Testosterone (AKA Sustanon)
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Chemical Name |
4-androsten-3-one-17beta-ol, 17beta-hydroxy-androst-4-en-3-one |
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Molecular Weight |
274.40 g/mol |
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Formula |
C19H28O2 |
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Original Manufacturer |
Organon |
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Half Life |
15 – 18 days |
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Detection Time |
3 months |
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Anabolic Rating |
100 |
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Androgenic Rating |
100 |
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History and Overview of Sustanon
Sustanon (also known as Sustanon 250) is one of the more popular testosterone products used extensively in the bodybuilding community and medical community today.
Sustanon is actually a mixture (also known as a blend) of testosterone, or the trade name for four esterified variants of testosterone, each mixed in a specific ratio.
The exact mix of testosterone esters contained in the Sustanon 250 blend is as follows:
-Testosterone propionate 30 mg
-Testosterone phenylpropionate 60mg
-Testosterone Isocaproate 60mg
-Testosterone decanoate 100mg
These testosterone esters form a total of 250 mg of testosterone, hence the number 250 in the name Sustanon 250.
The purpose of combining these esters is to create a testosterone drug that offers the benefits of both a fast and slow release of testosterone into the bloodstream, allowing peak plasma concentrations to be reached faster and sustained[1].
This is very different from using a single testosterone ester product, such as testosterone propionate, which contains only testosterone.
Sustanon was originally conceived and developed by Organon in the early 1970s with the intention of providing a testosterone-based drug that offered distinct advantages over the use of a single testosterone ester in medical and clinical settings.
As a result, in a medical setting, users require very fewer injections and administrations compared to other forms of testosterone.
Sustanon 250 is almost exclusively a European and international product and has never been approved for use in the North American prescription drug market.
Omnadren, an identical twin to Sustanon, is a clone of Sustanon that originated in Poland and gained popularity and widespread use in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region.
Omnadren was initially slightly different from sustanon, but it wasn't long before it was manufactured with literally the same ingredients, ratios, and specifications as sustanon.
While sustanon's popularity among athletes and bodybuilders is not what it once was, the product is still widely used, especially among first time users and beginners.
The reason for its initial popularity was the perception that with sustanon you get more steroids for the money spent compared to other products.
However, in the long run, this perception proved to be wrong as it was intentionally developed for medical and clinical use and not for athletics.
It is optimal for those experiencing medical conditions that require the use of testosterone and offers a much more convenient and comfortable administration.
Those who are prescribed Sustanon only need to administer it once every three to four weeks.
Athletes and bodybuilders require a significantly different dosing routine, so in the grand scheme of things, plasma concentrations of testosterone will peak at roughly the same level in the same time frame as other simple testosterone products.
Sustanon aimed at performance and physique enhancement tends to barely meet minimum requirements and expectations due to its somewhat higher price and more complicated and intricate dosage and planning due to the complex nature of the compound testosterone ester contained in the product.
Sustanon is a basic testosterone product, not unlike testosterone itself.
Testosterone is considered the father of all anabolic steroids with basic essential anabolic features such as affinity for the androgen receptor to promote receptor-dependent pathways involved in fat loss and muscle growth [3].
Testosterone also affects muscle growth outside of the areas normally specialized for muscle growth, such as promoting glycogen synthesis[4].
Sustanon Side Effects
Potential Sustanon side effects include all of the typical side effects of testosterone itself, as Sustanon is a direct product of testosterone.
The first area of concern is estrogenic side effects due to the aromatizing nature of testosterone.
It expresses an affinity for the aromatase enzyme, which is responsible for the aromatization (or conversion to estrogen) of testosterone.
Estrogenic side effects include water retention and bloating, increased blood pressure (due to water retention), increased likelihood of fat retention/gain, and gynecomastia.
Of course, these side effects are all dose and sensitivity dependent, and the higher the dose of Sustanon, the more frequent and severe these Sustanon side effects will be.
To mitigate these sustanon side effects, you should use an aromatase inhibitor and/or an estrogen blocker (SERM) such as Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate).
To fully understand the differences between aromatase inhibitors (AIs) and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), users should do further research on the differences.
Androgenic side effects are also a concern because testosterone is readily reduced to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in various tissues of the body.
Because DHT is a much more potent androgen than testosterone itself, androgenic side effects are increased overall.
Testosterone itself has moderate androgenic strength, but the problem lies in DHT, which is a much more potent androgen.
Androgenic side effects include increased sebum secretion (oily skin), increased acne breakouts (associated with increased sebum secretion), body and facial hair growth, and an increased risk of developing male pattern baldness (MPB) in those who have the genetic traits necessary to develop it.
These sustanon side effects can be mitigated by using a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor or a topical DHT antagonist such as nizoral.
Masculinizing side effects are a big issue with strong androgens like testosterone[5] and are not recommended for use in the average female user.
Masculinizing side effects include increased body and facial hair, a thicker voice, enlarged clitoris, and menstrual irregularities.
Hepatotoxicity and liver problems are not associated with the use of Sustanon 250 or any injectable testosterone product[6].
Testosterone has been proven to have negative effects on the cardiovascular system, most notably negative changes in cholesterol levels.
While testosterone alone causes a low to moderate decrease in HDL (“good” cholesterol) [7], studies have demonstrated that it causes worse changes when combined with aromatase inhibitors, further increasing LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and causing an even greater decrease in HDL [8].
Testosterone, an anabolic steroid, can interfere with, suppress, and shut down endogenous testosterone production, especially in bodybuilding doses.
Sustanon Cycles and Uses
The intent of Sustanon 250 as a whole is to produce an initial surge in plasma levels of testosterone within 24-48 hours of administration.
After that, blood levels should remain elevated for 21 days as a result of the larger testosterone ester[9] contained in the mixture.
As mentioned earlier, Sustanon should be used almost exclusively in testosterone replacement therapy treatments.
Anyone looking to run a sustanon cycle should keep this in mind.
The first indication that the half-life nature of sustanon provides is the fact that sustanon cycles will consequently need to be run for a much longer period of time (typically 10-14 weeks).
Even a 10 week sustanon cycle is considered to be on the short side.
Sustanon cycles are often performed using only sustanon, especially for first time or beginner cycles.
As a testosterone product, Sustanon can and is used as a base compound in cycles that include other products.
Beginner cycles may also include one or more other compounds, typically aimed at mass and strength gains and bulking.
For example, a 12-week cycle of Sustanon 250 may use Dianabol (methandrostenolone) as a kick-start compound for the first 4-6 weeks of the cycle.
Nandrolone decanoate (Deca-Durabolin) is also commonly combined with sustanon cycles, and due to its long half-life, it tends to combine particularly well and is suitable for longer cycle lengths of 12 weeks or more.
Sustanon Dosage and Administration
Originally intended for clinical and medical use, specifically for use in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), the dosage of medical sustanon is 250 mg administered every three weeks on average, and is usually adjusted based on the individual's needs as deemed necessary by a physician.
In the athletic and bodybuilding world, most beginner sustanon doses start at 300 to 500 mg weekly.
It is usually not necessary to increase sustanon doses beyond this range when stacking with other compounds.
Intermediate users often take sustanon doses up to 500 to 750 mg per week when used alone.
Intermediate users often stay in the 500mg per week range even when stacking with other compounds.
Advanced users have been known to go as high as 750-1000mg per week, but this is usually only when using Sustanon alone and not in combination with other anabolic steroids.
Another common option is to use TRT levels of Sustanon to provide a base level of hormones to promote essential biological functions, while other powerful compounds are emphasized to promote anabolic effects.
In this case, users often use 100 to 250 mg of Sustanon per week and rely on higher doses of other compounds to experience performance and physique benefits.
Sustanon 250 is not recommended for women due to its strong androgenic properties, so women are advised to look elsewhere for less potent androgens that can be used for performance and physique enhancement.
Sustanon References
[1] Cantrill JA, Dewis P, Large DM, et al. Which testosterone replacement therapy is right for you? Clin Endocrinol (oxf) 21 (1984) 97-107.
[2] Toth M., Zakar, T. Relative binding affinities of testosterone, 19-nortestosterone, and 5-alpha-reduced derivatives to androgen receptors and other androgen-binding proteins: a proposed role for 5-alpha-reduced steroid metabolism in the dissociation of the “anabolic” and “androgenic” activities of 19-nortestosterone. J Steroid Biochem 17 (1982) 653-60.
[3] Sjogren J, Li M, Bjorntorp P. Androgenic hormone binding to adipose tissue in rats. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1995 May 11;1244(1):117-20.
[4] Ramamani A, Aruldhas MM, Govindarajulu P. Differential response of rat skeletal muscle glycogen metabolism to testosterone and estradiol. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1999 Apr;77(4):300-4.
[5] Ramamani A, Aruldhas MM, Govindarajulu P. Differential response of rat skeletal muscle glycogen metabolism to testosterone and estradiol. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1999 Apr;77(4):300-4.
[6] Induction of the enzyme by oral testosterone. Johnsen SG, Kampmann JP, Bennet EP, Jorgensen F. 1976 Clin Pharmacol Ther 20:233-237.
[7] Administration of aromatizable androgens does not decrease high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Friedl K, Hannan C et al. Metabolism 39(1) 1990.
[8] Dose-response relationship of testosterone in healthy young men. Bhasin S, Woodhouse L. et al. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 281:E1172-81, 2001.
[9] Product Data Sheet: Sustanon 250. August 31, 2001. Pharmaco (NZ) LTD Auckland New Zealand.
