Testosterone cypionate is the injectable testosterone most often prescribed in the United States: an oil-based ester given deep into the gluteal muscle, approved since 1953 as Depo-Testosterone and sold today by more than a dozen generic makers.
The same drug is the base of most non-medical cycles, which is why searches for it split between men on TRT and men in the gym. This site covers both without pretending they are the same thing.
Key facts: ester of testosterone in cottonseed oil; Schedule III controlled substance; 100 mg/mL and 200 mg/mL; half-life about 8 days; peak about 72 hours after a 200 mg injection; label dose 50 to 400 mg every 2 to 4 weeks, intramuscular only; generic 1 mL vial from about $13 to $30 with a pharmacy coupon (GoodRx, November 2026).
What Testosterone Cypionate Is
Chemically it is testosterone with a cyclopentylpropionate (cypionate) ester attached at the 17-beta position. The ester makes the molecule oil-soluble, so after an intramuscular injection it leaves the oil depot slowly, and enzymes cleave the ester to release plain testosterone.
That is the whole trick: the ester changes how long the hormone lasts, not what it does once it is free. The Depo-Testosterone label (Pfizer, revised September 2025) describes absorption slow enough that injections can be spaced two to four weeks apart, with an elimination half-life of approximately eight days.
What is in the vial, per the label:
- 1Testosterone cypionate, 100 mg or 200 mg per mL
- 2Cottonseed oil as the carrier (736 mg or 560 mg per mL)
- 3Benzyl benzoate as a solvent (0.1 or 0.2 mL per mL)
- 4Benzyl alcohol as preservative (9.45 mg per mL; 20 mg in Azmiro)
The newer brand Azmiro (Azurity, 2025) uses the same oil and preservative in single-dose vials and a prefilled 200 mg syringe. All of it is Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act: a prescription, limited refills and federal penalties for possession without one. Forms and makers are listed on the products page.
What It Is Approved For
Approved uses in the Depo-Testosterone label
Primary hypogonadism
Testicular failure from cryptorchidism, bilateral torsion, orchitis, vanishing testis syndrome or orchidectomy
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
Gonadotropin or LHRH deficiency, or pituitary-hypothalamic injury from tumors, trauma or radiation
Age-related low testosterone
Safety and efficacy "have not been established"
Athletic performance
"Has not been shown to be safe and effective" and "should not be used for such purpose"
The third row is the one most readers land on. The label does not endorse testosterone for the gradual decline of middle age.
The diagnosis it does accept has one requirement: morning testosterone measured on at least two separate days and found below the normal range before the first injection. How clinics apply that, what the blood work looks like and what to expect in the first months are in the TRT guide.
How Dosing Works
Dosing regimens from the label and the Endocrine Society
Depo-Testosterone label
50 to 400 mg IM every 2 to 4 weeks
Wide range, adjusted to response and side effects
Endocrine Society guideline (2018)
75 to 100 mg IM weekly, or 150 to 200 mg every 2 weeks
Aims for mid-normal testosterone; weekly dosing gives steadier levels
Azmiro label (2025)
50 to 400 mg every 2 to 4 weeks; prefilled syringe fixed at 200 mg
Single-dose only, given by a healthcare professional
Pharmacokinetics explain why the weekly schedule won. After a single 200 mg injection in the Azmiro study of 26 hypogonadal men:
- 1Mean peak testosterone: 758 ng/dL
- 2Time to peak: median about 72 hours
- 3Decline after that: along the eight-day half-life
On a two-week schedule a man spends the first days above range and the last days below it; on a weekly schedule the peaks and troughs are smaller. The arithmetic of 200 mg/mL vials, syringe sizes and injection technique are in the dosage and injection guide.
Injecting It
The label is explicit: intramuscular use only, deep in the gluteal muscle, never intravenously.
Many clinics now teach subcutaneous injection into abdominal fat with a small insulin-type syringe instead. A 2017 cohort of 63 patients at an academic clinic is the usual reference:
- 1Weekly subcutaneous cypionate or enanthate at 50 to 150 mg
- 2Normal male testosterone range reached in every patient
- 3Minor, transient local reactions in nine
- 4All 22 who had switched from intramuscular injections preferred the subcutaneous route
That is a published off-label practice, not a labeled one, and the injection guide sets out both.
Storage is simple: 20 to 25 °C, protected from light, no refrigeration. The label notes that crystals which form in a cold vial redissolve with warming and shaking.
Side Effects and Monitoring
The label's adverse reaction list runs from acne, oily skin and hair thinning through gynecomastia, fluid retention, mood change and libido change to the ones that drive the monitoring schedule:
- 1Polycythemia, a rising hematocrit
- 2Blood pressure increases
- 3Venous thromboembolism, reported after marketing
- 4Suppression of sperm production
The 2025 Azmiro label adds the TRAVERSE trial result. In 5,198 men aged 45 to 80 at raised cardiovascular risk, testosterone gel was non-inferior to placebo for major adverse cardiac events (7.0% vs 7.3%) over about 33 months, with a numerically higher rate of venous thromboembolism (1.7% vs 1.2%).
Routine checks on treatment: hemoglobin and hematocrit, blood pressure and, in older men, PSA. Each effect, how often it is reported and what is done about it is on the side effects page.
Bodybuilding Use
Outside the clinic, testosterone cypionate is the base of most anabolic steroid cycles, used at several times the replacement dose and usually combined with other agents.
The label addresses this directly in its Drug Abuse and Dependence section. Among the effects reported with abuse it lists cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, stroke, hepatotoxicity and psychiatric reactions, and withdrawal symptoms lasting weeks or months after high doses stop.
The bodybuilding and cycles pages describe what users report, what the label and published studies say about the doses involved, and the blood work that tells the two apart.
Price and Where It Comes From
Generic testosterone cypionate is one of the cheapest prescription drugs in the country. GoodRx prices, November 2026:
- 1Generic 200 mg/mL, 1 mL vial: $13 to $30 with a coupon, average retail about $43
- 2Brand Depo-Testosterone, 1 mL vial: $13 to $46 depending on the pharmacy
- 3Insurance usually covers it for a documented diagnosis
Everything bought outside a pharmacy, including "pharma grade" vials from online sellers, is unverified. The products page lists the approved makers and NDC codes a legitimate vial carries, and the reviews page explains how to read user reports without being misled by them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Replacement therapy in men with primary or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, confirmed by low morning testosterone on at least two days. The label says safety and efficacy for age-related low testosterone have not been established.
Its half-life is about eight days, so a dose is mostly gone after a month; levels peak around 72 hours after injection and then decline steadily.
The label allows 50 to 400 mg every two to four weeks. The Endocrine Society guideline suggests 75 to 100 mg weekly or 150 to 200 mg every two weeks, adjusted to mid-normal blood levels.
Yes. It is an anabolic androgenic steroid and a Schedule III controlled substance; it is legal only with a prescription.
With a pharmacy coupon, a 1 mL vial of generic 200 mg/mL cost $13 to $30 in November 2026; a 10 mL vial typically $50 to $120 retail. Insurance covers it for a documented diagnosis.
The label says intramuscular only. Published clinic data show weekly subcutaneous injection reaches normal levels and is preferred by patients; it is an off-label practice to discuss with the prescriber.
Cypionat.com is an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with Pfizer, Azurity or any manufacturer, pharmacy or clinic. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Images on this site are illustrative artwork made for editorial purposes; they do not show real products, packaging or labels and are not an advertisement or an offer to sell.