Absolutely. The standard dose for ftm transition is a .5cc injection of testosterone weekly, I am doing the same amount bi-weekly so the transition is more gradual and I can stop whenever I want.
-Kai
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I started off at 50mg (0.5cc) a week injections, which was WAY too high for me. I got a new doctor who didnt really know what she was doing. it’s a common FTM dose but they didnt take into account my (very small) body size.
after being on 50mg/week for a month or so I started to feel out of control of the changes that were happening and went down to 50mg every two weeks. i was considering stopping altogether when I wound up having to stop anyway because I was getting surgery and would have to be testosterone-free for 3 months.
when I was feeling like going off hormones I felt like kind of a failure, especially since I knew other people who were on my prescribed dose and doing fine. I encourage you not to base your dosing standards on other people - it is completely individual and depends on your body type, your goals, and how your body feels about the testosterone.
during that time i did more research into FTN transition (there isnt much out there but neutrois.me is a good one) and decided that a much lower dose would be better for me and that I did want to go back on testosterone.
i’ve been on 50mg/month (¼ of original dose) for 2 months now and feeling MUCH better about my transition. I still experience active changes but I dont feel like they are happening too quickly or that I’m out of control.
I do plan on stopping eventually, but I dont know when, and I’d probably step down my dose one more time before I went off completely.
Unfortunately, although some NB people are lucky enough to get more progressive doctors, a lot of doctors arent trained/dont have experience in treating NB people and are thus hesitant to prescribe hormones to them. I told my doctor I was a nonbinary trans guy and she still hesitated on the “nonbinary”. I talked to my gender therapist about being fully nonbinary (after I’d been on hormones for a while) and we had a good conversation about it, but to my physician I’m just a trans guy.
unfortunately that may be something you have to do too, but I would encourage you not to feel bad about it. Everyone should be entitled to HRT if they want it, and it’s not our fault if doctors are gate-keeping our access to hormones. we do what we have to to get the treatment we need.
like I said, there is no standard dose. what I (and a few others I know) have done is basically start at the dose they prescribed you (usually FTM dose) and then self-adjust to what feels comfortable. that sounds dangerous, but considering the fact that you are going to a lower dose than prescribed, not a higher one, it’s pretty risk-free. Still, I wouldnt mess around with your dose too much. I would start at the dose you were prescribed and then step it down slowly every 2 injections or so until you find a dose where your body feels comfortable and stay there. you’ll know when you’ve reached a comfortable dose.
also, if you’re transitioning FTN you’re probably going to want to stop T at some point. luckily, most of the changes of testosterone are permanent. dont be afraid to stop at any time or just take a break for a few months if you start to feel uncomfortable. a lot of nonbinary people and even binary trans guys have to do that. remember that you arent just going through the motions in some pre-set transition narrative - this is YOUR transition and YOU are in control. do what feels right.
-newt
