For some reason my t-shot which is normally painless since I switched to auto-injectors hurt like hell today and my abdomen is still sore.
If anyone has any experience with auto-injectors and can share why this may have happened I'd love it. My initial thoughts is that I didn't pinch enough skin or the needle hit a hair. Idk.
Testosterone gel is gel that is applied topically to your body, and I was on this for over a year.
In September, I switched to intramuscular injections done once weekly.
I'm going to explain my dosage and why I switched methods! This may not apply to you, this is my specific experience.
I was very happy with testosterone gel when I started. I was on 1% gel, starting at one pump and moving to 2 pumps. Each pump was 12.5 mg of testosterone I believe.
Gel was really easy to begin with. You have to keep it and the area you apply it on your body away from animals and children and others who might not want extra testosterone on them, but this was not a problem with me. The gel is daily. This helps if you need to do something daily to get it into your routine.
The gel also takes very little time to put on, it is the same consistency of hand sanitizer. It's honestly really foolproof to use, it's very easy and consistent. I noticed some changes within the first couple of weeks! (I have a timeline posted on this blog)
The gel also gives you a very consistent dose of hormones each day, which was definitely good for my mental health.
The cons of gel for me started around summer when It was warmer and putting on gel and then wearing long sleeves over it just was not fun. Going hand in hand with this i also got a boyfriend and did not want to get gel on him accidentally.
The daily nature of the gel also wasn't helpful if I was going to stay the night somewhere because I would need to bring a bottle of gel if I wanted to put it on first thing in the morning, or I could do it when I got home but risk forgetting to do it. Daily gel became a slight hassle with my new routines.
Gel was also so so so very expensive. I'm in Canada and have no insurance. The gel was around 200 dollars monthly.
My levels were also not where I wanted them to be on the gel. This may have been solved if I went on a higher dose, but the higher dose would cost more money that I do not have. This may not apply to you if you have insurance. Male testosterone levels are between 10-35 nmol/l. I was at 3 nmol/l after over a year on testosterone.
For the shots, I've been on intramuscular shots since September. I take .25ml every week. There is 50mg of testosterone in each injection.
My levels have already went up into the male range although I haven't experienced many further changes yet. I'm at 23 nmol/L.
I only have to worry about doing my shot one day a week, and I could have chosen to have those farther apart but I feel like my mental health would suffer if I did them too far apart.
I don't have to worry about gel rubbing off onto anyone or anything like that.
I pay nothing for my testosterone as my local insurance covers it.
The WORST part about doing the injections is... actually doing the injections. It hurts sometimes, and the times it doesn't I'm anxious about it hurting. It's stabbing a needle into your own body, it's difficult.
This makes the shots unpredictable. Unlike the gel, the shots can hurt sometimes and not other times. If predictability is important to you, maybe don't go for shots.
I do understand that the more you do it the better you will get at choosing the correct spot to inject, but for me it's been really hard not knowing if I'm going to be in a lot of pain or if it will not hurt at all. I'm not even a person who is afraid of needles or pain, it's just hard to do it to your self. That being said, it has never been so bad that I've missed an injection before.
That's all I got for now, ask me any questions you need too!!
Hello! I’m here to share all of my combined knowledge and experience about taking testosterone shots. There’s a lot of information online, and it can be quite overwhelming. I hope this helps!
Some quick things to note.
The more relaxed a muscle, the less it will hurt, if at all. BREATHE.
Try experimenting with heat and cold. I used to take my shots after a shower, but my doctors recommended using an ice pack instead. I find cold actually works better, so you can use that ice pack (not directly on your skin of course) to reduce swelling and pain.
When sterilizing, give your alcohol a few seconds to dry, that way it’ll sting less or not at all.
Note I will be using the words syringe and needle a lot. Syringe is the tube-part that holds your liquid. The needle is the pointy metal part. This is important to distinguish when it comes to measurements and what I’m trying to communicate.
Skin is made up of layers. There’s a thin soft part on top and then a really dense layer of subcutaneous tissue. This is a little tough to get through. Once you start injecting, you may feel your needle hesitantly stop at this point. Once you break through, it’ll seem your needle will just RUSH downwards. The tissues below are much less dense. Think trying to inject into a balloon filled with gel (without it popping). Don’t let it startle you too much when it starts going in faster after that layer. (See image below)
Store your testosterone bottle in a prescription bottle. It’ll help keep it sterile, upright, and keep it from leaking in case that self-heal rubber seal thing doesn’t quite heal. It’ll also be harder to lose since the testosterone bottles can be quite small sometimes.
Designate a sharps disposal receptacle. Sharps disposal bins are just too damn expensive and don’t fit a whole lot. Sure it’s safer for the environment and for those handling your trash, but you can also safely re-cap your needles and put them in a thick plastic bottle. In design school, we disposed of our xacto blades this way to keep our housekeepers safe. We don’t live in a perfect world, save your money, use a thick water bottle, fill that bottle up, recap your needles, etc. I’m not sure if hazardous waste accepts water bottles full of needles or not, who knows. If you’re afraid of your receptacle ending up in an ocean, I’d maybe try talking to your hazardous waste people (for the hormones as well as the needles). Otherwise... *shrug* --AMENDMENT-- I recently found out that some cities like LA search your garbage for more recycling which can make this method dangerous for people searching through your garbage. Take precaution, and unfortunately, you may have to buy a sharps disposal. Sorry. :/
Make sure you’re in a safe, quiet space away from pets, kids, annoying siblings, etc., anyone who can bother you or startle you or mess up your sterile space.
If you see any blueish veins on your skin, obviously don’t inject into those. You will have pain and a bloody mess. Ouch.
Speaking of, have your band-aid handy.
Don’t worry if some leaks out. Testosterone can be absorbed through the skin, plus it’s such a little amount.
Learn your favorite needle gauge. Inject-able testsosterone is a thick substance because it’s suspended in oil. Therefore, you need larger gauge needles than for something like insulin (I swear insulin is like thinner than water and those needles are teeeeeny)(we have a diabetic cat). Anywho, as with needles or tubes or piercings, the LOWER the number, the BIGGER/THICKER the size.
LOWER NUMBER = BIGGER SIZE
EXAMPLE: 16 gauge = OW TOO BIG DON’T USE THIS SIZE
EXAMPLE: 25 gauge = holy shit this is too thin, injecting will take hourssss is it even going in WTH.
I use 18g needles to draw my testosterone, 22/23g to inject. Therefore, I buy 3mL syringes with 18g needles (any length) PLUS 23g 1 inch needles. 1.5″ is also available but unnecessary. So if you want to go to the pharmacy and use what I use, ask for... (however many) 18g 3mL syringes with 23g 1″ needles. Make sure they MATCH. Some will say something like “Laura-Lok” or something like that, others won’t. They either both have to say this or not say this- it’s the kind of twisting mechanism at the base of the needle. Otherwise, you’re stuck with the same needle you use to draw and inject for the week.
You -can- use the same needles to draw your testosterone and to inject it, but each time you puncture something with a needle, it becomes damaged and more coarse. This may make injecting harder or more painful. I have a friend who prefers doing this with his size gauge because he feels the sharpness hurts him too much. It’s all up to you.
USE NEW NEEDLES/SYRINGES EVERY TIME. DO NOT RE-USE NEEDLES OR SYRINGES. SOME PEOPLE DO IT. DON’T DO IT. NEEDLES AND SYRINGES ARE CHEAP. IT’S NOT WORTH IT.
Image from this --> source.
This one’s from reddit, idk. Don’t reuse needles, kids. Unsanitary plus this.
How to prep your shot.
1- Sterilize the top of your testosterone bottle/vial. If it’s new/capped, it doesn’t matter too much. It’s a good habit to have though, especially if you’re uncapping it with dirty fingers.
2- Draw air into your syringe equal to your dosage. This will help displace the liquid in your vial to make drawing it up easier.
3- With the vial down and your needle pointing down, insert the needle and inject the air into the vial. Flip your syringe and vial upside-down so the vial is on top with your needle inside. Draw up your dosage without bubbles. **If you are swapping out needles, draw up an extra teeny bit as needles will retain some of the liquid. So if you’re drawing to a line like .4mL, maybe hit juuust over that line.
4- Turn your bottle back down and withdraw your syringe/needle.
5- If you are swapping needles, turn your syringe up with the needle in the air. Recap your needle, twist off, and twist on your new needle. INJECT THE AIR OUT OF YOUR NEEDLE HEAD. Do this by pressing gently on the plunger until you see no air bubbles in the needle’s base and you see a drop or two of fluid come out. This is why you drew a slight bit extra fluid in step 3. Getting the air out of the base can be hard, don’t worry. This is because they’re built to trap the air from coming through for safety, but we don’t want to risk even that.
6- Your shot is ready! Woo! If you need to, you can gently recap your needle. Try not to hit the tip of it. If you do, it’s not the end of the world.
How to do your shot yourself.
The “proper” location in which to give yourself your testosterone shot, according to my endocrinologists’s nurse, is in your rectus femoris.
So sit down, relax, and measure about 1/2 of a hand away from your knee and a hand from your hip. Stick towards the chunk of muscle that lays on the top outer side of your leg. That’s your safest zone for painless injection.
After you’ve chosen a spot, sterilize it, and sterilize your fingers (a personal precaution I take). Take your not-dominant fingers and gently press down and pull apart the skin near the injection site. This helps reduce distance and toughness of injection.
Take a deep breath, keep breathing (lest your muscles tense up). Insert your needle with your dominant hand. Although it is advised to press the plunger with your non-dominant fingers, I prefer to do it with the same hand I’m injecting with. (***This is where you aspirate.) And inject.
You don’t have to have your needle in ALL the way, although it is recommended, especially if you’re a little chunkier than most. If you inject in fat, that’s okay, it just may take longer for testosterone to hit your system. Just make sure at least half an inch is in or more, k? Try going in all the way if you can (if you have a 1″ needle).
After all of the testosterone is in, gently pull out the needle and you’re done!
If you’re shaking, that’s okay too. My nurse laughed because as she was teaching me, it looked like I was giving myself a tattoo. It was awful. Awfully funny.
How to have someone give you your shot.
Prep your shot.
You’ll have to take off your underwear, or at least one buttcheek’s worth of cloth there if you can manage. Chose your side.
Now, a lot of people, especially on TV, will inject into their own (or each others’) gluteus medius, which is like the side of your backside. My nurse, however, told me this method which is in the gluteus maximus, the butt of your... butt.
From Rick and Morty, “Something Ricked this way Comes”
No, testosterone is not pink. Yes, I wish it was.
Lean over a counter or table, probably about as high as your waist maybe. Whatever is comfortable and stable.
On the side you chose to take your shot on, take that foot and turn your toes inwards towards your other foot, probably at about 30-45 degrees. This moves your leg in a way that forces that injection muscle to relax.
Your injection site will be between the tail of your spine and the lower outer corner of your buttocks if you draw a line. (I should really have drawn a picture for this one.)
Sterilize injection site and fingers (***and aspirate if desired) and inject.
(I’ve never had this particular injection done, but this is how my nurse taught me.)
***What is aspiration? Do I have to aspirate before injecting?
Aspiration is when you insert your needle and draw up (before injecting your testosterone). This method is used to see whether or not you’re drawing up blood; if so, you would be injecting into a vein or artery. This is a controversial topic as injecting testosterone into a vein can be very dangerous, but all of the nurses I’ve seen have expressed that this is not an issue with testosterone injections at my injection site. Many people agree and disagree. Still, if you’re concerned, attempt to draw fluid up before injecting your testosterone just to be sure. I don’t aspirate now. I may or may not aspirate in the future, who knows.
Other injection locations...
There’s a lot of different opinions out there and methods as to where to inject. I’ve done it a few different places myself. I’m just going with what nurses have told me and what’s been best for me. You do you. (But please for the love of God I implore you do not inject in your inner thigh it is soft tissue all of your nerves and veins are there it hurts I hit a lymphatic vein once and that pain does not go away for like a week solid omg doooooooooon’t.)
Hope this helps! I’ve been meaning to do a video or some illustrations, but I currently ain’t got no time for dat. Maybe if I had a patreon, idk. Oh well. Enjoy your shots shots shots shots shots shots erryboday.
I did another testosterone shot this morning. It’s my second one. I think I did better but at the same time worse.
Better in the sense that this time I drank water beforehand and actually ate so I didn’t feel like passing out after the needle came out.
Worse in the sense that I bled more because I think I pulled the needle out oddly. I’m really afraid of needles so that wasn’t my favorite part at all.
I’m really excited to see all the changes and I really can’t wait.
This is a little gif as a “before picture” so we can all see how I looked before I started and what I’ll look like in the future
