Testosterone injections or gel?

injections will be most effective

Can't be good for you in the long run.

Your going to go from laying on the couch watching TV all of the time to wanting to do nothing but Frick and Fight. At least that was my experience.

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doctor. . . wants me to have an MRI and injections

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But mainly the injections. It's a quick and easy (and, IMO, dangerous and irresponsible) way for primary care doctors to make a quick buck. As men age, a higher and higher percentage will have "low T," so if your PCP checks every male patient through the door, he can make thousands off of these "T shots."

We have very few legit studies on the long-term effects of testosterone replacement, but the studies we do have suggest that it increases risk of some serious medical problems like cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.

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One of the biggest risks of testosterone replacement therapy is that when your body senses the injected T, it compensates by slowing down natural testosterone production... the result: you become dependent on the injections. It may be the right treatment for some people, but if you're just a little low, if you start taking the injections, you risk needing to take them from now on.

One supposedly safer alternative is to take Clomid... usually prescribed to women, but sometimes to men. It is shown to naturally support your body's ability to naturally create T and supports higher sperm count (Test injections sometimes lower sperm count.) Here's a more detailed article on it:

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Whatever you do, you should probably research any potential treatment further before starting anything.

If you're not really that low, and if you have the will to commit to a lifestyle change, consider modifying your diet (less carbs & soy... soy is particularly bad at sapping T and promoting estrogen), and do more weight lifting (heavy weights and exercises like squats are most beneficial for natural T production).

A lot of misinformation in this thread which I expected.

First, go to an endocrinologist and urologist. Low T is different for everyone. 350 for a 21 yr old and 70 year old are both in the normal range, but one is suffering.

Two, injections require you to visit the doc and if you truly are suffering from low T to where you are run ragged all the time, it could be an option to consider. You'll likely be getting them twice a month once they get your levels in order, but injections induce a sharp rise and it lowers as the month goes on. The gel, or whatever you use will give you a more steady constant, a more normal feeling day in and day out. As for women and children-I don't know how that is around them. Obviously dangerous for a child or woman to be handling it, but it dries quickly on your skin.

Third, someone mentioned clomid. Unless your FSH and LH are low then it's useless. It makes those rise, but if your pituitary is already making plenty it's a no go.

Finally, go to a urologist and endocrinologist and have them do their own blood work as well. Get second opinions and transfer records so they're on the same page. This isn't a light issue and shouldn't be seen as an aw shucks I'll do it attitude, but it appears you don't anyway. I've taken injections and gel and prefer the gel. Again, your levels wane slowly after getting them so you'd be doing it at minimum once a month. There are risks involved and sometimes you have no option. And yes, you will be completely sterile taking it.

Don't go by just a primary care doctor's words. Go to a specialist like I mentioned.

I use a dab of the gel as a personal lubricant. Sometimes a little bit gets in my pee hole, so it's kind of like an injectable too.