Obviously (I would think), if your only answer is “no” or to tell people to check detrans spaces, you are going to have your comments removed and possibly be banned. The comments on this post have been very measured and well-explained that testosterone won’t fix all your problems and is not a cure-all.
To imply that T is not good for anyone here is not operating in good faith.
If T is something you want, going on it can absolutely improve your life. But it isn't a cure all. If you go on T expecting that it will make you happier with your body and relieve some of your dysphoria, odds are that will happen, and that can be a wonderful thing. But if you go on it expecting it to fix *all* your problems, you're just going to be disappointed and bitter.
Can't speak for others, but *my* mental health improved dramatically. My depressions and anxiety aren't *gone*, but they're a lot less severe and less frequent.
(Especially since my voice dropped, which was the thing I had the most dysphoria about)
Absolutely. I’ve been depressed since I was 9/10 years old, and while I still do have it, transitioning actually made it possible for my brain to be able to envision and consider a future. Before, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to turn 18. Now I’m 23 and been on T for 2 years! Within the first week of starting testosterone, I gained a mental clarity that I hadn’t experienced maybe ever. I felt like a whole person, instead of feeling like a character. I could look in the mirror and say “the person looking back at me is me, and it feels like it’s me!” For years I’d look in the mirror and cognitively understand that my face was looking back at me, but the disconnect was so real that some times I’d have a certain image of what my face looked like in my mind and it was kind of a jumpscare to see how different it was from the face actually looking back at me.
Testosterone was an absolute fucking lifesaver for me. I think the main thing is it’s important to not go into it with too many or too high expectations because we still need to “do the work”, so to speak. If you want muscles, you have to work out. If you don’t wanna lose your hair you gotta take medication or use topical ointments for it. Unfortunately, same thing with presentation. I know I don’t pass mainly because of my long hair and bangs, but personally starting T and getting top surgery has alleviated my dysphoria enough that I’ve gained some resilience and am going to just keep my hair until I actually want to cut it or I pass anyway. Puberty takes years even for cis people, so keeping that in mind with our expectations will help keep you grounded. It’s natural to feel impatient about changes, but cis people have that too :) of course theirs is a different flavor, but there’s a lot of overlap in the human experience.
This sounds like something I typed. Especially the part about the jumpscare seeing myself before T, as estrogen wrecked havoc on my body. 5+ years on T, and 10 years of estrogen’s influence has been erased.
Putting in the work to grow my cock now, as I get ready for bottom surgery.
T saved my life. I went from non functional and having panic attacks/ meltdowns 5+ times a week to having had one panic attack in the past year, and it was regarding something that was actually traumatic instead of something that would have triggered me before like burning some food or getting a phone call.
I’d been having severe anxiety and panic attacks since I was about 4 years old and T just cured 99.9% of it.
I don’t even think that stuff was related to my dysphoria T just generally calmed me down and made me able to handle day to day life. Passing 100% after three months did make me way happier as well but it feels like T changed so much more.
When I started T I thought I wanted to go on it for a few years for permanent changes then come off. Now I’m on it I am 100% sure I need it for life.
But I have also met people who had T make their mental health worse. It made them feel agitated and anxious all the time and they were just managing to tough it out for the physical changes they wanted.
You really won’t know until you try. You just need to understand everything that could potentially happen and decide if it’s something you want to try.
Can’t speak for you, but T was absolutely life changing for me. Obviously there are issues that aren’t related, but even those tend to get a little easier without extreme insecurity and constant borderline body horror piled on top.
T was life-saving for me, but it isn’t for all people. It definitely did alleviate my dysphoria, yes. my endocrinologist stated over and over again to not expect T to fix the other mental health issues i had going on, she reminded me over and over again that T is not a miracle fix. a lot of people expect T to fix all of their issues, but it doesn’t and then they get frustrated. i knew going into it that if i wanted to get better, i’d still have to do the work.
once the cloud of dysphoria lifted, i was better suited to tackle my trauma and the root of other mental health issues i had going on. it was HARD work. because dysphoria was there, blocking the view, and then it was gone.. so i had a clear view of the dumpster fire of mental health issues i needed to put the work in to fix. however, without testosterone, i wouldn’t have been able to handle the deep, interpersonal work it took to change patterns i had and heal to the extent that i have. however, it was NOT a short process— 5 years on T and i’m still working through things. but, starting T allowed me to quit SH, work through my suicidality and heal some deep-rooted abandonment wounds that i had. it might cure most of your dysphoria, it might not, but either way— for your mental health to improve, you have to put in the work. testosterone is not a miracle fix.
T won't cure you of all mental illness, or change you fundamentally as a person (eg if you are a worrier you will still be a worrier ect) necessarily. But if dysphoria is causing your issues it can really help. Seeing yourself actually look like yourself when you look in the mirror and having people refer to you correctly without having to ask has helped my depression massively. Like I still struggle, but it has lessened a fair amount and (tw) I have way way less thoughts of sh and stuff. I also just feel way more comfortable in my body. Existing in front of people doesn't feel as excruciating when my voice is deep and I have a stupid little mustache
Feeling scared of starting is totally fair! I was so anxious during the whole process of getting on T and as much as I was happy to get it I nearly stopped within the first month because I was really freaked out/worried. Since I've seen changes its been so awesome, and now the thought of having to go off T is horrific
T won't fix the issues that aren't related to your dysphoria. No one can guarantee that it'll rid you of dysphoria either, but there's a good chance it might help.
I mean, not directly. But it frees up mental spaces that were dealing with dysphoria. With those unoccupied or at least less occupied, you have more energy/capacity to deal with other issues :-) so it actually might improve other stuff. At least, that is how I experienced it. Of course, some issues cannot be “improved” in the usual sense - my ADHD and autism will never disappear, I can only deal with them better. Which, again, is energy dependent - something I have more of now that I’ve been on T for a while.
obviously can’t speak for the entire community, but almost every mental health concern i had pre-t reduced dramatically within months of starting. there’s this thing i heard someone else talk about that sums it up pretty well;
there’s a spoon theory for disabled folks. let’s say every day an able bodied person starts off their day with 20 spoons (their energy level.) a disabled person may only start with 10. every task you do throughout the day, eating, taking the dog for a walk, running errands, takes away from your spoons. you’d obviously run out quite quickly, right?
well, someone introduced the fork theory for neurodivergent folks to explain overstimulation, and i think it applies to this too. let’s say every time you have an inconvenience, you get stabbed in the thigh with a fork of various sizes. it’s not painful, it’s just a very large annoyance. having to pee may be a tiny little lobster fork, while a group of middle schoolers screaming baby shark at the top of their lungs directly into your ears is probably the size of a pitchfork. at some point, there’s gonna be too many forks for you to function properly. so, you do what you can. you may not be able to escape the middle schoolers, but you can definitely go pee.
same applies here. you can’t escape your mental illness. it will stay with you for the rest of your life. it’s a pitchfork. but dysphoria is another, equally sized pitchfork. both of them are all consuming. but taking away one, even slightly, will greatly minimise the amount of suffering you have to go through to get through your day to day. and eventually once the dysphoria fork is small enough, you can really start addressing and treating the mental illness with all of the attention it needs, because you won’t be distracted with the other massive size fork sticking out of your other thigh.
i wasn’t 100% sure i wanted to start t when i did, and to be honest im still not 100% sure 5 months in. but what i am sure of is that mentally, physically, socially, academically, etc, ive grown to be a better person. there will probably be a day sometime in the future where i decide that im done and t shots aren’t beneficial to me like they once were, but right now its something i can take control of to reduce my forks <3
You cannot expect T to fix or improve your mental health, although anecdotally it does for some people. For me, my depression and anxiety actually seemed to get a little worse, because emotions started manifesting in ways I wasn’t used to and I had to figure out new coping methods (still figuring that out). I still struggle with suicidal ideation, executive dysfunction, panic attacks, etc, it didn’t magically fix any of that. If I didn’t have my support system, the first several months could have been a lot worse.
That said, T was still absolutely 100% the right choice for me. My body is starting to feel like my own, I pass as male, I can speak a lot more because my voice doesn’t make me sick, I can look at my face in the mirror without wanting to vomit. Seeing my facial and body hair steadily develop makes me SO excited. So no, T didn’t at all fix my depression, but nothing really can. Instead of living as a depressed girl, I can live as a depressed guy, and that’s a thousand times easier for me to handle. I can start slowly picturing a vague future for myself, where I couldn’t before, and that’s no small thing.
My mental health drastically improved on T, when changes came in, etc.
But it took an absolute fkn nose dive in the inbetween stage of transitioning where you dont yet pass, or you almost do, and you have to get everyone to flip the switch and start calling you a guy.
The constant stuff ups, people gawking, the anxiety of picking a toilet, actual arguments with people, mocking, pre top surgery dysphoria does NOT go away with T- it arguably makes it worse to deal with mentally. The weird looks once your facial hair grows in, but you might still have a chest visible through a hoodie. You may lose friends, family, relationships, face new kinds of discrimination, etc.
It will improve. But you must be prepared for the long haul which comes with its own bag of depression, most of which is temporary or "phases" that DO end.
But some dont without additional funds or time (e.g. top) and some never will (bigots will always exist for instance, and depending on your body and your age some parts of you may never masculinise to youe liking (my hips are horribly feminine and theres nothing i can do about it because the bone shape is the problem).
So, short answer: yes!
Long answer: yes, but only for now. Youll have new struggles. And then in the long run, youll be happier, just like the rest of us.
If it wasnt worth it in the end, none of us would do it.
I'm out for 3 years now, so I already know these struggles well..
Like I said in the post, I'm just in a really bad place mentally cuz of dysphoria where I battle with the thoughts like if it really worth the long and hard way or should I just rot away in my bed. But tbh, in the end, when my head is a little more clear, I choose the first option.
I'm already on the way btw, I started BC and I have the appointment with therapist to get HRT.
I don't want to overwhelm you, but BC can make mental health problems worse. My spouse in particular attributes it to a large portion of his depression. So much so that he has hysto ahead of his top surgery plan.
I just want you to know that anything that is changing your hormone levels has the potential to screw with you. Shifts in depression is one way. T actually had me spacier than I ever was for a little bit and I ended up in a very minor "hit someone's back bumper" incident because my horny brain was elsewhere 🤦♂️ and by minor I mean we were both stopped and I was going less than 5 mph when I hit their stationary vehicle. Lmao
I no longer have that spacey feeling but it took a bit for it to pass and I had to really concentrate for important things like driving.
Yeah ik, but I won't know until I try. I would rather try and know it has bad effects on me and stop and just pain through it than suffer from shark week oblivious
I’ll admit, T didn’t cure everything for me. I have CPTSD and a lot of trauma shit I’m working on. T didn’t cure that ofc, but it’s made it much easier to focus on healing from that because I wasn’t so concerned with my dysphoria.
It was for me. It took away a lot of problems because the root was dysphoria. It won’t fix everything, but in my case, it made my life way better. I never wanna not be on T.
for me it was life saving but i also had a lot of doubts and i think it is normal to have doubts because it will be a huge change in life i would recommend getting some help as therapy or go to psychologist for some council, i went to therapy and it cleared my mind that i do want to start T. Also i was scared of the few changes that would occur and now i am so glad they happened :) hope it will turn out okay for you
so, this my experience with t. ive ALWAYS had mental health issues (bipolar, borderline, ptsd, ocd, adhd, the usual yk), and while t wasnt a direct fix, it helped me feel like myself and becauseee i felt like myself i was about to start doing to work thats needed to treat said mental health stuff. t has helped me tremendously, and yes id say it saved my life. coming out/starting my transition definitely saved me.
T is not a cure all. However from my experience I will say T changed my life in so many ways. I used to be unable to work full time. I rarely ever could hold a job bc my anxiety was so bad. I’m now no longer needing anxiety meds and have been working the same full time job for about a year and a half. I no longer feel depressed. I have my bad days of course but it’s never this hopeless bottomless pit feeling anymore. Not saying going on T will make you not need mental health meds if you are on them, but for me a lot of my anxiety was rooted in my inability to be myself. I believe T is life saving. I don’t think I’d still be here without it and at the very least I wouldn’t be the functioning adult I am now without it.
My mental health has improved a lot on T. I used to constantly struggle with my mental health, was even hospitalized a few times around age 18, was unemployed and living with parents for a while after that, etc. T wasn’t the only thing that helped me but it was a major factor. It didn’t resolve everything but my depression no longer gets to crisis levels and my anxiety rarely brings me to the point of panic attacks. I used to cry and get worked up at just about anything and now I’m significantly more relaxed and able to function.
T also helped me physically. I used to get very low iron and blood pressure which caused a lot of dizzy spells. Now they are in a normal/healthy range and the dizzy spells are very rare.
It definitely can be for some people. Like others have said, you shouldn't expect it to be a cure-all.
My personal experience was that I felt more anxious right after starting T because it was such a big, intimidating decision. I didn't immediate feel confident about it, and I've gone off T a couple times because of that. But ultimately, it has improved my life.
I do think that it's usually worth trying things that might help your mental well-being. I put off seeking treatment for my anxiety for a long time because I thought maybe it wouldn't help or wouldn't be worth it. But I did it and my life is a lit better as a result.
It's funny because I just wrote something about it (in French) today! It's a zine called (if I translate) "Transitionning didn't save my life -- it did so much more" and it's about how I'm so much less depressed now than before T/top surgery. Like, I still have my ups and my downs, but I don't want to die almost everyday anymore! It's like I was surviving before and now I am living. Obviously can't promise it will be the same for you, but I'd say it's worth the try.
Nobody can guarantee the psychological outcome of going on T. It really depends on the root of your mental health struggles and other interventions, like therapy or meds, that you may or may not be doing alongside it. It will alleviate some of your dysphoria, but it can't fix everything. Also, it takes time and I can see how someone could feel really impatient or discouraged when they're not seeing changes as quickly as they'd like to. In those moments, you might feel like shit. But you just have to give yourself time. I'm also assuming that the things T will change aren't the only things that cause you dysphoria. Your dysphoria about things like your voice, facial hair, or fat distribution pattern should improve, but that may open the way for an increase of chest dysphoria, for example. It's not a linear experience and it's all individual.
From personal experience, it was absolutely life saving and I can say with confidence that I wouldn't be here without it. I struggled really severely with my mental health for years, but right before I started T was the worst it had ever been. The day my doctor just wrote the prescription changed my life. It was like my whole world had opened up. I had no idea how much dysphoria was affecting me until then. I've been stable and clean since I started T two years ago. I was in therapy for years before and while I did learn and grow so much from it, no amount of therapy did what T did for me. My quality of life has improved drastically and I stopped meeting the diagnostic criteria for at least 4 of the diagnoses I had. All that being said, it hasn't been an easy linear path to where I am now. I still have a lot of stress and periods where I feel more dysphoric about certain things that either don't change from T or haven't changed "enough" yet after 2 years. I have moments where I kinda feel like the world is ending because I'm autistic and that's how meltdowns feel for me. T may have helped cure some of my mental illnesses, but it won't make me not autistic or cure my physical disabilities. Also, while T did a TON for me, a lot of the progress I've made recently can also be attributed to the work I had done (and continue to do) in therapy. T helped remove some of the mental blocks that stopped me from putting the things I learned about myself and the world around me into action. It made it easier for me to manage the rest of my life. I still have shitty days, but they're shitty just like anyone else's. It's not fun, but it also feels like somewhat of a privilege to stress about regular things instead of fighting for my life every second of every day.
I waited for years to be certain and I never was. The only thing that really changed was that I decided to try something different than what I had been doing that whole time, so I took the first step and talked to my doctor. You don't have to do anything more than that if you don't want to. If you end up starting T, you can stop taking it whenever you want to. Despite what some people say, you can *try it* and see how you feel. You've been waiting for at least a couple of years now and I'm assuming you've tried other things that may not have helped enough for you to feel okay. If you don't try this, you'll never know. It's worth a shot.
Edit to add: It's also normal to have doubts. Trust yourself. You know who you are. You've done research and know what you want. You may have moments where you have doubts and that's normal when making a potentially life-changing decision like this.
I started T 3 months ago, and my mental health has improved a-lot in only 3 months, i still have some downs (quite depressing downs) but they aren’t as regular as they used to be, T will definitely help dysphoria, but it wont make it go away fully (at least from my experience) i just have dysphoria about less things.
I guess it could be life saving, but I agree with the other commentors that it won't fix all your problems. I think that if you have really bad gender dysphoria to the point where it makes it difficult for you to perform basic tasks or have basic joy, yes T can be life saving. I think it was life saving for me, the further on T I am it seems the more confidence I have and the more I feel alive, which can be scary but idk to me starting T was like actually starting my life finally.
It can help with dysphoria, I am over 6 years on T and am post-op and finally feel at home in my body, I very rarely experience dysphoria anymore which has dramatically improved my life, it has been an entirely life changing experience. However, I deal with depression (unrelated to be being trans) and no, transitioning does not help with that. I’m still depressed because I have depression. Transitioning does not magically make everything better.
T is life-saving *if a majority of your issues are caused by dysphoria.*
It was definitely life-saving for me because even though I was in therapy and becoming slowly more confident in myself, my dysphoria made me so uncomfortable in my own body every day that I was incredibly suicidal. I had daily panic attacks and didn’t want to interact with others because I felt so foreign in my own skin.
So *because* going on T solved so much of my dysphoria, it was a fucking miracle for my mental health and the active suicidality almost entirely went away (the passive suicidality is a little harder to shake). But I’m also incredibly lucky I had a supportive environment (especially family) and I started passing and loving my appearance.
If your problems are caused by unrelated mental illnesses or mental health issues, if they’re related to social expectations or things that are dependent on your environment, if your family or friends potentially rejecting you will outweigh the benefits of HRT, if you are more invested in “passing” than getting whatever changes you may get from HRT, or if you’re relying on getting very specific changes (I want a full beard, I want to look like a cis man, I want a bass voice, I want to be taller) that may or may not happen to you from HRT based on your situation/genetics—
THAT may indicate HRT will not do for you what you’re hoping it will. Take the T effects you’re told about at face value, AND take the fact they say “it depends on your genetics” at face value too.
If you truly look at the possible effects from T and think “if it does what it says on the tin, this will solve most problems I currently have with myself/my body, and am genuinely prepared for the risk that I may not pass in the way I want to or get specific effects” then it’s probably a great choice for you.
I’ll also warn you that puberty is puberty, first or second. It can cause some serious problems. The first therapist my parents took me to before I got T told me I was “too depressed” and too unstable to go on T, because the mood swings and all that shit that happens when you have second puberty would be too much of a risk. The reason that was bullshit is because a majority of the things making me unstable at that point WERE dysphoria.
The warning itself isn’t bad. You have to be okay with becoming moody, irritable, anxious, etc. That passes with time, for the most part. But make sure you’re safe.
I’m gonna mention as well that my overall physical clinical got significantly worse on T and have stayed that way. My anxiety about dysphoria (and related things like bleeding, being seen as female, etc) are virtually gone and replaced by confidence, but my body is more anxious in general. For example, I used to communicate easily over text, email, etc, but post-T I’ve gained extreme anxiety over replying to people, and I have a terrible terrible ghosting habit that comes from just taking too long to respond to people.
i was very closed off and depressed n anxious before T for 3 years, then i expected too much the first few months on T so it got a little worse. once the changes came through, i was a completely different person. i’m about 1 yr 3 months on T and i barely remember what i felt like before, because im so happy now. i’m getting surgery soon too, and it’s just skyrocketed my happy juices. i’m barely dysphoric anymore other than my chest. i’m not saying it will fix all of your problems, but if your problems are related to dysphoria, it sure as hell will help a lot
I'm not someone whose life was in danger, in the literal sense, while I was pre-transition. I wasn't happy and was self-destructing in very slow, long-term ways, but I was stable. I was worried that transitioning medically (or at all, really) was going to ruin my life, which was the main factor in why I waited to do it for as long as I did.
4 years in, my life is astronomically better. making such a massive, intimidating change really showed me that there was no change I was incapable of. I work in a very small-town, public-facing job and transitioning in front of hundreds of people who saw me every day was difficult. but I did it. if I could do that, what *couldn't* I do? I divorced myself out of a toxic marriage, negotiated a huge promotion at work, went back to school, started taking way better care of myself, got serious about managing my finances... transitioning, more generally, helped to get me here but the effect that taking T had on my self perception was huge. my self confidence went way up after a few months.
so I don't really say that T "literally" saved my life in the sense that it stopped me from ending it. but the entire process of transitioning saved me in a more figurative way, in the sense that it stopped me from having a bad life. as other guys in this thread have said, it's not a magic bullet. but if your gender situation is one that will be benefitted by medical transition, the confidence and comfort that comes with living more authentically can enable to you live a more meaningful, happy life.
if it's within your ability, I really recommend talking to a trans-specialized therapist about this. if not, I'm always recommending You and Your Gender Identity by Dara Hoffman Fox to people who are still figuring it out.
I waited for 6 years. I had two therapists offer me letters before I asked. I waited a year between accepting a letter and making an appointment. I had to talk myself out of the turning around the entire drive there. Worth it.
I'm not on T yet, but I suspect T alone won't be the end-all for everyone; it's down to the individual - which I realize probably doesn't help to hear.
T takes a long time to work (depending on your biology), so I would think T + therapy, is better than just T alone. To help you keep going while you wait for T to make changes. 🤔
for me, it actually reduced a lot of my anxiety and i‘m much happier. i can‘t guarantee it, but you can always change your mind and stop if it isn‘t right for you
Yes oh my god yes. Also, if ur not already surround urself w other trans ppl, go to queer bars, trans events etc. Last year I was pre-T, in secondary school and being deadnamed/misgendered at home and school w the exception of my friend group. This year i’m on T, at a queer friendly college, have multiple trans friends, have trans teachers. The only place where i’m deadnamed/‘misgendered is work bc im not out yet. T saved my life, only con is that i don’t think imd be able to live without it, especially at my current stage where i haven’t been on it for very long (7 months). I had a scare around a month ago where I thought I wouldn’t be able to get HRT and that was awful and worsened me so much, i think if i was unable to get HRT due to laws or something (uk trans ppl r at risk rn) especially this early in my medical transition i would do smth risky.
It doesnt fix everything. My mental health still has its ups and downs just like before, and i still get dypshoric. However my social anxiety has decreased and I know once my voice passes better it’ll decrease even more. Idk, i’m just so much happier overall.
T definitely saved my life. It won’t fix all your problems or immediately get rid of everything going on mentally but it sure can save your life if it’s smth you need to
T is Life saving istg, at least for me I went on it and I am so much less depressed the after surgery like dysphoria induced depression almost never there, it's enough that it's worth it.
Not about T, since personally I’ve never really wanted it badly, but top surgery permanently increased my quality of life by a **lot**.
I have had life-threatening mental health issues since I was 5. Generally I would have those thoughts every day for most of the day. When things were good it was 3-4x per week.
Post top surgery that dropped to only 1-2 episodes per year, and even then only when really fucked up shit was happening in my life.
I have no doubts that other guys feel this way about T, transition is such a powerful, life-saving act.
I can't speak for everyone but to me T changed my life. Before my medical transition I was incredibly depressed, barely left my house, ate whatever junk food i could get my hands on. and in general was an angry and mean person. after getting on it, i felt my mind change. my head wasn't filled with thought of "do these pol think i pass" or "god i don't even want to talk i hate how my voice sounds." i was able to look at myself in the mirror without disassociating, i felt a need to take care of my body and nutrition. i stoped being angry at everything in my life, i recall vividly for the first 8ish months of my transition feeling SO uncomfortable because i was no longer filled with sadness. i was able to just be fine, and that felt wrong because of how long i was depressed. im almost 3 years on T and i dont have a single regret other than i wish i started it sooner.
added note i wanted to say now being almost 4 months post top surgery, my mind has never felt better. i haven't had basically any gender dysphoria since that day. medical transition isn't a requirement but it helps many people.
a note onto the note as well bc i saw others mention it, but i started T with a therapist (she recommended me the doctor) so with my transition i was processing a-lot of trauma with her, as my dysphoria lessen i had more mental space to think about & process these thing. i still deal with depression but its not as intense as it was before, as most of it from because of dysphoria. but i had help from a professional to help my other mental issues i had, which i highly recommend you do if you end up doing a medical transition.
I’m still depressed and anxious but my baseline levels of wanting to die are way lower. Transitioning is like a burden that’s been lifted so I’m able to actually focus on trying to deal with my mental illness. Don’t psych yourself out if you know you want the effects of T
I had a great experience starting T because I worked through a lot of my mental health stuff on my own (if I’d had access to therapy and stuff I would’ve been much better off tho).
T also exponentially improved my quality of life. I really needed it. After being on it for several months, I was able to do so much more I couldn’t. After a couple years, I noticed way less seasonal depression, less anxiety, and I was able to keep up better habits overall. And have more motivation tackle more of my mental health issues.
It will affect everyone differently, but for trans guys with dysphoria who need it, it will absolutely save your life.
Im 2 weeks on t today. If i had gone until june without it when my appointment with endo was, instead of going to planned parenthood instead, i wouldnt have made it. I probably wouldnt be alive today, it wouldve prob been the end earlier this month, my mental health has been so much better, no breakdown spirals every single day anymore, only had like 3 since, and my dysphoria has been a lot less since my brain is like "oh oh oh now this is the right juice woohoo" lol
Take one injection. It should be enough to feel the effects neurologically but not experience anything physically. Life became worth living 3 days into that first injection for me. I suddenly didn't want to kill myself and just felt content for once. Not happy, not anxious, not sad, just content. Like everything was as it should be.
Your post was removed because it broke the subreddit rule 4: Respect individual differences. Which includes, among other things, respecting differences of personal identity, personal use (or not) of specific labels, personal transition experience, personal experiences with gender dysphoria (including lack of gender dysphoria), and the choice to be out or stealth.
Obviously (I would think), if your only answer is “no” or to tell people to check detrans spaces, you are going to have your comments removed and possibly be banned. The comments on this post have been very measured and well-explained that testosterone won’t fix all your problems and is not a cure-all. To imply that T is not good for anyone here is not operating in good faith.
If T is something you want, going on it can absolutely improve your life. But it isn't a cure all. If you go on T expecting that it will make you happier with your body and relieve some of your dysphoria, odds are that will happen, and that can be a wonderful thing. But if you go on it expecting it to fix *all* your problems, you're just going to be disappointed and bitter.
Can't speak for others, but *my* mental health improved dramatically. My depressions and anxiety aren't *gone*, but they're a lot less severe and less frequent. (Especially since my voice dropped, which was the thing I had the most dysphoria about)
Thanks, that's what I wanted to hear :) that there is a chance that it will get better
Absolutely. I’ve been depressed since I was 9/10 years old, and while I still do have it, transitioning actually made it possible for my brain to be able to envision and consider a future. Before, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to turn 18. Now I’m 23 and been on T for 2 years! Within the first week of starting testosterone, I gained a mental clarity that I hadn’t experienced maybe ever. I felt like a whole person, instead of feeling like a character. I could look in the mirror and say “the person looking back at me is me, and it feels like it’s me!” For years I’d look in the mirror and cognitively understand that my face was looking back at me, but the disconnect was so real that some times I’d have a certain image of what my face looked like in my mind and it was kind of a jumpscare to see how different it was from the face actually looking back at me. Testosterone was an absolute fucking lifesaver for me. I think the main thing is it’s important to not go into it with too many or too high expectations because we still need to “do the work”, so to speak. If you want muscles, you have to work out. If you don’t wanna lose your hair you gotta take medication or use topical ointments for it. Unfortunately, same thing with presentation. I know I don’t pass mainly because of my long hair and bangs, but personally starting T and getting top surgery has alleviated my dysphoria enough that I’ve gained some resilience and am going to just keep my hair until I actually want to cut it or I pass anyway. Puberty takes years even for cis people, so keeping that in mind with our expectations will help keep you grounded. It’s natural to feel impatient about changes, but cis people have that too :) of course theirs is a different flavor, but there’s a lot of overlap in the human experience.
This sounds like something I typed. Especially the part about the jumpscare seeing myself before T, as estrogen wrecked havoc on my body. 5+ years on T, and 10 years of estrogen’s influence has been erased. Putting in the work to grow my cock now, as I get ready for bottom surgery.
T saved my life. I went from non functional and having panic attacks/ meltdowns 5+ times a week to having had one panic attack in the past year, and it was regarding something that was actually traumatic instead of something that would have triggered me before like burning some food or getting a phone call. I’d been having severe anxiety and panic attacks since I was about 4 years old and T just cured 99.9% of it. I don’t even think that stuff was related to my dysphoria T just generally calmed me down and made me able to handle day to day life. Passing 100% after three months did make me way happier as well but it feels like T changed so much more. When I started T I thought I wanted to go on it for a few years for permanent changes then come off. Now I’m on it I am 100% sure I need it for life. But I have also met people who had T make their mental health worse. It made them feel agitated and anxious all the time and they were just managing to tough it out for the physical changes they wanted. You really won’t know until you try. You just need to understand everything that could potentially happen and decide if it’s something you want to try.
Can’t speak for you, but T was absolutely life changing for me. Obviously there are issues that aren’t related, but even those tend to get a little easier without extreme insecurity and constant borderline body horror piled on top.
T was life-saving for me, but it isn’t for all people. It definitely did alleviate my dysphoria, yes. my endocrinologist stated over and over again to not expect T to fix the other mental health issues i had going on, she reminded me over and over again that T is not a miracle fix. a lot of people expect T to fix all of their issues, but it doesn’t and then they get frustrated. i knew going into it that if i wanted to get better, i’d still have to do the work. once the cloud of dysphoria lifted, i was better suited to tackle my trauma and the root of other mental health issues i had going on. it was HARD work. because dysphoria was there, blocking the view, and then it was gone.. so i had a clear view of the dumpster fire of mental health issues i needed to put the work in to fix. however, without testosterone, i wouldn’t have been able to handle the deep, interpersonal work it took to change patterns i had and heal to the extent that i have. however, it was NOT a short process— 5 years on T and i’m still working through things. but, starting T allowed me to quit SH, work through my suicidality and heal some deep-rooted abandonment wounds that i had. it might cure most of your dysphoria, it might not, but either way— for your mental health to improve, you have to put in the work. testosterone is not a miracle fix.
T won't cure you of all mental illness, or change you fundamentally as a person (eg if you are a worrier you will still be a worrier ect) necessarily. But if dysphoria is causing your issues it can really help. Seeing yourself actually look like yourself when you look in the mirror and having people refer to you correctly without having to ask has helped my depression massively. Like I still struggle, but it has lessened a fair amount and (tw) I have way way less thoughts of sh and stuff. I also just feel way more comfortable in my body. Existing in front of people doesn't feel as excruciating when my voice is deep and I have a stupid little mustache Feeling scared of starting is totally fair! I was so anxious during the whole process of getting on T and as much as I was happy to get it I nearly stopped within the first month because I was really freaked out/worried. Since I've seen changes its been so awesome, and now the thought of having to go off T is horrific
That's helpful, thanks :)
T won't fix the issues that aren't related to your dysphoria. No one can guarantee that it'll rid you of dysphoria either, but there's a good chance it might help.
Tbh my main issue rn is dysphoria, and that's the thing that keeps me from functioning normally
I mean, not directly. But it frees up mental spaces that were dealing with dysphoria. With those unoccupied or at least less occupied, you have more energy/capacity to deal with other issues :-) so it actually might improve other stuff. At least, that is how I experienced it. Of course, some issues cannot be “improved” in the usual sense - my ADHD and autism will never disappear, I can only deal with them better. Which, again, is energy dependent - something I have more of now that I’ve been on T for a while.
T absolutely saved my life. You’re gonna be okay, OP. I promise.
Thank you <3
Of course 💙 feel free to reach out if you ever need anything
obviously can’t speak for the entire community, but almost every mental health concern i had pre-t reduced dramatically within months of starting. there’s this thing i heard someone else talk about that sums it up pretty well; there’s a spoon theory for disabled folks. let’s say every day an able bodied person starts off their day with 20 spoons (their energy level.) a disabled person may only start with 10. every task you do throughout the day, eating, taking the dog for a walk, running errands, takes away from your spoons. you’d obviously run out quite quickly, right? well, someone introduced the fork theory for neurodivergent folks to explain overstimulation, and i think it applies to this too. let’s say every time you have an inconvenience, you get stabbed in the thigh with a fork of various sizes. it’s not painful, it’s just a very large annoyance. having to pee may be a tiny little lobster fork, while a group of middle schoolers screaming baby shark at the top of their lungs directly into your ears is probably the size of a pitchfork. at some point, there’s gonna be too many forks for you to function properly. so, you do what you can. you may not be able to escape the middle schoolers, but you can definitely go pee. same applies here. you can’t escape your mental illness. it will stay with you for the rest of your life. it’s a pitchfork. but dysphoria is another, equally sized pitchfork. both of them are all consuming. but taking away one, even slightly, will greatly minimise the amount of suffering you have to go through to get through your day to day. and eventually once the dysphoria fork is small enough, you can really start addressing and treating the mental illness with all of the attention it needs, because you won’t be distracted with the other massive size fork sticking out of your other thigh. i wasn’t 100% sure i wanted to start t when i did, and to be honest im still not 100% sure 5 months in. but what i am sure of is that mentally, physically, socially, academically, etc, ive grown to be a better person. there will probably be a day sometime in the future where i decide that im done and t shots aren’t beneficial to me like they once were, but right now its something i can take control of to reduce my forks <3
That's actually such a cool and helpful comparision. Thank you <3
You cannot expect T to fix or improve your mental health, although anecdotally it does for some people. For me, my depression and anxiety actually seemed to get a little worse, because emotions started manifesting in ways I wasn’t used to and I had to figure out new coping methods (still figuring that out). I still struggle with suicidal ideation, executive dysfunction, panic attacks, etc, it didn’t magically fix any of that. If I didn’t have my support system, the first several months could have been a lot worse. That said, T was still absolutely 100% the right choice for me. My body is starting to feel like my own, I pass as male, I can speak a lot more because my voice doesn’t make me sick, I can look at my face in the mirror without wanting to vomit. Seeing my facial and body hair steadily develop makes me SO excited. So no, T didn’t at all fix my depression, but nothing really can. Instead of living as a depressed girl, I can live as a depressed guy, and that’s a thousand times easier for me to handle. I can start slowly picturing a vague future for myself, where I couldn’t before, and that’s no small thing.
It saved mine. At the end of the day, it’s your call.
My mental health drastically improved on T, when changes came in, etc. But it took an absolute fkn nose dive in the inbetween stage of transitioning where you dont yet pass, or you almost do, and you have to get everyone to flip the switch and start calling you a guy. The constant stuff ups, people gawking, the anxiety of picking a toilet, actual arguments with people, mocking, pre top surgery dysphoria does NOT go away with T- it arguably makes it worse to deal with mentally. The weird looks once your facial hair grows in, but you might still have a chest visible through a hoodie. You may lose friends, family, relationships, face new kinds of discrimination, etc. It will improve. But you must be prepared for the long haul which comes with its own bag of depression, most of which is temporary or "phases" that DO end. But some dont without additional funds or time (e.g. top) and some never will (bigots will always exist for instance, and depending on your body and your age some parts of you may never masculinise to youe liking (my hips are horribly feminine and theres nothing i can do about it because the bone shape is the problem). So, short answer: yes! Long answer: yes, but only for now. Youll have new struggles. And then in the long run, youll be happier, just like the rest of us. If it wasnt worth it in the end, none of us would do it.
I'm out for 3 years now, so I already know these struggles well.. Like I said in the post, I'm just in a really bad place mentally cuz of dysphoria where I battle with the thoughts like if it really worth the long and hard way or should I just rot away in my bed. But tbh, in the end, when my head is a little more clear, I choose the first option. I'm already on the way btw, I started BC and I have the appointment with therapist to get HRT.
I don't want to overwhelm you, but BC can make mental health problems worse. My spouse in particular attributes it to a large portion of his depression. So much so that he has hysto ahead of his top surgery plan. I just want you to know that anything that is changing your hormone levels has the potential to screw with you. Shifts in depression is one way. T actually had me spacier than I ever was for a little bit and I ended up in a very minor "hit someone's back bumper" incident because my horny brain was elsewhere 🤦♂️ and by minor I mean we were both stopped and I was going less than 5 mph when I hit their stationary vehicle. Lmao I no longer have that spacey feeling but it took a bit for it to pass and I had to really concentrate for important things like driving.
Yeah ik, but I won't know until I try. I would rather try and know it has bad effects on me and stop and just pain through it than suffer from shark week oblivious
I get that 100%. It does help to know you can point at something as effecting your mental state, though. That was my main point.
I’ll admit, T didn’t cure everything for me. I have CPTSD and a lot of trauma shit I’m working on. T didn’t cure that ofc, but it’s made it much easier to focus on healing from that because I wasn’t so concerned with my dysphoria.
Yeah, for me it's dysphoria that makes it impossible to live normally, so as long as there's a chance it will get better, I'm in.
Then I think it would absolutely benefit you and be a lifesaver and you should go for it!
I'm on the way! I already have an appointment to start the way for HRT. These replies really helped and I feel a bit better now :)
That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you, bro! Good luck on your journey!
Thank you! :) <3
It was for me. It took away a lot of problems because the root was dysphoria. It won’t fix everything, but in my case, it made my life way better. I never wanna not be on T.
for me it was life saving but i also had a lot of doubts and i think it is normal to have doubts because it will be a huge change in life i would recommend getting some help as therapy or go to psychologist for some council, i went to therapy and it cleared my mind that i do want to start T. Also i was scared of the few changes that would occur and now i am so glad they happened :) hope it will turn out okay for you
Thanks :)
so, this my experience with t. ive ALWAYS had mental health issues (bipolar, borderline, ptsd, ocd, adhd, the usual yk), and while t wasnt a direct fix, it helped me feel like myself and becauseee i felt like myself i was about to start doing to work thats needed to treat said mental health stuff. t has helped me tremendously, and yes id say it saved my life. coming out/starting my transition definitely saved me.
T is not a cure all. However from my experience I will say T changed my life in so many ways. I used to be unable to work full time. I rarely ever could hold a job bc my anxiety was so bad. I’m now no longer needing anxiety meds and have been working the same full time job for about a year and a half. I no longer feel depressed. I have my bad days of course but it’s never this hopeless bottomless pit feeling anymore. Not saying going on T will make you not need mental health meds if you are on them, but for me a lot of my anxiety was rooted in my inability to be myself. I believe T is life saving. I don’t think I’d still be here without it and at the very least I wouldn’t be the functioning adult I am now without it.
My mental health has improved a lot on T. I used to constantly struggle with my mental health, was even hospitalized a few times around age 18, was unemployed and living with parents for a while after that, etc. T wasn’t the only thing that helped me but it was a major factor. It didn’t resolve everything but my depression no longer gets to crisis levels and my anxiety rarely brings me to the point of panic attacks. I used to cry and get worked up at just about anything and now I’m significantly more relaxed and able to function. T also helped me physically. I used to get very low iron and blood pressure which caused a lot of dizzy spells. Now they are in a normal/healthy range and the dizzy spells are very rare.
It definitely can be for some people. Like others have said, you shouldn't expect it to be a cure-all. My personal experience was that I felt more anxious right after starting T because it was such a big, intimidating decision. I didn't immediate feel confident about it, and I've gone off T a couple times because of that. But ultimately, it has improved my life. I do think that it's usually worth trying things that might help your mental well-being. I put off seeking treatment for my anxiety for a long time because I thought maybe it wouldn't help or wouldn't be worth it. But I did it and my life is a lit better as a result.
It's funny because I just wrote something about it (in French) today! It's a zine called (if I translate) "Transitionning didn't save my life -- it did so much more" and it's about how I'm so much less depressed now than before T/top surgery. Like, I still have my ups and my downs, but I don't want to die almost everyday anymore! It's like I was surviving before and now I am living. Obviously can't promise it will be the same for you, but I'd say it's worth the try.
I needed to hear it, cuz I'm definitely on the surviving side rn. Thanks! :)
Nobody can guarantee the psychological outcome of going on T. It really depends on the root of your mental health struggles and other interventions, like therapy or meds, that you may or may not be doing alongside it. It will alleviate some of your dysphoria, but it can't fix everything. Also, it takes time and I can see how someone could feel really impatient or discouraged when they're not seeing changes as quickly as they'd like to. In those moments, you might feel like shit. But you just have to give yourself time. I'm also assuming that the things T will change aren't the only things that cause you dysphoria. Your dysphoria about things like your voice, facial hair, or fat distribution pattern should improve, but that may open the way for an increase of chest dysphoria, for example. It's not a linear experience and it's all individual. From personal experience, it was absolutely life saving and I can say with confidence that I wouldn't be here without it. I struggled really severely with my mental health for years, but right before I started T was the worst it had ever been. The day my doctor just wrote the prescription changed my life. It was like my whole world had opened up. I had no idea how much dysphoria was affecting me until then. I've been stable and clean since I started T two years ago. I was in therapy for years before and while I did learn and grow so much from it, no amount of therapy did what T did for me. My quality of life has improved drastically and I stopped meeting the diagnostic criteria for at least 4 of the diagnoses I had. All that being said, it hasn't been an easy linear path to where I am now. I still have a lot of stress and periods where I feel more dysphoric about certain things that either don't change from T or haven't changed "enough" yet after 2 years. I have moments where I kinda feel like the world is ending because I'm autistic and that's how meltdowns feel for me. T may have helped cure some of my mental illnesses, but it won't make me not autistic or cure my physical disabilities. Also, while T did a TON for me, a lot of the progress I've made recently can also be attributed to the work I had done (and continue to do) in therapy. T helped remove some of the mental blocks that stopped me from putting the things I learned about myself and the world around me into action. It made it easier for me to manage the rest of my life. I still have shitty days, but they're shitty just like anyone else's. It's not fun, but it also feels like somewhat of a privilege to stress about regular things instead of fighting for my life every second of every day. I waited for years to be certain and I never was. The only thing that really changed was that I decided to try something different than what I had been doing that whole time, so I took the first step and talked to my doctor. You don't have to do anything more than that if you don't want to. If you end up starting T, you can stop taking it whenever you want to. Despite what some people say, you can *try it* and see how you feel. You've been waiting for at least a couple of years now and I'm assuming you've tried other things that may not have helped enough for you to feel okay. If you don't try this, you'll never know. It's worth a shot. Edit to add: It's also normal to have doubts. Trust yourself. You know who you are. You've done research and know what you want. You may have moments where you have doubts and that's normal when making a potentially life-changing decision like this.
Thank you. <3
I started T 3 months ago, and my mental health has improved a-lot in only 3 months, i still have some downs (quite depressing downs) but they aren’t as regular as they used to be, T will definitely help dysphoria, but it wont make it go away fully (at least from my experience) i just have dysphoria about less things.
I guess it could be life saving, but I agree with the other commentors that it won't fix all your problems. I think that if you have really bad gender dysphoria to the point where it makes it difficult for you to perform basic tasks or have basic joy, yes T can be life saving. I think it was life saving for me, the further on T I am it seems the more confidence I have and the more I feel alive, which can be scary but idk to me starting T was like actually starting my life finally.
It can help with dysphoria, I am over 6 years on T and am post-op and finally feel at home in my body, I very rarely experience dysphoria anymore which has dramatically improved my life, it has been an entirely life changing experience. However, I deal with depression (unrelated to be being trans) and no, transitioning does not help with that. I’m still depressed because I have depression. Transitioning does not magically make everything better.
T is life-saving *if a majority of your issues are caused by dysphoria.* It was definitely life-saving for me because even though I was in therapy and becoming slowly more confident in myself, my dysphoria made me so uncomfortable in my own body every day that I was incredibly suicidal. I had daily panic attacks and didn’t want to interact with others because I felt so foreign in my own skin. So *because* going on T solved so much of my dysphoria, it was a fucking miracle for my mental health and the active suicidality almost entirely went away (the passive suicidality is a little harder to shake). But I’m also incredibly lucky I had a supportive environment (especially family) and I started passing and loving my appearance. If your problems are caused by unrelated mental illnesses or mental health issues, if they’re related to social expectations or things that are dependent on your environment, if your family or friends potentially rejecting you will outweigh the benefits of HRT, if you are more invested in “passing” than getting whatever changes you may get from HRT, or if you’re relying on getting very specific changes (I want a full beard, I want to look like a cis man, I want a bass voice, I want to be taller) that may or may not happen to you from HRT based on your situation/genetics— THAT may indicate HRT will not do for you what you’re hoping it will. Take the T effects you’re told about at face value, AND take the fact they say “it depends on your genetics” at face value too. If you truly look at the possible effects from T and think “if it does what it says on the tin, this will solve most problems I currently have with myself/my body, and am genuinely prepared for the risk that I may not pass in the way I want to or get specific effects” then it’s probably a great choice for you.
I’ll also warn you that puberty is puberty, first or second. It can cause some serious problems. The first therapist my parents took me to before I got T told me I was “too depressed” and too unstable to go on T, because the mood swings and all that shit that happens when you have second puberty would be too much of a risk. The reason that was bullshit is because a majority of the things making me unstable at that point WERE dysphoria. The warning itself isn’t bad. You have to be okay with becoming moody, irritable, anxious, etc. That passes with time, for the most part. But make sure you’re safe. I’m gonna mention as well that my overall physical clinical got significantly worse on T and have stayed that way. My anxiety about dysphoria (and related things like bleeding, being seen as female, etc) are virtually gone and replaced by confidence, but my body is more anxious in general. For example, I used to communicate easily over text, email, etc, but post-T I’ve gained extreme anxiety over replying to people, and I have a terrible terrible ghosting habit that comes from just taking too long to respond to people.
i was very closed off and depressed n anxious before T for 3 years, then i expected too much the first few months on T so it got a little worse. once the changes came through, i was a completely different person. i’m about 1 yr 3 months on T and i barely remember what i felt like before, because im so happy now. i’m getting surgery soon too, and it’s just skyrocketed my happy juices. i’m barely dysphoric anymore other than my chest. i’m not saying it will fix all of your problems, but if your problems are related to dysphoria, it sure as hell will help a lot
I'm not someone whose life was in danger, in the literal sense, while I was pre-transition. I wasn't happy and was self-destructing in very slow, long-term ways, but I was stable. I was worried that transitioning medically (or at all, really) was going to ruin my life, which was the main factor in why I waited to do it for as long as I did. 4 years in, my life is astronomically better. making such a massive, intimidating change really showed me that there was no change I was incapable of. I work in a very small-town, public-facing job and transitioning in front of hundreds of people who saw me every day was difficult. but I did it. if I could do that, what *couldn't* I do? I divorced myself out of a toxic marriage, negotiated a huge promotion at work, went back to school, started taking way better care of myself, got serious about managing my finances... transitioning, more generally, helped to get me here but the effect that taking T had on my self perception was huge. my self confidence went way up after a few months. so I don't really say that T "literally" saved my life in the sense that it stopped me from ending it. but the entire process of transitioning saved me in a more figurative way, in the sense that it stopped me from having a bad life. as other guys in this thread have said, it's not a magic bullet. but if your gender situation is one that will be benefitted by medical transition, the confidence and comfort that comes with living more authentically can enable to you live a more meaningful, happy life. if it's within your ability, I really recommend talking to a trans-specialized therapist about this. if not, I'm always recommending You and Your Gender Identity by Dara Hoffman Fox to people who are still figuring it out.
I waited for 6 years. I had two therapists offer me letters before I asked. I waited a year between accepting a letter and making an appointment. I had to talk myself out of the turning around the entire drive there. Worth it.
I'm not on T yet, but I suspect T alone won't be the end-all for everyone; it's down to the individual - which I realize probably doesn't help to hear. T takes a long time to work (depending on your biology), so I would think T + therapy, is better than just T alone. To help you keep going while you wait for T to make changes. 🤔
It won't fix everything but it does help, if you have doubts I'd talk through it with a professional
for me, it actually reduced a lot of my anxiety and i‘m much happier. i can‘t guarantee it, but you can always change your mind and stop if it isn‘t right for you
Yes oh my god yes. Also, if ur not already surround urself w other trans ppl, go to queer bars, trans events etc. Last year I was pre-T, in secondary school and being deadnamed/misgendered at home and school w the exception of my friend group. This year i’m on T, at a queer friendly college, have multiple trans friends, have trans teachers. The only place where i’m deadnamed/‘misgendered is work bc im not out yet. T saved my life, only con is that i don’t think imd be able to live without it, especially at my current stage where i haven’t been on it for very long (7 months). I had a scare around a month ago where I thought I wouldn’t be able to get HRT and that was awful and worsened me so much, i think if i was unable to get HRT due to laws or something (uk trans ppl r at risk rn) especially this early in my medical transition i would do smth risky. It doesnt fix everything. My mental health still has its ups and downs just like before, and i still get dypshoric. However my social anxiety has decreased and I know once my voice passes better it’ll decrease even more. Idk, i’m just so much happier overall.
T definitely saved my life. It won’t fix all your problems or immediately get rid of everything going on mentally but it sure can save your life if it’s smth you need to
T is Life saving istg, at least for me I went on it and I am so much less depressed the after surgery like dysphoria induced depression almost never there, it's enough that it's worth it.
Not about T, since personally I’ve never really wanted it badly, but top surgery permanently increased my quality of life by a **lot**. I have had life-threatening mental health issues since I was 5. Generally I would have those thoughts every day for most of the day. When things were good it was 3-4x per week. Post top surgery that dropped to only 1-2 episodes per year, and even then only when really fucked up shit was happening in my life. I have no doubts that other guys feel this way about T, transition is such a powerful, life-saving act.
It's not a panacea. But at least for me, it did reduce my dysphoria and improve my mental health dramatically.
I can't speak for everyone but to me T changed my life. Before my medical transition I was incredibly depressed, barely left my house, ate whatever junk food i could get my hands on. and in general was an angry and mean person. after getting on it, i felt my mind change. my head wasn't filled with thought of "do these pol think i pass" or "god i don't even want to talk i hate how my voice sounds." i was able to look at myself in the mirror without disassociating, i felt a need to take care of my body and nutrition. i stoped being angry at everything in my life, i recall vividly for the first 8ish months of my transition feeling SO uncomfortable because i was no longer filled with sadness. i was able to just be fine, and that felt wrong because of how long i was depressed. im almost 3 years on T and i dont have a single regret other than i wish i started it sooner. added note i wanted to say now being almost 4 months post top surgery, my mind has never felt better. i haven't had basically any gender dysphoria since that day. medical transition isn't a requirement but it helps many people. a note onto the note as well bc i saw others mention it, but i started T with a therapist (she recommended me the doctor) so with my transition i was processing a-lot of trauma with her, as my dysphoria lessen i had more mental space to think about & process these thing. i still deal with depression but its not as intense as it was before, as most of it from because of dysphoria. but i had help from a professional to help my other mental issues i had, which i highly recommend you do if you end up doing a medical transition.
Thank you. That makes me hopeful, cuz I'm in the state rn that you described in the beginning :')
I’m still depressed and anxious but my baseline levels of wanting to die are way lower. Transitioning is like a burden that’s been lifted so I’m able to actually focus on trying to deal with my mental illness. Don’t psych yourself out if you know you want the effects of T
I had a great experience starting T because I worked through a lot of my mental health stuff on my own (if I’d had access to therapy and stuff I would’ve been much better off tho). T also exponentially improved my quality of life. I really needed it. After being on it for several months, I was able to do so much more I couldn’t. After a couple years, I noticed way less seasonal depression, less anxiety, and I was able to keep up better habits overall. And have more motivation tackle more of my mental health issues. It will affect everyone differently, but for trans guys with dysphoria who need it, it will absolutely save your life.
Im 2 weeks on t today. If i had gone until june without it when my appointment with endo was, instead of going to planned parenthood instead, i wouldnt have made it. I probably wouldnt be alive today, it wouldve prob been the end earlier this month, my mental health has been so much better, no breakdown spirals every single day anymore, only had like 3 since, and my dysphoria has been a lot less since my brain is like "oh oh oh now this is the right juice woohoo" lol
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Thank you very much and I'm really sorry about your brother, but I'm glad you're doing good now :))
Been on T seven years, no surgery. I have little dysphoria now. I still have lots of other mental health problems though lol
Take one injection. It should be enough to feel the effects neurologically but not experience anything physically. Life became worth living 3 days into that first injection for me. I suddenly didn't want to kill myself and just felt content for once. Not happy, not anxious, not sad, just content. Like everything was as it should be.
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Are you actually acting here in good faith? I’m sorry but you cannot say testosterone is categorically not lifesaving.
Now I'm curious what did they say :0
Nothing that exciting :) they just said “no”. Which, hey, if that’s their experience it’s fine. But it’s not true for everyone.
Ahh, I see! That's true :)
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That's not really a reliable place :) it's really toxic and I would even say transphobic
Your post was removed because it broke the subreddit rule 4: Respect individual differences. Which includes, among other things, respecting differences of personal identity, personal use (or not) of specific labels, personal transition experience, personal experiences with gender dysphoria (including lack of gender dysphoria), and the choice to be out or stealth.