My dear fellow Eroidians, lend me your ears...

I started TRT a little over 4 weeks ago. I currently administer HGH and HCG (HCG was in the past) and am extremely comfortable with subQ injections. Apparently in Canada and other countries, subQ testosterone injections are gaining popularity. There are several published medical journals (PubMed) that demonstrate efficacy and it is touted as the "cutting edge" in TRT. It is now considered the "Gold Standard" by many HRT clinics and doctors. Sounds good on paper, but I digress...

In theory, it is supposed to provide the following benefits over conventional IM injections:

1. Less aromatization and therefore less need for an AI due to less spikes from the body's biofeedback.
2. Supposedly less pain.
3. More stable blood levels due to more frequent and smaller dose injections administered throughout the week.
4. Avoidance of scar tissue from years of intramuscular injections.
5. Greater convenience over IM injections given the smaller gauge needle used for a subQ injection.

I've been injecting Pfizer Test Cyp subQ for around 4 weeks with no issues and also no benefit to speak of. Though testosterone cypionate is a long ester, I figured that I should notice "something". Long story short, my last subQ injection did not go as well as the previous ones. I developed a lump. Normally, the testosterone Depo would leave a lump of oil that would be gone in a day or two. This one however, did not go away. I still have it. As the subcutaneous tissue only has small capillaries and thus less bloodflow than a muscle, absorption rates can vary wildly and the uptake of the medicine is somewhat a "hit or miss" proposition. The Depo can also cause irritation to the tissue and subsequently be recognized by the body as a foreign substance and attacked by the body's immune system. I now have what is referred to as a sterile subcutaneous abscess. The dermatologist I saw stated that medications suspended in oil should never be injected subcutaneously and should always be an IM injection. I was sold on subQ injections based on the medical literature and the video by Dr. John Crisler of the AllThingsMale clinic. Here is a link to the video. (BTW, I do use the "search" feature and realize this has been somewhat covered in other posts.) No haters!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n98LOFQwUGA

I am schedule to have the abscess lanced and drained next Monday. I was told that the procedure is not really painful and that I could expect a full recovery and minimal (if any) scarring.

I have now made the switch to IM injections and have actually found that they are no more painful and possibly even less so than subQ injections. I followed the protocol by Dr. Runels and experienced zero pain from my first IM injection. I couldn't believe how pain free it was. The only "pain" I experience per se was a feeling akin to a mild punch to the thigh the following day. Two day later, I have no pain at all; keeping in mind that this is on a virgin muscle. I will NEVER do a subQ injection of testosterone again. My subQ technique was flawless and very sterile each time. It is like playing russian roulette with a syringe. Here is a link to Dr. Runels technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQor40vf7lE

I write this post in earnest and in hope that someone else does not fall prey to this "new line of thinking". You will read medical journals and see posts in various forums online of men swearing how awesome subQ T injections are. Don't believe the hype! If I can prevent even one of you from experiencing the same trauma that subQ injections caused me, the time spent writing this post was very much worth it to me.

Keep fighting the good fight my brothers and sisters!

ONTHEGRID88