TRT in India 2026: How to Get Testosterone Prescribed

Testosterone replacement therapy in India has grown from a fringe topic to something endocrinologists at Apollo, Fortis, and Manipal now manage regularly. If you're in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, or Chennai, you have real options. The challenge is less about price and more about finding a doctor who manages TRT the right way.

Here's how to navigate it.

The Current State of TRT in India

Testosterone is not classified as a controlled substance in India. You need a valid prescription from a registered physician, but there's no scheduled drug classification that creates barriers beyond that. Any licensed physician can prescribe testosterone.

In practice, the prescribers you want are endocrinologists, andrologists, and urologists. These specialists are available at every major private hospital chain in India: Apollo, Fortis, Manipal, Max Healthcare, and Kokilaben in Mumbai.

Key cities where TRT is actively managed: Mumbai, Delhi (NCR), Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata. Anti-aging and men's health clinics are emerging in these cities as a specific category, separate from general endocrinology.

The story in rural areas is different. Specialist access outside major cities is limited, and TRT-aware physicians are harder to find. If you're outside a major metro, the best path is a telehealth consultation with a city-based specialist to get your initial assessment and prescription, then manage follow-up locally.

Medications Available in India

India has notably good generic availability for testosterone, which makes the medication cost much lower than most Western markets.

• Testosterone Cypionate (Depo-Testosterone generics): widely available in Indian pharmacies as a generic. This is where India's pharmaceutical manufacturing strength shows up directly: cypionate is surprisingly affordable. Monthly medication cost alone: ₹100 to ₹400 depending on dose and brand.
• Testosterone gel (Androgel, Cernos Gel by Sun Pharma): Cernos Gel is Sun Pharma's locally manufactured testosterone gel, which makes it much more affordable than imported Androgel. Daily topical application. Monthly cost: ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 depending on dose.
• Testosterone Undecanoate oral (Andriol): available in India. Oral testosterone with meals. Less common in optimization protocols given variable absorption, but accessible.
• Nebido (testosterone undecanoate 1,000mg injection): available through specialty pharmacies in major cities. Long-cycle injection (every 10 to 14 weeks). More expensive than cypionate generics.

Blood Work: What to Get, Where to Get It

India has a robust diagnostic lab network. For initial TRT assessment, get these fasting and as a morning draw (before 10am):

• Total testosterone (two morning readings for diagnosis)
• LH and FSH
• SHBG
• CBC (complete blood count)
• PSA (if you're over 40)
• Liver function tests
• Lipid panel

Where to get blood work done: Thyrocare, SRL Diagnostics, Metropolis Healthcare, and Dr Lal PathLabs are the four major chains with nationwide coverage. All are reliable, affordable, and offer home collection. A full hormone panel through any of these runs approximately ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.

Indian labs report testosterone in ng/dL (same as the US, not nmol/L as in Europe). Quick reference: 300 ng/dL is considered low-normal, 500 to 700 ng/dL is typically the therapeutic target range on TRT.

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What a Full Protocol Costs in India

Private consultation at a major hospital chain (Apollo, Fortis, Manipal): ₹500 to ₹2,000 per visit. This is per-specialist visit, not per month.

• Monthly medication cost on cypionate: ₹100 to ₹400.
• Monthly medication cost on Cernos Gel: ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.
• Follow-up bloodwork every 3 to 6 months: ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 per panel.

Total all-in monthly cost for an established TRT protocol with monitoring: approximately ₹3,000 to ₹10,000 depending on your medication choice and monitoring frequency. That's genuinely affordable relative to what TRT costs in the US (where monthly costs often exceed $200 to $300 USD with minimal monitoring) or even the UK private system.

Finding the Right Doctor

The most important step in the Indian TRT process isn't getting the prescription. It's finding a doctor who manages TRT as a complete protocol, not just a single testosterone reading.

A good TRT-managing physician in India will:

• Order a complete initial panel (not just total testosterone)
• Discuss injection frequency and protocol options, not just hand you Nebido and send you home
• Schedule follow-up bloodwork at 3 months after starting
• Monitor hematocrit, PSA, and lipids on an ongoing basis

Major hospital chains are your best starting point. Specifically, endocrinology departments at AIIMS Delhi, Apollo Mumbai, Fortis Bangalore, and Kokilaben Hospital Mumbai have been managing TRT cases for long enough to have a real clinical workflow.

Use the TRT Dose Calculator to understand how different injection schedules compare and to calculate mL volumes for your prescribed dose. Particularly useful for injectable protocols.

For GLP-1 access in India, see the India GLP-1 Guide.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Discuss all treatment decisions with your healthcare provider.