Ask a trans person!

[theoddz]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

It's been 2 weeks now on Androgel and the only thing I have noticed is my skin is a little more oily than usual. Not that I expect any real changes this early, mind you. It's odd, because the increase in the sebum has actually made the skin on my face softer than before. Kinda weird.

AZ, when I first started out on T in early 2007, I was started on subdermal pellets (Testopel) and Testim cream. Testim is the other T gel besides Adrogel. I found it to be okay, but the thing is, you really don't know how much of that stuff your body is actually absorbing. It all depends, you know, on how you spread the cream and how well your skin absorbs it.

One thing you may notice early on is that your perspiration and urine odor will get stronger. You may also get a bit of acne with it, but it's hard to tell if it's true "hormonal acne" or if your skin is just sensitive to the components in the gel. Testim, if I remember correctly, has a large percentage of alcohol in the gel. My skin got a little rashy with it.

Oh, and I don't really know if the Testopel pellets really did a lot or not. As far as I know, the FDA hasn't really approved subdermal T pellets for use in transsexual men. The big reason I quit those was because of the doctor I was seeing, the expense and the fact that I got the strangest feeling that I couldn't trust him to give me the amount of T (pellets) he was charging me for. Since they put those pellets under the skin on your buttocks, you really can't see what they're doing or even if they are implanting pellets at all. This doctor charged by the pellet, too....to the tune of $60/pellet, and when he kept telling me I needed MORE pellets to get enough of the T to get my body into transition, well......my red flags went up. The last time I saw this guy, before I switched to injectable T, he told me I needed 6-8 of these pellets, AT LEAST....and they only lasted 3-4 months at a time, PLUS the cost of the Testim gel. That's a lot of money, and I had the extra expense of having to travel to Los Angeles and back here to Vegas every time, so it just made more sense to go injectable.

I know you didn't ask about the pellets, but there might be a guy reading this who is thinking about using the pellets, or (*GASP*) that same doctor in L.A., and I think it's important to get the information about my experience with that out there.

Good luck with this!!!

~Theo~

[Linus]

It's interesting that you write about the pellets. I remember a couple of years ago going to the Philly Trans Health conference and saw the presentation on them by a FTM doctor. I knew they were more expensive and I thought they gave a consistent release of T, moreso than shots. It's a shame that it didn't work as well as it should have.

[theoddz]

Originally Posted by Linus

It's interesting that you write about the pellets. I remember a couple of years ago going to the Philly Trans Health conference and saw the presentation on them by a FTM doctor. I knew they were more expensive and I thought they gave a consistent release of T, moreso than shots. It's a shame that it didn't work as well as it should have.

I think it was more that I wasn't sure I could trust this doctor to give me what I was paying for, yanno?? I mean, when you're laying on your tummy on a table and you can't see what the doc is actually implanting in your butt, well, how do know/trust that you're getting what you're paying for?? Yes, this doctor did initially sell me on the fact that pellets give a more steady release of T, as opposed to shots, that have "peaks and valleys", so to speak, and on the fact that you don't have to deal with frequency and pain of injections, but to this day, injectable T is still what is regarded as "the gold standard" for transmen and transitioning.

I have to say that the last time I had pellets put in, in early summer of '07, the doctor told me that he was going to "up my dose" to 6 pellets, because the 3 he had given me, nearly 4 months previous, had no effect on me. Like I said, he charged $60 per pellet, which included the implantation procedure. Anyway, I go in the exam room with him and I happen to see the little stainless steel table with the sterile trocar kit used to implant these pellets. Also, there were 2 small vials there with 1 pellet per vial in them. I asked him why there weren't 6 pellets there. He told me, "Oh, those are higher milligram pellets, because I get them compounded from the pharmacy".

He charged me for 6 pellets, and as far as I could tell, I only got 2. Well, you can understand how and why I felt like he wasn't being honest with me. G-d only knows if I got what I actually paid for the first time, because what he had given me the first time had absolutely NO effect. I didn't like or trust his office staff, either. Essentially, his receptionist, who had no medical training, was giving medical advice....and only when it was "convenient" for her to talk to me. The other person I reached when I called his office was a kid who, by his own admission, was "in the process of going to CNA school." I don't even want to tell you how his office staff was dressed, but let me tell you....you wouldn't think they were medical professionals by looking at them. So no, I don't know if the pellets would work, because I didn't/don't trust the doctor administering them.

And, as a note to any guys out there who are wanting to start hormonal therapy and are trying to find a physician to help them......B-E-W-A-R-E. There are unscrupulous doctors out there who are just out to make a buck on and exploit the trans community for monetary gain and they don't really have your best interests at heart. Talk to them before you decide to go with them and listen to word of mouth. It might also be a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau and also your state's medical licensing board. Check them out, really, especially if they recommend alternate or untraditional methods of hormone administration. Read the literature about T, first. Know what you're getting into before you start something you're not sure of, and if a doctor makes you uncomfortable with something he/she either says or does, listen to your gut instincts and find someone else.

That little message brought to you by the school of "Been there, done that".

~Theo~

[Kätzchen]

Hi everybody,

I spoke with Jet tonight and he wants you to know that he won't have his computer (Popeye - his iMac) until next Thursday and he wants me to tell you guys that he's starting with T-injections on Tuesday. He also says that he's looking forward to coming back online when he gets his computer back. He says he feels fortunate that he found a doctor who's not only gay, but is supportive of his transitioning process. And, he wants to thank you guys for your encouragement and support!