Testosterone make you jittery?

[jillysillybilly]

I've just started on Testogel to help with my lost libido in menopause! I am 52 and have the Mirena coil and Evorel 100 patches. I've been on a waiting list for a gynae consultant for about 6 months and am now being prescribed the gel on the NHS. I only started a few days ago ... the first couple of days I felt a little bit jittery, but today the jitters are AWFUL! Really heightened anxiety and feel like my heart is racing (it isn't) ... did anyone else feel like this when they started testosterone and did the jitters settle down after a while?

Sorry to hear that and can't offer advice but curious - how did you manage to get an NHS prescription? My GP refused point blank and just referred me to a sex clinic but it was over an hours drive away so I never went. Didn't seem like a valid reason to take time off work.

I didn’t have jitters when I started testogel. My gp was happy to prescribe it off licence my oestrogen was sorted.

How much are you using ?
Tiny amount every other day?

I'm not sure it would have an effect that quickly? It takes a few months for it to build up/start making a difference to how you feel. Could it be something else making you jittery?

As an aside, I'm 6 months into using testosterone and my libido is through the roof! DH and I have very enthusiastically reignited our sex life again after having had a sexless marriage for 7 years. It's wonderful. It did take several months though before testosterone worked - it's a slow burner. I hope it works for you OP.

Hi OP,
Just a memory from a thread a while back make sure you are clued up on accidental cross contamination of this stuff and how careful you need to be with it.

www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/topical-testosterone-testogel-risk-of-harm-to-children-following-accidental-exposure

Accidental exposure to topical testosterone products
If this product is repeatedly accidentally transferred to another person through physical contact, it can increase their blood testosterone levels. This may result in possible side effects (for example, growth of facial and/or body hair, deepening of the voice, irregular menstrual cycles in women, and premature puberty and genital enlargement in children).

Reports of accidental exposure of topical testosterone to children
The MHRA received a report of a child who was repeatedly accidentally exposed to the topical testosterone product that their parent was using, resulting in increased growth and genital enlargement. It was confirmed through clinical investigations that the child had increased testosterone in their blood and that the topical testosterone product was the source of the testosterone. There are also literature reports and non-UK reports of premature puberty and genital enlargement in children who were repeatedly accidentally exposed to a topical testosterone product via transfer from an adult with whom they were in close contact.

The risk was reviewed by the Paediatric Medicines Expert Advisory Group of the Commission on Human Medicines, which recommended that a specific paediatric warning be added to the product information for topical testosterone products.

My GP referred me to the Gynae Dept at my local hospital. That took 6 months, but then the gynae consultant prescribed it straightaway. Now my GP can manage (or re-prescribe) the prescription.

Thanks, yes, I read about that. You need to make sure it is fully absorbed before going near anyone else!!

Nope! Misleading directions / instructions from pharmacy. I was having 4 times too much!! No wonder I was jittery!!

!!!

Wow.. no wonder you felt a bit odd, it's a tiny amount from memory..

If it's the 40.5 sachets there's 2.5 ml and should last 8 days.

I use 1ml syringes with caps. It's a fiddle but I've learnt to carefully squeeze / suck into syringe from sachets, filling completely as much as possible into 3 syringes.

There can be some wastage but this time I managed to use wastage plus a couple of ml and it's just lasted the 8 days (I had 2 ml left for day 8!)

I managed to use wastage plus a couple of ml on the first day of a new sachet* and it's just lasted the 8 days (I had 2 ml left for day 8!)

I'm using one pump of testogel twice a week. Is that a lot? Feeling SO jittery all the time.

1 pump is 20.25 mgs

What's the recommended amount of testosterone for peri menopausal women?

Tricky as there's testosterone and the free androgen index which is some sort of calculation of testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin.

My testosterone was extremely low and just in low range with FAI. My oestrogen was maximised so Gp agreed a trial. I do think it's been helpful but still early days and had covid the week I started which always knocks me sideways.

Didn't seem like a valid reason to take time off work

I take 3 pumps of testogel a week. I found 2 didn't make any differernce - same with just the single sachet. I find i need at least 50mgs a week to make a change

@WarriorN would you mind linking to the syringes you use? I'm worried about using the correct dosage as the sachets are foil and I've no idea really how much is in it and how much I've squeezed out! I've been told to make one sachet last 10 days. Just finished the first sachet on Monday and there was loads more left in it than I'd been applying the previous days! I presume the caps you refer to keep the gel 'fresh' until you next use it?

I really wish there was a testosterone patch, I know they'd be a lot smaller than my estrogen patches but would be so much easier to use.

@WarriorN would you be able to describe how you actually use the mini syringes please.

I’ve just got the same gel, tried just sticking the syringe in a little hole and I couldn’t suck anything out (I presume there is a load of air in the sachet too).

It is a faff at first I will say, it took some practise.

I have to cut the Packet so the little hole is slightly larger than the syringe. I gently squeeze the packet while slowly drawing up the gel into the syringe.

Stop if a bubble and take out and push up to remove bubble. You have to have a small gap for air release or gel, I stop if it starts to squeeze out gel. At some point I fold up the bottom to continue being careful it doesn't squirt out.

There's a little wastage; I use it on that day and guess how much it has been in ml. I'm quite good with tiny fiddly things though so it may not work for all.

Amazon do packs of around 10-20 1 ml syringes with caps.

You could try a 5ml syringe

My sachets are 40.5 mg which last 9 days.

A sachet holds 2.5 ml which is roughly 0.3 per day

Sorry lasts 8 days

@WarriorN Thank you! I did just that and it worked fine. Had a (cleaned) 1ml syringe left over from when the cat had to have medicine from the vets. I’ve order some more now though!

Fantastic!

Thank my clever nurse mate!