Testosterone propionate is similar to enanthate, cypionate, and sustanon. However, compared to enanthate or cypionate, propionate is a much shorter ester and will release more quickly into the bloodstream. As a result of its short action, more frequent (daily) injections are required to prevent steroid blood levels from tapering down and becoming ineffective.

Testosterone used as the sole androgen is capable of giving very effective results, particularly with doses of one gram or more per week, and can give substantial results with only 500 mg/week. If no other drugs are used to control estrogen, however, side effects such as gynecomastia are fairly likely. Prostate enlargement, acne or worsening of acne, and acceleration of male pattern baldness (for those genetically susceptible to it) are more problematic with testosterone – again, in the absence of enzymatic control- than with many synthetics because of the effectively-higher androgen levels seen in these tissues as a result of local conversion to the more-potent DHT.

To minimize these effects, the choices for a highly-effective cycle that is low in side effects are to either control these enzymatic conversions with ancillary compounds while using testosterone at high dose; to instead use synthetics which do not undergo these conversions; or to combine moderate dose testosterone (100-200 mg/week) with synthetics.

An anti-aromatase is preferable in a testosterone cycle to a SERM such as Clomid or Nolvadex for controlling estrogen because the SERMs either do nothing towards reducing effect of elevated estrogen in aggravating or causing acne, or themselves contribute adversely. Additionally, abnormally elevated estrogen levels may be deleterious for other reasons.

With regard to inhibition of the hypothalamic/pituitary/testicular axis (HPTA), 200 mg/week of injected testosterone is approximately 2/3 to 3./4 suppressive, while 100 mg/week is about 50% suppressive. For this reason, low dose testosterone use is not particularly efficient, as natural production is already “worth” 100-200 mg/week, and this is mostly lost with the first 200 mg/week of injectable that is used. The particular synthetics which are low-suppressive are, for this reason, more efficient for low-dose use than is testosterone.