I am 47 and decided to try testosterone for the first time, about 2 months ago. My reasons were similar to your own. My doc started me on Androgel (5g daily) and said there was no danger of shutdown or suppression as long as I stayed within the "physiological range". Well, the first two weeks I felt terrific with improvements in every aspect of my life, then about the third week everything changed. I began to feel terrible and so stopped using the Androgel. Before I stopped I had a blood test done and sure enough my numbers had gone from 470 (before Androgel) to 315 (fourth week on Androgel). My doctor refuses to admit this has anything to do with the Androgel. He says the 155 point drop is a "natural fluctuation". My warning to you is: Be careful with this stuff. It WILL cause suppression of your natural production no matter what your doctor tells you. It has been over two weeks since I quit using and I am still not back to normal. Testosterone replacement is serious business and is FOR LIFE. You cannot just "top off" to achieve higher levels. It doesn't work that way, as I found out...By the way my doctor's name was Harvey Kryger in Monterey, California and I absolutely would not recommend him to anyone.