I have a compounded cream that says "Testosterone 1MG/ML Cream. I assume that means 1 MG for every 1 ML that you use. I am supposed to use 1 ML daily. Does that mean I am getting 1MG of testosterone? I've been using it for over a week and feel no different. Is my dose a low dose? I was wondering about trying more. I think I read somewhere that 2MG is a good starting place. If that is correct does that mean I need to use 2ML of my cream to get 2MG???

Any advice is appreciated.

k

Hi Kimball,

Things can get confusing when it comes to the T cream. When I started using it, I had NO idea what the proper amount was. My doc was kind enough to prescribe it for me, but she ordered me a 1% cream. I never realized that 1% was 10 times 1 mg. Live and learn. Anyway, after reading up on it, I found that the dosage for women ranged from 1mg to 3mg per day ( depending on the women).

So I use a VERY tiny amount of my 1% cream. I also skip days of using it, because you WILL know if you have used to much. You will become more irritated, aggressive and your face may start to breakout.

When you use the right amount for YOU, you will notice better energy, happier moods. Just listen to your body and if you feel like it's too much, skip a few days and start again with less. My cream is 1%, not 1mg, so I would guess that your dosage is only 1mg per. Can you call and ask them???

If after a week you have not noticed anything, if it were me, I would try a tiny bit more and see if that helps. Are you needing it for more energy? I apply my cream after my morning shower, I apply to the back of my knee, I usually will feel the affects rather soon in the day, and it will make a difference.

Let us know how it goes.

Juliann

Thanks Juliann. Yes, I am using if because of lack of energy AND lack of libido. I wish I knew the strength of my cream...I guess I just need to call the pharmacy and ask...because I don't want to increase the amount I use then find it is way too much. If I am figuring right (1ML = 1MG) then I am getting 4 MG of testosterone... because I use 4 ML of cream every day. If this calculation of the strength is correct then 4 MG should be plenty of cream to do the job shouldn't it???

Don't forget that on average, only 10% of that dosage is absorbed through the skin, depending upon what base they use for the compounding cream. Some people are "non-responders", meaning that virtually nothing is being absorbed at all.

Every one is different when it comes to hormonal reactions. Some women will get some masculinizing effects on the same dosage that does absolutely nothing for another woman.

If you are not responding, your doctor may prescribe Androgel or you can get implanted testosterone pellets or shots.

Thanks for the info.

I thought creams were supposed to be the best way to go???

I recently switched from Estratest to Estrogen and testosterone cream. I also use progesterone cream. I swear, I don't feel a thing on the creams...except maybe worse. I have tried testosterone shots before and they worked great for my libido and energy...just very inconenient to have to go to the DR. for a shot ever few weeks. I wonder if you could do a combination of all three hormones in one shot? Does anyone know? Another drewback with a shot, I would think, is that you cant "tweek" the doses.

I appreciate any info or advice!

k

Hope you don't mind me butting in to this thread but can someone help me please because I cant work out what dose I should be on!
My doctor gave me Testogel for men and told me to experiment. She gave me no guidelines which in hindsight I think was very irresponsible because its very powerful stuff! I have had it since last July and I just cant seem to get it right.The gel comes in sachets and each one contains 50 mg in 5g of gel.
I was so naive when I first got it and used a couple of sachets in the first week.Needless to say I was a basket case!It took me a long time to get it out of my system during which time I suffered first dreadful anxiety and rage and then black depression. By the time I got over that I seemed to have no libido at all so I tried again with a smaller amount but it seems to be so strong that I immediately go into the same mode of anxiety, rage and then depression.
I do have some sexual feelings but I feel so anxious and aggressive there doesnt seem much point.
I have been trying tiny dots every 2 weeks but even that sets off all the side effects. I have about one or two days when my libido is just right and then it all goes downhill again.
I dont know if its just me, I dont know if maybe my testosterone levels are still too high, I just know I am not very happy .
I wonder if anyone can give some advice and make sense of the Testogel as I am hopeless at working it all out!
I live in Uk by the way so I cant get a womans dose made up for me and the Intrinsa patch is not suitable for me.
Sorry this is so long
janet c

Hi Janet - If I remember correctly, you don't use a systemic estrogen because of your past endometrial hx, right? I found it difficult to tolerate testosterone until I got my estrogen up to a decent level. Just keep in mind that you could have difficulty with testosterone at any dose if your estrogen level is very low.
Most docs seem to order testosterone around 1mg to 3mg daily so you could use one packet every 50 days for a 1mg per day dose, or one packet every 25 days for a 2mg per day dose, or one packet every 16-17 days for a 3 mg per day dose. The problem would be metering out that packet portion in an even dose daily.
Can you get a hold of a syringe or two? You would not need a needle on the end, some stores sell them in the baby section for drawing up exact amounts of liquid oral medications for infants and toddlers. They come with a plastic cap on the tip and have a sufficient opening to draw up your gel. Once you know how many cc's/ml's are in a 50mg/5gram packet you can calculate how many mg's are in each cc/ml. Then, if it is marked like a syringe with cc's or ml's down to 1/10th or 1/5th of a cc/ml, you could further calculate how many mg's are in each 0.1 or 0.2cc/ml. Then you would know exactly how much you would be getting each day depending on how much you decided to use.

Thanks Niteowl

The trouble is I do use a little estrogen cream but even that makes me feel terrible.
I dont think there is any hope for me-I know it really because I seem to be too sensitive to all hormones.
I am wondering how long it would take for testosterone levels to drop if I left it alone for a while? Would it be weeks or months? i might be better on a slightly lower dose
janet c

I've never read up on Testogel but I'm betting it is very similar in action and half-life to Androgel & Testim - both alcohol-based testosterone gels designed for men. On the insert included with Androgel it states that once you are up to normal therapeutic range stopping use will still keep you within range for 24-48 hours, but serum testosterone levels will drop back down to pretherapy range by the 5th day after stopping use. So it seems the medication should be "worn off" enough that you would be back to your normal level within a week's time...
It's a shame you can't use the Intrinsa patch, many of us are waiting in the USA for it to get FDA approval here so it is available to us!

Yes we are very lucky to have the Intrinsa patch in UK!
That info about the gel may be so with men but I can't believe its the same for women. I usually find that I am almost overdosed for a couple of weeks even on a small amount and actually do not find my libido that great. Its only as the effects wear off that I start to feel right. I know from reading threads on Hystersisters that once the level is up, a small top up is only required now and then-maybe once a month and that's with ladies who are using estrogen as well. I have also read that estrogen binds up available testosterone so it can cancel out testosterone effects. Maybe that is where I am going wrong. As I am using such a tiny amount of estrogen I dont need as much test as someone who is using estrogen systemically.
I possibly could use Intrinsa but that is supposed to be used with estrogen so I dont know if the doctor would prescribe it. I might go to see her and ask about it. I am allowed estrogen now if I really need it but obviously the docs would prefer it I avoided it because of the cancer. Also as I have said even the tiny bit of estriol causes me to have side effects so I am not keen to go on HRT. You have been very helpful though-thanks. I can't bear the thought of losing my sex drive again. I thought I had lost everything when I had my cancer and had to have my ovaries removed. I won't give up yet but I cant carry on with the regime I am on-up and down and all over the place! I think I might try letting the effects wear down even longer and see how my libido is affected. Maybe I am still overdosing.
janet c