposed to happen and is completely normal...you write that as though you thought it was a supplement, when it is not a replacement; negative feedback loop.

"Cream just killed what little I was making " in house".

"I completely forgot that you tried the cream route and crashed your natural T. "

 

[Gauge]

Hcg was not prescribed. He offered it as an alternative treatment (with clomipene) to testosterone but i declined, in favour of trt.
I may try to restart my natural test in about a year. Do you think that it would be wise to cylce hcg now, or just wait until cessation of testosterone? The current theory is that a hypothyroid condition may have been the cause of my low T. I am only 37 years old, very athletic, with a very clean diet. I am now being treated for hypothyroidism, 90mg/day of NDT.

Current trt protocol is 100mg/wk., divided between three doses, IM injection. Started tonight, will run bloods in 6 weeks.

In regards to your last comment, the doctor did tell me that trt is only a very small portion of his practice.

 

[CSI007]

That's exactly what is supposed to happen and is completely normal...you write that as though you thought it was a supplement, when it is not a replacement; negative feedback loop.

"Cream just killed what little I was making " in house".

"I completely forgot that you tried the cream route and crashed your natural T. "

Yes but it's supposed to replace what is made right?. In my case the cream did nothing for me but crash my T. When your making 350 and it crashes you to 150 or less it's not doing much good.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Hcg was not prescribed. He offered it as an alternative treatment (with clomipene) to testosterone but i declined, in favour of trt.
I may try to restart my natural test in about a year. Do you think that it would be wise to cylce hcg now, or just wait until cessation of testosterone? The current theory is that a hypothyroid condition may have been the cause of my low T. I am only 37 years old, very athletic, with a very clean diet. I am now being treated for hypothyroidism, 90mg/day of NDT.

Current trt protocol is 100mg/wk., divided between three doses, IM injection. Started tonight, will run bloods in 6 weeks.

In regards to your last comment, the doctor did tell me that trt is only a very small portion of his practice.

HCG maintains testicular vitality during TRT - it's a typical element of TRT protocol. Start it now...if you start TRT. But, more importantly, why start TRT now if the underlying cause is due to thyroid underperformance and you plan to go off exogenous testosterone in a year? Why not begin either an HCG-mono or a Clomid restart? You're about to shut down your body's natural production of testosterone, and then hope to restart it a year from now? That seems a bit...unusual.

 

[Vince Carter]

Yes but it's supposed to replace what is made right?. In my case the cream did nothing for me but crash my T. When your making 350 and it crashes you to 150 or less it's not doing much good.

And thats where guys run in to either they're underdosed because its a replacement, or have absorption problems because it is indeed a total replacement so you go thru this kind of progression to replace the little bit that you did have, and then dose upwards to get you in to the optimal physio ranges.

 

[Vince Carter]

HCG maintains testicular vitality during TRT - it's a typical element of TRT protocol. Start it now...if you start TRT. But, more importantly, why start TRT now if the underlying cause is due to thyroid underperformance and you plan to go off exogenous testosterone in a year? Why not begin either an HCG-mono or a Clomid restart? You're about to shut down your body's natural production of testosterone, and then hope to restart it a year from now? That seems a bit...unusual.

To Guage: as noted here you're just waiting time, money, and effort with that treatment plan, it's totally conterproductive. Either attempt a restart, now, or commit to injections. There is no inbetween. You either do it or you don't. If you're thinking you're going to stop...just don't start. You'll get nowhere real quick.

 

[Gauge]

Vince:
Your logic is sound, and i do understand that attempting a restart after a year of trt is foolish at best.
The issue is, my docotor has been slowly increasing my thyroid dose thus my hypotyroidism is not yet fully corrected. I'm also attempting to recover extremely low vitamin D + zinc levels. I don't believe that i am phyaically ready for a restart. Furthermore, my depression/loss of libido/lethargy almost has me looking for a new wife and job, so my main focus in life right now is recovering those factors. As is had originally said, i may not even attempt a natural recovery. I am ok with trt for life if that ends up being my best option.

Coastwatcher: do you use hcg consistently or run it in cycles? Is there a point in maintenance of testicular vitality, beyond fertility? I have two sons and not looking to expand my family any further.

 

[CSI007]

Gauge,

HCG is not only used for testicular vitality but also it serves a purpose to "backfill" other hormonal pathways. There is a chart around here somewhere that explains what LH (or in the case HCG) does for producing other important androgens.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Vince:
Your logic is sound, and i do understand that attempting a restart after a year of trt is foolish at best.
The issue is, my docotor has been slowly increasing my thyroid dose thus my hypotyroidism is not yet fully corrected. I'm also attempting to recover extremely low vitamin D + zinc levels. I don't believe that i am phyaically ready for a restart. Furthermore, my depression/loss of libido/lethargy almost has me looking for a new wife and job, so my main focus in life right now is recovering those factors. As is had originally said, i may not even attempt a natural recovery. I am ok with trt for life if that ends up being my best option.

Coastwatcher: do you use hcg consistently or run it in cycles? Is there a point in maintenance of testicular vitality, beyond fertility? I have two sons and not looking to expand my family any further.

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...e-Testicular-Shrinkage-and-Preserve-Fertility

There is a wealth of information on HCG, and just about every other aspect of TRT, in the appropriate folder here at EM. This link contains some critical material on HCG. It may not be necessary to read everything this link contains, but you spend some time reviewing the basic facts. There are similar links pertaining to Clomid and restarts (when you are ready to consider them).

To to answer your question, HCG does much more than maintain testicular health. It's not a drug you cycle if you add it to your protocol.

 

[Vince Carter]

Gauge,

HCG is not only used for testicular vitality but also it serves a purpose to "backfill" other hormonal pathways. There is a chart around here somewhere that explains what LH (or in the case HCG) does for producing other important androgens.

There is a huge presumption, things that look good on paper and have a plausible explanation, but enzyme activity and other deficiencies exist for us, enough that more and more men are stating that HCG has no tangible benefit, besides they're nuts are alive. I've tested on it, progesterone, DHT are two that went DOWN for me on HCG, and a number of men have dropped the HCG dosing, or eliminated its use altogether.