Thinking of switching from TRT injection to gel, but have some concerns…

[Huge Jackedman]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been off and on TRT for almost 8 years now (39 y/o) and have consistently been on TRT since early 2025. I’m taking 100 mg/week of test cyp along with around 700 iu of HCG. Both split in two doses. My issue is that my hemoglobin/hematocrit have been steady rising.

I am thinking of switching to daily gel because I read that this would reduce the massive peaks created by injections. The only problem is that I work in the construction field and sweat profusely. I’m talking, as soon as warm air touches my skin I’m sweating. My shirt will be completely drenched by the end of the day. As is the case… that doesn’t work if I put on gel in the morning and immediately sweat it off.

If I put the gel on at night, then my test is peaking in the middle of my sleep and my sleep will suck (experienced this and read about it). So putting it on at night is also out of the question… it makes it kind of difficult to decide what to do. Dilemma. Any of you guys deal with this before?

 

[Renew1]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been off and on TRT for almost 8 years now (39 y/o) and have consistently been on TRT since early 2025. I’m taking 100 mg/week of test cyp along with around 700 iu of HCG. Both split in two doses. My issue is that my hemoglobin/hematocrit have been steady rising.

I am thinking of switching to daily gel because I read that this would reduce the massive peaks created by injections. The only problem is that I work in the construction field and sweat profusely. I’m talking, as soon as warm air touches my skin I’m sweating. My shirt will be completely drenched by the end of the day. As is the case… that doesn’t work if I put on gel in the morning and immediately sweat it off.

If I put the gel on at night, then my test is peaking in the middle of my sleep and my sleep will suck (experienced this and read about it). So putting it on at night is also out of the question… it makes it kind of difficult to decide what to do. Dilemma. Any of you guys deal with this before?

Well, that kinda sucks. I'm generally not a big proponent of Test Gel, but it is individual choice, And you sound like you may have a valid reason.

Have you looked into it much yet? After a brief look, it seems that Andro Gel only recommends waiting 2 hours before showering (while all or most of the others recommend a lot longer).

I'm a Profuse sweater. Up until a couple of years ago, I did Heavy work, in South Florida. I would take up to 7 shirts with me (and that many hand towels).
By the end of a long day, guess how many shirts I sometimes went through? You guessed it. Seven.

 

[Huge Jackedman]

Damn, you sound like me with the sweating. I’ll soak every shirt I change into, that’s why I’ll usually just have one other shirt with me… someone told me they keep their soaked shirt on because it acts as a coolant once it’s drenched. It just feels nasty.

Anyway, yeah, I hate thinking about switching to gel. I see almost no positives except the fact that it doesn’t increase RBCs/hemoglobin as much as injections. I just think, what am I gonna do if I go to the beach? What if I need to get a shower after? What if I forget my dose at home on a trip… the idea that my test levels will go down to virtually nothing after 24 hours is kind of bullshit. Well, at least I’ll have HCG doing something and keep some test circulating.

 

[Smont]

Seeing how your trt is only 100mg, the gel will probably be fine, Try applying the gel after a night time shower right before bed. (The gel can also raise hematocrit so it's not a guaranteed fix)

I'm very surprised 100mg testosterone is s effecting hematocrit. I haven't needed to donate in years and I blast and cruise. Do you smoke? Eat a lot of iron rich foods? How about regular daily or almost daily cardio, are you doing that?

 

[Huge Jackedman]

Seeing how your trt is only 100mg, the gel will probably be fine, Try applying the gel after a night time shower right before bed. (The gel can also raise hematocrit so it's not a guaranteed fix)

I'm very surprised 100mg testosterone is s effecting hematocrit. I haven't needed to donate in years and I blast and cruise. Do you smoke? Eat a lot of iron rich foods? How about regular daily or almost daily cardio, are you doing that?

Nah, I don’t smoke but I vape flower (no carcinogens). I’m pretty sure I have mild sleep apnea, but it was worse when I was blasting and cruising and 15-20 lbs heavier. Back then I got tested and was given a CPAP. Even then I was entry-level sleep apnea, not anything crazy. Never got used to the machine so I don’t use it. I know I snore cause my girl will wake me up when I sleep over her place, but I’m not waking up exhausted or anything like I used to when I was bigger.

I do eat/drink a lot of citrus, which I heard can cause increased absorption of iron. Last time I had it checked, it was high. I’m not even that big of a meat eater, tbh. I eat red meat here and there. Mostly chicken and eggs.

Cardio, I don’t really do it, but I have a fairly physical job in construction (I’m not a construction worker, but I show up and take samples, inspect work, etc. and I regularly carry heavy crap over a distance and walk ~3-4 miles a day).

My numbers are just over the range as you can see in the attachment… I also never had numbers like that when I was blasting and cruising. They were always high-normal, never over. Very weird, indeed.

I attached my readings for hemoglobin/hematocrit

 

[ironviking]

I think you are more in the monitor range than the worry and take action range. You could increase your shot frequency also which may get you at more stable blood levels. You could easily do daily subq injections with the dose you are at. From what I hear the gels are less than ideal.

 

[Huge Jackedman]

I think you are more in the monitor range than the worry and take action range. You could increase your shot frequency also which may get you at more stable blood levels. You could easily do daily subq injections with the dose you are at. From what I hear the gels are less than ideal.

Yup, I’ve pretty much done sub q from day one for TRT. I also do two shots of HCG a week, so that’s 4 days of injections. I wasn’t looking forward to adding more shots, but it may be worth it to avoid the headaches with gel. I’m going to try increasing the injection frequency.

I used to donate a couple of times a year, and I think that helped. Last time I went to donate, I ended up almost blacking out and felt like ****. I had to stop the donation early. My entire left arm felt like it was being crushed. Now I’m scared to donate again. Even getting blood drawn makes me squeamish.

 

[lanky]

i am on gel between 3 and 4 pumps a day and levels are around mid 600's, was up to around 1100ng/dl on 4 pumps a day. hematocrit went up to 18 though and is bow back down to mid 16 range now with lower dosing, feel good with good libido from the gel

 

[lanky]

i for one actually get higher numbers in warmer weather, maybe better blood flow peripheral, level was around 1100 when i was sweating working out outside in mid 90degree weather and doing yard work multiple days a week

 

[LTFU]

When I started on TRT I was on the gel for the first few months. Mine came in individual packets and was damn near water consistency which made it extremely annoying to apply without making a mess. I felt like it didn't absorb well at all because even after a long day I could still feel a film in the areas that I applied it. After the few months on my test only went from 247 to 350sh. Finally grew a set and started injecting and have been great since. Obviously, given your circumstances I can see why gel may be a better option for you, but from my personal experience it wasn't good at all. I haven't tried them, but I wonder how the butt pellets would help/hurt your situation..