Testosterone
propionate is a commonly manufactured, oil-based injectable
testosterone compound. The added propionate ester will slow the
rate in which the steroid is released from the injection site,
but only for a few days. Testosterone propionate is therefore
comparatively much faster acting than other testosterone esters
such as cypionate or enanthate, and requires a much more
frequent dosing schedule. While Testosterone
cypionate and Testosterone enanthate are
injected on a weekly basis, Testosterone
propionate is generally administered
(at least) every third day. Figure one illustrates a typical
release pattern after injection. As you can see, levels peak and
begin declining quickly with
Testosterone propionate. To make
Testosterone propionate even more uncomfortable to use, the propionate ester
can be very irritating to the site of injection. In fact, many
sensitive individuals choose to stay away from this steroid
completely, their body reacting with a pronounced soreness and
low-grade fever that may last for a few days. Even the mild
soreness that is experienced by most users can be quite
uncomfortable, especially when taking multiple pharmacokinetics
of Testosterone propionate injections each week. The "standard"
esters like in ection Testosterone enanthate and
Testosterone cypionate, which are clearly
easier to use, are therefore much more popular among athletes.
Those who are
not bothered by frequent injections will find that
Testosterone propionate is
quite an effective steroid.
Testosterone propionate is of course a powerful mass
drug, capable of producing rapid gains in size and strength. At
the same time the buildup of estrogen and DHT
(dihydrotestosterone) will be pronounced, so typical
testosterone side effects are to be expected. Some do consider
Testosterone propionate to be the mildest testosterone ester, and the
preferred form of this hormone for dieting/cutting phases of
training. Some will go so far as to say that
Testosterone propionate will
harden the physique, while giving the user less water and fat
retention than one typically expects to see with a testosterone.
Realistically however, this is nonsense. The ester is removed
before testosterone is active in the body, and likewise the
ester cannot alter the activity of the parent steroid in any
way, only slow its release. We can say that
Testosterone propionate might be
the favored testosterone among female bodybuilders (for those
who insist on testosterone use!), as blood levels are easier to
control with it compared to other esters. Should virilization
symptoms develop, one would not wish to wait the weeks needed
for testosterone concentrations to fall after a shot of
enanthate for example.
During a
typical cycle one will see action that is consistent with a
testosterone. Users sensitive to gynecomastia may therefore need
to addition an antiestrogen. Those particularly troubled may
find that a combination of Nolvadex® and Proviron® works
especially well at preventing/halting this occurrence. Also
unavoidable with a testosterone are androgenic side effects like
oily skin, acne, increased aggression and body/facial hair
growth. Those who may have a predisposition for male pattern
baldness may also find that
Testosterone propionate will aggravate this
condition. To help combat this we also have the option of adding
Propecia, Proscar, which will reduce the buildup of DHT in many
androgen target tissues. This will help minimize related side
effects (particularly hair loss) although it offers us no
guarantees. And as with all testosterone products,
Testosterone propionate
will also suppress endogenous testosterone production. The use
of a testosterone stimulating drug like HCG and/or Clomid is
therefore almost a requirement in order to avoid enduring a
post-cycle crash.
The most common
dosage schedule for
Testosterone propionate (men) is to inject 50 to
100mg, every 2"d or 3`d day. As with the more popular esters,
the total weekly dosage would be in the range of 200-400mg. As
with all testosterone compounds, Testosterone
propionate is most appropriately
suited for bulking phases of training. Here it is most often
combined with other strong agents such as Dianabol, Anadrol 50
or decadurabolin, combinations that prove to be quite
formidable.
Testosterone propionate however is sometimes also used with
nonaromatizing anabolics/androgens during cutting or dieting
phases of training, a time when its' fast action and androgenic
nature are also appreciated. Popular stacks include a moderate
dosage of
Testosterone propionate with an oral anabolic like Winstrol (15-35
mg daily), Primobolan (50-150mg daily) or oxandrolone (15-30mg
daily). Provided the body fat percentage is sufficiently low,
the look of dense muscularity can be notably improved (barring
any excess estrogen buildup from the testosterone). We can
further add a non-aromatizing androgen like trenbolone or
Halotestin, which should have an even more extreme effect on
subcutaneous body fat and muscle hardness. Of course with the
added androgen content any related side effects will become much
more pronounced.
Women who
absolutely must use an injectable testosterone should only use
Testosterone propionate. The dosage schedule should also be more spread
out for a female bodybuilder, with injections coming every 5 to
7 days. The dosage obviously would be lower as well, generally
in the range of 25mg to 50mg per injection. Androgenic activity
should be less pronounced with this schedule, giving blood
levels time to sufficiently decrease before the drug is
administered again. In order to further reduce any risks, the
duration of
Testosterone propionate cycle should not exceed 8 weeks. Should a
stronger anabolic effect be needed, a small amount of Durabolin
(deca durabolin if unavailable), Oxandrolone or Winstrol could
be added. Of course the risk of noticing virilizing effects from
these drugs may increase, even with the addition of a mild
anabolic. Since many of the masculinizing side effects of
steroid use can be irreversible, it is very important for the
female athlete to monitor the dosage, duration and incidence of
side effects very closely.
On the black
market
Testosterone propionate is not an abundant item. Although individual
ampules are commonly cheap in the pharmacies of many countries,
purchases here can be quite different. When looking to buy the
total number of ampules needed for a complete cycle the costs
for this drug can add up quickly. This is especially true when
purchasing individual
Testosterone propionate ampules, which usually carry a high price
tag even if the content is only 50mg of steroid. Obtaining a
multi-dose vial preparation such as Testosterona from Brovel
(Mexico), Testopro (Loeffler) or Testogan by Laguinsa (S.
American) is the best way to reduce the price of this compound,
as the cost for each injection should be considerably reduced
with a large container. The higher dosage in the 100mg product
from Brovel and the 250mg item from Loeffler (see following)
also bring the price down for this steroid considerably, and
seem to be sparking new interest in this ester. Athletes however
generally still find
Testosterone propionate to be a bit too much trouble
though, and usually prefer the longer acting testosterones like
Testosterone cypionate or
Testosterone enanthate. Although demand for this steroid is low,
it is of course still an acceptable option.
Recently the
Mexican veterinary firm Loeffler released nothing less than the
most shocking
Testosterone propionate product ever developed by any company.
It is called Testopro UA, and is a 10ml vial of
Testosterone propionate in an
unheared of strength of 250 mg/ml. This dosage is more shocking
than it sounds at first next to all the 250mg enanthate and now
cypionate products in circulation. Testosterone propionate is
less oil soluble than Testosterone enanthate or
Testosterone cypionate,
making a high dosage more difficult to achieve. Before Testopro
the highest concentration you could find of this steroid was
100mg/ml. Reaching 250 milligrams is no doubt a result of not
simply adding more steroid to one ml of oil, but increasing the
alcohol content in the solution considerably as well. This makes
for a much more uncomfortable solution to inject. Although
admittedly the highest dose of
Testosterone propionate you will ever find,
users have been reporting that it is also intolerably painful.
Most find they have to dilute the solution with other lower
dosed steroids if they are to continue using the product. This
should be no a surprise I guess with a steroid that already has
a reputation as being painful to inject.
