Abstract
Testosterone enanthate (USAN, BAN) (brand names Delatestryl, Testostroval, Testro LA, Andro LA, Durathate, Everone, Testrin, Andropository), or testosterone heptanoate, is an androgen and anabolic steroid and a testosterone ester. Along with testosterone cypionate and testosterone propionate, it is one of the most widely used testosterone esters. Testosterone enanthate was first introduced in 1952. Administered via intramuscular injection, it is the most widely used form of testosterone in androgen replacement therapy.
Testosterone enanthate has an elimination half-life of 4.5 days and a mean residence time of 8.5 days when used as a depot intramuscular injection.It requires frequent administration of approximately once per week, and large fluctuations in testosterone levels result with it, with levels initially being elevated and supraphysiological.
Males
Testosterone Enanthate Injection, USP is indicated for replacement therapy in conditions associated with a deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone.
Primary hypogonadism (congenital or acquired) – Testicular failure due to cryptorchidism, bilateral torsion, orchitis, vanishing testis syndrome, or orchidectomy.
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (congenital or acquired) – Gonadotropin or luteinizing hormone‑releasing hormone (LHRH) deficiency, or pituitary-hypothalamic injury from tumors, trauma, or radiation. (Appropriate adrenal cortical and thyroid hormone replacement therapy are still necessary, however, and are actually of primary importance.)
If the above conditions occur prior to puberty, androgen replacement therapy will be needed during the adolescent years for development of secondary sexual characteristics. Prolonged androgen treatment will be required to maintain sexual characteristics in these and other males who develop testosterone deficiency after puberty.
Safety and efficacy of Testosterone Enanthate Injection, USP in men with age-related hypogonadism have not been established.
Delayed puberty – Testosterone Enanthate Injection, USP may be used to stimulate puberty in carefully selected males with clearly delayed puberty. These patients usually have a familial pattern of delayed puberty that is not secondary to a pathological disorder; puberty is expected to occur spontaneously at a relatively late date. Brief treatment with conservative doses may occasionally be justified in these patients if they do not respond to psychological support. The potential adverse effect on bone maturation should be discussed with the patient and parents prior to androgen administration. An X-ray of the hand and wrist to determine bone age should be obtained every six months to assess the effect of treatment on the epiphyseal centers (see WARNINGS).
Females
Metastatic mammary cancer – Testosterone Enanthate Injection, USP may be used secondarily in women with advancing inoperable metastatic (skeletal) mammary cancer who are one to five years postmenopausal. Primary goals of therapy in these women include ablation of the ovaries. Other methods of counteracting estrogen activity are adrenalectomy, hypophysectomy, and/or antiestrogen therapy. This treatment has also been used in premenopausal women with breast cancer who have benefited from oophorectomy and are considered to have a hormone-responsive tumor. Judgment concerning androgen therapy should be made by an oncologist with expertise in this field.
Testosterone Enanthate is, to me, probably no different than testosterone cypionate (another long acting form of testosterone). It allows for once a week administration and can be found on the black market in doses anywhere from 200-500 mg/ml.
Personally I have used this form of testosterone on many occasions. Although I prefer the shorter esters, Testosterone Cypionate is probably the cheapest form of testosterone that can be found on the black market, and that has influenced my choice to use it more than once.
Water retention with testosterone enanthate often requires some kind of anti-estrogen to combat it (for me, anyway), although I seem to be able to handle pretty high doses without having any other problems with bloodwork or gyno.
Most people will find that 500-1000 mg of this form of testosterone is going to be more than enough to build tons of new muscle. My own personal anabolic routine (doctor prescribed) rarely has me going over 500mgs of testosterone, and I typically feel that 750 mg is the upper limit of the acceptable risk/reward ratio, unless the user is in a profession where it’s necessary to do more (i.e. is a professional bodybuilder, etc.)
