What schedule is testosterone?

Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States and a Class C drug in the United Kingdom. The DEA code is 4000, and the narcotic column says N. In the UK it sits in Schedule 4 Part 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, which is a separate list from the one used for benzodiazepines such as diazepam.

What is testosterone, medically?

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, and prescription forms replace it when the body does not make enough. The DEA list gives these other names: Android-T, Androlan, Depotest and Delatestryl. The brand used as this page's reference label is Depo-Testosterone (testosterone cypionate) injection from Pharmacia and Upjohn, published on DailyMed on August 20, 2026.

Paraphrased from the label, the Indications section says the product is indicated for replacement therapy in the male in conditions associated with symptoms of deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone, and names primary hypogonadism and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. It adds that safety and efficacy in men with age-related hypogonadism have not been established. The label's Clinical Pharmacology section describes androgens as responsible for normal growth and development of the male sex organs and for maintenance of secondary sex characteristics.

What schedule is testosterone in the United States?

Testosterone is in Schedule III. It does not have its own paragraph. It appears at 21 CFR 1308.13(f)(84), under the heading for anabolic steroids, and the code 4000 belongs to that whole group. The regulation tells the reader to apply the definition of anabolic steroid in 21 CFR 1300.01 and then lists named substances, including testosterone.

That definition comes from the statute. In 21 U.S.C. 802(41), an anabolic steroid is "any drug or hormonal substance, chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone" other than estrogens, progestins, corticosteroids and dehydroepiandrosterone. The Cornell Legal Information Institute's notes to sections 802 and 812 show both were amended by title XIX of Public Law 101-647, dated November 29, 1990. The notes to section 802 also record an exemption for certain substances in paragraph (41), set by the same 1990 law and amended in 2004.

Paraphrased from the label, the Controlled Substance subsection of the Depo-Testosterone label's Drug Abuse and Dependence section says the product contains testosterone, a Schedule III controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Under 21 U.S.C. 812(b), a Schedule III placement requires findings of a potential for abuse less than Schedules I and II, a currently accepted medical use in the United States, and that abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

Under 21 CFR 1306.22, a Schedule III or IV prescription cannot be filled or refilled more than six months after it was issued, and no more than five refills are allowed. Schedules are explained on the drug schedules page. States can add their own rules, and the state board of pharmacy is the authority.

Is testosterone a narcotic?

No. In US drug law a narcotic is tied to opium and opiates, as covered in what is a narcotic. The DEA list marks testosterone N. It is a hormone, not an opioid and not a benzo.

What is testosterone's status in the UK?

The Home Office list of the most commonly encountered controlled drugs (updated April 1, 2025) shows testosterone as Class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Schedule 4 Part 2 under the 2001 Regulations. The classes are explained on UK drug classes.

The 2001 Regulations give Schedule 4 two parts. Part 2 is headed "Controlled Drugs Excepted From the Prohibition on Possession; Excluded from the Application of Offences Arising from the Prohibition on Importation and Exportation when Carried Out in Person for Administration to That Person; and Subject to the Requirements of Regulations 22, 23, 26 and 27." Paragraph 1 of Part 2 lists anabolic steroids by name, and testosterone is among them, alongside nandrolone, stanozolol and trenbolone. Part 1 is a separate list that includes alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam and zolpidem.

In plain terms, the heading is about possession, and about import and export carried out in person for administration to that person. It does not describe other activities, and the Regulations themselves are the place to check. A pharmacist can answer questions about a personal prescription.

Why is testosterone controlled?

Paraphrased from the label, the abuse section of the Depo-Testosterone label states that abuse and misuse of testosterone are seen in male and female adults and adolescents, and that testosterone, often with other anabolic androgenic steroids and not obtained by prescription through a pharmacy, may be abused by athletes and bodybuilders. It also lists serious adverse reactions reported in people who abuse these steroids, including cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, hepatotoxicity and serious psychiatric manifestations.

On dependence, the label says individuals taking supratherapeutic doses may experience withdrawal symptoms lasting weeks or months, and it adds that drug dependence in individuals using approved doses for approved indications has not been documented. Questions about a personal prescription belong with the prescriber.

Related pages

• What is a controlled substance?
• DEA drug schedules I to V
• UK drug classes and schedules
• What schedule is ketamine?

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