Dianabol is the old Ciba brand name for the oral steroid methandrostenolone. It is a derivative of testosterone, exhibiting strong anabolic and moderate ...
Active Life: 6-8 hours Drug Class: Anabolic/Androgenic Steroid
(Oral) Average Dose: Men 15-50 mg/day......Women 5-10
mg/day Acne: Yes, especially in higher dosages Water Retention: Yes, similar to
testosterone High Blood Pressure: Yes Liver Toxic: Yes Aromatization: Yes DHT Conversion: No Decrease HPTA function: Yes, dose and cycle length
dependant
Dianabol is the old Ciba brand name for the oral steroid
methandrostenolone. It is a derivative of testosterone, exhibiting
strong anabolic and moderate androgenic properties. This compound
was first made available in 1960, and it quickly became the most
favored and widely used anabolic steroid in all forms of athletics.
This is likely due to the fact that it is both easy to use and
extremely effective. In the U.S. Dianabol production had meteoric
history, exploding for quite some time, then quickly dropping out
of sight. Many were nervous in the late 80's when the last of the
U.S. generics were removed from pharmacy shelves, the medical
community finding no legitimate use for the drug anymore. But the
fact that Dianabol has been off the U.S. market for over 10 years
now has not cut its popularity. It remains the most commonly used
black market oral steroid in the U.S. As long as there are
countries manufacturing this steroid, it will probably remain so.
Similar to testosterone and Anadrol 50, Dianabol
is a potent steroid, but also one which brings about noticeable
side effects. For starters methandrostenolone is quite estrogenic.
Gynecomastia is often a concern during treatment, and may present
itself quite early into a cycle (particularly when higher doses are
used). At the same time water retention can become a pronounced
problem, causing a notable loss of muscle definition as both
subcutaneous water and fat build. Sensitive individuals may
therefore want to keep the estrogen under control with the addition
of an anti-estrogen such as Nolvadex and/or Proviron. The stronger
drugs Arimidex, Femara, or Aromasin (antiaromatase) would be a
better choice if available.
In addition, androgenic side effects are common
with this substance, and may include bouts of oily skin, acne and
body/facial hair growth. Aggression may also be increased with a
potent steroid such as this, so it would be wise not to let your
disposition change for the worse during a cycle. With Dianabol
there is also the possibility of aggravating a male pattern
baldness condition. Sensitive individuals may therefore wish to
avoid this drug and opt for a milder anabolic such as
Deca-Durabolin. While Dianabol does convert to a more potent
steroid via interaction with the 5-alpha reductase anzyme (the same
enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to
dihydrotestosterone), it has extremely little affinity to do so in
the human body's. The androgenic metabolite 5alpha
dihydromethandrostenolone is therefore produced only in trace
amounts at best. Therefore the use of Proscar/Propecia would serve
no real purpose.
Being moderately androgenic, Dianabol is really
only a popular steroid with men. When used by women, strong
virilization symptoms are of course a possible result. Some do
however experiment with it, and find low doses (5mg) of this
steroid extremely powerful for new muscle growth. Whenever taken,
Dianabol will produce exceptional mass and strength gains. It's
effectiveness is often compared to other strong steroids like
testosterone and Anadrol 50, and it is likewise a popular choice
for bulking purposes. A daily dosage of 20-40mg is enough to give
almost anybody dramatic results. Some do venture much higher in
dosage, but this practice usually leads to a more profound
incidence of side effects. It additionally combines well with a
number of other steroids. It is noted to mix particularly well with
the mild anabolic Deca-Durabolin. Together one can expect an
exceptional muscle and strength gains, with side effects not much
worse than one would expect from Dianabol alone. For all out mass,
a long acting testosterone ester like enanthate can be used. With
the similarly high estrogenic/androgenic properties of this
androgen, side effects may be extreme with such a combination
however. Gains would be great as well, which usually makes such an
endeavor worthwhile to the user. As discussed earlier, ancillary
drugs can be added to reduce the side effects associated with this
kind of cycle.
In order to withstand oral administration, this
compound is c17 alpha alkylated. We know that this alteration
protects the drug from being deactivation by the liver (allowing
nearly all of the drug entry into the bloodstream), however it can
also be toxic to this organ. Prolonged exposure to c17 alpha
alkylated substances can result in actual damage, possibly even the
development of certain kinds of cancer. To be safe one might want
to visit the doctor a couple of times during each cycle to keep an
eye on their liver enzyme values. Cycles should also be kept short,
usually less than 8 weeks long to avoid doing any noticeable
damage. Jaundice (bile duct obstruction) is usually the first
visible sign of liver trouble, and should be looked out for. This
condition produces an unusual yellowing of the skin, as the body
has trouble processing bilirubin. In addition to the skin, the
whites of the eyes may also yellow, a clear indicator of trouble.
Should this occur the drug should be discontinued immediately and a
doctor visited. This is usually a point where further, permanent
damage can be avoided.
It is also interesting to note that
methandrostenolone is structurally identical to boldenone (EQ),
except that it contains the added c17 alpha alkyl group discussed
above. This fact makes clear the impact of altering a steroid in
such a way, as these two compounds appear to act very differently
in the body. The main dissimilarity seems to lie in the tendency
for estrogenic side effects, which seems to be much more pronounced
with Dianabol. Equipoise is known to be quite mild in this way, and
users therefore commonly take this drug without any need of an
anti-estrogen. Dianabol is much more estrogenic not because it is
more easily aromatized, as in fact the 17 alpha methyl group and
c1-2 double bond both slow the process of aromatization. The
problem is that methandrostenolone converts to l7alpha
methylestradiol, a more biologically active form of estrogen than
regular estradiol. But Dianabol also appears to be much more potent
in terms of muscle mass compared to boldenone, supporting the
notion that estrogen does play an important role in anabolism. In
fact boldenone and methandrostenolone differ so much in their
potencies as anabolics that the two are rarely though of as
related. As a result, the use of Dianabol is typically restricted
to bulking phases of training while Equipoise is considered an
excellent cutting or lean-mass building steroid.
The half-life of Dianabol is only about 3 to 4
hours, a relatively short time. This means that a single daily
dosage schedule will produce a varying blood level, with ups and
downs throughout the day. The user likewise has a choice, to either
split up the tablets during the day or to take them all at one
time. The usual recommendation has been to divide them and try to
regulate the concentration in your blood. This however, will
produce a lower peak blood level than if the tablets were taken all
at once, so there may be a trade off with this option. The steroid
researcher Bill Roberts also points out that a single-episode
dosing schedule should have a less dramatic impact on the
hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, as there is a sufficient
period each day where steroid hormone levels are not extremely
exaggerated. I tend to doubt hormonal stability can be maintained
during such a cycle however, but do notice that anecdotal evidence
often still supports single daily doses to be better for overall
results. Perhaps this is the better option. Since we know the blood
concentration will peak about 1.5 to 3 hours after administration,
we may further wonder the best time to take our tablets. It seems
logical that taking the pills earlier in the day, preferably some
time before training, would be optimal. This would allow a
considerable number of daytime hours for an androgen rich
metabolism to heighten the uptake of nutrients, especially the
critical hours following training.
Notes by bennett555:
Dianabol is the old Ciba brand name for the oral steroid methandrostenolone. It is a derivative of testosterone, exhibiting strong anabolic and moderate ...