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Testosterone Propionate
Pharmaceutical Name: Testosterone (with propionate ester)
Molecular weight of base: 288.429
Molecular weight of ester: 74.0792 (propionic acid, 3 carbons)
Chemical structure: 4-androstene-3-one,17beta-ol
Active Life: 2-3 days
Anabolic/Androgenic Ratio: 100/100
Often considered the mildest of the testosterone esters (1,2), testosterone
propionate offers some unique advantages to the other testosterones with longer
acting esters. However like the other testosterone compounds, testosterone
propionate offers the same benefits in a medical sense. It is only the dosing
schedule of the drug that changes, although the propionate ester may cause
certain unique reactions in some individuals that will be detailed later in this
profile.
The main advantage of testosterone propionate over other testosterone esters is
that it's effects will be realized much quicker than with other compounds. Due
to the quick release of the hormone users often report anecdotally that they
will begin to notice the effects of the compound within the first 5-7 days of
first administering the drug in some cases. However with this advantage comes
the requirement that a user inject the compound every day or every other day to
maintain stable blood levels of the drug. This frequent injection schedule often
deters many inexperienced users from using the propionate ester in their first
few cycles.
Some users believe that testosterone propionate should be reserved for "cutting"
cycles and is not appropriate for those cycles in which a user is hoping to
build mass. However this is a misnomer as the ester of the compound can not
alter it's physiological effects. Depending on the diet and training routine of
the user, testosterone propionate can be used quite effectively for either mass
building or cutting cycles. This belief that propionate should only be used for
cutting cycles may originate from the fact that a majority of users anecdotally
report that they have far less water retention while using testosterone
propionate in comparison to other longer acting testosterone esters. This lack
of water retention and bloat would seemingly make the user appear leaner and
therefore may lead the individual to believe that they are indeed reducing their
body fat, while the water retention that they experience with the longer acting
esters may make them think that they are gaining body fat when that is not the
case.
However, a minority of users also report that they hold more water while using
testosterone propionate than either testosterone cypionate or enanthate. This
again demonstrates that individuals react quite differently to various
compounds.
Use and Dosing of Testosterone Propionate
Levels of the compound will peak after 24-36 hours of administering the drug and
begin tapering from there (1,3). Therefore most individuals will inject
testosterone propionate every day or every other day. This dosing schedule
allows an individual to maintain a fairly consistent blood level of the
compound, with injections every day obviously providing the more stable of the
two options.
As with the other testosterone esters, the doses of the drug that are taken by
users varies to a great degree depending on the experience and goals of the
user. This also includes women administering testosterone. Women may find that
testosterone propionate is the most manageable of the testosterone esters, along
with possibly testosterone suspension or non-estered compounds, due to the fact
that it is fast acting and that the dosing and administration of the compound
can be quickly altered if negative side effects become overly burdensome. With
longer acting esters these adjustments are much more difficult to make rapidly
and side effects could become more pronounced and/or exaggerated. For this
reason, females who use testosterone may want to begin with testosterone
propionate when choosing which ester to use.
Many users will also often "kick start" their cycles that use long acting
estered compounds with testosterone propionate so that they begin experiencing
anabolic and androgenic effects much quicker in their cycles, without having to
endure injections every day or every other day throughout their cycle. This
"kick start" will usually last for three to five weeks until the long acting
estered compounds have reached their peak blood concentrations. To do this, the
user simply administers the testosterone propionate along with the long acting
estered compounds.
Individuals may also end their cycles with testosterone propionate and/or other
short acting esters so that their start time for their post cycle therapy is
much closer to their last injection and blood levels remain more stable until
the end of the steroid cycle.
Side Effects/ and Risks while using Testosterone Propionate
Since testosterone propionate is indeed simply another form of injectable
testosterone, the side effects associated with it are for the most part those
commonly encountered with any type of testoserone compound. For more specific
information about these, including those that may effect women, see the
testosterone enanthate profile in this forum. In this section the side effects,
and the characteristics of them, that are unique to testosterone propionate
alone will be dealt with.
Far more than the other testosterone esters, for the possible exception of
Sustanon, users of testosterone propionate will often complain of injection site
irratation and swelling (2). Some individuals find that the reaction that they
experience with the ester is so bad in fact that they will have to cease
administration of the compound. As well, due to the frequent injections of the
compound and the possibility of injection site irritation, it is advisible that
users rotate injection sites as frequently as possible so that no complications
arise.
Some users also anecdotally report that they are much more likely to experience
low grade fevers when using testosterone propionate in comparison to other
testosterone compounds. This symptom will usually only persist for a few days to
a week or more, but can sometimes last far longer.
As should be expected with an ester such as propionate, suppression of
endogenous testosterone production will occur quite soon after the intial
administration of the drug (1,3). The usual protocal of post-cycle therapy and
possibly the use of human chorionic gonadotropin during the cycle should be
followed, but no special considerations need to be taken into account because of
this.
References
1. Fujioka M., Shinohara Y., Baba S., et al. Pharmacokinetic properties of
testosterone propionate in normal men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 63 (1986), pp.
1361-4
2. Llewellyn, William, Anabolics 2004, 2003-4, Molecular Nutrition, pp.160-2
3. Pope, H.G, Kouri, E.M., & Hudson, J.I. Effects of supraphysiologic doses of
testosterone on mood and aggression in normal men: A randomized controlled
trial. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2000, 57, pp. 133-140
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