Testosterone enanthate is also known as testosterone heptanoate. It is an anabolic and androgenic steroid (AAS) drug used to treat low testosterone levels. Anabolic drugs work by building muscles, while androgenic means it enhances sex characteristics usually associated with males.
This drug has been used in medical procedures since the 1950s. It is known by a number of brand names, including Androfil, Depandro, Testrin, and Testro, and it is available by prescription only.
This article will explain how and why the drug is used. It also offers information about side effects and interactions with other drugs, and answers questions about related cancer risks from using it.
Testosterone Enanthate is a long-acting intramuscular form of the androgen testosterone. Testosterone inhibits gonadotropin secretion from the pituitary gland and ablates estrogen production in the ovaries, thereby decreasing endogenous estrogen levels. In addition, this agent promotes the maintenance of male sex characteristics and is indicated for testosterone replacement in hypogonadal males, delayed puberty, and metastatic mammary cancer. (NCI04)
Testosterone enanthate is an esterified variant of testosterone that comes as an injectable compound with a slow-release rate. This slow release is achieved by the presence of the enanthate ester functional group attached to the testosterone molecule. This testosterone derivative was first approved on December 24, 1953. In 2017, about 6.5 million retail prescriptions for testosterone therapy were filled. The majority of the prescriptions written were for injectable (66%) and topical (32%) testosterone products. As recent as 1 October 2018, the US FDA approved Antares Pharma Inc.’s Xyosted – a subcutaneous testosterone enanthate product for once-weekly, at-home self-administration with an easy-to-use, single dose, disposable autoinjector. As the first subcutaneous autoinjector product designed for testosterone replacement therapy, this innovative formulation removes transfer concerns commonly associated with testosterone gels and potentially reduces the need for in-office/in-clinic injection procedures that may inconvenience patients with frequent visits to the clinic.
Testosterone enanthate in males is indicated as a replacement therapy in conditions associated with a deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone. Some of the treated conditions are 1) primary hypogonadism, defined as testicular failure due to cryptorchidism, bilateral torsion, orchitis, vanishing testis syndrome or orchidectomy; 2) hypogonadotropic hypogonadism due to an idiopathic gonadotropin or luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone deficiency or due to a pituitary-hypothalamic injury from tumors, trauma or radiation, in this case it is important to accompany the treatment with adrenal cortical and thyroid hormone replacement therapy; 3) to stimulate puberty in patients with delayed puberty not secondary to a pathological disorder. If the conditions 1 and 2 occur prior to puberty, the androgen replacement therapy will be needed during adolescent years for the development of secondary sexual characteristics and prolonged androgen treatment might be needed it to maintain sexual characteristics after puberty. In females, testosterone enanthate is indicated to be used secondarily in presence of advanced inoperable metastatic mammary cancer in women who are from one to five years postmenopausal. It has also been used in premenopausal women with breast cancer who have benefited from oophorectomy and are considered to have a hormone-responsive tumor.
Testosterone enanthate injections that are currently formulated for subcutaneous use are specifically indicated only for primary hypogonadism and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. The use of such formulations is limited because the safety and efficacy of these subcutaneous products in adult males with late-onset hypogonadism and males less than 18 years old have not yet been established. Moreover, subcutaneously administered testosterone enanthate is indicated only for the treatment of men with hypogonadal conditions associated with structural or genetic etiologies, considering the medication could cause blood pressure increases that can raise the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events like non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and cardiovascular death.
Typical dosing for testosterone enanthate
Testosterone enanthate is a testosterone replacement that acts like the natural sex hormone. Testosterone is responsible for the development and maintenance of many male features during and after puberty. Testosterone enanthate works by adding or replacing testosterone in the body to normal and healthy levels.
It’s unclear how testosterone enanthate works to treat breast cancer, but it’s thought to slow the spread of the cancer in females by stopping tumor growth.
Your provider will work with you to find the right dose of testosterone enanthate for you, since it depends on your age, sex, and condition being treated. They might change the dose based on your response to the medication and how well you tolerate it.
Testosterone enanthate is injected slowly and deeply into your buttock muscle.
- Low testosterone in males: The typical dose is 50 mg to 400 mg every 2 to 4 weeks.
- Delayed puberty in males: The typical dose is 50 mg to 200 mg every 2 to 4 weeks for a short duration of time, about 4 to 6 months.
- Breast cancer in females: The typical dose is 200 mg to 400 mg every 2 to 4 weeks.
Testosterone Enanthate Dosage
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Testosterone Enanthate Dosage
Regardless of your experience level, Testosterone Enanthate is usually injected once (twice) per week to maintain the best blood levels of the hormone. Beginners will consider a weekly dosage of between 250mg and 500mg which will provide exceptional anabolic effects.
Intermediate users can increase Testosterone Enanthate dosage up to 700mg weekly, with some advanced users increasing the dosage to 1000mg weekly as long as awareness of the much higher aromatizing side effects are taken into account.
Female Testosterone Enanthate Dosage
Testosterone Enanthate is not recommended for use by women for performance enhancement purposes due to the strong androgenic nature of this male hormone and its longer acting effects. Low doses as prescribed by a doctor are sometimes used to treat certain breast cancers in women.
Testosterone Enanthate Cycles
Testosterone Enanthate is effective both on its own in a cycle and when stacked with other anabolic compounds. It can perform exceptionally well as a primary anabolic compound but is also often used as a testosterone support to maintain testosterone levels when they are suppressed by the use of other steroids.
