# STEROIDS FORUM > HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY- Low T, Anti-Aging >  androgel vs. shots

## zaggahamma

Anyone taking androgel or shots and done the math on how much test you are getting either with the shot or gel....including the absorbtion factors of the gel or subtracting the ester from the shots.

I actually forgot about the ester when i was trying to plan on how much cyp or enanthate to inject to get me slightly higher than the gel i'm taking....

when I caluculate the absorbtion of the gel I come up with how ever many grams I rub on...for example...10g of gel means i'm getting 10g total testosterone , because of the 1% of the strength...i guess that is simple enough and i have been taking 3 packets of late...so if i'm absorbing all 15 grams then 15 X 7 days = 105grams....

so just to equal that i would need 150grams of cyp of enanthate 
150 - ester(45)=105 grams.

Sound right?

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## Spyke

I don't think that is right. I have never been on androgel and don't consider myself an expert. I think I read that with the gel, if you rub on 10g your body will only absorb something like 7g. 

Someone will correct me if I am wrong

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## zaggahamma

Hey spyke...hope all is well....yeh...i read the package again b4 i posted and your supposed to absorb 1% and each pack of 5mg has 50mg total and i guess they are doing the math 4 u with the 5mg because 1% of 50mg is 5mg...so i been taking 3 of those muthas equaling 15mg a day..then X 7 = 105mg...but that sounds like i know the answer to my question already so i'm bumping for more O's...either way....i have a feeling i'll be better off with 175or 200mg of injects EW ...but i read some threads where 10mg of gel was getting levels of 1,000....and it got me to 785...now i've been taking 15mg ED of the gel and haven't been tested since then...just getting tired of rubbin shiat on ED anyway...

thanks spyke

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## UpstateNY

Been wondering the same thing to be honest! Especially since my docs not too interested in all this. I went from 10g per day to one 1ml shot per wk of Testosterone E. I feel good but not great. Seems I have some ups and downs while on the shots but didn't feel that way on the gel. The gel is a pain in the butt! Worst part was, my dogs were always trying to lick it off of me. For the record, it was my hands and arms they were trying to lick!!
Ray

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## balin

With the gels your T levels are stable day to day. When taking the shots your blood values peak at48-72 hours then continue to drop till the next shot. And with the gels quite often you get a much higher dht level then you will with the shots, so libido can be higher.

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## zaggahamma

> For the record, it was my hands and arms they were trying to lick!!


 :LOL:  

Balin, I forgot what DHT was....does that usually show up or is it tested for like free and total and LH and have you used or experience both in similar doses. Sounds like you like the gel.

So with the shot..your levels are on the rise for the first 1-3days,peak,then slowly taper back to where you were pre-injection...got it. If proper dose is achieved, then would it be best to take half that dose bi-weekly...like they use the test prop...in other words ...what's the advantage to having you T levels completely or mostly on a even plane vs. the peak and slow decline and even if a slightly higher level is sought, ie. 900-1000, do you still think the gel is better. 

And last but not least, do you think that alternating the gel with the shots to maybe just give the skin a chance to breathe might benefit absorbtion?

thanks man

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## balin

DHT needs to be checked separately. One of the reasons i went to shots was with 1 5g pack of androgel my dht levels were 3x the top of the scale. Plus gels barely raised my T levels. To get them to the top of the range I would have had to slather them on and i dont know where my dht level would have been then. 

Some guys are experimnting with 2x a week shots. But i have not heard of any conclusive results. 

On shots that is why i take the hcg the last 2 days of my week. It raises my T levels ,restore testicle size and helps with mood etc.

I dont think alternating is a way to go. As the skin is a resiviour. And then you would have to saturate it again to achieve stedy levels. 

a combination of low dose shots and gels may work well for some but I have not heard much on those lines.

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