Testosterone Cypionate is a prescription drug used to treat symptoms of delayed puberty, impotence, and hormonal imbalance. The drug is very effective for hypogonadism and has also been used for breast cancer in women.
Testosterone Cypionate is also known by the brand name Depo-testosterone. It comes as an injectable solution administered in the muscles. You can perform the injection yourself or have a licensed physician administer it for you. Depo-testosterone is, however, a controlled substance, so you'll need a doctor's prescription before buying or using it.
How does Testosterone Cypionate Work?
Depo-testosterone belongs to a group of drugs called androgens. It is an ester of testosterone, and that's why it is so effective for hypogonadism, a condition where a man is unable to produce enough testosterone. Hypogonadism usually results in terrible effects since testosterone is the primary male sex hormone.
The condition is usually characterized by low libido, erectile dysfunction, muscular atrophy, general fatigue, low red blood cell count, brain fog, gynecomastia or man boobs, mood disorders, and shrinking testes.
What Testosterone cypionate does is replace the testosterone that you cannot produce. It effectively reverses all the above side effects. But that’s not all.
Since it is so good at boosting testosterone, the drug has also been used outside the medical field to promote muscle growth and physical performance. You see, testosterone is also the key muscle-building hormone. The higher the testosterone levels in your body, the higher your ability to grow lean muscles.
You should know that testosterone cypionate is not approved for muscle building. All the athletes and bodybuilders taking the androgen expose themselves to extremely high risks of developing various health complications. The worst part is that to achieve the sort of results they want; they have to use the drug in high dosages that have been linked to severe and permanent side effects.
Depo-testosterone is also banned by sports governing bodies, including the world anti-doping agency, so don’t use it if you’re a professional athlete.
Side Effects
Testosterone cypionate is known to produce various side effects even when it is used in relatively low dosages. However, using the drug under the supervision of a physician can help reduce the risk of some of the severe side effects.
These side effects are especially common among individuals using the androgen for personal uses like bodybuilding. That’s because most of these guys already have decent testosterone levels, so Depo-testosterone only serves to throw the baseline off balance. Bodybuilders also use depo-testosterone at higher dosages which increases the risk of side effects significantly.
One of the most common side effects is liver problems. High dosages of Depo-testosterone can lead to life-threatening conditions such as liver cancer, hepatitis, and damage. These conditions can also occur if you use reasonable dosages but for a prolonged duration. To avoid them, you are advised to stick to the recommended dosage and cycle guidelines.
Cardiovascular problems are also common among depo-testosterone users. Issues such as heart attack, heart failure, and stroke are very prevalent. The drug may also form blood clots in deep veins (deep vein thrombosis) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism). These are seriously fatal conditions.
Other possible side effects of using testosterone cypionate are:
- Psychosis
- Prostate enlargement
- Prostate cancer
- Testicular atrophy (shrinking of testicles)
- Gynecomastia
- Anemia
- Osteoporosis
- Male pattern baldness
- Acne
- Pain, swelling, and infections at the injection site
- Frequent erections lasting longer than usual
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Infertility caused by reduced sperm count
Drug Interactions
Testosterone cypionate interacts with some drugs resulting in medical complications. For instance, it can interact with oral diabetes drugs like repaglinide, nateglinide, and pioglitazone, leading to dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Test cypionate can interact with oral blood thinners like Warfarin, increasing the risk of bleeding.
It also interacts with adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosteroids.
Make sure to consult a licensed physician and discuss your entire medical history before combining testosterone cypionate with any other drug.
How to use Testosterone Cypionate?
Testosterone cypionate dosages vary depending on factors such as the condition being treated, the condition’s progression or severity, age, etc. Your tolerance after the first dosage may also influence subsequent dosages.
The dosage for adults with primary hypogonadism can range from 50 to 400mg injected in a muscle every 2 to 4 weeks.
The same dosage is used for hypogonadotropic hypogonadism – a form of hypogonadism induced by the inability of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus to send signals to the testes for testosterone production.
For these medical conditions, Depo-testosterone has to be used consistently to produce the desired results. It must also be used within the prescribed range to avoid further complications. Due to the high number of factors involved in proper dosage and usage of the drug, we recommend using depo-testosterone under the constant supervision of a licensed physician. They will also provide appropriate clinical monitoring.
The use of Testosterone cypionate for bodybuilding is very complicated. The drug is not well investigated for this purpose, so a lot of the dosages used are not backed by any reliable clinical trials.
That said, bodybuilders are known to use up to 700mg of testosterone every 12 days for a cycle of 12 weeks. Everything about those figures should scare you. For one, 700mg is a pretty high dose, even for experienced bodybuilders who've used steroids before. The half-life is also just 12 days which forces users to make more frequent injections increasing the risks of swelling, pain, and infections at the injection site.
In summary, the use of testosterone cypionate for muscle building is hugely discouraged. Any bodybuilder looking for quicker and bigger gains is better off seeking other alternatives. Preferably legal and natural alternatives.
Final Thoughts
Testosterone cypionate is a great option when it comes to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). It can reverse all the horrible symptoms of low testosterone without any serious implications, especially if you are keen to follow the recommended usage guideline. Trained TRT physicians will also perform continuous clinical monitoring to ensure the drug is not negatively affecting your cholesterol levels, prostate health, bone age, and Hemoglobin and hematocrit.
The same cannot be said for the performance enhancement uses of the drug. In most countries, licensed physicians cannot prescribe this drug for personal uses like muscle building unless you have conditions like muscle wasting or osteoporosis. This means bodybuilders have to use the drug without a doctor's supervision. Not to mention that they have to acquire the drug illegally. All these factors make testosterone cypionate a terrible choice for bodybuilders.