Testosterone Undecanoate
Is a long acting formulation of testosterone which is indicated in the treatment of individuals who have absent or very low levels of the hormone. Unlike the other testosterone esters, this formulation comes as a pill which is taken orally. There is also an injectable formulation available in Europe. The undecanoate ring helps the testosterone avoid metabolism by the liver. In North America, only the pill is available on the black market. Despite the advanced oil formulation, most body builders claim that the drug does not work well and in most cases, there is no response seen.
Pharmacology
The body normally makes sex hormones like testosterone which is responsible for the normal growth and development of the secondary sexual features. This includes growth of the prostate, testes, penis, scrotum, body hair, vocal cord thickening, alterations in body fat and musculature. When testosterone deficiency occurs, the secondary sexual characteristics and body growth is always abnormal. Thus, one of the indications of testosterone therapy is in the treatment of individuals who lack testosterone or are infertile.
Indications for use
Testosterone undecanoate is used to treat conditions in made where there is a failure of testosterone to be secreted like:
- primary failure of the testes to make the hormone
- failure of the pituitary to release Gonadotropins
Bodybuilding
Testosterone and its analogues are widely used by athletes and body builders. The steroid is taken principally to enhance the body and stimulate the psyche. Most body builders who take this drug claim that it does not do much. The only feature which has consistently been seen in a slight weight gain. But since body builders take so many other drugs, it is hard to know which drug is responsible.
Testosterone has moderate anabolic properties but also is a powerful androgenic agent.
Andriol is taken orally at doses of 25-200 mg per day. However, the majority of body builders do not see any effects at lower doses and even at doses of close to 400 mg/day, the effects are minimal at best.
When taken for more than 4-6 weeks, it can only slightly increase body mass and protein anabolism. However, for the body to build muscle one also has to eat a diet rich in calories. Most body builders also take a combination of other hormones at the same time. Because testosterone is converted to estrogen in the fatty tissues, there is always the chance of developing gynecomastia and water retention. To prevent this, most body builders add Arimidex or tamoxifen during the off cycle.
During testosterone intake, the natural body testosterone release is inhibited by feedback mechanism through inhibition of pituitary LH. At large doses, even spermatogenesis can be impaired. To allow for the hypothalamic-pituitary axis to recover, it is highly recommended that the drug be tapered off slowly over a period of a few weeks. Sudden discontinuation of the drug can lead to extreme fatigue, weight loss and susceptibility to fractures.
Contraindications
There are some individuals who should avoid testosterone like steroids because it can worsen the clinical condition. These conditions include:
- those with allergy to the drug
- males with breast cancer
- males with prostate cancer
- women who are pregnant or breast feeding
- individuals who have liver, kidney or heart problems
Side Effects
There are some individuals who should avoid testosterone like steroids because it can worsen the clinical condition. These conditions include:
- nausea, vomiting
- abdominal cramps, diarrhea
- swelling
- increased /decreased libido
- headaches
- acne, oily skin
- mental change including anger, depression, insomnia
- diaphoresis
- loss of hair
- gynecomastia
When taken by females, the drug definitely can cause virilizing effects like:
- deepening of voice
- hoarseness
- excess hair growth
- enlarged clitoris
- irregular menstrual cycles
Testosterone undecanoate is converted into estrogen in the fatty tissues. The estrogen than leads to development of breast enlargement and water retention. This effect is typically seen after the steroid has been used for more than 4 weeks. The gynecomastia does reverse when the steroid is discontinued.
Overdose
Over dose with testosterone undecanoate is very rare. Even taking doses as high as 400-600 mg/day has very little acute effects. Most individuals may feel nothing but a few individuals may develop diarrhea or abdominal cramps. Depending on the dose taken, a visit to the hospital or a physician’s office would not be a bad idea.
Dosage
In clinical medicine, testosterone undecanoate is not used. Even though there is a pill available, there are also injectable formulations of this drug in Europe. The oily suspension is injected only into the muscles. Testosterone undecanoate is available as a 40 mg pill or a 250 mg/ml injection. The drug can be injected into the buttock area once every 7-12 days. The majority of the testosterone undecanoate is bound to protein and only 2% is free. The pill is supposed to be taken every day and the injection once a week, but there are some body builders who do inject it every other day. This is not recommended and can lead to the formation of abscess, sores and skin infections.
The injection site needs to be rotated if the injections are to be continued for a long time. The oily suspension should not be injected into the arms or the abdomen. Many body builders tend to inject the higher amount of the drug- 200mg-400mg/week. The drug is then slowly absorbed into the blood stream over the next few days.
Control
Testosterone undecanoate is a controlled substance and classified under class 3 under the controlled substance Act. It is not legally available in the USA. Possession, distribution or sell of this anabolic steroid is considered illegal.
Detection
Testosterone undecanoate and its metabolites can be detected in the urine for as long as 2-3 weeks after the last injection. Because of this long duration in the body, most body builders prefer to take the drug during the off season.
Availability
The majority of body builders get their testosterone undecanoate from the black market. In the USA the product is only available on the black market. Generic forms of the steroid have been made in Europe, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and Thailand. However, in each case the quality and the purity of the product is highly questionable.
Most body builders use between 50-400mg/day and 50 (40 mg) for about $60-$100. However, like all things in cyberspace the purity and quality of the product is always in question. And fakes products are plentiful.
Final Word
Andriol should be the last drug of choice for all body builders. Not only is it difficult to get, but it is ineffective and expensive. Plus, what you buy is almost certainly a fake pill.
1 review for Grunenthal Nebido 1 amp (1000 mg/4 ml)