Water Based Testosterone Suspension

This page summarizes anecdotal reports and community observations, not medical evidence. Reports may be incomplete, biased or inaccurate and are not medical advice or recommendations. “Risk” here refers to how frequently severe or prolonged symptom worsening is reported, not to proven causation or population-wide probability. Individual responses vary widely, and absence of issues in some users does not rule out significant reactions in others.

Within PFS/PSSD/PAS communities, water-based testosterone is discussed in relation to its potential interactions with androgen receptor signaling pathways. Water-based testosterone usually refers to testosterone suspension: microcrystals of un-esterified testosterone suspended in an aqueous vehicle (rather than an oil-based ester like cypionate/enanthate). In bodybuilding/TRT circles it's known for being very fast acting and short duration, which is why some people use it for "in-and-out" experiments rather than steady replacement. Compared with longer esters, it tends to produce a sharper peak and faster drop, and some references describe testosterone (non-ester) levels peaking quickly and declining over hours. In PFS/PSSD/PAS communities, water-based testosterone shows up less as a "treatment" and more as a probe/tool: some people report that testosterone "doesn't feel normal" anymore (e.g., less CNS response, less libido response, less "buzz"), and they use a short-acting form to see whether responsiveness changes during/after other interventions (because it clears quickly compared with long esters). These mechanisms may interact with pathways involving androgen receptor signaling, testosterone metabolism, or hormone dynamics that are often discussed in relation to PFS / PSSD / PAS.

Mixed/ Overall Well-Tolerated:

Among individuals who already have PFS/PSSD/PAS, reports are mixed. Some describe water-based/short-acting testosterone as better tolerated than long-ester TRT (sometimes because it avoids a constant hormonal “floor”), while others describe the same core problem: a brief “window” followed by a switch/crash once levels stabilize—suggesting that, for them, testosterone delivery method doesn’t fully address the underlying sensitivity. The main upside people cite is controllability (short duration), while the main downside is that it still pushes androgen signaling and can still trigger destabilization in susceptible people.

Evidence basis: Established pharmacology of testosterone and short-acting kinetics; clinical labeling/pharmacology references; anecdotal reports (online forums, self-reports). No controlled studies evaluating testosterone suspension as a PFS/PSSD/PAS intervention.

Personal Anecdote:

Three individuals including myself trialing this have felt transiently better on water based suspension especially regarding dopamine. Upon cessation, permanent changes have not been reported.