testosterone (medication) testosterone (medication) testosterone (t) is a medication and naturally occurring steroid hormone. it is used to treat male hypogonadism, gender dysphoria, and certain types of breast cancer. it may also be used to increase athletic ability in the form of doping. it is unclear if the use of testosterone for low levels due to aging is beneficial or harmful. testosterone can be used as a gel or patch that is applied to the skin, injection into a muscle, tablet that is placed in the cheek, or tablet that is taken by mouth. this article is about testosterone as a medication. for the natural hormone, see testosterone. testosteroneclinical datapronunciation/tɛˈstɒstəroʊn/ teh-stos-tə-rohn trade namesandrogel, testim, testogel, othersother namesandrost-4-en-17β-ol-3-oneahfs/drugs.commonographmedlineplusa619028license data eu ema: by inn us dailymed: testosterone us fda: testosterone pregnancycategory au: d contraindicated due to teratogenic effects routes ofadministrationby mouth, buccal, sublingual, intranasal, transdermal (gel, cream, patch, solution), vaginal (cream, gel, suppository), rectal (suppository), intramuscular or subcutaneous injection (oil solution, aqueous suspension), subcutaneous implant (pellet)drug classandrogen, anabolic steroidatc codeg03ba03 (who) legal statuslegal status ca: schedule iv uk: class c us: schedule iii eu: rx-only in general: ℞ (prescription only) pharmacokinetic databioavailabilityoral: very low (due to extensive first pass metabolism)protein binding97.0–99.5% (to shbg and albumin)metabolismliver (mainly reduction and conjugation)elimination half-life2–4 hoursexcretionurine (90%), feces (6%)identifiers iupac name (8r,9s,10r,13s,14s,17s)-17-hydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydrocyclopentaphenanthren-3-one cas number58-22-0 y 57-85-2 (propionate)315-37-7 (enanthate)58-20-8 (cypionate)5949-44-0 (undecanoate)pubchem cid6013iuphar/bps2858drugbankdb00624 ychemspider5791 yunii3xmk78s47okeggd00075 ychebichebi:17347 ychemblchembl386630 ychemical and physical dataformulac19h28o2molar mass288.431 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive imagespecific rotation+110.2°melting point155 °c (311 °f) smiles o=c4\c=c2/(1cc3((o)cc31cc2)c)(c)cc4 inchi inchi=1s/c19h28o2/c1-18-9-7-13(20)11-12(18)3-4-14-15-5-6-17(21)19(15,2)10-8-16(14)18/h11,14-17,21h,3-10h2,1-2h3/t14-,15-,16-,17-,18-,19-/m0/s1 ykey:mumggozamzwbjj-dykiifrcsa-n y (verify) common side effects of testosterone include acne, swelling, and breast enlargement in men. serious side effects may include liver toxicity, heart disease, and behavioral changes. women and children who are exposed may develop masculinization. it is recommended that individuals with prostate cancer not use the medication. it can cause harm to the baby if used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. testosterone is in the androgen family of medications. testosterone was first isolated in 1935, and approved for medical use in 1939. rates of use have increased three times in the united states between 2001 and 2011. it is on the world health organization's list of essential medicines. it is available as a generic medication. in 2020, it was the 172nd most commonly prescribed medication in the united states, with more than 3 million prescriptions. medical uses