Testosterone gel.... how much is a dose, and how do you apply it?

[Dorje]

Hi all, so my GP recommended I try out some testosterone gel from a sachet.
The gel is prescribed off license to me, as it's formulated for men.
It comes in a sachet, which amounts to 5g, a single daily dose for a man. There used to be a testosterone for women but they don't make it anymore.
I'm on a bioidentical hrt and don't want to take triblone, as I'm happy with the regime I'm on.

My GP recommends a small amount every day. But how small is a small amount? It sort of melts to a liquid when I squeeze it out on my finger, and it's difficult to see how much is there. She recommends I rub it onto my lower abs, but it's all drippy by then...

So, my questions are:

If you use it, how do you do it?

How much do I use.... should this sachet last me a week or 10 days? Obviously I won't need a sachet a day, but how do you measure your amount? Have you a handy spoon, or measure?

Where do you put yours!?

What are the time scales when I could see a difference in energy levels?

Has anyone had any side effects?
Beards, acne, bulging muscles, speeding tickets, toyboys, an appreciation for sports cars
You know, am I going to be able to join a barbershop quartet with my new basso profundo voice, or will I still be able to hit the high notes of Celine Dion not that I want to sing her stuff but you get the picture

Is there a long term higher risk of cancer.... if so what kind, and does anyone know any stats?

TIA fellow vipers ladies

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If you've found this page in your search of orgasm gels and orgasm lubes that have been recommended by fellow Mumsnet users, you might find our guide to the best orgasm gels useful. Hope this helps! MNHQ

I'm on testosterone not for menopause but an endocrine condition so not exactly the same, but thought I'd reply. I'm prescribed Tostran gel which comes in a pump bottle and I take the lowest amount I can while still feeling the benefits. For me this is a pea-sized blob approx twice a week. I apply it to my leg/thigh. My issues with zero androgen levels were no libido, vaginal dryness and inability to climax and all have been resolved with the use of the gel. The only side effect I have is thicker/more body hair so I do keep the dose to a minimum for this reason. Hope you start to feel the benefits soon :)

Thanks usernameconfusername, I'm glad it's working out for you.

I hope I don't turn into the yeti on it. I think I'll use quarter a little calpol spoon, so 0.6g, about a petit pois size and see how it goes.

Has anyone else used this, TIA!

Just bumping for anyone who hasn't seen this and who uses testosterone gel for meno symptoms.
TIA

Hi yes I do. I'm on testogel and one sachet lasts a week. The results are brilliant! Hair softer, shinier and thick, energy levels increased and my libido and response is brilliant. I'm 45 and use this alongside regular hrt. Hope this helps!

Thanks Wendy. I tried a very small pea sized blob yesterday and for the last three days, but seem to have become rather jumpy and argumentative, with some vascular effects (hot flushes) and kept waking up.

I've not used any today and feel a lot more chilled out. I'm not sure if I'll continue with it.

In the interests of science, I'll try it again next week and see how I go as I had my withdrawal bleed this week and the "symptoms" I noticed could be an effect of falling progesterone, not the testosterone!

Certainly looking forward to the effects you've noticed Wendy

My only concern with androgens would be the possibility of male pattern baldness, but a very large libido boost is entirely possible

Extra facial hair and clitoral enlargement are also possible

I'd take divide the dose into daily amounts if at all possible rather than less frequent larger doses

OP (or others) - is this something most GPs are willing to prescribe? I am in surgical meno and it's never been suggested - I am suffering low energy, and though my libido isn't too bad - apologies for TMI - my clitoris has become tiny, and I want it back!

Re dosage i would say start with 0.5mg per day or less, can you get a gel which has a lower concentration of testosterone in order to dose accurately?

Or you could dilute the sachet with a measured volume of moisturizer so that you lower the concentration

That should work as long as you calculate it properly

Thanks for replying everyone.
Ok, so I tried a petit pois sized blob today and can report increased cognitive functioning and more stamina. Even made the gym after work.

I think I'll try it every other day and that would make a sachet last me two to three weeks.

Formerpigwrestler, Thanks for your reply. Great name!
I'm not sure if I can mix it up with a moisturiser. I think my other gel hrt says that other cremes interfere with absorption, and to apply it neat on clean skin, so to dilute it may render it much weaker, not just molarly speaking iykwim.

Embarrassing I think you may have vaginal atrophy. If you're not on hrt, you really should be after surgical meno. NICE recommends you are.

I'm on bioidentical oestrogen and bio identical progesterone (Oestrogel and utrogestan)
If you're not on hrt I think you need to get back to your gynae and insist on going on it. Testosterone is made in the ovaries, so you may need that as well. Have a chat with your gynae?
Good luck with it, it's horrible to see your ladybits shrink and shrivel up! Mine are back to normal on hrt.

Mine is called Testim. It comes in a tube so is easy to divvy out. A 5 ml tube is supposed to last a week for me. I'm not too precise with it. I've had it for 2 and 1/2 years.
I don't notice emotional effects although I'm energetic enough and it is supposed to keep energy levels up.
I put it on inner thighs and recently lower abdomen, but mostly on upper arms. The only side effects are that my inner thighs look a bit teddy bearish (hairy) and the expensive laser hair removal I had done on my face and pubic area needs re doing, but I think that happens anyway after a while. . My lower legs are still hairless.
I love bio identical hrt.

Does anyone know how long you have to use it before you feel the benefits? Is it an immediate response or does it need to build up in the body for several weeks?

Hi, just wondering is anyone still on this thread?

If someone is still there could they see if they can advise me.

I have gone a year without a period, had the usual hot flushes, not sleeping great, I probably wake up 2/3 times a night, but my main thing is no libido, and dryness. This is really starting to get me down. I am not on any hrt, have not been on the pill for years, as husband had a vasectomy, and didn't have a great appointment with one dr in the surgery who is their 'expert'.

I had to have a polyp removed from my uterus about a year and a half ago, all fine, but at the time there was talk of doing an ablation, fitting a coil and hrt was mentioned. I went along to said dr with a list of questions and she basically said she wouldn't have time to answer them. She's horrible to everyone anyway so I wasn't surprised, but it put me off going again. In the end I just had polyp removed, no problem.

Having seen my male dr yesterday about a different issue, I explained how I felt, asked him if I could be referred to a menopause clinic. He didn't know if such a thing existed and we chatted about their inhouse 'expert', and that I didn't feel comfortable going back to her.

Can any of you tell me, is testosterone something that a gp would prescribe if I'm not on any HRT? I don't know why I didn't ask him at the time, but the next best place to ask is you guys.

He wrote me a referral letter to see if my private health insurance would cover it, to a gynaecologist, and if not, for me to come back to a new dr that has started with the practice.

And info greatly received.

Hi, I was having a bad time with the physical symptoms of menopause- the sweats, hot flushes, zero libido, shriveled 'bits' etc but emotionally it was crippling- anxiety, depression etc. My GP put me on an oral combined HRT which helped marginally but then stopped working. In desperation I went to Professor Studd's menopause clinic in Wimpole St London.
He told me I was progesterone intolerant ( the pills had progesterone in them, which made it all worse!))and that was what was causing the depression etc. He put me on transdermal oestrogen and testosterone. To cut a long story short I got my life back after about a week! Back To the old me. The libido was a bit too much if I'm honest but my husband wasn't complaining! I was lucky that my GP was prepared to prescribe it on NHS - not all will. I would imagine your private healthcare will cover the cost of your consultation and tests. I know the clinic accept insurance. There had a problem with the supply of testosterone as it's not licenced for women in this country but the clinic will advise you of the options depending on what dosage you need. Prof Studd is getting on a bit now - he's been a leader in his field for over 50 years! but he has 2 other consultants working with him who will take over. If you Google him he has some fab articles on his website that explain everything. I'm afraid the GP's have no idea how to help and just put women on anti depressants when it's a hormonal thing and easily rectified. Also the gels are much safer than the pills so you can be on them longer too. I hope this helps x

I was put on a pea sized amount daily by professor studd. But it gave me cystic acne so I reduced to a half pea amount daily. Best rubbed into the shoulder apparently as its less fatty there.
I've not acutally used any for a month but ( full bilateral salpingo hysterectomy) it seems to have grabbed my libido my the horns again!

Wow! That sounds positive. I didn't ask about testosterone in the end, but I will. I have read a horror story on another thread I started, that someone's dr said it would cause irreversible damage if you get side effects of male pattern baldness, deep voice, very hairy etc. It kinda put me off big time, yet I haven't read any of that in reviews.

Plus do all the symptoms of menopause canoe back once you stop taking everything in a number of years?

I think you'd need to be taking huge amounts to get those kind of side effects. Don't forget you'd be on oestrogen as well which balances things up. Originally, like the previous poster, I was put on a pea sized amount (6.25mg) but it only improved my libido a bit so Prof Studd increased it to 12.5mg. I must admit that was too much (think raging nympho- Im not joking!!!) so it was decreased to about 8mg. The only side effect was a bit more body hair which I dealt with by having it lasered off. Problem solved. I don't have a deeper voice or male pattern balding. I'd have to reconsider if that happened!
I really don't know about symptoms coming back after stopping. I guess it depends how long it is that you take it. Prof Studd says they don't come back but I have no intention of finding out cos he says you can stay on it for the rest of your life so that's me sorted!!

Janinabes - sounds like you have it sorted. How did he discover you are progesterone intolerant? How long have you been taking it for?

Honestly, I went in, sat down, he took one look at me and said 'are you depressed?' Well, I had never admitted it before to myself or anyone else so I sort of gulped. Then he asked if I'd had PMT when I was younger, yes in spades. Then he asked if I'd had post natal depression. I had it mildly, not like some women but struggled to cope. And then he said you're progesterone intolerant and have been all your life. It's greatly overlooked and causes all sorts of problems for women and the GPs don't considerate it, they just put you on antidepressants or in my case combined HRT which has 2.5mg of progesterone in it daily. He said that's why everything has got worse for you emotionally on the pills!
He said I only to take a progesterone he would give me for the first 7 days of the month which just protects the uterus when you're on testosterone and oestrogen.
It changed my life virtually overnight. I felt emotionally stable and strong. I guess cos he's been doing this so long there isn't anything he hasn't seen before with us ladies and he's pretty intuitive. He rages at the way GPS and psychiatrists don't see this (hormonal depression) and says it's a great travesty for women. Did you see Carol Vorderman talking about it? Well she goes to him and he's sorted her out. She sings his praises too.

Oh and I've been on it since Aug 2917

2017 jeez!

Oh and an added bonus is my bits are plumped back up lol. My body fat is firmer- like where it was getting a bit saggy it's now more youthful if you know what I mean. Even my lips are more full. It's like anything that was 'thinning out' has kind of rejuvenated. I have more energy and sleep great.

All good news!

If you don't mind me asking, what age were you when you started taking HRT from prof studds, and had you been period free for a year or so, or not at all?

Don't mind you asking at all- you can ask me anything.
Periods stopped when I was 50. Stuck it out for 2 years feeling like I was living in someone else's body then went to GP and had HRT pills for 2 years. Then went to Prof Studd last year when I was 54

Going to try nhs HRT route first, then if no joy, I'll head down privately. Thanks for all you info.