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[Tc]

Hiya ladies.
I've been prescribed testogel pump 16.2.
My consultant instructions are simply apply once a week.
 One pump delivers 20.25mg testosterone.

Upon reading the BMS guidelines on testosterone posted by a member on here today I see that the recommendations for testogel are every other day 5 mg but that is the sachets.

I think the 20.25mg i have been prescribed in one go seems a lot.

I am in surgical meno so my testosterone levels have been cut by 50 per cent t which wouldn't happen in natural meno so wonder if that means I need more.
Are there any other ladies on here in surgical or chemical/pof who are on Eastrogwn and also take testosterone who would be kind enough to let me know how you take it. I would very much appreciate it.

I have emailed my consultants secretary about it but I dont have a lot of faith as this consultant has mis prescribed every single hrt  product I've been on so far.

My pharmacist told me the testogel sachets have been discontinued. I can go by the BMS dosage of 5mg every other day for the sachets but I will need to convert it to the pump.

Any advice gratefully received. I am very keen to start it but I also want to avoid taking too big a dose in one go which is what she has prescribed.

[Dotty]

Hi Hurdity has done a post about the different dosages of Testosterone. I'll see if I can find it.

Testogel sachets were discontinued but are available again I think. I got some in November x

[Dotty]

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,39588.0.html

Have a look at the first post x

[Tc]

Thanks dotty.very helpful.
I contacted another pharmacist and he said the sachets are available btw.
Both pharmacists said it's hard to get a precise dose with the gel because of the T being in a suspension. It would be hit and miss and I asked about using a syringe but he said that would be no more accurate.

Hurdity has replied on the T thread to me with some very helpful advice . As I'm in surgical meno maybe the consultant does intend for me to have a larger dose but 20.25 mg in one doesnt seem right to me.
I wondered if any other ladies in surgical meno take a higher dose of T.

[Hurdity]

Some women on here have been prescribed eg a sachet a week or even less I recall - ie in surgical meno - but I still wouldn't take it all at once. I would go by the (new) guidelines. If it's in suspension, the active ingredient should be suspended equally throughout the entire gel otherwise all doses would be hit and miss - that is the whole point of all the fillers being carefully chosen for having this property rather than things settling out ( like Tahini does for example with oil on top!).

Hopefully others in surgical meno might be along? There was a surgical meno thread somewhere but it wasn;t specifically about testosterone.

Hurdity x

[Ladybt28]

Hey TC - I'm not sure that the application of testosterone is an exact science for women!  As you know I have Tostran 2% in a pump. I didn't get any instructions from my consultant or my GP as to how to apply.  Everything I do I learn from here! I know that you start off slow and build up - that's just common sense I think cos otherwise your body may react and I didn't want that to be likely so I started at a blob (the much explained pea size) twice a week. I literally as gently as I could depressed the pump until a tiny bit of gel came out (probably less than a pea to start) onto the end of my finger and rubbed it in onto the inside of my thigh above the knee - Mondays and Thursdays to start. 

Once I felt I had the pump under control I could work out a pea size - one day it might be petit pois the other Garden    don't fret....just don't go for the big marrowfat size! or a whole pump defo too much I think.  After a month I moved to every other day and that's what I do now - I don't need anymore and it is defo petit pois size for me!

Always go for less, even if it's looks to you like too little (if it feels like you hardly push the pump, you are probably about right)- it builds up in the system over time.  If you do get more one day - don't panic we wont be entering you into the Olympics with the muscle bound shot putting fraternity or in for a bearded  lady competition any time soon.  Just not a whole pump every day or then you may well be a gold medallist in both categories!    Less is more and go back to twice a week if you have problems but it is defo not an exact science - again we are all different and will react differently to the various doses.

[Hurdity]

Great post Ladybt! Spot on (pea blob on?!)...

Absolutely not an exact science - I guess my peas and also sometimes the gel seems runnier than others - due to change in ambient temeprature so it almost drips out so sometimes I defo put more on.....haven't got a beard yet    - apart from one dark hair that sprouts on my chin an inch below my lip - (what's that about? I keep forgetting about it !)- and a few pesky moustache hairs but then I had those anyway before the T.

Good luck with it Tc.

Hurdity x

[Yorkshire Girl]

Tc I'm in surgical menopause, my GP tested my testosterone level through a blood test and it was non existent so explains a lot and hoping to start testosterone but my appt is still 2 weeks away! Will be interested to see how you get on.

[Tc]

Thank you ladies.
Ladybt and hurdity what you say makes perfect sense.
Start small (petite) and build up to garden!! I will do every other day and see how I get on.

I will start tomorrow, but not before ive been to the supermarket and studied the frozen pea section🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

Yorkshire girl. My blood test was the same 0.9. 50 per cent of our T has been lost due to ovary removal and it's a sharp decline.

I hope your appointment goes well. Let us know how you get on.

Thank goodness for the ladies on here who already taking T and have gone through the trial and error and are able to share their experience.
X

[Yorkshire Girl]

Tc my blood result was less than 0.1. Good luck with getting dosage and timing right for you, keep us posted.

[Tc]

Yorkshire girl. Same to you.
You have been in surgical meno a bit longer than me so it just goes to show how low the T level drops.
Let's hope it makes a difference for us x

[Ladybt28]

Just a question, I have never had any of my hormone levels tested (oestrogen/progest/testosterone) in a whole 10 years or more?  Is it only something which happens for surgical meno or through private doctors or are my doctors just plain lazy?

[Tc]

Lady. I  have only been NHS
with surgical meno  when they remove the ovaries they test afterwards to make sure levels particularly fsh are at post meno  because if they are not it could be due to something called ovarian remnant syndrome.

They then tested me again after 3 months on HRT and as that one proved my E hadn't raised  she has ordered another test for next time too to check absorption and check T after 3 months on it. This is all theough consultant. Not gp.

I've seen ladies on here who are naturally post meno on hrt and get tests although I dont know how many are private or NHS, and others who have never been tested in years on hrt.  there doesnt seem to be much consistency.

[Yorkshire Girl]

Lady I have never had mine tested until I went to the Dr in Jan as the Tibolone I had been prescribed hadn't helped any of my symptoms, so Dr then wanted to check testosterone levels so had blood test. As I'm surgical meno as of just over 2 years it does decline a lot quicker than if you go through menopause naturally. I waited way to long thinking that every time I changed up to new patch it would help but never did

[Tc]

The consultant secretary phoned today to say she checked and  I am to take 1 pump once a week testogel.

Given that this consultant prescribed the wrong dose for  utrogestan and vagifem  I dont trust her about taking  20.25mg in one hit once a week.. It seems other ladies on here in suremeno are taking it the same way as everyone else on here and nobody is taking 1 pump once a week as far as I can tell.

I have just received a reply to my email from womens health concern about it. They suggest one pump at 20.25mg is too high in one go. they said that the gel sachet  is now available again and suggested  that I should  go back to pharmacist and change the pump for gel as it would ensure correct dose.

I also Ifound an NHS chart comparing  testogel pump to gel sachet. 1 pump is equivalent to half a 50mg sachet.so I'm not sure the pea sized would contain equivalent mg.

Now I dont know what to do for the best.