The street term "ethanate" refers to the anabolic steroid known as testosterone enanthate. This synthetic medication is similar to the natural testosterone produced by the reproductive system. Ethanate vials provide 200 milligrams (mg) of testosterone and 5 mg of filler. People with low testosterone levels may benefit from monthly injections of testosterone enanthate to restore masculine characteristics. Athletes often abuse ethanate to increase muscle size and hasten injury recovery. Yet steroid intake may cause side effects.
Excessive Red Blood Cells
Polycythemia is a medical condition in which there is an overproduction of red blood cells. A 2010 study in the European Journal of Endocrinology shows that testosterone use causes polycythemia. This investigation also noted an association between testosterone and erythropoietin, the hormone triggering red blood cell production. These findings suggest that the polycythemia commonly found in testosterone replacement therapy results from excessive testosterone levels. Keeping these levels low with alternate delivery methods may prevent this unwanted side effect.
Impaired Learning
Testosterone injections may affect learning processes. A 2010 investigation in the journal Behavioural Brain Research tested this hypothesis using a maze test in male rats. Testosterone intake increased the amount of time it took for the rats to escape the maze. It also increased the total distance the rats traveled during the test. Autopsies revealed testosterone increased astrocytes, a specific type of brain cell. These cells are formed in response to learning. Thus the results suggest that rats receiving testosterone put greater effort into learning the maze but achieved less success.
Decreased Brain Activity
Consistent with the negative effects on learning, imaging studies also show testosterone-induced decreases in brain activity. A 2007 report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism used PET scans to assess testosterone effects in healthy men. The steroid decreased activity in the front and sides of the brain, areas controlling memory. These changes may explain the drug-induced impairment of verbal memory also shown in this study.
Reduced Fertility
Androgenic drugs like testosterone affect the penis and testes of the men taking them. A 2010 experiment described in the periodical Urology shows that prepubertal intake of testosterone enanthate decreased penis size and testes weight in male rats. Testosterone administration also decreased germ cell count. The latter finding suggests a reduction in fertility.
Breast Cancer
Use of testosterone enanthate may correlate with the incidence of breast cancer. A 2008 case report presented in the medical journal Endocrine Practice describes a man who acquired breast cancer following five months of testosterone intake. The man had a lump in his right breast removed by surgery. After surgery, the estrogen blocker tamoxifen prevented additional breast development. The relationship between testosterone and cancer remains unclear, but testosterone must be used with caution.
References
- "European Journal of Endocrinology"; Trough Serum Testosterone Predicts the Development of Polycythemia in Hypogonadal Men Treated for up to 21 Years with Subcutaneous Testosterone Pellets. F. F. Ip et al.; February 2010
- "Behavioural Brain Research"; Learning Impairment Caused by Intra-CA1 Microinjection of Testosterone Increases the Number of Astrocytes; S. Emamian et al.; March 17, 2010
- "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism": Intramuscular Testosterone Treatment in Elderly Men
- "Urology"; Timing of Prepubertal Androgen Administration may have Different Effects on Future Fertility as well as Penile Size in Normal Male Rats; H. Lee et al.; April 2010
- "Endocrine Practice"; Invasive Breast Cancer After Initiation of Testosterone Replacement Therapy in a Man--A Warning to Endocrinologists; S. R. Thomas et al.; March 2008
