Video Page

Pros and cons of testosterone

I HAVE been on testosterone (T) for over three years now. The changes were slow, which for me was good. I was, and still am, not interesting in rushing the process. I started on Sustanon 100 and after three months went onto Sustanon 250 every two weeks. The changes came much more quickly on the higher dose.

Almost immediately, I experienced a huge increase in my libido, which was great but seriously distracting. Some of the first changes I noticed was weight gain. I put on about eight kilograms. This was mainly due to increased muscle bulk although I was carrying some excess weight and plenty of ‘girl fat’ around the hips. My shape began to change – more gut and less hips. There was a noticeable thickening around the waist. I had to alter my eating patterns as well to take into account the muscle bulk. I found I wasn’t eating enough to burn the fat off effectively. I’m still a bit ‘hippy’ but I put that down to lack of exercise at this point.

My voice took about six months or so to deepen. After about six months I also noticed a marked increase in body hair, although we are not a terribly hairy family so I will never have a great deal of body hair compared with some other people.

I found I looked a lot older than I had before and my skin texture coarsened. I also smelt different, sweated more and had increased body odour, although not to a huge degree. I now shave every day. My hair is thinner and courser. It has become quite curly. I also began to feel much better about myself and much calmer. I was a lot less angry with the world.

I did experience some negatives. Early on my dose was too high. I was very hot and flushed for days on end which was incredibly uncomfortable. As a result of the flushing I developed Rosacea. [Ed - "Rosacea is a vascular, inflammatory skin problem that is characterised by facial redness. It affects approximately 5% of the population."] My dose was altered to every 21 days, but this turned out to be too low.

My optimum interval is every 19 days. I now self-inject which has given me a great deal of freedom. I am not tied to a clinic and don’t feel so much like a patient. I would recommend getting T levels checked regularly to make sure the dose is right for you.

Walking became very painful as my calf muscles grew too quickly for the sheath to adjust. It has resolved now but was agonising at the time. Running was impossible.

T has altered some of my attitudes. I can see things more from a male perspective, particularly in relation to sex. Before taking T I would never look at someone in a sexualised way. I didn’t like it being done to me and so I would never do it to anyone else. All that has changed!

On the whole, I don’t believe T has substantially changed me as a person. I work in a strongly male dominated occupation and it is my observation that yobbish behaviour is largely learned behaviour, often strongly influenced by alcohol consumption and peer pressure rather than testosterone. In my experience taking T will not turn you into an aggressive person.

John (2009). Pros and cons of testosterone, Torque 9(2), 6.