Testosterone: types, forms, preparations

It is known that testosterone is good for building muscle mass, and fats do not accumulate. This property of testosterone is used not only by male athletes, but also by women. What are the types and forms of testosterone, in which preparations is it best to take it and why?

Types of testosterone

Testosterone is available in synthetic forms, but it is produced naturally in the body. What to consider when taking micro- or macro-doses of testosterone.

Methyltestosterone

This is a drug with testosterone in its composition, in which its synthetic form is designed to affect the body. It is worth knowing that synthetic drugs are absorbed into the blood faster and affect the body much more intensely than natural testosterone.

In terms of molecular composition, artificial testosterone, of course, differs from its natural counterpart. This makes its effect on the body fundamentally different, and the doses are also selected differently.

Methyltestosterone is a hormone that combines testosterone and methyl group hormones. This form allows this drug to be used in tablets, orally. This makes it possible to distribute the entire dose of testosterone throughout the body.

The downside of this method is that the liver is not thrilled with its use and may not work well, may malfunction. This is a significant drawback of all testosterone drugs - the risk of liver damage.

This hormone in the form of methyltestosterone can be used by men, but is not recommended for women.

Natural testosterone in micron doses

Micron doses mean that the testosterone is offered in molecules that are too small to be properly absorbed into the bloodstream. The body cannot fully process and utilize this testosterone.

Micron testosterone is obtained from foods such as beans and soybeans, and also yams, or wild potatoes. The process of obtaining it is identical to the process of obtaining progestin and estrogen from the same plants.

The necessary substances are isolated from plants in the laboratory, then they undergo a process of purification and synthesis. Pharmacists try to produce testosterone close to natural, the one produced by the human reproductive system.

Testosterone is produced in different forms: testosterone creams, tablets, patches, suppositories, gels, injections, etc. The concentration of testosterone in them is different, so before using it, you should consult with your doctor about the dosage.

Important advice for women

Testosterone is more of a male hormone, and men need it more than women. Therefore, you should not buy testosterone preparations intended for men. Increased concentrations of testosterone in them can harm the female body, causing decreased libido, weakness, increased fatigue, and hairiness all over the body. To restore the hormonal balance of testosterone, ask your doctor what dose is suitable for you and choose the right preparation.

Pros and cons of the Estratest

This drug is used to compensate for the lack of testosterone and estrogens. It provides the female body with estrogens, which are divided into estrone and beta-estradiol, as well as methyltestosterone in high concentrations.

If you use Estratest every day, you will bombard your body with increased doses of testosterone. Its excess can provoke obesity, which is hardly your goal.

In addition to excess weight, which is difficult to control, women may experience mood swings, anxiety, poor sleep, and irritability.

One of the serious side effects of taking high doses of testosterone in the drug Estratest can be liver damage and the formation of tumors in it. In Germany, the drug Estratest has been withdrawn from official sale due to the risk of side effects.

You should not take hormonal drugs like Estratest, which shows the main problem of hormones. These are incorrectly calculated doses: there is a lot of one substance in the drug, and little of another. And then the body gets more harm from hormones than benefit.

To select the optimal doses of hormonal drugs, many doctors prefer to prescribe them separately from each other, coordinating the doses. Then there is no risk that the doctor will prescribe hormones that are not listed in the composition on the label of the drug.

In addition, the dose can be varied depending on how the body reacts to a particular hormone and how a person’s well-being changes.

What you need to know when choosing a drug form

Non-oral forms of testosterone (those in creams, injections, gels, patches) quickly penetrate the blood and cause fluctuations in hormonal balance.

This can make you feel worse: your head hurts, you may feel chills, your mood may fluctuate between good and bad, you may be overly irritable, and you may not sleep well. You may also experience muscle spasms, unmotivated aggression, and anxiety.

With a sharp drop in testosterone in the blood, a person may experience severe weakness, increased fatigue, and loss of strength.

Know that it is not the dose of testosterone that falls into the body that is important, but the speed of its absorption, that is, the speed with which the hormones get to the brain. This means that the choice of the form of hormones (patch or tablets, for example) determines the speed with which the hormones will be delivered to the brain.

If the hormone doses are slowly absorbed (as with the oral form of taking the drug), then its level will be maintained longer than with rapid absorption. And if the drug is absorbed quickly, then its level in the blood will not be maintained for long.

Why is it not recommended to use hormonal implants?

Implants with hormones in their composition are often not recommended for women. They can be used only in certain rare cases. The problems that arise after taking hormonal implants are great. The hormone that penetrates the body constantly fluctuates in doses, which causes increased fatigue, weakness, depression.

Symptoms of an overdose of hormones in the form of implants: increased hair growth or, conversely, hair loss, fatty deposits, especially in the abdomen and waist area.

The body begins to tolerate insulin poorly, and so-called insulin intolerance occurs.

If a person does not tolerate hormone implants well, they cannot be removed simply, they need to be extracted with the help of a surgeon. This takes time, you will not get rid of such hormonal agents on your own, and therefore, the doses supplied by them.

How to determine the dose of testosterone by the type and form of release of the drug

Since each woman has a different level of testosterone in her body and a different reaction to hormones, the doses must be selected individually. For one woman, an increased dose of testosterone will compensate for its deficiency and improve overall well-being, while for another it will cause an allergic reaction and poor health.

Therefore, before selecting a dose of the drug, you need to undergo hormone tests and determine which hormones you need and how much.

The form in which testosterone is released determines what dose will enter the body and how quickly. Oral testosterone preparations contain more of this hormone than those taken in creams, injections, patches.

Non-oral preparations may contain the same amount of testosterone as oral preparations, but some of the hormones are lost during absorption and passage through the liver.

For an oral drug to be completely absorbed into the blood, between a quarter and a tenth of its dose is lost.

The ratio of hormones in oral and non-oral drugs may be different.

For example, an oral drug contains 1 milligram of estradiol, while a non-oral drug – a patch – contains 10 times less – 0.1 milligrams.

As for progesterone, it has the same ratio of hormones depending on the form of release: in the cream there is 10 times less of it than in the tablet: 2 milligrams in the cream to 200 milligrams in the tablet.

Reaction to oral testosterone preparations

It can be different. Oral testosterone medications pass through the liver, which means they are absorbed and processed by the body more slowly than those that pass directly into the blood. If a person has a healthy liver, the danger is minimal. But if the liver is deformed and the effect of hormones is strong, its work can be disrupted even more.

Some women experience increased immune function, increased sexual desire, and improved mood with small doses of testosterone taken orally.

Other women, whose testosterone doses are not calculated accurately, may experience signs of increased blood pressure, increased bad cholesterol levels, slower blood flow, and increased risk of blood clots. In this case, oral testosterone preparations should be replaced with those that bypass the liver and are absorbed directly into the blood.

Use of hormonal creams and their consequences

Not all women can use hormonal creams, as this can have negative consequences.

If the cream contains 1% or 2% testosterone, then such cream should be used up to 20 milligrams per day. And this is from 100 to 200 milligrams of oral medication per day - that is, too high a dose of testosterone. With such overdoses, the consequences for the body can be the most dire. Increased hair growth, menstrual irregularities, fatigue, irritability, poor sleep.

The optimal dose of testosterone in the cream should be no more than 0.025% (this corresponds to 0.25 milligrams of testosterone in an oral preparation) or 0.1% testosterone (this is equal to 1 milligram of the hormone in an oral preparation).

For most patients who require testosterone, the dose in oral preparations should not exceed 4 milligrams of testosterone in the form of microns. This corresponds to the natural doses of testosterone in the body, which are produced naturally.

To more accurately determine the dose of testosterone a woman needs, hormonal tests are needed. They are done 4-6 hours after the woman has taken the hormonal drug (oral form). If the dose is sufficient, there is no need to increase it.

If the dose is low, then it is possible to calculate how much testosterone a woman still needs to feel good.

To avoid side effects from taking the drug, you need to measure your glucose and cholesterol levels in addition to avoid their unjustified increase. To do this, you need to take a blood test for hormone levels.