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Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) is one of the oldest and most popular selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM’s) in the world. Tamoxifen Citrate was developed in 1961 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) under the trade name Nolvadex. Later, AstraZeneca purchased ICI. Tamoxifen can be used to treat a large amount of dysfunctions, that’s why it was included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medications. Nolvadex is also widely used by androgenic anabolic steroid users.
The drug was created to treat hormone-responsive breast cancer, then it turned out that it also can be used to prevent breast cancer. Nolvadex also can be used to treat women’s infertility, however studies have shown less effective results than from Clomid (Clomiphene).
In bodybuilding Tamoxifen can be used for two goals. The first option is as an anti-estrogen during an androgenic anabolic steroid cycle in order to prevent estrogen related side effects such as gynecomastia, bloating, high blood pressure, etc. However, similar to the case with Clomid (Clomiphene), I believe that there are more effective drugs such as Anastrozole or Proviron to prevent estrogenic side effects. The second most beneficial option is going through Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) in order to boost the Luteinizing Hormone and testosterone level.
Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) with both estrogen agonist and antagonist properties. For the androgenic anabolic steroid users, one of the desired effects is in the prevention of gynecomastia. Tamoxifen also reduces other estrogenic side effects like water retention and blood pressure but not significantly. That’s why I recommend using other drugs to reduce the estradiol level like Anastrozole and Proviron, however Nolvadex can be used for a weak cycle and it has less side effects. Additionally, Nolvadex has a positive impact on cholesterol levels.
The most valuable effect of Nolvadex is boosting the testosterone level for Post Cycle Therapy (PCT). During the cycle your body stops producing its own testosterone because it realizes there are too many hormones. The rate of suppression depends on the steroid cycle, the more advanced the cycle the worse your natural testosterone level will be. Once the cycle is done the natural testosterone production will start slowly recovering again. However, after you’ve finished the cycle your natural testosterone level will be extremely low and it will take time to recover naturally.
No one, especially bodybuilders, would want to stay in a low testosterone condition because it can lead to high body fat, loss of muscles, etc.
Most athletes have a post cycle therapy plan in order to recover their testosterone level faster. Nolvadex one of the medications that is very effective in helping to recover the testosterone level. Nolvadex stimulates the higher release of both luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone. When the body indicates a rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) it starts producing testosterone. That helps in maintaining a higher testosterone level until your natural testosterone has completely recovered.
Dosages
In bodybuilding, for the purposes of post cycle therapy, your dosage should depend on the cycle. If the cycle was short (6-8 weeks) with one steroid or small steroids dosages you should use 20 milligrams for 14 days. If your cycle was advanced, the dosage of Nolvadex can be up to 50 milligrams per day for 6 weeks with gradually decreasing dosages. Also you can use a combination Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) with Clomid (Clomiphene) after advanced cycles.
The same as with Clomid it’s very important to start using Tamoxifen timely. After oral only cycles like Turinabol, Winstrol and Dianabol you should start using Nolvadex a day after your cycle is completed. If a cycle contains short duration esters, begin using Nolvadex 3 days after the cycle. If a cycle includes long lasting esters you should wait 14 days before using Nolvadex.
For the purpose of decreasing estrogenic side effects during an androgenic anabolic steroid cycle, the optimal dosage is from 10 to 20 milligrams per day. If this dosage does not help to protect from gynecomastia you should consider using aromatase inhibitors such as Anastrozole or Proviron.
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Anastrozole
Arimidex, known by its chemical name Anastrozole is an aromatase inhibitor. Why should that concern bodybuilders? The aromatase enzyme is responsible for the production of estrogens in the body. By inhibiting it, Arimidex lowers estrogen levels in the body [R]
Here’s why that is important. Many bodybuilders use anabolic steroids to build muscle, lose fat and improve athletic performance. What most anabolic steroid users may not know is that they increase estrogen levels in the body, exposing your body to serious side effects.
That is where Arimidex enters the picture. By inhibiting the aromatase enzyme and slowing the production of estrogen, this drug helps prevent gynecomastia. That’s because estrogen is to the breast tissue as gasoline is to your car. The latter needs the former to function.
Keep in mind that the benefits of Arimidex aren’t limited to preventing gynecomastia. This drug may also prevent infertility, erectile dysfunction, and depression in the male population. All of these are the side effects of the anabolic steroid cycles. [R]
If you’re in a hurry and want to have a quick overview of the benefits and side effects of Arimidex PCT, this section has you sorted.
Remember that most of these side effects tend to be mild, as long as you stick to the recommended dosage (more on this below).Also, if you’re looking for an alternative to anabolic steroids, one that could boost your body’s natural testosterone production, check out our guide on selective androgen receptor modulators.Bodybuilders use Arimidex as a Post Cycle Therapy because it inhibits the production of estrogen. This hormone has many vital functions in the body, both male and female. But its elevated levels in men’s system lead to gynecomastia, or breast growth. That’s what Arimidex helps prevent.Arimidex does that by reducing estrogen production in the body. This, in turn, lowers the supply of the female hormone to the breast tissue. With the incoming supply of fuel (estrogen) that it needs to grow depleted, the ability of the breast tissue to expand nosedives.
One of the major benefits of Arimidex is that it might help or treat gynecomastia. However, its utility doesn’t end there. This aromatase inhibitor has also shown promise in treating erectile dysfunction, infertility and depression among the male population.Here are the major benefits you may expect from Arimidex:
According to an estimate, gynecomastia is one of the most common male breast disorders. Up to 70% of boys and men develop ‘man boobs’ in early to mid-puberty. Most of them develop gynecomastia due to regular hormone changes. Some, however, get it due to anabolic steroids use. [R]
Anadrol (commonly called by athletes “A50” or “A-bombs”) was initially developed as a compound to help people with anemia, and has since been used very successfully to aid people who are suffering from many other diseases where weight loss is a concern. Thus, it is clearly an effective agent for promoting weight gain, increasing appetite, gaining strength, and increasing Red Blood Cell count. And, as with most Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids (AAS), it has its downsides as well. Anadrol 50 will inhibit your body’s natural production of hormones (testosterone, etc ), will negatively affect your blood lipid profile, can cause water retention, is notorious for causing headaches, and is also highly liver toxic (in fact, it has the worst reputation for hepatoxicity out of all steroids). Paradoxically, although one the benefits touted by its original manufacturer (Syntex) is that it can be used to stimulate weight gain through increasing appetite, taking too much may actually inhibit your appetite!
I think, in order to gain a complete understanding of the Anadrol 50 effects on body, we need to take a look at its advantages contrasted with its disadvantages. Anadrol is a DHT-derived compound, and is 17-Alpha-Alkylated steroid, meaning that it has been altered at the 17th carbon position to survive oral ingestion. Most oral steroids are 17aa, and this helps them make it through your liver in a useful form. Sounds great, right? Lets 17alpha-alkylate everything! Well as you can imagine, there’s a down side.
This 17aa alteration, which makes it possible for Anadrol to survive its first pass through your liver, also makes it very taxing on your liver. How taxing is Anadrol and how much weight can you gain from its use? Well, there was a 30 week study done on Anadrol and, as you can expect, a reasonable amount of side effects were noted. The fact that Anadrol causes some side effects has really never been in debate. But how effective was the drug? Well, first it should be mentioned that this study was done on people with AIDS related wasting, and they actually gained weight (8+kg) while the control group lost weight, and had increased mortality rates. (1). I suppose, if you’re in a study because you have a wasting disease which is also a terminal illness, you don’t want to end up in the control group. Anyway, weight gain in this study peaked at 19-20 weeks, though, so the last 10 weeks weren’t very productive in this respect. Clearly, you wouldn’t want to run Anadrol 50 for 20 weeks, given its toxicity, but after that, any effect in terms of weight and strength gains would be negligible. So, with regards to sides from Anadrol, and the sheer fact that this study lasted so long (30 weeks), it should be apparent that they can be kept under control and the drug can be used safely. People are commonly told to limit their intake of Anadrol to 4 weeks or less I’m a bit less conservative and think you can easily run Anadrol for 6 weeks or more.
From personal experience, however, I can tell you that gains from Anadrol are quite dramatic for the first 3 weeks and then quickly level off. Unfortunately, I find that the side effects experienced from Anadrol (which include a headache, bloating, elevated blood pressure, and a general “unwell” feeling for me) remain for the entire duration of use. But I find as usual, side effects for this drug are pretty much half legend and half truth. Since Anadrol 50 is derived from DHT, it cant actually convert to estrogen (via the aromatase enzyme), and its not a progestin or a compound with progestenic activity so the estrogenic (?) side effects produced by it are of a very mysterious nature. It has been speculated that perhaps it can stimulate the estrogen receptor without actually being converted to estrogen and that’s about as plausible an explanation as Ive heard. However, things really get strange, when Oxymetholone has been used in studies to alter the female reproductive/menstrual cycle; in those cases, it has lowered plasma progesterone levels! (7)One would expect that an AI (aromatase inhibitor) wouldn’t be of much use with this drug, but many have found that Letrozole (which has, in some cases been shown to reduce estrogen in the body to an undetectable amount)(6) can greatly reduce or even eliminate many of the more noticeable side effects of Anadrol, such as the bloating.
As I’ve stated, however, the sides from this drug are certainly no joke, but are easily preventable, and controllable. One study even showed very few sides for subjects using up to 100mgs of Oxymetholone (2). In the original UnderGround Steroid Hand Book, Dan Duchaine states that he used it at doses up to 150mgs/day. Clearly, Anadrol’s hepatoxicity has been a bit exaggerated, in some circles. Be that as it may, my suggestion is still to limit Anadrol’s use to 6 weeks, at a maximum even if just to err on the side of caution. Of course, I have personally run this drug for much longer..
How should we use Anadrol? Id probably be willing to include Anadrol in a cycle including injectable steroids, but not other 17aa compounds. Id make any 6-week-run of this compound begin at the start of a cycle, as a form of “jumpstart” towards seeing gains quickly. The quick gains you will get from Anadrol (up to a pound per day for the first 2 weeks are not uncommon in Steroid.com members) are also just as quick to disappear upon cessation of use .unless you are simply using it as a kickstarter, while waiting for your other compounds to kick-in. Ill go out on a limb here and say that utilizing Anadrol as a “Jumpstart” is the most popular use of this drug for athletes and bodybuilders today. Ill also say that this drug is immensely popular with strength athletes who dont have to worry about weight classes (Field athletes and strongmen), and with powerlifters in the heavier weight brackets. Its also important to note that in one study by Schroder et. Al (2) Anadrol showed that it has the ability to lower serum SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin which binds to your free test and makes it no longer useful for anabolism, among other things) concentrations by 54.9 25.8 and 45 16.2 nmol/l in the 50- and 100-mg treatment groups. This means there will be more free test circulating around your body when you take this drug and clearly, this would produce some synergy when stacked with other steroids. Given the large amounts of weight and strength which can be gained in a relatively short time span on this drug, I’m sure this comes as no surprise to many.
Another important and often understated characteristic of this compound is that Oxymetholone doesn’t bind well to the androgen receptor (Relative Binding Affinity = too low to be determined) (3) which is the lowest Ive ever read about. Basically, what this tells me is that there are a lot of non-receptor mediated effects from this steroid, making it a very potent addition to ANY BULKING stack, because it wont be competing for the receptor sites with the other steroids you’re using. Its also, as you may have guessed a very poor choice for a cutting stack.
What is an Anadrol Cycle? How much should you use? Well, this is actually one of the most interesting facts about Anadrol 50. You see, most steroids produce what we call a “dose respondent curve” which is a fancy way of saying “the more you use, the more you gain.”
Anadrol is one of the few steroids where the dose respondent curve flattens out very quickly. When you take 50mgs of Anadrol, you’ll make some very good gains. When you take 100mgs of Anadrol, you’ll make even more gains. However, it has been found that 100mgs/day is as effective for weight gain as 150mgs/day but produces less side effects and was less toxic (4). I feel that the jump from 50mgs to 100mgs constitutes an acceptable rise in benefit vs. cost, but this is not the case as dosages get over 100mgs. Now, lets see how 50mgs and 100mgs of Oxymetholone actually effect strength, when compared with each other:
Relative (%) changes in strength are shown for the groups receiving placebo (filled bars), 50 mg/day oxymetholone (open bars), and 100 mg/day oxymetholone (gray bars). Nos. above bars represent relative change (%) from baseline to week 12 for the 1-repetition maximum tests of strength. Error bars represent 1 SE from the mean. * Significant difference from placebo, P < 0.05; significant difference from placebo by Wilcoxon test, P < 0.02. See text for additional statistical analyses.
As you can see, in this study, doubling the dose of Anadrol 50 nearly doubled the strength gains of the test subjects. Now, when we look at changes in body composition from Oxymetholone (chart below) we can see that although the guys taking the 100mgs (vs. the 50mgs group) had more fat lost and more Lean Body Mass gained, it wasn’t as dramatic as the differences in strength gains between the two groups:
Changes in body composition are shown for the groups receiving placebo (filled bars), 50 mg of oxymetholone per day (open bars), and 100 mg per day (gray bars). Numbers above the bars represent the mean absolute changes and the error bars are 1 SE. For total lean body mass (LBM) and total fat, differences among the 3 groups were significant (P < 0.0001, one-way ANOVA). * Significant differences from placebo, P 0.001.
Although I am usually not inclined to posit speculations on why a particular drug does or doesn’t do something, in this case I will. Im guessing that the higher doses of Anadrol cause enough appetite suppression (at least anecdotally) to make eating rather difficult. It can also increase insulin resistance and glucose intolerance (5). This has the effect of making macronutrient absorption more inefficient, and could also be a factor in reducing gains when the dosage goes over 100mgs/day. Unfortunately, Anadrol also has a reasonably profound effect on your body’s natural hormonal system, on par with most other oral steroids, but not as bad as most injectables, and its certainly not as harsh on your lipid profile as many anabolics are
(2). As an interesting side note, some of the medical literature on this compound suggests a dose of 1-5mgs per kg of bodyweight. Ill pause a second here for you to figure out how absurdly high of a dose that would translate to for the average bodybuilder!
Winstrol is one of the most popular and well-known anabolic steroids on earth. Developed by Winthrop Laboratories in the late 1950’s, this is an anabolic steroid that has gotten a lot of media attention over the years. In fact, those who have never used anabolic steroids, if they can name a steroid it’s usually Winstrol or Stanozolol. The name Winstrol is actually the most commonly associated brand name of the Stanozolol hormone. This is an anabolic steroid that has garnered worldwide attention due to numerous athletic scandals over the years. When various athletes have been caught using anabolic steroids, Winstrol has been at the forefront of the scandal countless times. In fact, it is associated with the most important athletic steroid scandal in history.
In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for the steroid after taking the gold at that year’s Summer Olympics. Not only did Johnson destroy his competition, he handedly defeated the highly favored Carl Lewis with relative ease. This would lead to Stanozolol making countless news headlines for a very long time and more importantly truly usher in the U.S. government’s war on steroids. The Johnson scenario is not the largest athletic based steroid scandal to ever occur, which would probably belong to the decades long East German doping machine; however, the Johnson scandal would have the largest impact. When Ben Johnson destroyed the U.S. golden boy, many point to this as being the final nail in the coffin that the U.S. congress needed to justify classifying anabolic steroids as Schedule III controlled substances.
While one of the more well-known anabolic steroids, Winstrol is very popular among most in the steroid using population. It is in many ways a fairly mild anabolic steroid that can be safely used by men and women. Equally important, it has proven highly effective for numerous performance enhancement endeavors. It is a long standing favorite among competitive bodybuilders and physique based athletes during cutting or contest prep phases. It is also a top steroid of choice for numerous performance athletes due to its ability to promote strength and endurance without unwanted mass.
Beyond performance enhancement, Winstrol has had a lot of success in modern medicine. It has been successfully used to combat lean tissue wasting and has had a lot of success in preserving bone mass in cases of osteoporosis. Winstrol has also been used to combat prolonged exposure to corticosteroid treatment, given to burn victims and even used to aid in the healing of severe bone fractures. The steroid has also enjoyed a little success in treating obesity when hormonal assistance is needed, as well as treating delayed growth in some children. As the years have passed, Winstrol has remained available for treatment for most of these conditions as well as being proven highly successful in treating angioedema among a few other treatment plans such as specific forms of breast cancer. The steroid has never lost FDA approval and unlike many anabolic steroids has maintained approval for numerous therapeutic treatment plans.
Stanozolol is a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derived anabolic androgenic steroid, or more specifically a structurally altered form. Stanozolol is the DHT hormone with two structural changes that give us the Winstrol compound. The first alteration is the introduction of an attached pyrazol group at the A-ring of the hormone replacing the 3-keto group. This modification officially classifies Stanozolol as a heterocyclic steroid. The hormone also carries an added methyl group in order to protect hormone after administration. This structural change takes place at the 17th carbon position officially classifying Stanozolol as a C17-alpha alkylated (C17-aa) anabolic steroid.
Due the combination of structural changes, this reduces the hormone’s androgenicity significantly and greatly increases its anabolic power. Officially Winstrol carries an anabolic rating of 320 and an androgenic rating of 20. More importantly, its ratings translate perfectly in real life effects giving us an extremely beneficial anabolic steroid.
Winstrol carries many positive steroidal traits, one of which is its ability to lower Sex-Hormone-Binding-Globulin (SHBG) significantly. This allows for more of the steroids being supplied to rest in an unbound state, as well as provides an increase in free testosterone. While many anabolic steroids lower SHBG Winstrol appears to have a much stronger affinity than most. In fact, studies have demonstrated nearly 50% reductions in SHBG in mere days of use and even at relatively low doses.
Beyond a reduction in SHBG, which is one of its primary traits, Winstrol will enhance protein synthesis and greatly increase nitrogen retention in the muscles. The steroid will also do a fairly decent job at increasing red blood cell count and inhibiting glucocorticoid hormones but not to the degree of many other steroids. In many ways, we have a mild yet evenly possession of some basic steroidal traits coupled with the dramatic SHBG reduction that gives us a controllable and unique compound. This really is one of the easiest anabolic steroids to understand.
When looking at the direct functions and traits of Winstrol there is one more issue we need to discuss. The Stanozolol hormone is both an injectable an oral anabolic steroid. Both forms are comprised of the same identical Stanozolol hormone. 1mg of one form is the same as 1mg of the other form. Some studies have suggested oral Winstrol may reduce SHBG a little more than its injectable counterpart, while others have said injectable forms may be slightly more potent on an overall milligram for milligram basis. However, overall these appear to be rather insignificant differences regardless of the direction they go. In fact, the individual should be able to receive the same identical benefits with either form.
Another important note often misunderstood about Winstrol forms is the C17-aa nature. Both oral and injectable Stanozolol are C17-aa anabolic steroids. Most oral steroids are C17-aa and while injectable steroids rarely are injectable Stanozolol is one of the exceptions. The injectable form is also commonly referred to as Winstrol Depot.
Although used to stave off lean tissue wasting, Winstrol is not what we’d call a bulking steroid. You will rarely find this steroid in an off-season mass gaining stack. However, it could be used in an effort to enhance the activity of the other steroids being used due to the strong SHBG reduction it will provide but this is generally not recommended. When we dive into the side effects of Winstrol, we will find it is very hepatotoxic and use should be limited to when it’s most valuable. For the male athlete, this will not be during the bulking phase.
When it comes to off-season bulking, we could make more of an exception with female use. Females are far more sensitive to the steroid and short burst plans could be very beneficial during this phase. But again, there are probably better options.
The effects of Winstrol are undoubtedly most beneficial to direct performance enhancement of an athletic nature. We’re talking about functional competitive athletes, not bodybuilders or physique athletes. This steroid has the ability to greatly increase strength and this can translate into both power and speed. Further, it will accomplish this without adding a lot of additional weight that could hinder some depending on the sport, as well as cause unwanted attention from prying eyes. There have been those who have said Winstrol isn’t good for competitive athletes, especially those athletes in explosive sports due to potential weakening of the tendons but this is more or less message board anecdotal hysteria that supports this claim. In fact, many studies have shown it can have a positive impact on strengthening tendons and we already know it’s good for the bones. If not, it wouldn’t be used to treat osteoporosis.
There are also some who complain of joint pain when using Winstrol. As a steroid that does not aromatize there will be no water retention but the “dry feeling” may not be what many think it is. Most who use the steroid will be physique athletes or gym rats during a cutting phase. They will also typically add it into a plan late in the diet once they’re already lean. Typically, when you become very lean, bodybuilding lean, this makes the joints a little uncomfortable. With or without Winstrol this discomfort could potentially exist. As for pro athletes who have nearly every last steroid at their disposal, remember, if Winstrol weren’t effective in competitive sports so many athletes wouldn’t make it a primary and favorite choice. In fact, the combo of Winstrol with low doses of Nandrolone is a very common stack among many athletes, and this stack will greatly eliminate any potential joint discomfort should it exist.
Beyond athletics, the gym rat or bodybuilding effects of Winstrol will be best displayed once you’re already somewhat lean. The steroid will help produce a dryer, harder look but only if you’re relatively lean. It will also aid in lean tissue preservation but not to a very strong degree that’s often needed in such a phase. It’s typically recommended that Winstrol only be used in this capacity as a secondary steroid, not a base or foundational steroid.
Both men and women can greatly benefit from Winstrol during the cutting phase. While it won’t be the best lean tissue preserver, many report maintaining more of their strength that is often lost when dieting when Winstrol is in play. Vascularity should also become more pronounced and overall the individual should enjoy an overall enhancement in definition.
The side effects of Winstrol most certainly exist, but they largely fall into the category of possible rather than guaranteed. The side effects of Winstrol can be controlled but it will take some effort on your part. There is also always the issue of individual response. We all respond to different things differently. This not only holds true with various anabolic steroids but all things we put into our body. Most of use can take Aspirin, but there are others who will experience horrible side effects if they touch the first pill. Most of us can tolerate dairy products, but there are others who become very sick if they even look at a glass of milk. Individual response dictates quite a lot. With that in mind, in order to help you understand the possible side effects of Winstrol we have broken them down into their separate categories along with all you’ll need to know.
Winstrol is one of the most popular and well-known anabolic steroids on earth. Developed by Winthrop Laboratories in the late 1950’s, this is an anabolic steroid that has gotten a lot of media attention over the years. In fact, those who have never used anabolic steroids, if they can name a steroid it’s usually Winstrol or Stanozolol. The name Winstrol is actually the most commonly associated brand name of the Stanozolol hormone. This is an anabolic steroid that has garnered worldwide attention due to numerous athletic scandals over the years. When various athletes have been caught using anabolic steroids, Winstrol has been at the forefront of the scandal countless times. In fact, it is associated with the most important athletic steroid scandal in history.
In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for the steroid after taking the gold at that year’s Summer Olympics. Not only did Johnson destroy his competition, he handedly defeated the highly favored Carl Lewis with relative ease. This would lead to Stanozolol making countless news headlines for a very long time and more importantly truly usher in the U.S. government’s war on steroids. The Johnson scenario is not the largest athletic based steroid scandal to ever occur, which would probably belong to the decades long East German doping machine; however, the Johnson scandal would have the largest impact. When Ben Johnson destroyed the U.S. golden boy, many point to this as being the final nail in the coffin that the U.S. congress needed to justify classifying anabolic steroids as Schedule III controlled substances.
While one of the more well-known anabolic steroids, Winstrol is very popular among most in the steroid using population. It is in many ways a fairly mild anabolic steroid that can be safely used by men and women. Equally important, it has proven highly effective for numerous performance enhancement endeavors. It is a long standing favorite among competitive bodybuilders and physique based athletes during cutting or contest prep phases. It is also a top steroid of choice for numerous performance athletes due to its ability to promote strength and endurance without unwanted mass.
Beyond performance enhancement, Winstrol has had a lot of success in modern medicine. It has been successfully used to combat lean tissue wasting and has had a lot of success in preserving bone mass in cases of osteoporosis. Winstrol has also been used to combat prolonged exposure to corticosteroid treatment, given to burn victims and even used to aid in the healing of severe bone fractures. The steroid has also enjoyed a little success in treating obesity when hormonal assistance is needed, as well as treating delayed growth in some children. As the years have passed, Winstrol has remained available for treatment for most of these conditions as well as being proven highly successful in treating angioedema among a few other treatment plans such as specific forms of breast cancer. The steroid has never lost FDA approval and unlike many anabolic steroids has maintained approval for numerous therapeutic treatment plans.
Stanozolol is a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derived anabolic androgenic steroid, or more specifically a structurally altered form. Stanozolol is the DHT hormone with two structural changes that give us the Winstrol compound. The first alteration is the introduction of an attached pyrazol group at the A-ring of the hormone replacing the 3-keto group. This modification officially classifies Stanozolol as a heterocyclic steroid. The hormone also carries an added methyl group in order to protect hormone after administration. This structural change takes place at the 17th carbon position officially classifying Stanozolol as a C17-alpha alkylated (C17-aa) anabolic steroid.
Due the combination of structural changes, this reduces the hormone’s androgenicity significantly and greatly increases its anabolic power. Officially Winstrol carries an anabolic rating of 320 and an androgenic rating of 20. More importantly, its ratings translate perfectly in real life effects giving us an extremely beneficial anabolic steroid.
Winstrol carries many positive steroidal traits, one of which is its ability to lower Sex-Hormone-Binding-Globulin (SHBG) significantly. This allows for more of the steroids being supplied to rest in an unbound state, as well as provides an increase in free testosterone. While many anabolic steroids lower SHBG Winstrol appears to have a much stronger affinity than most. In fact, studies have demonstrated nearly 50% reductions in SHBG in mere days of use and even at relatively low doses.
Beyond a reduction in SHBG, which is one of its primary traits, Winstrol will enhance protein synthesis and greatly increase nitrogen retention in the muscles. The steroid will also do a fairly decent job at increasing red blood cell count and inhibiting glucocorticoid hormones but not to the degree of many other steroids. In many ways, we have a mild yet evenly possession of some basic steroidal traits coupled with the dramatic SHBG reduction that gives us a controllable and unique compound. This really is one of the easiest anabolic steroids to understand.
When looking at the direct functions and traits of Winstrol there is one more issue we need to discuss. The Stanozolol hormone is both an injectable an oral anabolic steroid. Both forms are comprised of the same identical Stanozolol hormone. 1mg of one form is the same as 1mg of the other form. Some studies have suggested oral Winstrol may reduce SHBG a little more than its injectable counterpart, while others have said injectable forms may be slightly more potent on an overall milligram for milligram basis. However, overall these appear to be rather insignificant differences regardless of the direction they go. In fact, the individual should be able to receive the same identical benefits with either form.
Another important note often misunderstood about Winstrol forms is the C17-aa nature. Both oral and injectable Stanozolol are C17-aa anabolic steroids. Most oral steroids are C17-aa and while injectable steroids rarely are injectable Stanozolol is one of the exceptions. The injectable form is also commonly referred to as Winstrol Depot.
Although used to stave off lean tissue wasting, Winstrol is not what we’d call a bulking steroid. You will rarely find this steroid in an off-season mass gaining stack. However, it could be used in an effort to enhance the activity of the other steroids being used due to the strong SHBG reduction it will provide but this is generally not recommended. When we dive into the side effects of Winstrol, we will find it is very hepatotoxic and use should be limited to when it’s most valuable. For the male athlete, this will not be during the bulking phase.
When it comes to off-season bulking, we could make more of an exception with female use. Females are far more sensitive to the steroid and short burst plans could be very beneficial during this phase. But again, there are probably better options.
The effects of Winstrol are undoubtedly most beneficial to direct performance enhancement of an athletic nature. We’re talking about functional competitive athletes, not bodybuilders or physique athletes. This steroid has the ability to greatly increase strength and this can translate into both power and speed. Further, it will accomplish this without adding a lot of additional weight that could hinder some depending on the sport, as well as cause unwanted attention from prying eyes. There have been those who have said Winstrol isn’t good for competitive athletes, especially those athletes in explosive sports due to potential weakening of the tendons but this is more or less message board anecdotal hysteria that supports this claim. In fact, many studies have shown it can have a positive impact on strengthening tendons and we already know it’s good for the bones. If not, it wouldn’t be used to treat osteoporosis.
There are also some who complain of joint pain when using Winstrol. As a steroid that does not aromatize there will be no water retention but the “dry feeling” may not be what many think it is. Most who use the steroid will be physique athletes or gym rats during a cutting phase. They will also typically add it into a plan late in the diet once they’re already lean. Typically, when you become very lean, bodybuilding lean, this makes the joints a little uncomfortable. With or without Winstrol this discomfort could potentially exist. As for pro athletes who have nearly every last steroid at their disposal, remember, if Winstrol weren’t effective in competitive sports so many athletes wouldn’t make it a primary and favorite choice. In fact, the combo of Winstrol with low doses of Nandrolone is a very common stack among many athletes, and this stack will greatly eliminate any potential joint discomfort should it exist.
Beyond athletics, the gym rat or bodybuilding effects of Winstrol will be best displayed once you’re already somewhat lean. The steroid will help produce a dryer, harder look but only if you’re relatively lean. It will also aid in lean tissue preservation but not to a very strong degree that’s often needed in such a phase. It’s typically recommended that Winstrol only be used in this capacity as a secondary steroid, not a base or foundational steroid.
Both men and women can greatly benefit from Winstrol during the cutting phase. While it won’t be the best lean tissue preserver, many report maintaining more of their strength that is often lost when dieting when Winstrol is in play. Vascularity should also become more pronounced and overall the individual should enjoy an overall enhancement in definition.
The side effects of Winstrol most certainly exist, but they largely fall into the category of possible rather than guaranteed. The side effects of Winstrol can be controlled but it will take some effort on your part. There is also always the issue of individual response. We all respond to different things differently. This not only holds true with various anabolic steroids but all things we put into our body. Most of use can take Aspirin, but there are others who will experience horrible side effects if they touch the first pill. Most of us can tolerate dairy products, but there are others who become very sick if they even look at a glass of milk. Individual response dictates quite a lot. With that in mind, in order to help you understand the possible side effects of Winstrol we have broken them down into their separate categories along with all you’ll need to know.