For FTM Transition there are different brands of testosterone that are available in the market.
Which is better?
According to Dr Kalra, “Both brands work.” There is no such hierarchy in choosing which brand is better. It depends on your doctor and the availability of the injections.
What is the dosage?
Dr Kalra talks about the dosage saying, “We give these once in three to four weeks initially, low dose of 100mg. Then we increase the dose slowly over time to 250mg after monitoring for the side effects. We also have a 1000mg injection but we normally don’t give these because the side effects are higher and we give it once in three months. But we normally don’t prefer these but sometimes the patients prefer this because they cannot get access every month.”
What if I don’t like injections?
Don’t worry you are not alone. There are a lot of us who would prefer other things over injections. Also, injections have certain side effects for people. Dr Kalra says, “The gels are also available. Some patients get liver side effects from these injections. I use gels also and there are gels with very few side effects but they have to be applied daily and a little bit of the cost factor comes into play. So all of these factors come into play and it has to be decided individually.”
So it completely depends on you what you want to choose.
What about estrogen injections?
Estrogen injections are not available as of now in the market and so tablets are used here. Dr Kalra mentions, ‘I use estrogen patches or tablets for females. There is another injection called lupron injection which is given for reducing the male hormone level, we give leuprolide. But sometimes the patients opt for spironolactone but it is a little less effective. “
Spironolactone
It is a more affordable kind of injection, additionally, when spironolactone is administered according to Dr Kalra, “We have to keep a watch on potassium levels if we want to administer spironolactone.”