Itching on Testosterone Replacement Therapy

I've got a call in with my endo, but I figured I'd pick some brains here as well.

About a month into TRT (100mg Test Enanthate per week), I started itching. No rash. No specific location. Just general itching. It'll be my earlobe one moment, my butt cheek the next. When it's bad, it's hard to sleep and I rely on knocking myself out with Benadryl.

The thing is, I went in for labs last week and my kidneys/liver look fine.

eGFR NON-AFR. AMERICAN
84 mL/min/1.73m2

BILIRUBIN, TOTAL
0.6 mg/dL

BILIRUBIN, DIRECT
0.1 mg/dL

BILIRUBIN, INDIRECT
0.5 mg/dL

ALT
31 U/L

HEMATOCRIT
43.7%

HEMOGLOBIN
14.5 g/dL

Is there anything else we should be testing? These numbers look pretty normal to me. I suppose it's possible I'm allergic to the sesame oil in the enanthate, but I've never had a problem with sesame seeds and I've eaten plenty.

It's also possible this has nothing to do with the TRT.

Thanks, guys.
 
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While on a testosterone cycle...I developed dermatographia and what appears to be psoriasis or eczema...the dermatographia has subsided a bit since i stopped (nearly a year ago) but the itching dry skin continues to rear it's ugly head every now and then....
 
Hi,
thanks for this post. I started testosterone 2 weeks ago and the body itching is litterally driving me crazy. Could anyone please share if they feel better now and whether they had to quit test??? TIA!!!!
 
Maybe it's the type of ester your body is reacting to. Change esters if it doesn't go away in a couple of weeks.

How's your iron status?

Vitamin D?
Thanks so much for your quick reply! I will check these parameters. I am using testosterone cream, only 30 mg. I started with a low dose because I tend to react to everything. Today, the allergy specialist will see me. Sadly, I suspect the cause is testosterone... :(
 
There are some guys who blame everything on TRT, a sneeze, getting sick when they have other health problems for which they are unaware.
The thing is my lab tests are great: iron, vit D, liver, ... even hematocrit, which I suspected might relate to the itching.
The itching started when I started the cream. I stopped the cream and it subsided. Yesterday, I tried the cream again and the burning sensation returned. I am so upset, as my T levels are really low and was benefitting greatly from the T cream regarding energy and mood.. I really need to supplement but have reacted to T cream as well as DHEA supplement :(
Thank you so mucho for your time and interest
 
Yes, iron supplement is a must for me while on TRT.
I had a very similar thing happen. I got very itchy at more so at night as you mentioned. It turned into red blotchy spots like hives on my back usually, but the itch was all over. This went on for quite a while. Mostly at night. It eventually turned to a rash that I have all the time. Totally different and it doesn’t itch, although it looks terrible. All over my torso, and wraps around my lower back. I’m off everything now to see if it will go away. I did this once before and it did eventually go away. Sad because I love trt but it isn’t worth the itching. By any chance do you have diarrhea with the itching?
 
By any chance do you have diarrhea with the itching?
Yes, iron wasn’t my only proble, vitamin D was low as well and low vitamin D and IBS, diarrhea are common. Low vitamin D will cause itching at night because that’s when things are low if they are deficiencies.

Low potassium can cause itching and low vitamin C can cause rashes all over my body, but start to occur in certain places depending upon the severity of the deficiency. The vitamin c deficiencies start in the middle of my chest and work their way down to my stomach as my levels drop.

Liver issues can cause itching.

Click on my avatar and scan through all my threads I created on the subject.

 
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The thing is my lab tests are great: iron, vit D, liver, ... even hematocrit, which I suspected might relate to the itching.
The itching started when I started the cream. I stopped the cream and it subsided. Yesterday, I tried the cream again and the burning sensation returned. I am so upset, as my T levels are really low and was benefitting greatly from the T cream regarding energy and mood.. I really need to supplement but have reacted to T cream as well as DHEA supplement :(
Thank you so mucho for your time and interest
have you ever tried testosterone injections ? The fact that it happened as soon as you started cream again makes me wonder if you have issue with cream. Sounds unlikely but stranger things have happened
 
Hot therapy in the sauna helped this for me. I break a sweat and I’m good. Get the kind and needles at the start. Eventually it subsides. Has faded over time. Ended up being Cholinergic urticaria. Started getting this about a year into TRT after I got a vaccine. It looks like that triggered an immune response which caused the Cholinergic urticaria. So annoying though. Feel free to reach out out if you’d like to chat.
 
Hot therapy in the sauna helped this for me. I break a sweat and I’m good. Get the kind and needles at the start. Eventually it subsides. Has faded over time. Ended up being Cholinergic urticaria. Started getting this about a year into TRT after I got a vaccine. It looks like that triggered an immune response which caused the Cholinergic urticaria. So annoying though. Feel free to reach out out if you’d like to chat.
No medication or treatment for Cholinergic urticaria?
 

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