I've been using Androgel or a generic equivalent for many years now, due to low testosterone. Although my doctor periodical checks the T level, in between I've found I sometimes have to adjust the dosage, and reduce or skip applications. After a while, I learned to recognize the signs of too high. There is, of course, the morning "dipstick," but that alone is not the most reliable indicator. However, when I notice that I am an old man, but starting to behave like an asshole frat boy, I know it is certainly time to skip a dose. With time, you will discover there are more subtle signs of the level being correct between lab checks. (By the way, your doctor should be monitoring the level by blood test, as well as checking you liver function, at least for the initial period.)
However, you need to be careful, because there are some symptoms which occur in similar ways both when the level is too low or too high. For example, I am prone to feelings of depression (for which I seek professional guidance). When the T level is optimum, the depression pretty much goes away or is minimized, which is something that has been clinically observed in many cases of older male depression. However, both too high or too low a level of T can bring on symptoms of depression, although in somewhat different ways. It took me quite a while to tell one from the other.
Also, there is often some degree of misunderstanding about testosterone replacement and individual reaction to dosage. The standard theory is that when you start taking external testosterone to force your level higher, the body's internal production shuts down, and you level is pretty much determined by the external application only, so once your correct dose is established, it can be kept constant. Your doctor may have even said this to you. This is a nice theory, with some rational basis behind it, but unfortunately it does not work quite this way for everyone. (One problem with theory is it assumes the body's regulating mechanism is working normally, but if it were, you probably would not be on testosterone therapy in the first place, unless you're an athlete on the juice... So the real story is not always quite so nice and simple.)
I've found that extended periods of vigorous physical activity, a lot of sex, and certain other triggers sometimes cause a surge in my T level, both as evidenced by how I feel, as well as by lab test measurement. This is apparently due to my body's own production (or possibly due to lack of control in some other part of the testosterone cycle, but in any event the simple way to control it is to reduce T), despite the nice little theory that says it should be shut down. This does not happen to most, but I am also not alone in experiencing this. In the beginning, my labs and attitude fluctuated quite a bit. However, by learning to watch the signs, and moderate the dose, I now have consistent labs and feelings. This is the reason I continue to use the gel, rather than injection. With the gel, if I detect an attack of asshole-ism coming on, I can immediately reduce the daily dose. With the injection, once that shot is in there, it continues to release T at whatever rate for the next week or so, and there is no way to stop it. (Testosterone must be slowly and continuously introduced into your body. In the case of the gel, it is stored in your skin, and slowly diffuses into the bloodstream over the course of a day between applications. The injection is actually an insoluble oil with some testosterone in it. The oil stays in a little mass in your muscle tissue, but slowly breaks down and gradually releases T as it does, over a period of a few days to a couple of weeks, according to the formulation.)
