Testing and transdermals

[Heapsreal]

A quick question, say after 3 weeks on a transdermal and retesting, when is the best time for a blood test, pre or post T application?

I do remember reading somewhere that a few guys would get tested 2 hours after application of the transdermal to get an accurate test, where if one tested in the morning before application it could be a false low reading??

Appreciate any feedback.

[xcraider37]

A quick question, say after 3 weeks on a transdermal and retesting, when is the best time for a blood test, pre or post T application?

I do remember reading somewhere that a few guys would get tested 2 hours after application of the transdermal to get an accurate test, where if one tested in the morning before application it could be a false low reading??

Appreciate any feedback.

Two hours after is your peak for the day, for me I could almost feel a steady decline and by 5 o'clock felt bottomed out, so I started doing my bloodwork in the morning pre-app. and was always low. I wouldn't consider it a false low though, as I believe you should be able to get to a more steady state, not an up and down rollercoaster ride.

[2Sox]

From personal experience, the best time to take a reading to gauge for your treatment plan is the morning before you apply. You'll also find that on transdermals it's very easy to gauge how much you need completely based how you feel. That's been my experience anyway. Transdermals make for much more DHT - which translates to a higher libido. I knew how many pumps to use based on how horny I was. And contrary to what one might believe, a constant state of horniness is not necessarily a good thing.

In the long term, it really doesn't matter when you test. You'll be doing this for a long time and eventually you'll be getting your readings at various times of the day - pre and post app. After awhile, you can't help but find out where your numbers are at any given time. You'll see that your numbers will pretty much match how you feel.

[Heapsreal]

Two hours after is your peak for the day, for me I could almost feel a steady decline and by 5 o'clock felt bottomed out, so I started doing my bloodwork in the morning pre-app. and was always low. I wouldn't consider it a false low though, as I believe you should be able to get to a more steady state, not an up and down rollercoaster ride.

Thanks for that.
So i guess if i did get tested 2hrs after application i should see an elevation in T versus base line?

Im going through a process at the moment to work out if i respond to transdermals or not or if the compounding pharmacy i used was crap?

Several years back now i used a compounded cream and got a good boost from it which after several weeks faded. I stopped and started this a few times and got the same initial boost. I look back now and i was probably having E2 issues as it has tested high since. Also back then beside the initial blood work there was no follow up testing, now i know better.

About 12 months ago or longer i used another compounded cream from a different pharmacy. Follow up testing showed only a small increase in total T and nothing to free T. E2 was under control with arimidex prior as i tuned up my dhea(which tested very low but supplementing increased E2) and pregnenolone levels first.

What sparked my interest was another friend started using the previous pharmacy i used and said he didnt feel it working like the transdermals he had got from a different compounder, he didnt have testing to confirm this yet. I decided to order from a different compounder again, i got some noticable effects from this transdermal.

Im in australia so the amount of testing i can get is limited, i may do another pre application blood test and then later pay out of pocket for a 3 times a day saliva T test which is alot cheaper then the blood work?

T injections are dam hard to get prescribed here but transdermals alot easier, so its not really an option. Although the vitamin fairy found me a few amps for now. If the transdermals get my FreeT up to a normal range, that would be great and may use it in between a more aggressive TRT peroids.

So thats sort of a plan i have to avoiding any pct(have it available if needed), so i guess using the transdermal like a bridge, also not looking at doing more then sust 1ml/wk and some low dose deca 150mg/wk to fix up some nagging inuries, i hope. The serious TRT aint cheap but the transdermals are like a bit more then $1 a day.

All ears for any other opinions.
cheers!!

[Heapsreal]

From personal experience, the best time to take a reading to gauge for your treatment plan is the morning before you apply. You'll also find that on transdermals it's very easy to gauge how much you need completely based how you feel. That's been my experience anyway. Transdermals make for much more DHT - which translates to a higher libido. I knew how many pumps to use based on how horny I was. And contrary to what one might believe, a constant state of horniness is not necessarily a good thing.

In the long term, it really doesn't matter when you test. You'll be doing this for a long time and eventually you'll be getting your readings at various times of the day - pre and post app. After awhile, you can't help but find out where your numbers are at any given time. You'll see that your numbers will pretty much match how you feel.

Thanks for that, im starting to feel that the transdermals are more a subjective feeling. I think my previous compounding pharmacy was selling me vitamin E cream?? Strange as they seem to produce a good pregnenolone cream.