Overview & History
Testosterone Enanthate History & Overview
Testosterone is the ultimate grandfather and progenitor of all anabolic steroids, and although its basic chemical structure and properties remain unchanged among all of the different variants of it, it is available in a variety of different forms and preparations that alter its half-life and rate of release in the body. Testosterone Enanthate is one of those variants. It is an injectable variant of Testosterone with what is considered a slower release rate in the body as a result of the Enanthate ester that is affixed to the Testosterone molecule, with the Enanthate ester being considered a long ester. Some Testosterone products contain a blend or mix of different esterified Testosterone variants – Sustanon 250 is a good example, which contains approximately 4 different Testosterone esters. In this case, we are talking about a single esterified type.
When Testosterone is not affixed to an ester of any sort, it exhibits a very short half-life in the body, which results in limitations and inconveniences in regards to its use. Testosterone Suspension is an example of a Testosterone product that is literally Testosterone on its own with no ester affixed to it, making it essentially pure Testosterone. What affixing the Enanthate ester to Testosterone does is allows Testosterone to obtain a half-life that extends to about 7 – 10 days in most people. By comparison, Testosterone Suspension has a half-life of mere hours. What Testosterone Enanthate allows is for blood plasma levels of Testosterone to elevate slowly, and remain at its peak levels for approximately 2 – 3 weeks. As Testosterone is the original anabolic steroid (and the most natural, being that it is manufactured by the human body), it is considered the safest anabolic steroid that almost any person can utilize. The versatility and how it can be used is also unmatched in order to further the individual’s goals and cycles.
Testosterone Enanthate was first developed and released in the early 1950s, and after entering the prescription market, it saw pretty widespread use shortly afterwards. It was also the first of its kind – an injectable Testosterone that could provide a longer half-life than pure Testosterone suspensions. Testosterone Suspension was the most widely utilized Testosterone product before Testosterone Enanthate came along, and this was followed by Testosterone Propionate, which did extend the half-life of the hormone but not by much: 4.5 days. A 4.5 day half-life from the Propionate variant resulted in less frequent injections than Testosterone Suspension, but it still became somewhat too much for some medical patients. Once Testosterone Enanthate entered the market, Testosterone Propionate quickly fell out of popularity in medicine as well as in athletics and bodybuilding. Delatestryl is a prescription Testosterone Enanthate product manufactured by Squibb pharmaceuticals, and was the very first Testosterone Enanthate product in the United States and still to this day (though under purchased manufacturing rights by other companies). Testosterone Enanthate is an American product first and foremost, but outside of North America, Testosterone Enanthate is marketed under the brand name Testoviron and is produced by Schering for over 50 years.
Testosterone Enanthate is used in a myriad of typical medical applications from hypogonadism treatment to some instances of pubertal delay in male teens. It has also found use in treating female breast cancer patients, as well as potential use as a male birth control with success[1]. However, because of the hysteria and negative stigma associated with Testosterone and anabolic steroid use, it is likely a very long time before it would be marketed officially as a male birth control product.
Testosterone Enanthate Chemical Characteristics
Testosterone Enanthate is merely Testosterone affixed with the enanthate ester onto its chemical structure. Enanthoic acid is chemically bound to Testosterone on its 17-beta hydroxyl group via a chemical reaction, and it is therefore an ester bond/linkage onto Testosterone. Because these esters are hydrocarbon chains, they are very fat-soluble. Therefore, bonding them to hormones like Testosterone to create ester bonds causes the hormone (once again, Testosterone in this case) to become very soluble in fats, and this is why they can be then made into preparations that are oil-based (rather than water-based suspensions that are more painful and complex to inject). Once injected, Testosterone Enanthate slowly releases from the injection site. From here, Testosterone Enanthate enters the bloodstream through capillaries and arteries surrounding the injection site, and it is at this point that enzymes bind to the Testosterone Enanthate molecule and then break off the Enanthate ester from the Testosterone molecule. Once the ester is cleaved off from the hormone thanks to the enzymes, pure Testosterone is now remaining in the bloodstream and it is this newly-freed-from-the-ester hormone Testosterone that is now free to roam the body and impart its anabolic effects. Without an ester, pure Testosterone possesses a half-life of around 2 – 4 hours, but when bound to an ester such as Enanthate, its half-life is extended to around 7 – 10 days through the process described above.
Side Effects
Testosterone Enanthate Side Effects
Testosterone possesses a fairly moderate side effect profile, and is generally reasonable dependent on individual reactions and genetics. As Testosterone is the most natural anabolic steroid to the human body, and is what it manufactures naturally and endogenously, it is probably the one anabolic steroid that the human body is the most accustomed to.
Estrogenic side effects are usually the first and most prominent concern. These are also the most commonly discussed and heard-of side effects. This is because Testosterone by nature is known for being moderately aromatizable, which means that it interacts with the aromatase enzyme and converts to Estrogen through this enzyme at a moderate rate. Testosterone Enanthate dosage also plays a role in proportional increases of this side effect. Side effects that result from aromatization can and do include: the potential for gynecomastia development, fat gain and/or fat retention, rising blood pressure (usually due to water retention), and water retention and bloating. These side effects can be mitigated through use of either a SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator) and/or an AI (Aromatase Inhibitor) – both are considered anti-estrogens but both work through different methods and pathways with various limitations.
Androgenic side effects are usually the second most concerning and discussed side effect potential from Testosterone Enanthate. This is a two-part factor. Firstly, Testosterone itself is an androgenic hormone and does impart effects and activity on androgen receptors throughout the body. Secondly (and more importantly), Testosterone readily converts into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by way of interaction with the 5-alpha reductase (5AR), and this is where Testosterone imparts the overwhelming majority of its androgenic side effects as DHT is a much stronger androgen than Testosterone itself. Androgenic side effects include: the increased risk of developing male pattern baldness (MPB) provided the individual has the genetic predisposition for it, increased body and facial hair growth, increased development of acne, and increased sebum secretion (oily skin). 5AR blockers such as Ketocozanole (Nizoral shampoo) and/or Finasteride and Dutasteride may work to mitigate these androgenic side effects, but it is important to remember that once again, there are limitations to both and differences to their activity in the body.
Testosterone does also suppress and/or shut-down the HPTA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis), which is the system in the body that endogenously manufactures natural Testosterone. Negative alterations in cholesterol profiles as well as cardiovascular health is also a side effect risk with Testosterone Enanthate.
Hepatic side effects are rare when using Testosterone Enanthate, even in large doses. In one study conducted using 2,800mg per week of Testosterone orally, no adverse changes in bilirubin, alkaline phosphatases, albumin and alanine-amino-transferase were observed [2].
Lipid related side effects have been seen in subjects using Testosterone Enantahte in various medical studies. In another study, healthy men were administered 300mg per week of TE for 20 weeks without the usage of an aromatase inhibitor (AI). A 13% reduction in HDL cholesterol was reported, whilst 600mg caused a decrease of 21% [3]. Reducing HDL cholesterol is going to contribute to cardiovascular damage.
Estrogen being present is going to help this environment and favour a more healthy cholesterol profile. This was shown in another study when an AI was introduced and showed a further reduction in HDL cholesterol by 25% [4]. However, its advised an AI is used during supraphysiological doses of Testosterone to keep estradiol in range.
Administration
Dosing and Administration of Testosterone Enanthate
For medical purposes, Testosterone Enanthate’s prescription guidelines call for a starting dosage of 250mg injected once every 2 – 4 weeks and this is dependent on the physician and the patient, as well as the patient’s progression in his Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).
In the realm of athletics and bodybuilding where physique and performance enhancement is concerned, beginner dosages are normally in the realm of 300 – 500mg per week. Intermediate users are known to venture up to 500 – 750mg per week, and advanced users have been seen to administer equal to or inexcess of 1,000mg per week or greater.
Testosterone Enanthate has a half-life of 7 – 10 days, and the recommendation among athletes and bodybuilders is that a minimum administration of once per week is recommended. Ideally, however, for the purpose of best results and minimal side effects as a result of peaking and valleying blood plasma levels, a two-times-per-week injection protocol should be followed. This means splitting up the weekly dosage into two separate injections that are evenly spaced apart (for example, Monday and Thursday injections of 250mg per injection for a total of 500mg per week).
Cycles
Testosterone Enanthate Cycles
Any and all forms of Testosterone have pretty much the same types of cycles and uses due to the nature of the Testosterone hormone. Remember that the esterification serves only to alter the release rate and half-life. With this being said, Testosterone Enanthate is best suited and used for bulking, mass-gaining, and off-season cycles and applications. For these purposes, 500mg per week is normally used at a minimum, and Testosterone Enanthate cycles are run in the lengths of 10 – 12 weeks and sometimes longer. This is because of its long half-life, which results in a longer period of time for the hormone to ‘kick-in’ where the user experiences the mass and strength gains.
Whether cutting or bulking as the main goal, Testosterone Enanthate is usually run alongside other compounds of a similar nature and effect, such as Deca-Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate) as well as Dianabol (Methandrostenolone). In this case, Dianabol is usually run for the first 4 -6 weeks of a cycle as a ‘kickstarter’. As far as this Testosterone/Deca/Dbol cycle is concerned, it is considered a classic among bodybuilders that found its origins in the golden era of bodybuilding in the 1960s and 1970s.
If individuals wish to use it in cutting or fat loss cycles, Testosterone Enanthate is normally used at TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) dosages, which necessitate a dose of around 100mg weekly. The purpose here is for Testosterone to just maintain normal physiological functions in the body while other anabolic steroids are used at higher dosages, and it is those anabolic steroids being used that are essentially the ‘workhorses’ of the cycle, while Testosterone Enanthate takes a back seat in a supportive role.
Buy Testosterone Enanthate
How to Buy Testosterone Enanthate
Testosterone Enanthate is probably in the top 4 most popular and widely used anabolic steroids. It is therefore easily bought and sold in different markets around the globe and shouldn’t take much effort to locate and purchase. It is also relatively easy to manufacture, so it should be found for considerably cheap prices. Differences do exist, however, as Testosterone Enanthate can be found in either pharmaceutical grade quality, or underground laboratory (UGL) grade quality products.
Pharmaceutical grade Testosterone Enanthate can be bought for in the range of about $13 – $15 per 1ml vial at a concentration of 250mg/ml. These can also come in 1ml ampoules at the same price and concentration. Underground grade Testosterone Enanthate can be bought in the range of $60 – $90 per 10ml multidose vial at a concentration of 250mg/ml.
References:
- Contraceptive efficacy and adverse effects of testosterone enanthate in Thai men. Sukcharoen N, Aribarg A, Kriangsinyos R, Chanprasit Y, Ngeamvijawat J. J Med Assoc Thai 1996 Dec;79(12):767-73
- Enzyme induction by oral testosterone. Johnsen SG, Kampmann JP, Bennet EP, Jorgensen F. 1976 Clin Pharmacol Ther 20:233-237. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/947655
- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol is not decreased if an aromatizable androgen is administered. Friedl K, Hannan C et al. Metabolism 39(1) (1990):69-74.
- Testosterone dose-response relationships in healthy young men. Bhasin S, Woodhouse L et al. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 281 (2001):E1172-81.