5 Testosterone Myths

Thanks to stories about doping Olympic athletes, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, the words "testosterone" or "steroids" create unsavory associations. However, testosterone is a key hormone that has numerous important and beneficial functions in men. In fact, if it weren't for testosterone, all little boys would be born with a labia instead of a scrotum! In adults, testosterone is important for normal sexual function, sperm production, as well as muscle development and tone. In my work as a urologist at Men's Health Boston, I treat men with infertility (i.e., vasectomy reversal) and sexual problems. Many of these men are diagnosed with low levels of testosterone, or what I call "low T."

Low T can also cause chronic fatigue, depression, and reduced muscular/athletic performance. Treatment with testosterone can improve erections and sex drive, restore muscle and reduce fat, and increase energy and motivation. New evidence suggests that normal testosterone levels are important for reducing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and men with normal levels live longer than men with low T. However, stories about cheating athletes and muscle-crazed bodybuilders have given testosterone a bad name, and have created a number of myths. Here are five of the most common testosterone myths.

1 Testosterone is an illegal drug
Nope; testosterone is a perfectly legal prescription medication. It is also a key hormone present in every man that is responsible for fetal development of the male genitalia, the physical changes that occur during male puberty, and that contributes to a variety of functions in the adult man including sperm production, erections, sex drive, muscle tone, and bone health, among others. Testosterone is only illegal when it's used without a physician’s prescription. However, many sports organizations have strict rules regarding substances such as testosterone that may influence athletic performance. Athletes who violate the rules of their sport are cheating, and lying about it to Congress may lead to prison time.

2 Testosterone is a steroid, and steroids are dangerous
Testosterone is a steroid, but that doesn’t make it dangerous. In fact, we’re all naturally loaded with various kinds of steroids. The word "steroid" simply refers to a molecule with a “backbone” of four rings of carbon —  examples include estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and even cholesterol. Clearly, when an athlete tests positive for “steroids,” no one is concerned that he injected himself with cholesterol. In the sports world, the word “steroid” is shorthand for an “anabolic steroid hormone,” meaning steroids that specifically act to build muscle and bone, like testosterone. Whereas testosterone has been shown to be relatively safe, even at high concentrations, there is almost no information at all about the safety of the newer “designer” steroids produced to escape detection in drug testing.

3 Testosterone causes uncontrollable violent behavior
There is absolutely no reliable evidence that testosterone causes “’roid rage” or any type of violent, aggressive or uncontrollable behavior. No violence, aggression or unpredictable behavior has been seen in studies where men were administered testosterone, even at extremely high doses. In fact, the opposite appears to be true; many men with low T describe being more irritable, or having a short fuse, and this often improves with normalization of testosterone levels. A recent patient treated with testosterone told me that his wife found him “unbearable” to be around before he was diagnosed with low T and subsequently treated; “I’m a nicer guy now,” he said.  

4 Testosterone causes prostate cancer
New evidence conclusively shows that men with higher levels of testosterone are at no greater risk of developing prostate cancer than men with low testosterone. Moreover, treating men with testosterone has not been shown to cause any increased risk of prostate cancer either. The basis for this myth originated from studies in the 1940s in which men with metastatic prostate cancer showed benefits when they were castrated. It appears that the only men at risk for prostate cancer growth with higher testosterone are men who have already been castrated. An exciting, but controversial, development is the use of testosterone to treat symptomatic men with low T who have undergone prior therapy for prostate cancer.

5 Higher testosterone causes baldness
On average, men with male pattern baldness have the same testosterone levels as men with a full head of hair. Baldness seems to be genetically determined. The confusion arises because medicines like finasteride (Propecia) that block conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) can prevent or treat baldness. Since only very small amounts of DHT are needed by the scalp to do what the genes tell them to do (in this case, lose hair), men who are pre-destined to pull a Kojak will do so whether their T concentrations are high or low.

Four Kinds of Testosterone – Cypionate, Enanthate, Propionate, Suspension

The principal difference between these kinds of testosterone is duration of action.

There’s also some difference in the amount of actual testosterone contained per milligram of drug. In order of highest testosterone concentration to least-high but still high, the order is suspension, propionate, enanthate, and cypionate.

In practice however it's not important. Rarely does anyone account for this in deciding their testosterone dosage. It’s a point that may be glossed past with no problem.

The above is also the order of duration of action, from shortest to longest.

For practical purposes, testosterone cypionate and enanthate may be used fairly interchangeably. The half-life of enanthate is probably about 4-5 days, while that of cypionate is probably about a day longer. Accordingly, both of these clear the body relatively slowly at the end of a cycle, causing a relatively long period where levels are neither high enough to allow much if any further gains, yet not low enough to allow recovery.

Testosterone propionate has a much shorter half-life of probably only about 2 days. As a result, clearance of testosterone propionate is quick at the end of a cycle.

By half-life, is meant the time period in which levels of drug drop by 50%. For example, if a drug has a one day half-life, then after one day levels will have fallen to ½, after two days to ¼, after three days to â…›, etc.

Testosterone suspension has a variable duration of action of at least several days and up to at least a week. The pattern in which levels drop, however, is different from those of drugs having a half-life. Instead, particles of drug slowly dissolve, and the particles slowly shrink. Release slows somewhat as the particles shrink and their surface area decreases. Any given particle will at some point disappear entirely. When nearly all have entirely dissolved, the duration of action of the suspension has ended.

Because of how this works, duration is dependent on particle size of the suspension. This is variable between products. Broadly speaking though, products which are milkier, which take longer to fall out of solution, and which go completely easily through the finest needle will have shorter duration of action than coarser products.

A good suspension of testosterone can be used similarly to testosterone propionate.

It's recommended to save the propionate and suspension for use at the end of the cycle, to enable faster transition from high levels allowing gains to low levels allowing recovery. There’s no value in spending an extended time after the last injection with levels still too high to allow recovery, yet not high enough to allow further gains. Actually, it’s not just that there’s no value, but a negative value: it impedes recovery.

Strategic use of propionate esters and suspension at the end of a cycle aids rapid recovery.

Types of Steroids: Testosterone Derivatives

It is extremely important to understand that Testosterone is utilized as the measuring stick (or the measuring bar) whereby all other anabolic steroids are measured against, referenced with, and compared to (much like the celsius scale of temperature measurement where the freezing point and boiling points of water are used as the baseline measurements for temperature). Upon understanding this, any individual can easily observe how a particular given anabolic steroid possesses an anabolic strength that might be several times s

Testosterone Analogues Or Testosterone Derivatives

As previously mentioned in the latter part of the introduction, all anabolic steroids in existence could ultimately be considered derivatives/analogues of Testosterone, but there are several direct derivatives of Testosterone that exist. Derivatives of Testosterone will of course possess and exhibit some or many of the same properties of Testosterone, and this can present both advantages and disadvantages which will be explained and covered in detail here. The very first officially created Testosterone analogue is Methandrostenolone (Dbol), followed by Boldenone (Equipoise). These two analogues will be utilized here as examples.

The general characteristics of Testosterone derivatives are very similar to that of Testosterone: they all exhibit the ability to aromatize into Estrogen (a characteristic shared with Testosterone itself), and they all exhibit the ability to interact with the 5-alpha reductase (5AR) enzyme to become reduced to a stronger androgen. Although they do not reduce into Dihydrotestosterone like Testosterone does, they still interact with the 5AR enzyme and reduce to their own respective individual stronger androgens (Dianabol will reduce into Dihydromethandrostenolone and Boldenone will reduce into Dihydroboldenone). However, the reduction of these analogues into their respective stronger androgenic metabolites differs from Testosterone in that they are reduced into very small trace amounts (usually the result of the structural modifications allowing these anabolic steroid analogues to possess a lesser affinity to bind to the 5AR enzyme).

In terms of the actual structural modifications, we will first examine Dianabol (Methandrostenolone). Dianabol is basically Testosterone that has been methylated at carbon 17-alpha on its structure (this is simply the addition of a methyl group at the 17th carbon). This process, known as C17-Alpha Alkylation, allows the anabolic steroid to be administered orally and still have a measurably strong effect on the body. Without this modification, it is impossible for any anabolic steroid to survive liver metabolism in significant enough quantities to promote any measurable effects in the body – the result is that extremely miniscule amounts of the anabolic steroid reaches the bloodstream to perform its job. Dianabol also possesses a double-bond between carbons 1 and 2. All of these modifications are what grant Dianabol with its increases in anabolic strength and reduced androgenic strength in comparison to Testosterone.

Equipoise (Boldenone) is very easy to describe after understanding Dianabol. Equipoise is simply Dianabol without the methyl group attached to carbon 17-alpha. EQ possesses the double-bond between carbons 1 and 2. The fact that these two hormones operate very differently in the body is quite evident that is a very strong indication that the addition of a methyl group (C17-alpha alkylation) to the 17th carbon does more than just affect the hormone’s resistance to breakdown in the liver – it actually changes the effects and properties of the anabolic steroid. Dianabol itself possesses moderate Estrogenic activity in the body, while Equipoise possesses low Estrogenic activity in the body. It is very evident that the structural modifications to Testosterone that result in both Dianabol and Equipoise grant one of them lower Estrogenic activity than Testosterone itself, but does not eliminate it. This is an example of what has been mentioned earlier about various properties and traits passed down from the parent/progenitor hormone to the analogue/derivative hormone, and that sometimes it will not always be expressed exactly the same.

Testosterone analogues, because of their ability to still exhibit Estrogenic activity at some level, will commonly be preferred by users as anabolic steroids that are utilized in bulking or mass-gaining cycles due to the fact that the water retention associated with it is typically undesirable during periods of cutting or fat loss. This is because the water retention can cause the physique to take on a bloated and soft look. Therefore, the use of compounds such as Dianabol is generally limited as such. But this is not to say that Dianabol cannot be utilized for fat loss or cutting. Any anabolic steroid can be utilized for any purpose. There is no such thing as the commonly claimed myth of ‘cutting steroids’, ‘fat loss steroids’, ‘bulking steroids’, or ‘lean mass steroids’. There exist no such possible things except for anabolic steroids that may be preferred for cutting, bulking, or lean mass depending on their attributes and properties that are associated with side effects that may be undesirable for the goal of cutting or bulking. This will be further explained in greater detail in the final section of this article, but it is important to touch upon this topic and leave this idea in the reader’s mind for the time being.

tronger (or weaker) than Testosterone (Testosterone’s anabolic and androgenic ratings are both respectively 100). The importance of the anabolic and androgenic strength ratings of 100 respectively is paramount to understanding the different strengths of the various types of steroids.

The Importance of Testosterone Inclusion in Every Cycle

It is a well-known set-in-stone rule that Testosterone is such an essentially important hormone that it must be included as the primary base compound in every single cycle as either a primary anabolic compound, or at the very least as a supportive compound in the role of TRT. A ‘primary anabolic compound’ is defined as a compound within a cycle that acts as one of the primary contributors to muscle accrual, and must usually be run at supraphysiological bodybuilding doses to do so. A perfect example is a cycle consisting of Testosterone and Dianabol (Methandrostenolone) in which Testosterone is run at 500mg per week alongside Dianabol at 30mg per day. In such a case, both compounds are utilized at bodybuilding doses (supraphysiological doses), and are therefore acting as primary anabolic compounds. A cycle consisting of Testosterone, Dianabol, and Proviron (Mesterolone) at doses of 500mg/week (Testosterone), 30mg/day (Dianabol), and 25mg/day (Proviron) is a display of Proviron not acting as a primary anabolic while the other two compounds do. The role if Proviron in this case is that of a supportive compound, as it is run at a dose too low to be considered a ‘bodybuilding’ dose, and Proviron itself is not a very strong anabolic compound by any measure.

The use of Testosterone in a cycle that includes, for example, Testosterone at 100mg/week, Trenbolone at 400mg/week, and Masteron (Drostanolone) at 400mg/week is the perfect example of a cycle in which Testosterone is not a primary anabolic compound. In this case, Testosterone then takes upon a supportive role of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) in order to merely maintain normal physiological levels of Testosterone during a period in which the body’s own endogenous production of Testosterone will be suppressed and/or shut down (as a result of the anabolic steroid cycle). This is a perfect description of the use of Testosterone at TRT doses during cycles, and this concept, as well as the reasons behind it, will be further expanded upon slightly very shortly in this article. Whichever the individual’s decision may be, the concept that Testosterone must be run in every single cycle is a basic stipulation of proper and responsible anabolic steroid use. It is a basic rule that Testosterone must be included in every cycle run – there are no exceptions to this rule.

Why Must Testosterone Be Included In Every Cycle?
Testosterone is, quite plainly, the original anabolic steroid; it is the body’s primary androgen that is necessary for a myriad of proper physiological functions. It is a hormone that is manufactured naturally inside all humans and the majority of animal species. It is because of this that Testosterone is considered the safest anabolic steroid, as mentioned many times throughout this article. It cannot be stressed enough that this is because it is the hormone within each human being that is already secreted, already utilized, and is already accustomed to. The logic then follows that the use of Testosterone for the purpose of performance and physique enhancement is easily described as the act of presenting greater amounts of a hormone that the body already secretes and utilizes into the body in order to maximize levels of these hormones for a temporary period (a cycle).
It is through this logic that it has also been determined, as a solid ground rule to anabolic steroid use, that every single first cycle for should always be a cycle of Testosterone-only (any selected variant of Testosterone) as their very first cycle. Testosterone-only cycles introduce the user to a safer anabolic steroid (Testosterone) that the human body has been previously accustomed to naturally for many years prior, as all human beings previously manufacture and utilize Testosterone endogenously. What this opens for the individual anabolic steroid user is the ability to gauge their reaction to the most basic anabolic steroid, Testosterone. It is the result of this gauging procedure that the user can assess his potential reactions and responses to other anabolic steroid analogues and derivatives. This is because the rationale behind the process dictates that there is a high probability that if an individual responds nastily in various undesirable manners to a basic Testosterone cycle, then there will likely be a greater probability of the individual responding in an even worse manner to the majority of other anabolic steroids, which of course are essentially modified analogues of Testosterone.

WHAT AN ESTER IS, AND HOW IT WORKS

If you have taken an interest in anabolic steroids you have noticed the similarities on the labeling of many drugs. Let's look at testosterone for example. One can find compounds like testosterone cypionate, enanthate, propionate, heptylate; caproate, phenylpropionate, isocaproate, decanoate, acetate, the list goes on and on. In all such cases the parent hormone is testosterone, which had been modified by adding an ester (enanthate, propionate etc.) to its structure. The following question arises: What is the difference between the various esterified versions of testosterone in regards to their use in bodybuilding?

An ester is a chain composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen atoms. This chain is typically attached to the parent anabolic steroid at the 17th carbon position (beta orientation), although some compounds do carry esters at position 3 (for the purposes of this article it is not crucial to understand the exact position of the ester). Esterification of an injectable anabolic/androgenic steroid basically accomplishes one thing, it slows the release of the parent steroid from the site of injection. This happens because the ester will notably lower the water solubility of the steroid, and increase its lipid (fat) solubility. This will cause the drug to form a deposit in the muscle tissue, from which it will slowly enter into circulation as it is picked up in small quantities by the blood. Generally, the longer the ester chain, the lower the water solubility of the compound, and the longer it will take to for the full dosage to reach general circulation.

Slowing the release of the parent steroid is a great benefit in steroid medicine, as free testosterone (or other steroid hormones) previously would remain active in the body for a very short period of time (typically hours). This would necessitate an unpleasant daily injection schedule if one wished to maintain a continuous elevation of testosterone (the goal of testosterone replacement therapy). By adding an ester, the patient can visit the doctor as infrequently as once per month for his injection, instead of having to constantly re-administer the drug to achieve a therapeutic effect. Clearly without the use of an ester, therapy with an injectable anabolic/androgen would be much more difficult.

Esterification temporarily deactivates the steroid molecule. With a chain blocking the 17th beta position, binding to the androgen receptor is not possible (it can exert no activity in the body). In order for the compound to become active the ester must therefore first be removed. This automatically occurs once the compound has filtered into blood circulation, where esterase enzymes quickly cleave off (hydrolyze) the ester chain. This will restore the necessary hydroxyl (OH) group at the 17th beta position, enabling the drug to attach to the appropriate receptor. Now and only now will the steroid be able to have an effect on skeletal muscle tissue. You can start to see why considering testosterone cypionate much more potent than enanthate makes little sense, as your muscles are seeing only free testosterone no matter what ester was used to deploy it.