Overview and History of Testosterone Enanthate
Testosterone Enanthate is one of the many esterified variants of Testosterone available. It is an injectable compound with a slow rate of release due to the larger Enanthate ester attached to the Testosterone molecule. This augments the release rate and half-life of Testosterone to that of a slower release. The majority of Testosterone products that have been designed are single products that contain a single esterified form, as opposed to Testosterone products which consist of a blend of several different esterified variants in the liquid (such as Sustanon 250, for example). Testosterone that is un-esterified holds a very short half-life, making its use very inconvenient and impractical (Testosterone suspension is one such Testosterone product that consists of pure un-esterified Testosterone, and does not have an ester bonded to its structure). The Enanthate ester expands Testosterone’s half-life to that of 10 days, and blood plasma levels of the hormone remain elevated for a total period of approximately 2 – 3 weeks. Testosterone itself is considered the most natural and safest anabolic steroid any individual can use, and it is easily the most versatile and flexible anabolic steroid in terms of how it can be utilized in cycles and for different purposes and goals.
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The Enanthate variant of Testosterone had first been described in the early 1950s when it had landed on the market and experienced increasingly extensive use shortly thereafter. This was the very first injectable Testosterone ester preparation that provided slower release rates. Prior to the development of Testosterone Enanthate, the most widely utilized forms were either un-esterified Testosterone (Testosterone suspension) or the faster acting Testosterone Propionate, which holds a half-life of approximately 4.5 days, necessitating more frequent injections which can be inconvenient for many. As such, Testosterone Enanthate promptly replaced Testosterone Propionate as the Testosterone of choice by the medical establishment in the West, as well as athletes and bodybuilders utilizing it for performance and physique enhancement. In the United States, Delatestryl manufactured by Squibb was the very first Testosterone Enanthate product to be marketed, and it is still manufactured and marketed today only under different pharmaceutical manufacturers that have purchased the rights to market that name brand. Most recently 2005, for example, Indevus was the latest pharmaceutical company to manufacture and market the drug. Internationally (outside of North America, mostly) the brand name for Testosterone Enanthate is known as Testoviron, which unlike Delatestryl, has been manufactured by Schering ever since its original inception well over 50 years ago. Ultimately it is the Testoviron brand name that is the most popular and widely utilized Testosterone Enanthate product in the world.
Within the medical realm, Testosterone Enanthate is almost exclusively used for the purpose of treating hypogonadism and andropause (two conditions in which adult males produce inadequate levels Testosterone endogenously). In some lesser cases it is also used as a treatment for delayed puberty male teenagers and for pubertal stimulation. More rare treatments that Testosterone Enanthate is used in include the breast cancer treatment in females. Testosterone Enanthate has also been studied thoroughly in its proposed use as a male birth control treatment[1]. In such cases, it has been determined that a weekly dosage of 200mg had effectively reduced the production of sperm in the majority of men, although 3 months of consistent use was required before significant changes in sperm production and motility were seen. This suppression of spermatogenesis was shown to remain for as long as Testosterone Enanthate was administered, and slowly returned to normal following termination of use. It is highly unlikely however, that Testosterone Enanthate will ever be released and marketed as such due to the immense amount of irrational stigma and hysteria associated with anabolic steroid use in the current Western social climate, which is very unfortunate. Various nations and cultures in Eastern Europe and in the far East, however, have displayed a much more accepting attitude towards its use than in the West.
Chemical Characteristics of Testosterone Enanthate
As previously mentioned, Testosterone Enanthate is simply Testosterone with the Enanthate ester bound to the Testosterone chemical structure. Specifically ‘Enanthate’ is Enanthoic acid, but once bound to Testosterone it is properly referred to in chemistry as an ester bond (or ester linkage). Enanthoic acid is bonded to the 17-beta hydroxyl group on the Testosterone structure. Esterified anabolic steroids are more fat soluble, and release slowly from the injection site – however, this is not the main reason as to why esters extend the release rate of the anabolic steroid. The primary reason for the augmentation of its half-life and release rate is because once Testosterone Enanthate enters the bloodstream, enzymes work to break the bond between the ester and the hormone, which takes a varying amount of time. The end result is that the ester is removed from the hormone by enzymes, and what is left is pure Testosterone that is free to do its work in the body. This process of enzymes cleaving off the ester from the Testosterone molecule is what is responsible for the slower release rates. Testosterone alone with no ester bonded to it possesses a half-life of approximately 2 – 4 hours. When the Enanthate ester is attached to it, creating Testosterone Enanthate, the half-life of Testosterone is now extended to 10 days, providing a slower release and activity of the hormone.
Properties of Testosterone Enanthate
The properties of Testosterone Enanthate is what any individual would expect from any other type of Testosterone preparation, with the exception of the differing release rates and half-life. Testosterone is what could be considered quite literally the original anabolic steroid, which is manufactured
Test Enan Geofman 250mg/ml
endogenously naturally in all humans and in the vast majority of animal species. Because of this, Testosterone is considered the safest anabolic steroid for use, as every individual’s body is already accustomed to the effects of Testosterone only to a lesser degree. Essentially, the use of Testosterone for the purpose of physique and performance enhancement is simply the supplementation of additional hormones – the act of inserting more of a hormone into the body that it already manufactures and uses.
Testosterone Enanthate Side Effects
Testosterone Enanthate is an anabolic steroid with a very moderate side effect profile. When considering its benefits in terms of potential gains and strength versus its side effect potential and profile, it can be considered a very reasonable anabolic steroid in this regard. Testosterone Enanthate’s side effect distribution is generally pretty varied, but what one must understand is that Testosterone Enanthate being a Testosterone compound, is the body’s most natural anabolic hormone. After all, Testosterone is what the body endogenously manufactures naturally and it is therefore what the body is most accustomed to first and foremost. As with any side effects of any sort, individual body reaction, sensitivity, and genetics play a large factor in whether or not an individual may experience more or less of a certain side effect (or experience none at all).
Testosterone Enanthate side effects include that of estrogenic side effects, which are the most prominent side effects that users and potential users are most concerned about. This results from the fact that Testosterone is a moderately aromatizable anabolic steroid (meaning Testosterone undergoes conversion into Estrogen at a moderate rate in the body), and this is of course proportional to the dose of Testosterone Enanthate used as well. The greater the dosage, the greater the degree of aromatization into Estrogen. The resultant side effects of Estrogen conversion can include: water retention and bloating, increases in blood pressure (resultant from water retention), increased fat gain/retention, and potential development of gynecomastia.
Androgenic side effects are also a potential experience with the use of Testosterone Enanthate. Being that Testosterone is an androgen in and of itself, it does interact with androgen receptors throughout the body and will exhibit androgenic side effects. However, the real bulk of the androgenic side effects are the result of Testosterone’s reduction into a much stronger androgen, Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This occurs in a few key tissues in the body as Testosterone passes through them, such as the scalp, prostate, and skin. Androgenic side effects can include: increased oily skin (sebum secretion), increased acne formation (linked to sebum secretion), bodily and facial hair growth, and the increased risk of experiencing male pattern baldness (MPB) if the individual possesses the genetic predisposition for it.
Studies have not found Testosterone Enanthate to be liver toxic (hepatotoxic) at any dosage, even at extreme dosages administered orally. There is no risk for liver issues with Testosterone Enanthate.
Being that it is an anabolic steroid, Testosterone Enanthate does exhibit side effects in regards to impairment and/or suppression of the HPTA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis) – in other words, natural endogenous Testosterone production suppression. Testosterone Enanthate side effects also include cardiovascular alterations and side effects, such as temporary alteration of blood cholesterol levels.
Testosterone Enanthate Cycles and Uses
Testosterone Enanthate cycles are usually that of a bulking or mass gaining nature, though it can also be utilized in a very specific manner in cutting or fat loss cycles. For mass gaining or bulking, Testosterone Enanthate is usually employed in a higher dosage (usually a minimum of 500mg per week), and because it is an anabolic steroid with a long ester affixed to it, it will exhibit a longer half-life of around 7 – 10 days, and therefore Testosterone Enanthate cycles are usually run for periods of 10 – 12 weeks or longer.
In both bulking and cutting cycles, Testosterone Enanthate is commonly stacked with other compounds of a nature that will facilitate the user’s end goal (bulking, mass gaining, or fat loss). For example, Testosterone Enanthate cycles for the purpose of bulking usually include the use of Deca-Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate) and/or Dianabol (Methandrostenolone), where Dianabol is usually run for the first 6 weeks as a kick-starting compound.
In the event that Testosterone Enanthate cycles are cutting or fat loss cycles, Testosterone Enanthate is usually run at a very low TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) dosage of around 100mg per week whilst other compounds more preferable for cutting and fat loss are emphasized during the cycle. The use of Testosterone Enanthate at this dosage is merely to maintain normal bodily function rather than to emphasize gains and performance enhancement.
Testosterone Enanthate Dosing and Administration
Medically, Testosterone Enanthate is usually utilized at a prescription dosage of around 250mg administered once every 2 – 4 weeks, depending on the discretion of the physician and the patient’s progress in his TRT therapy.
For the purpose of bodybuilding and performance and physique enhancement, Testosterone Enanthate is usually dosed at around 300 – 500mg per week as a beginner dosage. Intermediate Testosterone Enanthate dosages can run from 500 – 750mg per week, and advanced users are known to utilize upwards of 1,000mg or more per week of Testosterone Enanthate.
Because of its half-life of 7 – 10 days, it is recommended that Testosterone Enanthate’s administration occur at a minimum of once per week, but ideally for optimal performance and results (and minimization of unwanted side effects due to spiking blood plasma levels), it should be administered twice per week with the weekly dosage split evenly between administrations. For example, a 500mg per week dosage of Testosterone Enanthate should be administered as 250mg on Monday and 250mg on Thursday every week.
Testosterone Enanthate Legality
Anabolic steroid laws vary quite a bit across the globe, with the vast majority of countries and regions imposing very little to no laws or restrictions on their possession or use. Therefore, it is important that the legality of Testosterone Enanthate in the three most common Western nations be covered here (USA, Canada, and the UK)
In the United States, Testosterone Enanthate is classified as a Schedule III drug in the Controlled Substances Act, and thus the possession and use of any Testosterone product without a valid physician’s prescription would be considered a felony. Needless to say, trafficking, importation, and the purchase of EQ or any anabolic steroid is a criminal act.
In the United Kingdom, Testosterone Enanthate falls under Schedule IV, whereby possession and use of Testosterone without a physician’s prescription is legal for personal use. Importation of Testosterone Enanthate for personal use without a prescription is also not a felony.
Canadian law is similar to the UK, where it is a Schedule IV drug, and as such, possession and use of Testosterone Enanthate for personal use without a valid physician’s prescription is not a felony and is legal. However, trafficking of the substance is a felony.
Research of the laws in your country or region beforehand is paramount in order to make the appropriate decisions, and what to expect in regards to what you could be getting into. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
How to Buy Testosterone Enanthate
Testosterone Enanthate is an extremely popular anabolic steroid, and should be found very easily on the anabolic steroid black market without any effort. It is also so common and easily manufactured that it should be obtained for very reasonable prices. Testosterone Enanthate exists as both human-grade pharmaceutical grade products, as well as underground lab (UGL) grade products on the market. The differences are obvious here, with quality control being the main issue, and that pharmaceutical grade Testosterone Enanthate is usually more expensive for obvious reasons.
Testosterone Enanthate can be purchased from online sources and vendors, as well as the traditional in-person transactions (i.e. ‘gym-dealers’). Prices may vary. Pharmaceutical Testosterone Enanthate can be found for around $13 – $15 for a single 1ml vial containing 250mg/ml (which is usually the standard for pharmaceutical grade glass ampoules). Underground Testosterone Enanthate normally sells for $60 – $90 for a single 10ml vial containing 250mg/ml.
Testosterone Enanthate Pictures:
Testosterone Enantahte Pharmacom Labs 300mg/ml
Testosterone Enanthate Norma 250mg/ml
Testoviron Depot Schering 250mg/ml
Testosterone
Chemical Name: 4-androsten-3-one-17beta-ol, 17beta-hydroxy-androst-4-en-3-one
Molecular Weight: 288.42 g/mol
Formula: C19H28O2
Original Manufacturer: Squibb
Half Life: 10 days
Detection Time: 3 months
Anabolic Rating: 100 Androgenic Rating: 100
