Testosterone side effects

[Hope]

*eyeroll* FAIL. Way to be condescending...did it occur to you that maybe that's what Abraxas was asking, ways to help us LEARN to deal with the effects of testosterone? At what point did he say he wanted to AVOID the effects of testosterone? Wouldn't that kind of defeat the whole purpose of BEING on testosterone in the first place when you're FtM?

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I believe what he asked for was - and I quote - "T side effects and their 'cures' or things that help alleviate the problems?"

Now - I will grant that I did not offer any sort of techniques, and that might be construed as a failure on my part. But that is because I don't think the OP was looking for techniques. Maybe he is.

Wow. Way to make assumptions about the kinds of effects Abraxas was asking about and brand all of us as aggressive, oversexed idiots. Thanks, but none of us here are idiots and I think I'm pretty safe to say that none of us are the kind of chauvinist, misogynistic pig you seem keen to paint us as by making those assertions about what we "need" to learn and being so condescending and arrogant.

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I believe what he asked about was - and I quote - "Stuff like acne ..., ridiculous sex drive ..., aggression maybe, increased appetite, all that stuff."

And I believe what I addressed, and you are getting huffy about, is acne, ridiculous sex drive, and aggression. I admit I failed to address "increased appetite" and "stuff." Boo bad me.

Also, I don't really know how to say this - but addressing someone's concerns does not mean that anyone is painting anyone as a "chauvinist, misogynistic pig." Though I would advise you (from experience) that to be male in the west today is to be seen as a "chauvinist, misogynistic pig" until proven otherwise. Also, guys generally don't use those terms - except for sarcastically.

Bill (from the other room): "Hey Ted, on the way back would ya'll grab me a beer from the cooler?"
Ted: "Bill, you chauvinist, misogynistic pig, you come git your own damn beer! I am not here to wait on you hand and foot!"
Bill and Ted (together) HAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Seriously, if you want to be taken seriously as a guy, in most communities, you have to stop saying things like "chauvinist, misogynistic pig" in earnest.

Again, wow. At what point did Abraxas or anyone else for that matter say anything about resorting to "some sort of chemical means to alleviate the effects of testosterone"? That's a pretty damn broad and ignorant assumption you are making without any sound basis (and see my previous comment about it defeating the purpose of BEING on T in the first place).

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I believe what he asked for was - and I quote - "'cures' or things that help alleviate the problems?" Perhaps by "cure" the OP was not referring to some sort of medication or other chemical means to control what he referred to as "T side effects," but Ironically - you made the same assumption that I did:

So you are basically saying that no GMs use acne medication, or possibly take any sort of medications to help with overactive sex drives or aggression if they become a problem that interferes with daily life, or watch their diet because T makes your appetite increase, and that FtMs should just shut up and grin and bear it?

So lighten up a little huh?

But let me answer these issues too:

So you are basically saying that no GMs use acne medication,

No, some GM's DO use acne medications. I personally know some who do. But I know a LOT more GG's who use acne medication, and it's not because they are taking testosterone that is making them break out. It's because being concerned with their appearance, to the point of seeking a prescription, is seen as a pretty girly thing to do...

or possibly take any sort of medications to help with overactive sex drives or aggression if they become a problem that interferes with daily life,

I can safely say that I do not know, nor have I known any GM who has ever taken any sort of medication to reduce his sex drive or aggression. Virility is something that is seen as a positive by the overwhelming majority of men.

I DO know retirees, men in their 60's who refuse to take medications for prostate cancer because they are afraid of it affecting their sex drives.

I do know of guys who smoke a lot of pot, or drink excessively who are unwittingly affecting their sex drives through the use of these substances. I have known guys who have stopped smoking pot when they realized it was affecting their sex life - but I have never known a guy who smoked up in order to achieve that as a goal. And of course, we have all encountered a frat guy or alcoholic who insists the alcohol has no effect on his ability to perform. Ahem.

There are occasionally threats made (by politicians) to include "chemical castration" as a means of controlling violent criminals, but as far as I know - very few volunteers are found.

So... Yeah... Only in very rare circumstances will a guy resort to some sort of chemical means to alleviate the effects of testosterone - and in most of those circumstances it is done unwillingly or unwittingly.

or watch their diet because T makes your appetite increase,

Yeah - dieting is not a big male activity... and I don't know of any guys who blame testosterone when they are compelled to do it. Doctors, wives, girlfriends (or the increased potential for girlfriends) are reasons I have heard for controlling caloric intake - but not testosterone. Sorry.

and that FtMs should just shut up and grin and bear it?

Well, if you say so. I suppose that is what GMs more or less have to do... but I wouldn't suggest that as a terribly helpful suggestion. You have a better one?

What I generally say to folks about hormones is that if you don't think of the "side effects" as desirable... they may not be right for you. That goes both ways. If you are considering taking estrogen and you don't think that a loss of sex drive is a good thing, or if you are worried about shriveled testicles, and you are worried about loosing your ripped pecks... maybe HRT is something you should reconsider? But that is an individual decision... and the side effects will be there wether you want them or not.

That comes across as incredibly judgemental of FtMs who are learning to deal with testosterone later than GMs do and don't have the social conditioning or support around it to help us out that GMs do either.

Seriously?

What is this "social support" of which you speak?

And that's a pretty sweeping generalisation about male emotional life, too - not all genetic males repress emotion or have issues with anger/aggression/too high sex drive, and neither do all FtMs.

You are right. But "anger/aggression/too high sex drive" ARE the issues the OP asked about. Not the emotional repression, I DID posit that as a possible reaction to living as a man in a world that refuses to let you behave the way testosterone encourages one to... but seriously, is my half baked theory a reason to get all huffy?