Dianabol represents one of the most popular and one of the most important anabolic steroids of all time. Without question, this is the most popular oral steroid to ever hit the market and one of the most popular steroids in any form. While almost always found as an oral tablet, Dianabol can be found as an injectable solution, but the tablets represent the primary route of administration. Why is this steroid so important? In many ways it gave birth to the age of modern performance enhancement. It was not the first anabolic steroid used for that purpose, that would belong to testosterone, but Dianabol would open the door to a new wave of steroid use that has grown beyond what anyone expected.

Dianabol represents one of the only anabolic steroids that was developed for the sole purpose of performance enhancement. The compound did carry listed therapeutic uses at one time, but performance was the true reason this steroid was given life. Through the 1940’s and 50’s the Soviet Union had begun to dominate the Olympic games, and the use of testosterone by many of its athletes left the rest of the world lagging far behind. During this time, U.S. Olympic team Dr. John Ziegler would learn of the U.S.S.R.’s steroid use, and quickly would aid in ensuring his athletes would match up. In 1958, with the help of Dr. Ziegler, Ciba Pharmaceuticals would release the first batches of Methandrostenolone under the trade name Dianabol. The compound was designed in an effort to maintain the anabolic properties of testosterone with less androgenicity in a fast acting, powerful method. Seemingly overnight the steroid was a massive success, giving many U.S. athletes a distinct advantage over their Soviet rivals.

After its inception, Dianabol would quickly find its way into nearly every competitive sport imaginable. In conjunction with exogenous testosterone, this would birth an age of performance unlike the world had ever seen. The steroid would also rapidly become a staple in competitive bodybuilding where it has remained a favorite to this day. However, shortly after its release the U.S. FDA would begin to put a lot of pressure on Ciba in an effort to push the company to list true medical benefits of the steroid. The FDA would approve its use for the treatment osteoporosis in post-menopausal women as well as pituitary-deficient dwarfism, but the latter was withdrawn in the early 1980’s. Again the FDA would pressure Ciba for more information, but in 1983 under mounting pressure Ciba would discontinue the Dianabol tab. A few years later, the FDA would pull all Methandrostenolone brands from the shelf. Since that time Dianabol has not been legally manufactured in the United States, but is still manufactured heavily all over the world.

Dianabol Functions & Traits:

Methandrostenolone is a testosterone derived anabolic androgenic steroid. Officially, it is a structurally altered form of the primary male androgen testosterone. Dianabol is the testosterone hormone with an added double bond at the carbon one and two position. This slight alteration reduces the hormone’s androgenic nature. It also carries an added methyl group at the 17^th carbon position that allows the hormone to survive oral ingestion, officially classifying Dianabol as a C17-alpha alkylated steroid. An important note, injectable Dianabol is also C17-alpha alkylated. The end result gives us an anabolic steroid with an androgenic rating of 40-60 with a much lower binding affinity to the androgen receptor compared to testosterone. However, it will also share a much weaker relationship for serum binding protein, which results in an extremely powerful anabolic steroid. If there’s any doubt, this is one extremely powerful anabolic steroid carrying a potent anabolic nature.

On a functional basis, Dianabol is one of the easier anabolic steroids to understand. This steroid will largely provide its anabolic benefits by enhancing protein synthesis, nitrogen retention and glycogenolysis. Protein synthesis represents the rate by which cells build proteins, the building blocks of muscle. Nitrogen retention, this is important as all muscle tissue is comprised of approximately 16% nitrogen. The more nitrogen we retain, the more anabolic we remain. Conversely, a nitrogen deficiency results in a catabolic or muscle wasting state. Then we’re left with glycogenolysis, which refers to the relationship and conversion between glycogen and glucose. Through enhanced glycogenolysis, we are able to make better use of our total carbohydrate consumption. While in many ways these traits are quite simple, they are strong enough to make Dianabol a remarkably powerful anabolic steroid.

Another important trait of Dianabol and perhaps one of the most important of all is the relationship it shares with other anabolic steroids. Dbol as it’s often called is not what we’d label as a base steroid. This is not an anabolic steroid we build a cycle around, but rather one we add to a well-planned stack. Dianabol has the ability to create unbelievable synergy when conjoined with other anabolic steroids. For example, you could supplement with 100mg of Trenbolone, Masteron or Equipoise per day (doses and steroids are simply being used as an example, not actual recommendations) and the results you’d receive from 50mg per day of Trenbolone, Masteron or Equipoise along side 50mg of Dianabol per day would be far more dramatic. You would have an identical amount of total milligrams of anabolic steroids with or without Dianabol, but the added Dianabol would provide greater enhancement.

Effects of Dianabol:

The effects of Dianabol can be summed up as fast acting and dramatic. In fact, it is more than possible for the individual to gain as much as 20lbs of mass in only a few weeks of Dianabol use. Total dosing will play a role, as will total caloric consumption, but a 20lb gain is very realistic. This makes Dianabol a premier off-season bulking steroid, and that will be its most common purpose of use. During this phase of use, the individual should also expect his strength to increase significantly. Dbol is actually one of the best strength increasing steroids on the market and along with mass can produce this result rapidly.

The effects of Dianabol are also greatly appreciated by many athletes; however, it is not as common as it once was in athletic enhancement circles. Due to the possible rapid increases in mass, many athletes will opt for steroids like Anavar or Winstrol, but it generally depends on the purpose of use. Due to the rapid and pronounced increases in strength, which can translate into more power and speed, this can be a solid athletic enhancer. The individual should also experience a level of enhanced recovery and endurance. When it comes to the weight gain, it’s important to remember that this will largely revolve around total caloric intake. While the steroid can promote enormous amounts of mass, you have to feed the body enough calories to reach this end. We wouldn’t call this the best athletic enhancing steroid due to other options, but if strength is the only true concern it could be a decent option.

Then we’re left with the cutting cycle, and you will not find Dianabol in such plans too often. Some competitive bodybuilders will use it early on in a cutting phase in order to maintain fullness, and it will provide lean tissue protection; however, there are better options. One problem with cutting cycle use can be the level of water retention this steroid can provide, which is normally the last thing you want when cutting. Such retention can be controlled, and the ability for this steroid to maintain strength can be appreciated, but there are better options.

Side Effects of Dianabol:

There are several possible side effects of Dianabol use. This is not the most dangerous anabolic steroid of all time, but it can carry a host of potential problems. A healthy adult male can manage the side effects of Dianabol, but you must understand them and how to combat them to pull this off. In order to achieve successful supplementation, we have broken down the possible side effects of Dianabol into their related categories along with all you need to know:

Estrogenic Qualities of Dianabol

Dianabol is a relatively strong estrogenic anabolic steroid due to the moderate level of aromatase activity it carries. While its aromatase activity is only moderate, this conversion actually leads Methandrostenolone to be converted to methylestradiol rather than estradiol, which is far more powerful than estradiol. This can make side effects like gynecomastia and water retention very possible with this steroid; in fact, they can appear seemingly overnight. Heavy water retention can also promote high blood pressure, which Dianabol is notorious for causing. Such effects can be controlled, and when it comes to high blood pressure this is something you’ll need to put some effort into ensuring does not become a problem.

In order to combat the estrogenic side effects of Dianabol, anti-estrogens are commonly recommended when supplementing with this steroid. You have two choices in anti-estrogens, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERM’s) like Nolvadex (Tamoxifen Citrate) and Aromatase Inhibitors (AI’s) like Femara (Letrozole). SERM’s can be enough for some men and should be your first choice if they can get the job done. However, AI’s will be far more effective as they will directly inhibit aromatization and reduce serum estrogen levels. Unfortunately, AI’s can negatively affect cholesterol, as can Dianabol, and when conjoined this can prove potentially problematic. If an AI is used cholesterol management will be a priority, and it will be possible. However, SERM’s, while not always as effective will actually promote healthier cholesterol levels due to their estrogenic like activity in the liver.

Androgenic Qualities of Dianabol

Dianabol is not an extremely androgenic steroid, its androgenicity has been structurally reduced, but androgenic side effects are still possible. Such side effects of Dianabol use include acne, accelerated hair loss in those predisposed to male pattern baldness and body hair growth. Most men should not have a problem with such effects, response will be the final dictator, but most will remain clear. Although the odds are in your favor, such effects are brought on by Methandrostenolone being metabolized by the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. This is the same enzyme responsible for the reduction of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, but the overall conversion here will result in very low amounts of dihydromethandrostenolone. This tells us 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like Finasteride that are often used to combat androgenic side effects will have very little if any affect on Dianabol.

Despite its reduced androgenicity, Dianabol can promote virilization symptoms in women. Such symptoms include body hair growth, a deepening of the vocal chords and clitoral enlargement. It is possible for some women to use this steroid without virilization symptoms with extremely low doses, but the odds are not favorable. Most all women should choose anabolic steroids with less translating androgenic activity to meet their needs.

Cardiovascular Effects of Dianabol

Dianabol can have a pronounced negative effect on cholesterol. This includes HDL cholesterol suppression and increases in LDL cholesterol, and the total changes can be significant. It is possible for total cholesterol levels to remain in a healthy range, but it is also possible for this healthy total reading to be misleading if HDL is suppressed heavily. Managing cholesterol during Dianabol use will be extremely important. Repeated use of this steroid as with many anabolic steroids could potentially lead to plaque buildup in the arteries overtime. It’s also extremely important to keep in mind the very possible additional strain on cholesterol brought on by the use of an AI when supplementing with Dianabol as total estrogen reductions will have a negative effect. Again, cholesterol maintenance will be extremely important.

As discussed, Dianabol can also play a negative role on blood pressure, which can be controlled by controlling water retention in most cases. When it comes to the blood pressure and cholesterol issues, the ultimate key to success will be your lifestyle. You should not supplement with this steroid if you already suffer from high blood pressure or cholesterol. If you are healthy enough for use, you should ensure your lifestyle is conducive to their maintenance. This should include a healthy diet that is rich in omega fatty acids, plenty of cardiovascular activity and an avoidance of any activity that promotes the opposite, negative end. Proper estrogen maintenance and control will also be important as estrogen plays an important role in cholesterol management. Yes, it is more than possible to supplement with Dianabol without high blood pressure and cholesterol, but you must put in the effort.

Testosterone Suppression with Dianabol

All anabolic steroids suppress natural testosterone production. While the total rate of suppression varies from one steroid to the next, with Dianabol it is very pronounced. For this reason, most men are encouraged to include some form of exogenous testosterone with their Dianabol use. Failure to include exogenous testosterone, regardless of your genetics or rumors you have heard will lead to a low testosterone condition. Such a condition comes with a host of possible symptoms and is extremely unhealthy. Even if symptoms do not show or are moderate at best, a low level condition will remain an unhealthy one. If you include exogenous testosterone, this problem is solved as the body will have all the testosterone it needs.

Once the use of Dianabol is complete and all the exogenous steroidal hormones have cleared your system, natural testosterone recovery will begin again. Natural recovery assumes no prior low testosterone condition. It also assumes no damage was done to the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular-Axis (HPTA) due to improper anabolic steroid use. While natural recovery will begin on its own, it will be slow. For this reason, most are encouraged to implement a Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) plan after anabolic steroid use. Such a plan will commonly include the SERM’s Nolvadex and Clomid, and often additional HCG. This will greatly speed up the recovery process, as well as its overall efficiency. It will not return your natural testosterone levels to normal on its own, if this is something you’ve been told it is a myth. However, it will ensure you have enough testosterone for proper bodily function while your levels continue to naturally rise. Total recovery will still take several months, but this will cut the total time down dramatically and ensure a smooth recovery.