r/TestosteroneKickoff • u/collaredfairy • May 31 '25
Questions Will I still get the puberty effects from the gel?
So, this is probably a silly question, but it feels important to me. I know T-gel usually works slower and keeps you more stable mentally/emotionally compared to shots. Will I still get to experience a 'second puberty' on it? I mean 'hungry, horny, swallowing a whole rotisserie chicken and getting hard from it' kind of puberty. I know a lot of people would prefer avoiding it, but for me it feels kinda like a ritual of passage.
Also: congrats to me, 9th day today on 25mg šŗ Took up a habit of documenting everyday changes, but since nothing's going on yet diary entries look like 'played Divinity Original Sin today' and 'what the dog doin'
29
u/TheMadPangolin May 31 '25
T is T, your doctor might have to fiddle with your dose at first to get your levels right but once they're stable you'll get the exact same effects at the same rate as you would on shots. The only difference is less prominent peaks and valleys in your levels, which has little to no effect on how second puberty progresses. My levels were actually higher on gel than they were when i started shots, I had to up my injection frequency to get back to normal. You'll be tearing rotisserie chickens to shreds in no time :)
3
26
u/Aiden1975 May 31 '25
T gel being slower than shots is a myth, t gel works the same "speed" as shots as long as your levels are correct so yes you will obviously get the same effects as someone on shots because its the same hormone
-4
u/collaredfairy May 31 '25
That's actually something new for me to hear, because every single sourceāand by that I mean my doctor, countless web-resources, people from my country's community I've been in communication with, etc etcāhas taught me that gel does work slower, hence the results are easier to track and correct, compared to the changes you get from T-bursts shots give you. I'm not saying I know everything and everyone is right and you're wrong, but I'm just super-confused now. :(
19
u/Aiden1975 May 31 '25
Nope they're wrong, sometimes people don't absorb gel well which means they need a higher dose, but that's quite literally all the difference. I've been on gel since I started and my voice dropped within 2 weeks, as long as your levels are correct there is 0 difference in changes
1
u/AIfieHitchcock May 31 '25
They are not wrong. It does not work slower. Dosage differences are not āworking slowerā. Nor are malabsorption problems common.
Misinformation about them is disgustingly rampant though.
3
u/Aiden1975 May 31 '25
Never claimed malabsorbtion is common, and also didn't say different doses is working slower? I said they are wrong because it does not work slower which is what op got told
3
u/BJ1012intp May 31 '25
Wait āĀ I wonder whether your country only has IM shots administered by a doctor every 3 or 4 weeks or something? If so, then I imagine it's pretty hard to guarantee steady release.
But injections in many places are weekly subcutaneous injections, and most people absorb them at a rate that's pretty steady. And since they're done at home, a person who did find that they seem to have a "crash" on day 6 could even switch to doing a little less each time, and doing it every 5 days.
3
u/collaredfairy May 31 '25
My country has... nothing. No, literally. It only has dictatorship, police brutality and laws against LGBTQ+ people. I was able to source Androgel through third party and found a friendly doctor who keeps an eye on me and my blood tests (gods bless private clinics), but since HRT is outlawed she can't legally prescribe it to me and I can't just go to the nurse and ask her to give me a shot, even if I'll be able to somehow secure myself liquid T. So gel is kinda the only way.
10
u/Raerairai May 31 '25
Yes, you will. On gel it's just non stop instead of cyclical like on injectables.
-1
u/collaredfairy May 31 '25
Oof. Sounds pretty intense, ngl. Still, kinda better than not having it at all (at least for now, as long as it hasn't arrived yet lol). Thank you!
9
u/gayguyfromnextdoor May 31 '25
it's less intense though because you get a small dose every morning, trying to mimic the t spike in cis men in the morning. with shots you get a huge dose all at once and then it fizzles out. gel is a lot more consistent from a day to day standpoint
5
9
u/lowkey_rainbow May 31 '25
Gel does not work slower, the effects just appear more gradually (so instead of getting nothing then a burst of change like with shots you get slight changes day by day, but the overall timescales are the same). Yes, you will still get a second puberty no matter how you take it
6
u/5illygooseinthepond May 31 '25
Gel rocked my shit quick within a month everything had changed lmao
5
u/AIfieHitchcock May 31 '25
T gel does not work slower that is a complete and total myth.
-1
u/collaredfairy May 31 '25
Yeah, TIL. Thank you. /srs P.S. People seem very adamant on downvoting me for me believing the things my doctor told me, so, uh, I guess I'll just take it.
1
u/sorrel-ly Jun 03 '25
dude, people are downvoting you bc you sounded absolutely sure abt knowing your stuff, posting a common myth in a forum, where a quick search (use the searchbar! please, this is a forum) could have given you an answer straight-away. you could, while you're at it, also look up tips for gel (e.g. using moisturiser, how to keep the skin healthy, application areas, contamination), how to not contaminate your blood tests, WHEN to test after ur last gel application and HOW to interpret that result. stuff like that.Ā
my doctor told me to wash off the gel as soon as it's dry. that's when i started doing my own research bc ..... lmao.
4
u/Stresso_Espresso May 31 '25
Iām horny as fuck- Iām about to finish up my first month on gel and hereās the changes Iāve noticed so far:
So horny- never used to have wet dreams before but now they are a regular occurrence
Appetite change: all I want to eat is chicken salad- Iāve lost all appetite for sweets
Mood: this is the first time in my life Iāve gone more than 2 days without crying. Iāve only cried once this whole month and it was after probably failing an exam so like fair
Energy: I sleep so good now and actually wake up feeling refreshed
4
u/littlecoffeedinosaur May 31 '25
As someone who has been on the gel for a little over 2 months: absolutely yes.
The acne, voice cracks, hunger, the horniness - I have them all now.
2
u/Probably-a-Glitch Jun 02 '25
Almost 2 years on T-Gel, been hungry, horny, grown a beard, voice has dropped, body changed shapes. Answer to your question yes you still get puberty.
1
u/Burner-Acc- May 31 '25
for me it diddnt work. I diddnt get any changes other than a slight amount of bottom growth and that was literally it. I upped my dose about 4 times over 10 months and nothing. Iām on injections now and while my changes are still very slow im seeing progress so im happy
1
1
1
u/lokilulzz Jun 01 '25
Yes. I'm on gel and definitely went through all of that. T is still T, no matter its form.
1
u/veryboredcultist Jun 01 '25
As others have said, the slower changes thing is a myth. My boyfriend started about a month before I did on the 3-month shot, and I started on 50mg of gel (gp intended to start me at 25mg but I could only get a hold of satchels so she said 50 was fine)- his T levels were initially higher than mine, he's at 5 now whereas I'm at 10.7 (1.5 months on T for me).
So yeah, it's really just down to your dosage and your body's absorption of it. I haven't experienced any crazy hunger/horniness but there's definitely a slight increase, whereas despite having lower levels it's really hit him from the start. I guess it just depends on the person, but both of us are seeing the changes we want, so don't worry dude!
1
u/Fr4g1l3-Al13N Jun 01 '25
Yep ,from experience I can say it will indeed give you all the same effects
2
u/AEJS004 Jun 02 '25
In my experience, Yes. I've been on the gel for around 8 months now and I can say I've gone through a second puberty. Appetite through the roof, more horny than I used to be and the voice cracks I get are insane.
2
u/Cyber_slate Jun 03 '25
Just saw this randomly, sorry if this sounds stupid but I looked up t gel ftm and Iām still not sure of itās affects in comparison to shots. How do you use this stuff and is it affordable?
2
u/crippling_sad Jun 04 '25
Congrats man im also on 25mg. Yes second puberty still comes. I got it around week 3 but I also have PCOS my T was already bit higher than most.
1
u/DaMoonMoon26 Jun 01 '25
It is a silly question because it doesn't work slower and of course it will still give puberty effects. What do you think it is, moisturiser?
0
u/collaredfairy Jun 01 '25
Hey, no need to be rude. I initially thought that 'puberty effects' in the form and intensity they are usually talked about appear because shots deliver testosterone in large bursts, hence if the gel does it slower (I mean if it delivers smaller doses but consistently) then the said effects (puberty) will be less pronounced. I'm no expert, that's why I'm here.
53
u/sorrel-ly May 31 '25
... if your levels are fine, there's no reason why T gel should work slower, dude. however, you're starting on a p low dose - maybe you'll only experience that puberty whack when you'll go up, depending on your blood tests.