Testosterone Cream - Bad Experiences?

[captain_j]

I'm 5 days into switching from 2 years of daily test cypionate injections to 200 mg/ml compounded cream at 2 clicks AM and 2 clicks PM (to the scrotum). I was pretty excited to try this after reading all the comments saying it gives high energy, high libido, etc. Many people even saying it gave them anxiety because it was too much. Well after 5 days I can say I'm extremely underwhelmed. It almost feels like I just had my last daily injection 5 days ago and haven't received any testosterone since. My plan was to be on the cream for 1 month to let it stabilize and also let most of the remaining test cyp out of my system before I get labs, but at this rate I'm not going to last another 2 days before going back to injections.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, did things improve over time with the cream or did you just give up? I mostly read good experiences on cream but there have to be negative ones out there.

 

[Fortunate]

I'm 5 days into switching from 2 years of daily test cypionate injections to 200 mg/ml compounded cream at 2 clicks AM and 2 clicks PM (to the scrotum). I was pretty excited to try this after reading all the comments saying it gives high energy, high libido, etc. Many people even saying it gave them anxiety because it was too much. Well after 5 days I can say I'm extremely underwhelmed. It almost feels like I just had my last daily injection 5 days ago and haven't received any testosterone since. My plan was to be on the cream for 1 month to let it stabilize and also let most of the remaining test cyp out of my system before I get labs, but at this rate I'm not going to last another 2 days before going back to injections.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, did things improve over time with the cream or did you just give up? I mostly read good experiences on cream but there have to be negative ones out there.

Cream was a negative experience for me. I noticed considerable surges in energy and libido for about three weeks. It was downhill from there. Even with small doses, I felt really anxious and over the top. Rapid heart rate and PVC's.

This really bummed me out because I really wanted to sustain the early experience. On a few occasions, I have tried really low dose cream to see if I could feel good on a modest dose. I may have noticed a mild bump in mood/energy for a very brief time, maybe an hour or two, after which I felt a crash. Tired, washed out feeling.

I think guys have one of two results: they either don't absorb enough and get any benefit (maybe that's you) and guys that go really supraphysiologic (both Test and DHT) and feel bad. I suspect more fall into the latter group, but that's just my observation.

If you don't think you are absorbing, you can consider hydrogel.

Also, five days is pretty short. You are still in the process of eliminating your cypionate and things are in flux.

 

[Systemlord]

Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, did things improve over time with the cream or did you just give up?

I didn't absorb the cream well enough, I felt it immediately upon applying it and the effect only lasted for 3 hours, then a massive crash and would have had to dose it several times a day.

The highest levels I achieved was 86 ng/dL, below my natural 91 ng/dL.

I'm on Jatenzo @ 237 mg twice daily now, quite the game changer for me.

 

[Cooper]

I know this topic is about bad experiences with cream but I hope we keep in mind that many have had good success using creams as well.

 

[mrbooshay]

I was on injections for 8 years and switched to scrotal cream a couple years ago. I loved it at first. So much easier than injections. I absorbed it very well and always had great numbers. I had super high libido, energy, and muscle tone. But, a few months into it I noticed even though I wanted to have sex all the time, I couldn’t maintain an erection. I’ve been with my wife for 16 years and never had that problem. I always suspected the cream but thought there was no way. I was VERY anxious as well. Finally, I quit to try to have another baby and it was like night and day. My erections returned as soon as it cleared my system. I am off of everything right now and even though I don’t have any energy and am losing muscle tone, I have strong erections. I’ll definitely be switching back to injections after we get pregnant.

 

[MDavidW76]

I think guys have one of two results: they either don't absorb enough and get any benefit (maybe that's you) and guys that go really supraphysiologic (both Test and DHT) and feel bad. I suspect more fall into the latter group, but that's just my observation.

My TT pretty much doubled to 1012ng/dL and I know my DHT is jacked (Thinning hair, Bacne, like being on a cycle). I’ll be discussing this with my PCP to half the dose or go back to injections or maybe a mixed protocol, I did that for a while and it was awesome.

I should also mention that I have other things going on that may be causing other problems, pituitary tumor and certain medications are pushing my Prolactin to 20+ng/dL. I saw a most useless Endocrinologist about this yesterday.

 

[VacationMan]

At one time, I tried the cream - applied to the scrotum. For me, it did raise free T and brought DHT up a bit - good results there. On the negative side [for me] it also spiked PSA - well above 4.0. So for me there was a bit of bad that came with the good. I dropped the T cream and PSA came back to my normal 1.2 to 1.7 range.

If it works well for you, that's great. It wasn't so good for me so there's that.

 

[Dicky]

I'm 5 days into switching from 2 years of daily test cypionate injections to 200 mg/ml compounded cream at 2 clicks AM and 2 clicks PM (to the scrotum). I was pretty excited to try this after reading all the comments saying it gives high energy, high libido, etc. Many people even saying it gave them anxiety because it was too much. Well after 5 days I can say I'm extremely underwhelmed. It almost feels like I just had my last daily injection 5 days ago and haven't received any testosterone since. My plan was to be on the cream for 1 month to let it stabilize and also let most of the remaining test cyp out of my system before I get labs, but at this rate I'm not going to last another 2 days before going back to injections.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, did things improve over time with the cream or did you just give up? I mostly read good experiences on cream but there have to be negative ones out there.

My experience: I use a combination of cream and test cypionate injections. On cream alone I was pretty good, but did notice some peaks and valleys. Adding the low dose cypionate in helped even that out and provides me a much better experience than cream or cypionate alone.

 

[Mr.63]

My experience: I use a combination of cream and test cypionate injections. On cream alone I was pretty good, but did notice some peaks and valleys. Adding the low dose cypionate in helped even that out and provides me a much better experience than cream or cypionate alone.

What does your protocol look like?

 

[MDavidW76]

My experience: I use a combination of cream and test cypionate injections. On cream alone I was pretty good, but did notice some peaks and valleys. Adding the low dose cypionate in helped even that out and provides me a much better experience than cream or cypionate alone.

I’ve done that too. The Endocrinologist I saw Friday said this was an “Unreasonable protocol” and should never be done because it will not allow for “stables levels in the middle of the acceptable range”… Oh boy, one of those guys, okay . I just rolled my eyes, nodded, and replied “mm-hmm”…

 

[Systemlord]

The Endocrinologist I saw Friday said this was an “Unreasonable protocol” and should never be done because it will not allow for “stables levels in the middle of the acceptable range”…

I remember when doctors said testosterone cypionate should only be injected intra-muscular.

Now we have SQ pens.

 

[Dicky]

I’ve done that too. The Endocrinologist I saw Friday said this was an “Unreasonable protocol” and should never be done because it will not allow for “stables levels in the middle of the acceptable range”… Oh boy, one of those guys, okay . I just rolled my eyes, nodded, and replied “mm-hmm”…

Sometimes that's all you can do. Just let them pontificate. To be fair, I did find that on cream alone, I didn't do as well. Not horrible. But not optimal either.

Adding a small baseload of cypionate evened me out and I end up feeling good on the combo.

 

[MDavidW76]

Adding a small baseload of cypionate evened me out and I end up feeling good on the combo.

I shared on other threads here, I did it on vacation because we were staying at a hotel with indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, and there’s a huge water park nearby, so I never knew (wife and sister-in-law were event coordinators lol) if we were going to be in a place where a topical would be a bad idea ie washing off.

 

[FLGuy]

Sometimes that's all you can do. Just let them pontificate. To be fair, I did find that on cream alone, I didn't do as well. Not horrible. But not optimal either.

Adding a small baseload of cypionate evened me out and I end up feeling good on the combo.

Dicky, what's ur protocol exactly?

 

[Willyt]

I was pretty excited about cream at one point after having read about positive experiences. But even low doses made me very anxious. I suspect it was the DHT but who knows. That said, it was one of the only times I got a flash of libido on TRT.

I like @Dicky idea of combining small cream amount with a steady state base of Cyp/Enanthate. Seems like it would be more viable protocol long-term. Notice how many guys on this forum love cream at first and then quit couple of months into it.

There was a guy on another forum would use cream 1x every 9 days just to bump up DHT level for libido. This was done in combination with injection protocol. He had figured out (or theorized) that DHT levels remain elevated for 9 days after cream application (although that seems like a long time!).

 

[Mastodont]

I felt like shit, after application had some headache and very brief moments of energy, got bloods at peak(4h after) and through, showing similar very low numbers, like off trt, was applying scrotally, also never experienced a worse lack of libido and sensitivity. Pretty sure i will never be applying transdermal again.

 

[Dicky]

Dicky, what's ur protocol exactly?

1.5 clicks of cream to the scrotum every day (IIRC 1 click = 50mg test)
20 mg cypionate 2X/week
.15 ml HCG 2X/week

 

[MDavidW76]

was applying scrotally, also never experienced a worse lack of libido and sensitivity.

TMI question time, au natural, or do you manscape? I keep my sack shaved and the cream works very well. Like I said, TMI but it works for me.

 

[captain_j]

It's been over two weeks now since my last injection (feels like I'm making a confession to a priest), so I'm going to get bloodwork tomorrow. Very interested to see where my test, E2, and DHT are at. My libido has been higher on the cream, and I'm not as anxious on it now as I was in the beginning, but it still just doesn't feel "right". Mood just isn't that great so I'm very curious to get the lab results back. After I get blood drawn I may throw in a low dose of cypionate to see if that helps. I have noticed more acne now on my body which sucks.

 

[Mastodont]

TMI question time, au natural, or do you manscape? I keep my sack shaved and the cream works very well. Like I said, TMI but it works for me.

Yes shaved, as usually so cream would have not been a burden in that area.