Testosterone Cypionate 200 mg/ml

Testosterone Cypionate is an oily liquid for injection. It contains testosterone, the main male sex hormone that men's bodies normally make in the testicles. The testosterone in this medicine is attached to a chemical chain called cypionate, which makes it release slowly over many days, so injections can be spaced further apart. Your doctor has prescribed it because your body is not making enough testosterone of its own, or for another condition they have explained to you.

Read this section carefully before you are given Testosterone Cypionate, and tell your doctor about anything here that applies to you.

Warnings and precautions

• +Talk to your doctor before using it if you have heart trouble, high blood pressure, or swelling in your legs. Testosterone can make your body hold on to salt and water, which puts extra strain on your heart.
• +Talk to your doctor before using it if you have liver or kidney problems, diabetes, epilepsy or migraines, as these can be made worse.
• +Talk to your doctor before using it if you snore heavily or stop breathing briefly in your sleep (sleep apnoea). Testosterone can make this worse.
• +Talk to your doctor before using it if you have an enlarged prostate or find it hard to pass urine. Older men are more likely to have prostate problems, and testosterone can make them more noticeable.
• +Talk to your doctor before using it if you have ever had a blood clot in a leg or in a lung, or if a close relative has.
• +You will need regular blood tests during treatment. Your doctor will check your testosterone level, the thickness of your blood (testosterone can make your body produce too many red blood cells), your cholesterol, your liver and your prostate. Please keep these appointments.
• +This medicine contains a substance that is banned in sport. If you compete, using it will show up on a doping test even when it has been prescribed to you.

Other medicines and Testosterone Cypionate

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines, including ones you bought without a prescription. It is especially important to mention blood thinners (medicines that stop your blood clotting, such as warfarin), because testosterone can make them work more strongly and increase the risk of bleeding. Also mention medicines for diabetes, including insulin, as your blood sugar may fall and your dose may need changing. Tell your doctor if you take steroid tablets such as prednisolone, as together they can make your body hold more water and cause swelling.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility

This medicine must not be used by women. If it is used during pregnancy it can harm the unborn baby, particularly a baby girl, who may develop male features. It must not be used while breastfeeding either. In men, testosterone injections reduce the number of sperm your body makes, so your fertility may drop while you are being treated, and for some time afterwards. Tell your doctor before starting if you are hoping to father a child.

Driving and using machines

This medicine is not expected to affect your ability to drive or use tools and machines. However, some men feel dizzy, tired or unusually irritable while using it. If that happens to you, do not drive or operate machinery until you feel normal again.

Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. It is given as an injection deep into a muscle, usually in the buttock or the thigh. Because the medicine is a thick oil, the injection is normally given by a doctor or a nurse. Never inject it into a vein. If your doctor has trained you to inject yourself, follow their instructions exactly and use a different spot each time so the skin does not become sore or lumpy. Because this is a slow-release form, the injections are spread well apart. If you miss an appointment or a dose, contact your doctor to arrange a new one. Do not take a double amount to make up for a missed dose. If you think you have been given too much, tell your doctor straight away.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Other possible side effects

• +Acne and oily skin
• +Pain, redness, hardness or a lump where the injection was given
• +Swollen ankles, feet or hands from fluid building up
• +Difficulty sleeping
• +Mood changes, feeling irritable, restless or unusually short-tempered
• +Headache
• +More frequent or longer-lasting erections
• +Smaller testicles and fewer sperm
• +Tender or swollen breast tissue
• +More body or facial hair, or thinning hair on the head
• +Weight gain and higher blood pressure
• +Changes in your blood tests, including thicker blood and changes in cholesterol

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Store it below 25 °C. Keep the ampoules in the outer carton until you use them, so they are protected from light. Do not freeze it. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date printed on the carton and on the ampoule; the expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Do not use it if the liquid looks cloudy or has bits floating in it, or if the ampoule is cracked. Never throw medicines away down the sink or in your household rubbish. Take any medicine you no longer need, and used ampoules and needles, back to your pharmacy. These measures help protect the environment.

The active ingredient is testosterone cypionate. Each 1 ml ampoule contains 200 mg of testosterone cypionate. The other ingredient is a sterile oil carrier, which the testosterone is dissolved in. Testosterone Cypionate is a clear, slightly yellow oily liquid. It comes in single-use 1 ml glass ampoules, either amber or clear glass, packed 10 ampoules to a carton together with this leaflet. Every carton carries a printed square barcode (a GS1 DataMatrix) and a verification code you can check online to confirm the pack is genuine. Manufactured under GMP conditions by Ergopharm Advanced Research Centre, Tandalja, Vadodara, Gujarat 390012, India. For export only.