How To Give Yourself Testosterone Injections

Giving Yourself An Intramuscular Injection In The Upper Arm

Your healthcare provider has prescribed a medicine that must be given by intramuscular injection. IM injections use a needle and syringe to send medicine to large muscles in your body. IM injections are usually given in the buttocks, thigh, hip, or upper arm.

You were shown how to do an IM injection in the hospital. If you did not get an instruction sheet covering those general steps, ask for one. This sheet reminds you how to give an IM injection in the upper arm.

Name of my medicine: ___________________________

Testosterone Therapy In Females

Testosterone therapy is more controversial in females than in males.

Normal total testosterone levels in healthy adult females are 1570 ng/dl. Low testosterone in females can cause fertility problems, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, and a low sex drive. Despite this, doctors do not often recommend testosterone injections to treat low testosterone in females, as they can have masculinizing effects.

However, doctors may recommend testosterone therapy to help with hypoactive sexual desire disorder in females after menopause. Research has not supported their use for other signs and symptoms that people may experience after menopause, which include anxiety, mood changes, weight gain, and reduced bone density.

Currently, the FDA have not approved any products for testosterone therapy in females. Additionally, in the USA, there are no readily available formulations that provide the recommended treatment dose of 300 micrograms per day for females. As a result, a female will typically need a compounding pharmacy to fill the prescription.

Visit Your Local Needle And Syringe Service

Needles and syringe services are free services where steroid users are welcome.

Theyre completely confidential. Staff wont tell anyone that youve been there, including your work or GP.

Some services have specialists in steroids and other image and performance enhancing drugs . Ask if a specialist is available when you go in.

As well as new needles, barrels, swabs and bins, staff can help with:

• safer injecting advice
• advice on sore or infected injecting sites
• testing for hepatitis C and HIV
• hepatitis B vaccinations
• free condoms and sexual health advice
• disposal bins

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Testosterone Treatment In Males

Your doctor may have recommended testosterone injections if you have low testosterone levels. This occurs when the testicles produce insufficient amounts, and the condition is known as hypogonadism.

Having an inadequate amount of testosterone in your body can have several detrimental effects. These include decreased sperm count, reduced muscle or bone mass, accumulated body fat, as well as erectile dysfunction.

The normal level of total testosterone in a healthy adult males blood ranges from 240 to 950 nanograms per deciliter .

The purpose of testosterone therapy can include the following:

• Better sexual activity
• Improved muscle strength and lean mass
• Elevated mood
• Probable lessening of osteoporosis

Remember To Put Safety First

It is also important to note that TRT only treats low testosterone symptoms but not the underlying cause. Also, not every man with reduced testosterone may need replacement. The FDA has only approved TRT for men having low testosterone because of testicle disorders, brain issues, or pituitary gland problems rather than age-related drops.

If you suspect low testosterone, opt for reliable testosterone treatment in Las Vegas for the correct diagnosis.

References:

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Why Testosterone Can Be Tricker To Inject

Testosterone can be tougher to inject than, say, insulin, because the hormone is held within an oil, either sesame or grapeseed. Because its thicker, you may need two needles: a low gauge for the vial of medicine and a higher gauge for your body. If you use a high gauge needle to extract the testosterone from the vial, its going to be a laborious process to get the medicine through that smaller bore.< br> < /br>

Common Testosterone Injection Questions

Whats the best time of day to inject testosterone? Traditionally, its the morning. Its not scientifically necessary to inject testosterone in the morning, though our testosterone is at the highest levels in the morning. The reason for the morning push is more about creating a routine to ensure youre not missing doses. However, theres no difference in the time of day youre injecting Ive not seen a study that indicates theres any change in efficacy between the morning and the afternoon or the evening. Whatever time you select, keep to that time. Consistency is key to building a routine.

Is it better to inject testosterone once or twice a week? The answer here varies, depending on your doctors preference but also your dosage. Typically, once or twice per week is the norm. Some guys dont want to self-inject twice per week, so they want to get the whole weeks dose delivered at once. If your treatment course calls for, say, a 200 mg dose, with one shot of all 200 mg, your testosterone levels would peak about four days after, then drop off. If you injected 100 mg on at the beginning of the week and another 100 mg towards the end of the week, your peak isnt as high and your low isnt as low. Twice per week is preferred for the balance of testosterone delivery.

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Giving Yourself The Injection

Your advanced practice provider will review the instructions below with you. Generally, the training for the injections takes 2 office visits. Please be aware that each visit may take up to 1 hour, so you should plan your schedule on the day of your appointment.

Use this resource to help you the first few times you inject on your own.

Do not take the following medications within 18 hours of injecting :

• Sildenafil – 20 mg to 100 mg
• Vardenafil – 10 mg to 20 mg
• Avanafil – 50 mg to 200 mg

If you take tadalafil 10 mg or 20 mg, do not inject within 72 hours of taking the medication.

If youre using tadalafil 5 mg daily, ask your APP how you should use this medication along with your injections.

After Pelvic Surgery For Prostate Or Bladder Cancer

If you have had pelvic surgery for prostate or bladder cancer within the past year, your healthcare provider may have told you to take a low dose of sildenafil , vardenafil , avanafil , or tadalafil every night, except on days or nights you plan to inject. This improves the chance that your erectile function will return. It may also help save erectile tissue.

• Do not take the following medications within 18 hours of an injection :
  

  Medication
  10 mg to 20 mg
  Avanafil	50 mg to 200 mg

• Do not inject within 72 hours of taking tadalafil 10 mg or 20 mg.
• If youre using tadalafil 5 mg daily, ask your APP how you should use this medication along with your injections.

Your response to oral ED medications may improve over the first 18 to 24 months after surgery. Try taking a full dose once a month. A full dose is one of the following:

• 100 mg of sildenafil taken on an empty stomach .
• 20 mg of vardenafil taken on an empty stomach.
• 200 mg of avanafil taken with or without food.
• 20 mg of tadalafil taken with or without food.

Record your response. To achieve the best response, you must be:

• Relaxed

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Cycling On And Off Testosterone

Some people believe that testosterone should be taken in cycles. While this might be partly true with anabolic steroid users, it is not the case with TRT. When on TRT, your testicles reduce or stop producing testosterone. Stopping testosterone injections abruptly is not good news for American male wellness and bears several side effects. These include reduced or zero libido, weight gain, and depression.

Hence, when in TRT, you should consistently stay in touch with a reliable and experienced doctor who tapers down the dose when the desired effects are achieved.

Vastus Lateralis Muscle Of The Thigh

The outer thigh may be used when the other sites are not available or if you need to administer the medication on your own.

Divide the upper thigh into three equal parts. Locate the middle of these three sections. The injection should go into the outer top portion of this section.

The ventrogluteal muscle is the safest site for adults and children older than 7 months. Its deep and not close to any major blood vessels and nerves. This site is difficult for self-injection and may require the help of a friend, family member, or caregiver.

Place the heel of your hand on the hip of the person receiving the injection, with the fingers pointing towards their head. Position the fingers so the thumb points toward the groin and you feel the pelvis under your pinky finger. Spread your index and middle fingers in a slight V shape, and inject the needle into the middle of that V.

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How To Do An Intramuscular Injection

This clip is for educational purposes only to help men who have a prescription of Testosterone.

Testosterone was the first ever synthesized anabolic steroid, and testosterone cypionate is a slow-acting, long-ester, oil-based injectable testosterone compound that is commonly prescribed for the treatment of hypogonadism low testosterone levels and various related symptoms in males.

Some Side Effects Can Be Serious If You Experience Any Of These Symptoms Or Those Listed In The Important Warning Section Call Your Doctor Immediately:

• lower leg pain, swelling, warmth, or redness
• nausea or vomiting
• swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• difficulty breathing, especially during sleep
• erections that happen too often or that last too long
• difficulty urinating, weak urine flow, frequent urination, sudden need to urinate right away, blood in the urine
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• pain in the upper right part of the stomach
• mood changes including depression, anxiety, or becoming suicidal

Testosterone injection may cause a decrease in the number of sperm produced, especially if it is used at high doses. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using this medication if you are a man and would like to have children.

Testosterone may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving this medication.

Testosterone injection may cause the bones to mature more quickly than normal in children who receive the medication. This means that the children may stop growing sooner than expected and may have a shorter than expected adult height.

Testosterone injection may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while receiving this medication.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .

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Serum T Levels And Dosing

All 63 patients achieved serum total T levels within or above the normal male range. At their most recent blood draw on optimized therapy, mean total serum T was 702 ng/dL with a range between 357 and 1377 ng/dL . These measurements were obtained after patients had been on the optimized T dose for 0.5 to 42.7 months. Two subjects had levels above the normal serum range, one at 1203 ng/dL and one at 1377 ng/dL . In the first patient, a previous total T level on the same dose was 696 ng/mL with free T 90 pg/mL. In the second patient, a previous total T on the same dose was 987 ng/dL with free T 138 pg/mL. Free T data were available for 50 patients at their most recent follow-up visit, of whom 48 had values within the normal range two values were low at 42 and 47 pg/mL . Mean serum free T concentration was 129 pg/mL with a range between 42 and 275 pg/mL.

Serum hormone levels in FTM patients receiving SC T injections. Serum total T data were available for all 63 patients free T data were available for 50 patients and serum E2 concentrations measured by LabCorp were available for 47 of 53 premenopausal patients. Rectangles indicate normal ranges. Bars designate mean values. Note that the patient with an E2 level of 130 pg/mL had a previous serum E2 measurement of 37 pg/mL on the same dose .

Where To Administer Your Testosterone Injections

• Testosterone injections are intramuscular, which means that they are given into the muscles.
• The very vascular muscles of your arm, your thigh, or the glutes are the most common injection sites.
• Once you learn how to give yourself your testosterone injections, you will find them easy to do, and quite painless.

It is very important that you learn where to give your testosterone injections.

Testosterone injections are intramuscular, which means that they are given into the muscles. The very vascular muscles of your arm, your thigh, or the glutes are the most common injection sites. The needles used to deliver low testosterone treatments are very thin, much like the ones diabetics use to deliver insulin. Once you learn how to give yourself your testosterone injections, you will find them easy to do, and quite painless.

Testosterone injections are intramuscular, which means that they are given into the muscles. The very vascular muscles of your arm, your thigh, or the glutes are the most common injection sites.

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How To Do An Intramuscular Injection Of Testosterone Cypionate

• Use a 25G x 1 needle for injecting your testosterone.

• If injecting into the glute, always inject into upper-outer quadrant of the butt cheek thats close to the hip.

• Clean the skin with an alcohol pad.

• Make sure plunger is pushed up which removes all the air-bubbles, leaving only the testosterone.

• Relax the muscle being injected.

• Push the needle all the way straight into the muscle, withdrawing the plunger briefly to confirm that youre not in a vein .

• Press down on the plunger and then remove the needle quickly.

• Use an alcohol pad to wipe the injection site and massage the medication into the glute.

What Other Information Should I Know

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain tests to check your body’s response to testosterone injection.

Before having any laboratory test, tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are receiving testosterone injection.

Do not let anyone else use your testosterone enanthate injection . Testosterone is a controlled substance. Prescriptions may be refilled only a limited number of times ask your pharmacist if you have any questions.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.

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What Kind Of Results Can I Expect From Testosterone Injections

While taking your injections correctly will minimize discomfort, and maximize results, there are a few other things you need to understand about the results of testosterone injections.

Number one, testosterone injections are most successful when they are prescribed for your particular individual needs, lifestyle and metabolism. As such, that means that no two testosterone therapy patients will have an identical experience. Your results will be tailored to meet your unique goals and lifestyle.

The other thing you need to understand about testosterone therapy is that while you will see results, you will not suddenly have the physique of Superman after your first injection. The whole reason why testosterone injections are to be taken over the course of a few months, is that their effects are cumulative, and take time to be achieved. Be patient, you will see the benefits of testosterone therapy soon!

Preparing For The Injection

Wash your hands with soap and water. Inspect your medication. Ensure that it is the correct drug , the correct concentration and hasnt expired. Make sure the drug is clear without contaminants by inspecting it in front of a light source. Testosterone crystals may be present and should dissolve into solution with slight agitation. Remove the vial cap and clean off the vial diaphragm with alcohol in order to kill germs. Take your syringe and needle and pull back on the plunger in order to draw air into the syringe. The volume of air should be about 1/2 the volume of the syringe itself. Insert the needle through the rubber diaphragm and push the air into the bottle. Keeping the needle in the vial, turn the vial up side down. Position the needle tip so the liquid covers the tip of the needle. Pull back on the syringe plunger and allow the medication to drip into the syringe chamber. Once enough medication has been withdrawn from the bottle, remove the needle. Inspect your syringe for air bubbles. If detected, hold the syringe upright and push the air out of the syringe. Small bubbles do NOT require removal.

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