Testosterone Cypionate Dosage: Label Ranges and How Doses Are Adjusted
The label range for testosterone cypionate is wide on purpose. It leaves the dose to be found from response and bloodwork. This guide covers what the label and guidelines actually say, how a dose gets adjusted, and how to turn milligrams into what goes in the syringe.
- The Depo-Testosterone label says 50–400 mg every two to four weeks for hypogonadal men, adjusted to response and adverse reactions. It comes in 100 mg/mL and 200 mg/mL vials and is labeled for intramuscular use.
- The Endocrine Society lists typical starting doses of 150–200 mg every 2 weeks or 75–100 mg weekly, and aims for mid-normal testosterone.
- Adjustments are based on a level drawn midway between injections. The Endocrine Society adjusts the dose or frequency if that level is above 600 or below 350 ng/dL. The AUA targets 450–600 ng/dL and says to measure after three to four injection cycles.
- Converting a dose is simple arithmetic: mL = mg ÷ vial concentration, and on a U-100 syringe, units = mL × 100. At 200 mg/mL, 100 mg is 0.5 mL, or 50 units.
Short answer: the FDA label for testosterone cypionate (Depo-Testosterone) gives 50–400 mg every two to four weeks for men with hypogonadism, and says the dose is adjusted to response and adverse reactions.1 In practice, the Endocrine Society lists typical starting doses of 150–200 mg every two weeks or 75–100 mg every week.2 The dose is then adjusted using a testosterone level drawn midway between injections, with a change in dose or frequency if it is above 600 ng/dL or below 350 ng/dL.2 This page is educational. Your own dose is set by your prescriber and your labs.
Below: what the label range means in weekly terms, where guidelines place the target, how the mid-interval level drives adjustments, and how to convert milligrams to milliliters and syringe units. For how long cypionate stays active, see testosterone ester half-lives. For splitting a weekly dose into daily or every-other-day shots, see TRT microdosing.
What the label says
The Depo-Testosterone prescribing information states that for replacement in the hypogonadal male, "50 - 400 mg should be administered every two to four weeks." It adds that dosage "is adjusted according to the patient's response and the appearance of adverse reactions."1 The product is for intramuscular injection and is supplied at two strengths: 100 mg/mL in 10 mL vials, and 200 mg/mL in 1 mL and 10 mL vials.1 The label explains the long interval by the ester. Testosterone esters in oil are absorbed slowly from the injection site, so cypionate "can be given at intervals of two to four weeks."1
Converted to an average weekly amount, the label range is very wide. The low end, 50 mg every four weeks, averages 12.5 mg a week. The high end, 400 mg every two weeks, averages 200 mg a week, a sixteen-fold difference. The label sets outer limits and leaves the working dose to monitoring. The top of the range deserves context. In a World Health Organization contraception study, 200 mg of testosterone enanthate a week, a similar ester, made 65% of healthy men azoospermic within six months.5
Label and guideline numbers side by side
| Source | Dose or target | When levels are checked |
|---|---|---|
| Depo-Testosterone label1 | 50–400 mg IM every 2–4 weeks; adjusted to response and adverse reactions | Label asks for periodic hemoglobin and hematocrit checks |
| Endocrine Society 20182 | Typical start 150–200 mg every 2 weeks or 75–100 mg weekly; aim for mid-normal T | 3–6 months after starting; midway between injections; adjust if >600 or <350 ng/dL |
| AUA 20183 | Minimal dose that reaches the middle tertile, 450–600 ng/dL | No earlier than 3–4 injection cycles for cypionate or enanthate |
| Xyosted label (SubQ enanthate, for comparison)4 | Start 75 mg weekly; change by 25 mg steps | Pre-dose (trough) level after 6 weeks; raise if <350, lower if ≥650 ng/dL |
What guidelines aim for
Both major guidelines aim for the middle of the normal range, not the top. The Endocrine Society says therapy should raise testosterone "into the mid-normal range," and that this applies to every approved formulation.2 The AUA is more specific. It recommends adjusting the dose to reach the middle tertile of the reference range, and asks for "the minimal dosing necessary" to reach 450–600 ng/dL.3 The AUA also says that if symptoms have not improved once the target level is reached, therapy should be stopped rather than pushed higher.3
The two windows overlap but are not identical. The Endocrine Society's action thresholds of 350 and 600 ng/dL mark when to change the dose. The AUA's 450–600 ng/dL is where it wants the level to sit. A result of 400 ng/dL would prompt no change under the Endocrine Society rule but falls below the AUA's target. Which framework your prescriber follows shapes how they read that number.
How doses are adjusted: the mid-interval level
Cypionate produces a curve, not a steady level. The Endocrine Society describes it: after an intramuscular injection of enanthate or cypionate, testosterone rises into the supraphysiological range, then declines gradually into the hypogonadal range by the end of the dosing interval.2 A single number only means something if you know where on that curve it was drawn.
For this reason, the Endocrine Society's monitoring table says to measure testosterone midway between injections for enanthate or cypionate. If that mid-interval level is above 600 ng/dL or below 350 ng/dL, the dose or frequency is adjusted. The first check is 3–6 months after starting.2 On a two-week schedule, midway is day 7. On a weekly schedule, it is about day 3 or 4. The AUA adds a timing rule of its own: measure no earlier than after three to four injection cycles, so the level reflects steady state.3
Pre-dose "trough" targets exist, but they come from a different product. The Xyosted label, for weekly subcutaneous enanthate, uses a pre-dose level after 6 weeks. It raises the dose by 25 mg if that level is below 350 ng/dL and lowers it by 25 mg if it is 650 ng/dL or higher.4 That rule belongs to Xyosted's labeling. It is not the Endocrine Society rule for cypionate. Mixing the two can produce a different reading of the same lab. For the full testing schedule, including hematocrit and PSA, see TRT bloodwork.
What a dose change can look like
The guideline allows two levers, dose or frequency.2 A mid-interval level above 600 ng/dL might lead to a smaller dose on the same schedule. A level that is fine at mid-interval, in a man who feels symptoms returning before each shot, might lead to the same weekly total given more often. Labs are rechecked after a change, and each one resets the timing clock. Hematocrit can force a dose change on its own. The Endocrine Society stops therapy when hematocrit goes above 54% and restarts at a reduced dose once it comes down.2 See high hematocrit on TRT and TRT side effects for the other dose-limiting findings.
Weekly, every two weeks, or split doses
The Endocrine Society lists both 150–200 mg every two weeks and 75–100 mg weekly as typical starting regimens, and they work out to the same weekly amount.2 The difference is the shape of the curve. The same weekly total delivered in smaller, more frequent injections gives lower peaks and higher troughs. The guideline notes that the peaks and valleys of injectable testosterone "may be associated with fluctuations in symptoms."2 It also lists mood and libido fluctuation as a formulation-specific effect of intramuscular injections.2
| Schedule | Per injection | Weekly total | Mid-interval draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every 2 weeks | 200 mg | 100 mg | Day 7 |
| Weekly | 100 mg | 100 mg | Day 3–4 |
| Twice weekly | 50 mg | 100 mg | Halfway between shots (about day 2) |
| Every other day | about 28.6 mg (100 ÷ 3.5) | 100 mg | Halfway between shots |
The rows above are arithmetic examples of one weekly total, not recommended doses. Moving from every two weeks to weekly or twice weekly keeps the weekly milligrams and changes only how they are spread. It still counts as a protocol change, and labs are rechecked afterwards.2,3 The evidence for daily and every-other-day schedules, and their trade-offs, is covered in TRT microdosing. Route questions (the Depo-Testosterone label is intramuscular, and some prescribers use subcutaneous injection) are covered in SubQ vs IM testosterone.
Testosterone dosage calculator: mg to mL and units
A prescription is written in milligrams, and a syringe measures volume, so you convert in two steps. mL = mg ÷ concentration (100 or 200 mg/mL for Depo-Testosterone1). If you draw with a U-100 insulin syringe, units = mL × 100, because 100 units fill 1 mL. Worked example: 100 mg from a 200 mg/mL vial is 100 ÷ 200 = 0.5 mL, which is 50 units. The same 100 mg from a 100 mg/mL vial is 1.0 mL, a full 100-unit syringe. Check the strength printed on the vial first: the same milligram dose is twice the volume at 100 mg/mL. Enter your own weekly dose, vial strength and injections per week below.
Converts numbers you already have; it does not suggest a dose. Full page: TRT dose calculator.
Conversion table
| Dose per injection | At 200 mg/mL | At 100 mg/mL |
|---|---|---|
| 25 mg | 0.125 mL · 12.5 units | 0.25 mL · 25 units |
| 50 mg | 0.25 mL · 25 units | 0.5 mL · 50 units |
| 75 mg | 0.375 mL · 37.5 units | 0.75 mL · 75 units |
| 100 mg | 0.5 mL · 50 units | 1.0 mL · 100 units |
| 150 mg | 0.75 mL · 75 units | 1.5 mL · more than one 1 mL syringe |
| 200 mg | 1.0 mL · 100 units | 2.0 mL · more than one 1 mL syringe |
"Units" here is only a volume scale printed on insulin syringes. It says nothing about testosterone's strength. Syringe sizes and U-100 markings are covered in insulin syringe units explained. The TRT dose calculator page has the same tool on its own for everyday use.
Cypionate and enanthate doses
The Endocrine Society groups enanthate and cypionate together, with the same typical starting doses and the same midway-between-injections monitoring rule.2 A milligram of one is generally treated as a milligram of the other in guideline dosing, although the carrier oil, the device and US availability differ. See testosterone cypionate vs enanthate for those differences, and for how a switch between them is usually monitored.
What to track between visits
Dose decisions are only as good as the information behind them. For each lab draw, note the date, the day of the dosing cycle it was drawn on, and the dose and schedule you were on at the time. That lets you and your prescriber check whether it really was a mid-interval level.2 Log symptoms against injection days too. Energy or mood that dips before every shot is the kind of pattern that leads to a change in frequency rather than in dose. If fertility is a goal now or later, raise it before any dose is set. Testosterone suppresses sperm production at therapeutic doses; see hCG on TRT.2,3
FAQ
References
Primary sources — PubMed / NEJM / The Lancet.
- DailyMed. DEPO-TESTOSTERONE (testosterone cypionate) injection, solution — Prescribing Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=cfbb53d4-b868-4a28-8436-f9112eb01c39
- Bhasin S, Brito JP, Cunningham GR, et al. Testosterone Therapy in Men With Hypogonadism: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103(5):1715-1744. https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/103/5/1715/4939465
- Mulhall JP, Trost LW, Brannigan RE, et al. Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency: AUA Guideline. J Urol. 2018;200(2):423-432. https://www.auanet.org/documents/Guidelines/PDF/Testosterone-Deficiency-JU.pdf
- DailyMed. XYOSTED (testosterone enanthate) injection — Prescribing Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8a3d204c-be26-49e0-8599-0ac12a272e81
- World Health Organization Task Force on Methods for the Regulation of Male Fertility. Contraceptive efficacy of testosterone-induced azoospermia in normal men. Lancet. 1990;336(8721):955-959. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1977002/