# Other Discussions > Off Topic Discussions >  Taking testosterone?

## chrisis

Do any guys here do testosterone injections? I'm wondering if mine is low due to, 1) suffering sides from Propecia and 2) struggling to put on muscle mass. I'd be interested in anyone with experience or opinions.

I'd like to put on some muscle and someone recommended doing it.

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## mattj

You should definitely have your testosterone levels tested before doing anything, to be sure that they're actually low. It sounds like you haven't done that yet and you're only guessing that your levels are low.

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## Davey Jones

If you feel like your testosterone levels are low, you might not be getting enough fats.  Studies show that limiting your fats can hugely limit your bodies ability to produce testosterone.  Testosterone is made from cholesterol, you know?  But dietary cholesterol has only a minimal effect on your actual blood cholesterol.  It's more important to make sure you're getting all the other fats.  (Most research is on the effects of saturated fats on production of testosterone, but they're all important.)

Don't worry about all the bro-scientists saying you'll never get big as a vegetarian.  I know vegetarian girls stronger than most of them.  I recommend you start drinking a tablespoon of olive oil a few times a day.  Like, at least three.

You should also look into foods that are high in protein, vegetarian, _and_ have a good amino acid profile.  Sometimes people forget about how complete a protein is, which is important.  Gemma pea protein powder is complete, and a good way to just jam a lot of protein in your body at once.  But again, considering that amino acids are recycled, modern science shows that protein isn't half as important as we once thought, and fats are 10 times more important than we guessed.

My suggestions:
1) Again, get healthy fat in your.  Olive oil isn't too expensive.  It's something like $8 for a big bottle here, and that lasts a while.  I have to imagine it's cheaper so much closer to Italy, but I don't know shit for shit about international trade and finance.  Three or more tablespoons a day will get some more testosterone flowing.

2) You should check out truenutrition.com.  They have pretty good deals on vegan/vegetarian protein.  As well as non-vegetarian protein.  If you decide to get something, you should Google "true nutrition coupon codes".  There's a million 5% off coupons out there.

Side note: some people scare monger about purines in peas causing kidney stones, meaning you shouldn't eat gemma pea protein.  Well, there's a lot more purines in beef than gemma pea protein, and no one screams about that.  Besides, studies show that the purines from vegetable sources don't affect rates of kidney stones.  Only the purines in meat do.  (The purines from dairy sources actually lower rates of kidney stones.)

Just my humble advice, anyway.

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## Davey Jones

> "Vegetarian protein" is nowhere near as good as the proper stuff.
> 
> Veggies gon' veg.


 So if I assemble a list of common protein sources (some vegan, some vegetarian, some neither) with their respective amino acid and digestability scores, are you going to approach that with an open mind?  Or are you just gonna be the dumb 15 year old you always are?  'Cause I love to explain what I know about nutrition to people who care.  So do you actually care, or are you a turd?




> No, no you don't. Maybe they can outlift a DYEL teenage nerd, but I've never seen any girl in all my years of lifting come anywhere near that of a man. Let alone a veggie girl. I mean, if she's a woman AND a vegetarian then she has been dealt a vicious blow of poor logic. I'd be astounded if she somehow managed to work with that and develop a proper gym programme.


 Well, we can quantitatively settle this right now: what'cha deadlift, brah?  Common enough big lift.  That's a fair assessment, if you ask me.  You are certainly at no risk of lifting less than my vegetarian, female friend, right?  Kilograms will be fine, if you want to give me your silly foreigner numbers.

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## 25 going on 65

As long as you are getting complete proteins (which is possible for vegans), I didn't think the source mattered.

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## aim4hair

> Kilograms will be fine, if you want to give me your silly foreigner numbers.


 stupidity has no cure!

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## mariechin1234

My brother takes testosterone. Common side effects he experienced include nausea, vomiting, headache, skin color changes, decreased sexual interest, oily skin, hair loss, and acne. Pain and redness at the injection site may also occur.

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## Maxprovust

Ya, its sensitive. Its very much important that you will surely take the advice or get yourself checked up by expert therapist or doctor. And you should not rely on someone simply.

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## Luca

It is true that, propecia or finasteride is an enzyme blocking agent. It prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which plays a crucial role in both sex drive and the growth of muscle tissue. Since DHT is responsible for muscle-building at the receptor level, it does not help to have testosterone available if it cannot be used. Not only that, Finasteride can elevate oestrogen and prolactin levels in men, and sometimes SHBG. All of these can have a negative impact on T levels. So its important to understand the cause for low T levels first and then start the treatment.

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## AnnaM11

Direct testosterone replacement, either through patches, gels, or injections, causes the body to stop producing testosterone on its own. This causes the testes to shrink. Taking  testosterone Replacement Therapy will shut down your own endogenous production and eventually, your sperm production. In my advice, there are other treatments like Clomiphene Citrate, hCG and Tamoxifen that should be used to try and jumpstart your own T production.

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