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location: Transition > Testosterone > Dosage Information
Testosterone Enanthate, brand name Delatestryl, comes in 200mg/mL, suspended in sesamee seed oil, in 1mL and 5mL vials (occasionally you can find a 10mL vial). The pharmacy at my local hospital charges $120 for a 200mg/mL, 5mL vial of Testosterone Enanthate.
Testosterone Cypionate, brand name Depo Testosterone by Upjohn, comes in 100mg/mL and 200mg/mL, suspended in cottonseed oil, in 10mL vials. I bought my first 200mg/mL, 10mL vial at CVS Pharmacy for $124.00, surprisingly one of the cheepest prices I have found for my local pharmacies. Since then, I have found that Walmart or Costco are the cheepest places to buy it. Since I am on 60mg/week, I inject 0.3mL per weekly shot.
My doctor wrote me a perscription for either Cypionate or Enanthate, but I obviously went with the Cypionate due to availability and cost. He started me on 60mg/week, claiming that "standard dose" of 100mg/week (or 200mg biweekly) turned out to be way too high for most FTMs. So far, I haven't had any major problems with hot flashes or any other menopausal symptoms after my hysterectomy, though my doctor said he could raise my dose if I do.
I choose to inject every week, instead of every other week, because it is supposed to minimize the mood swings associated with the ups and down of having a lot of T in your system right after you inject, then not very much 2 weeks later when it's time for the next shot. I haven't experienced any major problems with self-injecting, besides hitting a surface vessel or two.
When injecting into my thigh, I use a single, one inch long, 22 gauge needle to draw the T into the syringe (sometimes I use 21 gauge needles, depending on what the pharmacy has available). Normally this 21 or 22 gauge needle comes attached to the syringe. I then switch needles to a 25 gauge to inject. I used to use the single 22 gauge needle to both draw the T and inject, but I find the smaller 25 gauge needle to inject is easier on my thigh and my mind. Because the T is so thick, it takes longer to inject with the smaller gauge needle, but I don't mind, as I have to inject slowly anyway to help prevent T leaking out after I pull out the needle. A lot of FTMs also prefer to change the needle between drawing the T and injecting it anyway to guarantee the needle is sterile and very sharp (puncturing the T bottle dulls it a little). Some claim it may hurt less if the needle is a new needle. While pain wasn't the deciding factor for me to start switching to a 25 gauge to inject, I have noticed that I definitely feel it less with the smaller gauge.
When my partner injects me into my buttock muscle, we use a single, one inch long, 22 gauge needle to draw the T into the syringe (again, sometimes I use 21 gauge needles, depending on what the pharmacy has available). I then switch needles to a 1.5 inch long, 25 gauge needle to inject. We use the "Z-technique" as shown by my endocrinologist to prevent bleeding and any T from coming out of the injection site after pulling the needle out. In our experience, the "Z-technique" works very well.
Shot #1 -- May 15th, 2003: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #2 -- May 22th, 2003: 60mg
Shot #3 -- May 29th, 2003: 60mg
Shot #4 -- June 5, 2003: 60 mg
Shot #5 -- June 12, 2003: 60mg
Shot #6 -- June 19, 2003: 60mg
Shot #7 -- June 26, 2003: 60mg
Shot #8 -- July 3, 2003: 60mg
Shot #9 -- July 10, 2003: 60mg
Shot #10 -- July 17, 2003: 60mg
Shot #11 -- July 24, 2003: 60mg
Shot #12 -- July 31, 2003: 60mg
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Endocrinologist Apppiontment:
August 7, 2003
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I had my 3-months-on-T appointment with my endocrinologist. He wanted to test my peak T level (24 hours after a shot) and my trough T level (right before a shot) to make sure it is within the normal male range of 240-830 ng/dl. However, because I was still trying to get my insurance company to pay for my hysterectomy, I did not want to bill the lab work to them, even as hypogonadism, as that might make them suspicious. My doctor said he would be comfortable keeping me on 60mg/week until my November appointment, even without the bloodwork, because it's an average dose and couldn't be lethal anyway. We agreed to wait to do the bloodwork until then, by which time my insurance company should have paid and I'll be able to bill it to them under hypogonadism.
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Shot #13 -- August 7, 2003: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #14 -- August 14, 2003: 60mg
Shot #15 -- August 21, 2003: 60mg
Shot #16 -- August 28, 2003: 60mg
Shot #17 -- September 4, 2003: 60mg
Shot #18 -- September 11, 2003: 60mg
Shot #19 -- September 18, 2003: 60mg
Shot #20 -- September 25, 2003: 60mg
Shot #21 -- October 2, 2003: 60mg
Shot #22 -- October 10, 2003: 60mg *changed from a Thurs. to a Fri. schedule*
Shot #23 -- October 17, 2003: 60mg
Shot #24 -- October 24, 2003: 60mg
Shot #25 -- October 31, 2003: 60mg
Shot #26 -- November 7, 2003: 60mg
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Endocrinologist Apppiontment:
November 14, 2003
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I had a lot to talk to my endo about at my 6-months-on-T appointment. For the past month or so, I had been experiencing minor hot flashes and irritability the day or two before my next shot. He thought my dose might not be high enough, and since I didn't have any bloodwork done at my August appointment, he wanted to test my T levels anyway. Also, when my partner at the time and I would do the shot each week, some T would come out of the injection site every time. My insurance still hadn't paid in full for my hysterectomy so I had to pay for the visit and bloodwork out of pocket.
To solve the injection issue, he showed my partner at the time how to inject me into my butt muscle with the "Z-technique." For this, I needed to get 1.5 inch needles. My trough T level turned out to be 547ng/dl (expected results of 240-830ng/dl) so he said to keep on the 60mg/week regimine. Hopefully, without losing any T from now on, it might help with the minor hot flashes/irritability issue.
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Shot #27 -- November 14, 2003: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #28 -- November 21, 2003: 60mg
Shot #29 -- November 28, 2003: 60mg
Shot #30 -- December 5, 2003: 60mg
Shot #31 -- December 12, 2003: 60mg
Shot #32 -- December 19, 2003: 60mg
Shot #33 -- December 26, 2003: 60mg
Shot #34 -- January 2, 2004: 60mg
Shot #35 -- January 9, 2004: 60mg
Shot #36 -- January 16, 2004: 60mg
Shot #37 -- January 23, 2004: 60mg
Shot #38 -- January 30, 2004: 60mg
Shot #39 -- February 6, 2004: 60mg
Shot #40 -- February 13, 2004: 60mg
Shot #41 -- February 22, 2004: 60mg *2 days late*
Shot #42 -- February 28, 2004: 60mg *changed from a Fri. to Sat. schedule*
Shot #43 -- March 6, 2004: 60mg
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Endocrinologist Apppiontment:
March 8, 2004
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At my approximately 9-months-on-T appointment, we mostly discussed my acne problem and facial hair (or lack thereof). He said he wanted to check my peak T levels to make sure they weren't too high, which could be a cause of the wide-spred acne. Because I haven't had any problems growing hair anywhere else (i.e. stomach, legs, butt, etc.), and it was just "those damn face folicles" that were lagging behind, he wouldn't worry about it being due to my T dosage or anything...just simple genetics. My peak T levels came back as 615ng/dl (expected results of 241-827ng/dl), right where they should be. Since I haven't had any real problems with it, he sent me a script in the mail to get my T and LH levels checked in 3-4 months.
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Shot #44 -- March 13, 2004: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #45 -- March 20, 2004: 60mg
Shot #46 -- March 27, 2004: 60mg
Shot #47 -- April 3, 2004: 60mg
Shot #48 -- April 12, 2004: 60mg *2 days late*
Shot #49 -- April 17, 2004: 60mg *began self-injecting again*
Shot #50 -- April 24, 2004: 60mg
Shot #51 -- May 1, 2004: 60mg
Shot #52 -- May 8, 2004: 60mg
Shot #53 -- May 15, 2004: 60mg *One Year on T!*
Shot #54 -- May 22, 2004: 60mg
Shot #55 -- May 29, 2004: 60mg
Shot #56 -- June 5, 2004: 60mg
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Bloodwork Done:
June 12, 2004
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For my approximately 1-year-on-T checkup, we decided for me to just get some bloodwork done to check my T trough levels again. My total testosterone was 410ng/dl (expected results of 300-950ng/dl), and my bioavailable testosterone was 74ng/dl (expected results of 83-257ng/dl). Since my blood was drawn at my absolute trough and both of these values are on the low end of the normal male ranges, we decided to keep me on my present dose of 60mg/week.
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Shot #57 -- June 12, 2004: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #58 -- June 19, 2004: 60mg
Shot #59 -- June 26, 2004: 60mg
Shot #60 -- July 3, 2004: 60mg
Shot #61 -- July 10, 2004: 60mg
Shot #62 -- July 17, 2004: 60mg
Shot #63 -- July 24, 2004: 60mg
Shot #64 -- July 31, 2004: 60mg
Shot #65 -- August 7, 2004: 60mg
Shot #66 -- August 14, 2004: 60mg
Shot #67 -- August 21, 2004: 60mg
Shot #68 -- August 28, 2004: 60mg
Shot #69 -- September 5, 2004: 60mg *changed from a Sat. to Sun. schedule*
Shot #70 -- September 12, 2004: 60mg
Shot #71 -- September 19, 2004: 60mg
Shot #72 -- September 26, 2004: 60mg
Shot #73 -- October 3, 2004: 60mg
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Endocrinologist Apppiontment:
October 8, 2004
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At my approximately 1 year and a half on T appointment, I talked to my doctor about possibly increasing my dose, checking my cholesterol and liver functions, and changing to a smaller needle to inject. I was interested in raising my dose, because I feel the rate of my transition has leveled out over the past couple of months. He said he wanted to check my Luteinizing Hormone (LH) level, which is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland and is regulated via negative feedback by estrogen or testosterone. Because I have had a hysterectomy, he would be worried about elevated levels of LH, which has been associated with bone density loss. If my levels were indeed elevated, we would have to raise my dose anyway, even if I hadn't expressed an interest in raising it for other reasons. Since I have had psycological difficulty with injecting, he gave me a 25 gauge needle to try injecting with and said I could call for a presciption if I liked it.
My total peak testosterone was 838ng/dl (expected result of 300-950ng/dl), and my bioavailable testosterone was 235ng/dl (expected result of 83-257ng/dl), both within the normal ranges and toward the high end as expected for a peak blood draw. My LH level was 25.7mIU/ml (expected result of 2-9mIU/ml for males), which is high, but my doctor claimed it was not high enough to cause a problem with bone density loss, and considering my peak T levels, does not merit raising my dose. Oh well.
I also had a complete metabolic panel (liver) and a lipid profile, mostly out of curiosity. While my liver enzymes, cholesterol, and LDL levels look normal, my tigylcerides were slightly elevated and my HDL level was in the "High Risk" range. Also, my Total Cholesterol to HDL ratio was 4.0, which isn't great. I'm working on getting my hands on my Pre-T bloodwork to compare, although I'm not sure if a lipid profile was run.
As for needles, although it was more difficult to push the thick T through the 25 gauge needle, I think it was easier, and I'm going to try using this smaller gauge for injecting for a while. I also talked to him about self-injecting in my butt, and he showed me where/how to do it. He said he doesn't have many patients that self-inject back there, and I'm not sure if I'm going to try it or not yet.
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Shot #74 -- October 10, 2004: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #75 -- October 17, 2004: 60mg
Shot #76 -- October 24, 2004: 60mg
Shot #77 -- October 31, 2004: 60mg
Shot #78 -- November 7, 2004: 60mg
Shot #79 -- November 14, 2004: 60mg
Shot #80 -- November 21, 2004: 60mg
Shot #81 -- November 28, 2004: 60mg
Shot #82 -- December 5, 2004: 60mg
Shot #83 -- December 12, 2004: 60mg
Shot #84 -- December 19, 2004: 60mg
Shot #85 -- December 26, 2004: 60mg
Shot #86 -- January 2, 2005: 60mg
Shot #87 -- January 9, 2005: 60mg
Shot #88 -- January 16, 2005: 60mg
Shot #89 -- January 23, 2005: 60mg
Shot #90 -- January 30, 2005: 60mg
Shot #91 -- February 6, 2005: 60mg
Shot #92 -- February 13, 2005: 60mg
Shot #93 -- February 20, 2005: 60mg
Shot #94 -- February 27, 2005: 60mg
Shot #95 -- March 6, 2005: 60mg
Shot #96 -- March 13, 2005: 60mg
Shot #97 -- March 20, 2005: 60mg
Shot #98 -- March 27, 2005: 60mg
Shot #99 -- April 3, 2005: 60mg
Shot #100 -- April 10, 2005: 60mg
Shot #101 -- April 17, 2005: 60mg
Shot #102 -- April 24, 2005: 60mg
Shot #103 -- May 1, 2005: 60mg
Shot #104 -- May 8, 2005: 60mg
Shot #105 -- May 15, 2005: 60mg *Two Years on T!*
Shot #106 -- May 22, 2005: 60mg
Shot #107 -- May 29, 2005: 60mg
Shot #108 -- June 5, 2005: 60mg
Shot #109 -- June 12, 2005: 60mg
Shot #110 -- June 19, 2005: 60mg
Shot #111 -- June 26, 2005: 60mg
Shot #112 -- July 3, 2005: 60mg
Shot #113 -- July 10, 2005: 60mg
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Endocrinologist Apppiontment:
July 12, 2005
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My approximately 2 years on T appointment was, regrettably, my last with Dr. Korff in Northampton, MA, because I moved out of the area. He tested my total peak testosterone (789ng/dl), LH (18.9mIU/ml), and CBC (44% Hematocrit) to check for Polycythemia. All of my values were well within normal range, and he said my mother, who is a doctor, can manage my hormones now that we have definitely seemed to have found an appropriate dosing schedule. From now on, he suggested I could be checked yearly, but my mother will probably test my levels in about 6 months so she can become comfortable with it. I also had my AST/ALT (liver function) tested at the same time through my dermatologist, and since I never heard anything from them, I think it is safe to assume they were normal.
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Shot #114 -- July 17, 2005: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #115 -- July 24, 2005: 60mg
Shot #116 -- July 31, 2005: 60mg
Shot #117 -- August 7, 2005: 60mg
Shot #118 -- August 14, 2005: 60mg
Shot #119 -- August 21, 2005: 60mg
Shot #120 -- August 28, 2005: 60mg
Shot #121 -- September 4, 2005: 60mg
Shot #122 -- September 11, 2005: 60mg
Shot #123 -- September 18, 2005: 60mg
Shot #124 -- September 25, 2005: 80mg (0.4 mL) *wanted to use the rest of the vial*
Shot #125 -- October 2, 2005: 60mg
Shot #126 -- October 9, 2005: 60mg
Shot #127 -- October 16, 2005: 60mg
Shot #128 -- October 23, 2005: 60mg
Shot #129 -- October 30, 2005: 60mg
Shot #130 -- November 6, 2005: 60mg
Shot #131 -- November 13, 2005: 60mg
Shot #132 -- November 20, 2005: 60mg
Shot #133 -- November 27, 2005: 60mg
Shot #134 -- December 4, 2005: 60mg
Shot #135 -- December 11, 2005: 60mg
Shot #136 -- December 18, 2005: 60mg
Shot #137 -- December 25, 2005: 60mg
Shot #138 -- January 1, 2006: 60mg
Shot #139 -- January 8, 2006: 60mg
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Bloodwork:
Date?, 2006
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*still need to get some of the details for this paragraph, I appologise* Even though I technically didn't need bloodwork until Summer 2006, my mother (who is a family doctor) is going to be managing my dosage/levels from now on. She wanted to go ahead and do a bunch of bloodwork so she knows what she's doing and feel comfortable with what she wants to test. I had peak T, trough T, ________________ drawn, and they came back ________________. Based on my levels, we decided to increase my dose to 80mg/week (starting in March, when I finally got around to asking her how the tests turned out) to help along my transition and see if they would still be within the normal ranges.
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Shot #140 -- January 15, 2006: 60mg (0.3 mL)
Shot #141 -- January 22, 2006: 60mg
Shot #142 -- January 29, 2006: 60mg
Shot #143 -- February 5, 2006: 60mg
Shot #144 -- February 12, 2006: 60mg
Shot #145 -- February 19, 2006: 60mg
Shot #146 -- February 26, 2006: 60mg
Shot #147 -- March 5, 2006: 60mg
Shot #148 -- March 12, 2006: 80mg (0.4 mL) *started 80mg/week*
Shot #149 -- March 19, 2006: 80mg
Shot #150 -- March 26, 2006: 80mg
Shot #151 -- April 2, 2006: 80mg
Shot #152 -- April 9, 2006: 80mg
Shot #153 -- April 16, 2006: 80mg
Shot #154 -- April 23, 2006: 80mg
Shot #155 -- April 30, 2006: 80mg
Shot #156 -- May 7, 2006: 80mg
Shot #157 -- May 14, 2006: 80mg
Shot #158 -- May 21, 2006: 80mg
Shot #159 -- May 28, 2006: 80mg
Shot #160 -- June 4, 2006: 80mg
Shot #161 -- June 11, 2006: 80mg
Shot #162 -- June 18, 2006: 80mg
Shot #163 -- June 25, 2006: 80mg
Shot #164 -- July 2, 2006: 80mg
Shot #165 -- July 9, 2006: 80mg
Shot #166 -- July 16, 2006: 80mg
Shot #167 -- July 23, 2006: 80mg
Shot #168 -- July 30, 2006: 80mg
Shot #169 -- August 6, 2006: 80mg
Shot #170 -- August 13, 2006: 80mg
Shot #171 -- August 20, 2006: 80mg
Shot #172 -- August 27, 2006: 80mg
Shot #173 -- September 3, 2006: 80mg
Shot #174 -- September 10, 2006: 80mg
Shot #175 -- September 17, 2006: 80mg
Shot #176 -- September 24, 2006: 80mg
Shot #177 -- October 1, 2006: 80mg
Shot #178 -- October 8, 2006: 80mg
Shot #179 -- October 15, 2006: 80mg
Shot #180 -- October 22, 2006: 80mg
Shot #181 -- October 29, 2006: 80mg
Shot #182 -- November 5, 2006: 80mg
Shot #183 -- November 12, 2006: 80mg
Shot #184 -- November 19, 2006: 80mg
Shot #185 -- November 26, 2006: 80mg
Shot #186 -- December 3, 2006: 80mg
Shot #187 -- December 10, 2006: 80mg
Shot #188 -- December 17, 2006: 80mg
Shot #189 -- December 24, 2006: 80mg
Shot #190 -- December 31, 2006: 80mg
Shot #191 -- January 7, 2007: 80mg
Shot #192 -- January 14, 2007: 80mg
Shot #193 -- January 21, 2007: 80mg
Shot #194 -- January 28, 2007: 80mg
Shot #195 -- February 4, 2007: 80mg
Shot #196 -- February 11, 2007: 80mg
Shot #197 -- February 18, 2007: 80mg
Shot #198 -- February 25, 2007: 80mg
Shot #199 -- March 4, 2007: 80mg
Shot #200 -- March 11, 2007: 80mg
Shot #201 -- March 18, 2007: 80mg
Shot #202 -- March 25, 2007: 80mg
Shot #203 -- April 1, 2007: 80mg
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