Testosterone Cypionate (TC-250)

Description

Testosterone cypionate is an injectable prescription medication formulated to treat a condition known as ‘hypogonadism’ (where the body doesn’t create enough testosterone). As a compound that can effectively kickstart your testosterone production, it’s little wonder testosterone cypionate has become a huge hit in the bodybuilding community.

Testosterone cypionate is a popular esterified variant of testosterone along with testosterone enanthate (Test E). Let’s look in detail at what exactly testosterone cypionate is, how it differs from testosterone enanthate, how bodybuilders use it and what can be used as a natural alternative if you decide you’d rather avoid using it.
What is testosterone cypionate?

As we touched on above, testosterone cypionate is a prescription medication that bodybuilders tend to self-inject. It’s often prescribed by doctors for men who cannot physically produce enough testosterone, but in recent times, it’s become popular with bodybuilders who believe they may be suffering from low testosterone levels.

Low testosterone hosts a variety of nasty symptoms including weight gain, loss of muscle mass, depression, erectile dysfunction, and gyno-based side effects such as man boobs – none of which are very appealing to a guy hoping to get ripped.

Test C is classified as an androgen; a term used for hormones that fuel male-focused traits such as a deep voice, body hair and of course, muscle mass. Anabolic steroids are another example of an androgenic supplement. Steroids are an androgen-promoting compound; this is why it’s so common for women to develop body hair and a deeper voice when using steroids. On the flip side, the androgenic effects in men result in hair loss (from too much DHT) and organ inflammation.
History of testosterone cypionate

So where did it all start for test cypionate? Well, back in 1951, testosterone cypionate was introduced into the medical community as a prescription drug under the name of ‘Depo-Testosterone’. Kinda catchy, right? Since the 50s, cypionate has been known by several other brand names including ‘Depovirin’, ‘Durandro’, and ‘Duratest’.

Unlike the test cyp of today, the original Depo-Testosterone was used for more than just curing low testosterone production issues. Doctors were also prescribing it for the following:

Low bone density (weak and fragile bones)
Osteoporosis
Muscular atrophy
Severe menstrual bleeding

As a proven compound for testosterone, you can see how it might become problematic if women and kids start taking it. That’s why, a couple decades later, the FDA restricted the use of cypionate for only cases of hypogonadism and andropause (severely low levels of testosterone).

During the same time another testosterone-focused drug, nearly identical to Test C, made its way into the market – testosterone enanthate. Cypionate is often compared to enanthate (Test E). While both induce higher testosterone levels, the question is often asked: “Is one better than the other?”.
Test E vs test C

A simple internet search will show just how often Test C is compared to Test E. But is there a significant difference between these two testosterone boosters? In short, no. Despite being almost interchangeable as an effective way for bodybuilders to get more testosterone, the debate still rages on bodybuilding forums comparing the miniscule difference between Test C vs Test E.

There’s only one real difference that’s been proven: the chemical makeup. As far as the chemical structure of both compounds goes, in particular, the carbon ester chain, testosterone enanthate is one shy of test cypionate.

Test E has an ester chain, or chemical composition, made up of 7-carbons while Test C has 8-carbons. Does this matter that much? Not really. The only real difference between cypionate and enanthate is that the former is said to break down and assimilate at a slower rate, giving it a longer half-life.

Everything else you hear about the differences between these two is usually found on forums with men and women making different accusations against both Test C and Test E. The most popular examples include bloating caused by cypionate and irritated injection sites caused by enanthate. These examples and several others are more an issue of individual response to a supplement (especially if it’s being abused), than effectiveness.
Testosterone cypionate dosage and cycling

Curious about trying testosterone cyp to increase your t-levels and in turn your gains? You’ll need to have the proper numbers for a safe and effective testosterone cypionate cycle.

With regards to the actual dosages of Testosterone Cypionate, injections can range anywhere from 200mg per week up to 1,000mg or more per week. The dosage will not be the same for every individual. For direct performance results, it is common for people to inject between 400mg to 600mg per week. This is said to be an effective dose. Another factor to consider when planning the dosages of Testosterone Cypionate per week, is the length of your steroid cycle in addition to other steroids (oral and injectable) that are going to be stacked with Test Cypionate.