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[Girlagogo]

I am just nearing my 3rd week of being on Tostran gel and still suffering from strong,
 unpleasant side effects.  I've read on here that most people have been starting on 2 or 3 full pumps a week but I can't even manage that .

On the first day I took a full pump and literally when it kicked in for the rest of the day I felt like my heart was pumping out of my chest,  really wired as though I'd had about 20 Pro Plus and very agitated and weird.  I had one more full pump 2 days later with the same horrible effect (including shouting down the phone at my poor mum a few days in) so have since taken not even a third of a pump, just a small petit poi's size, twice a week.  That's once every 3 and 4 days.

Even on a tiny amount,  I'm still feeling not right,  checked my resting heart rate and it's gone up from 55bpm to 61bpm, sleeping only 4 or 5 hours a day and just feel up and down in-between taking doses whilst intermittently feeling more alert, better, then wired then agitated, a bit down again, over sensitive/ overthinking etc. and feeling my heart pumping faster when in bed.

Why am I having such extreme symptoms on tiny amounts, will it go away ever or is this a bad sign as in should I stop? My testosterone levels were only 0.08 so practically zero, SHBG 149 so don't understand why I'm having such an extreme reaction. I have been  taking estrogel for 2 and half years and upped my dose from 2 pumps to 2 and a half pumps a day at the same time as starting the tostran gel because my estradiol levels were only 144.

Mind you,  I felt much better before starting the tostran... it was only low libido and less strength and ability to exercise that prompted me to ask for it but now I feel like I've turned into some kind of steroid addicted muscle(less) woman on a miniature dose of tostran who can't get a decent night's sleep with a roller coaster personality. Please tell me I'm not the only one!

[Nas]

Personally I hate it. It makes me agitated and wired ( like oestrogel).

It suits some women, but not others I think. I’m just not sure nature intended us to mess around with testosterone ( unless the type and dose is exactly right!). It’s hard enough getting oestrogen optimised!

[CLKD]

Is this testosterone?  Which drops in women the same as oestrogen.  I would ease off if I was having side effects: mayB your body probably doesn't require any.

[Girlagogo]

Yes this is testosterone gel. The side effects I'm having would make you think that my testosterone levels are really high but they're practically zilch. Doesn't make sense   How much were you taking Nas and was it Tostran gel or a different brand?

[Kathleen]

Hello Girlagogo and welcome to the forum.

I haven't used Tostran but I was prescribed Androfeme which is another testosterone product. It is specifically designed for women but unfortunately only available from private meno clinics. If you wanted to continue with testosterone perhaps this could be an option?

I should add that I stopped using Androfeme some time ago as I didn't notice any benefits and it made me aggressive but some ladies do well on it.


I hope this helps you in some way and take care.

K.

[Nas]

I was on testogel initially, then tostron. I stopped as I was never sure if my oestrogen was optimised or not. The side effects were quite bizarre with tostron. I was literally bouncing off the walls! I would charge into work, as high as a kite and then slump by the afternoon. My driving was really erratic too; fast and aggressive, then I became an anxious wreck half an hour later.

No thanks, I will give that a miss !

[Girlagogo]

I was literally bouncing off the walls! I would charge into work, as high as a kite and then slump by the afternoon. My driving was really erratic too; fast and aggressive, then I became an anxious wreck half an hour later.

No thanks, I will give that a miss !

Sounds awful and very familiar.  Luckily I work from home so haven't driven enough to experience any road rage which is good news for other drivers and pedestrians! I was only on the phone to my friend last night just rearranging a train journey and tickets which is a simple task on Trainline but at one point I almost had a meltdown as I couldn't "cope with all the changes" and got really stressed.

I thought of trying to get androfeme as it's 1% testosterone as opposed to 2% in tostran but I'm not sure it'll make much difference.

[Girlagogo]

Also, they don't tell you about the possibility of acquiring an appetite of an elephant with Tostran. Mine has gone through the roof 

[Gnatty]

I may be wrong but I think of all the different preparations tostran is the strongest. And because it's so strong you don't take it every day which I imagine must give a bit of a yo yo effect. I get testim from my GP and you can just take a small amount every day.

[Taz2]

This sounds like the male dosage. Female seems to be one pump (pea sized blob) every other day?

Taz x 

[sheila99]

I think the petit pois sized blob is for testogel. My Tostran prescription is one pump every other day and it seems to be the right dose for me. Tostran doesn't lend itself to taking a smaller dose because part pumps are hard to measure. I haven't used androfemme but as it's so much weaker a part dose should be more accurate. The other possibility is that you're reacting to something else in the gel so changing to a different preparation may be a good move.

[Furyan]

I was prescribed Tostran last year and when I took a full pump as directed, I became a sex machine. While that might sound good, I don’t think such a strong response so soon was the aim. I’m more for a gentler, gradual response and I understand that Tostran is the stronger of them all (target population is blokes). I feel that taking globs of Tostran a few times a week might cause testosterone levels to yo-yo (as someone else here said) rather than mimic a more natural daily flow? While I’ve recently started taking it again (half a pump) I’m going to ask for a brand that offers a lower 5mg dose. I think this might offer a better idea of whether testosterone will benefit me longer term. x

[Girlagogo]

The only brand available on the NHS that has a lower dose of 5mg which can be taken daily is Testim. When I suggested this to the GP pharmacist I was told that there's currently a supply issue and that the only alternative was Testogel that can be taken on alternative days. 

Not sure whether there is an issue with getting Testim right now but I don't fancy going from one 2% every-now-and- again brand to another.  I do think that the yo yo dosage doesn't help.