Anabolic Steroid, HGH, IGF, Insulin and Ancillary Profiles

[RRAdam]

Orabolin
Pharmaceutical Name: ethylestrenol
Chemical structure: 19-Nor-17alpha-pregn-4-en-17-ol
Effective dose: 20-50 mg/day


People who have been in this game for a long time, may remember this steroid as Maxibolin. Its most popular name. But to avoid all confusion, its now best referred to as Orabolin, because Maxibolan was taken from the market some time ago. Most experienced users will of course prefer not to remember Orabolin at all. It was a bit of a failure in all aspects.

First of all it's a 19Nor-steroid, a derivative of nandrolone. I'm no big fan of 19Nor-steroids, apart from maybe trenbolone. The lack of the 19th carbon makes them re-esterify easily, particularly suppressive of natural testosterone and above all, lends them progestagenic activity, or if you will, the ability to worsen estrogenic side-effects by binding the progesterone receptor. The sole benefit of a 19nor compound is that it has very good androgen binding properties, giving it good enough anabolic effect, but is actually androgenically reduced in androgen responsive tissues like prostate and skin. This allowed users to book decent gains without overly having to fear acne, hair loss and prostate hypertrophy as they did with testosterone. For me that still doesn't warrant the use of nasty stuff like nandrolone or norethandrolone, for some it does. But I'm pretty sure all will be in agreement that this steroid is a waste. Its similar to norethandrolone, except it lacks a 3-keto group. This group is essential for binding the androgen receptor, and without it, its safe to assume that the anabolic activity of this steroid is less than weak. Studies1 actually seem to suggest that the only anabolic activity that ethylestronol does exert, is by making a 3-keto group and thus converting to norethandrolone.

Norethandrolone (inviting you to read the profile on norethandrolone) wasn't much of a success either. It was designed to be an androgenically mild oral steroid, like an oral nandrolone (which is in essence what it was), but then Searle realized that apart from being androgenically mild it was relatively nasty and uncontrollable stuff (which is how I feel about most 19nor steroids, including nandrolone) and came out with Anavar instead, since it was better suited as a mild oral steroid. So even through conversion you don't get anything decent out of this product.

The 17-alpha-ethyl group also lends it a certain liver toxicity, which doesn't allow for long use or high doses. And high doses are really what you need for any form of favorable effect. Women may somewhat appreciate this steroid in doses of 20-30 mg day, as its androgenically the mildest you'll ever come across, with very little virilizing symptoms. Although in any case, I would still recommend Anavar (oxandrolone) over ethylestrenol. Mainly due to its reputation, its become hard to find on the black market. Virtually extinct. I for one don't really care much.If you have ethylestrenol, my advice is toss it or sell it to your gullable friend. It's a waste. If you must use its, remember that the gains will be next to non-existent. Using 30-50 mg per day for 5-6 weeks on end, stacked with other products are the best way to go. Make it worth your while and add in some testosterone or boldenone for example. Aromatization is minimal, so the use of anti-estrogens will not be needed during the cycle, but because 19Nor steroids are nasty, suppressive stuff, you would do wise to run HCG and Nolvadex or Clomid once the cycle is over.

[RRAdam]

Proviron
Pharmaceutical Name: Mesterolone
Chemical structure: 1 alpha-methyl-17 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-androstan-3-one
Effective dose: 25-100 mg / day orally



Mesterolone is an orally active, 1-methylated DHT. Like Masteron, but then actually delivered in an oral fashion. DHT is the conversion product of testosterone at the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, the result being a hormone that is 3 to 4 times as androgenic and is structurally incapable of forming estrogen. One would imagine then that mesterolone would be a perfect drug to enhance strength and add small but completely lean gains to the frame. Unfortunately there is a control mechanism for DHT in the human body. When levels get too high, the 3alpha hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme converts it to a mostly inactive compound known as 3-alpha (5-alpha-androstan-3alpha,17beta-diol), a prohormone if you will. It can equally convert back to DHT by way of the same enzyme when low levels of DHT are detected. But it means that unless one uses ridiculously high amounts, most of what is administered is quite useless at the height of the androgen receptor in muscle tissue and thus mesterolone is not particularly suited, if at all, to promote muscle hypertrophy.

Proviron has four distinct uses in the world of bodybuilding. The first being the result of its structure. It is 5-alpha reduced and not capable of forming estrogen, yet it nonetheless has a much higher affinity for the aromatase enzyme (which converts testosterone to estrogen) than testosterone does. That means in administering it with testosterone or another aromatizable compound, it prevents estrogen build-up because it binds to the aromatase enzyme very strongly, thereby preventing these steroids from interacting with it and forming estrogen. So Mesterolone use has the extreme benefit of reducing estrogenic side-effects and water retention noted with other steroids, and as such still help to provide mostly lean gains. Its also been suggested that it may actually downgrade the actual estrogen receptor making it doubly effective at reducing circulating estrogen levels.

The second use is in enhancing the potency of testosterone. Testosterone in the body at normal physiological levels is mostly inactive. As much as 97 or 98 percent of testosterone in that amount is bound to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin, two proteins. In such a form testosterone is mostly inactive. But as with the aromatase enzyme, DHT has a higher affinity for these proteins than testosterone does, so when administered simultaneously the mesterolone will attach to the SHBG and albumin, leaving larger amounts of free testosterone to mediate anabolic activities such as protein synthesis. Another way in which it helps to increase gains. Its also another part of the equation that makes it ineffective on its own, as binding to these proteins too, would render it a non-issue at the androgen receptor.

Thirdly, mesterolone is added in pre-contest phases to increase a distinct hardness and muscle density. Probably due to its reduction in circulating estrogen, perhaps due to the downregulating of the estrogen receptor in muscle tissue, it decreases the total water build-up of the body giving its user a much leaner look, and a visual effect of possessing "harder" muscles with more cuts and striations. Proviron is often used as a last-minute secret by a lot of bodybuilders and both actors and models have used it time and again to deliver top shape day in day out, when needed. Like the other methylated DHT compound, drostanolone, mesterolone is particularly potent in achieving this feat.

Lastly Proviron is used during a cycle of certain hormones such as nandrolone, with a distinct lack of androgenic nature, or perhaps 5-alpha reduced hormones that don't have the same affinities as DHT does. Such compounds, thinking of trenbolone, nandrolone and such in particular, have been known to decrease libido. Limiting the athlete to perform sexually being the logical result. DHT plays a key role in this process and is therefore administered in conjunction with such steroids to ease or relieve this annoying side-effect. Proviron is also commonly prescribed by doctors to people with low levels of testosterone, or patients with chronic impotence. Its not perceived as a powerful anabolic, but it gets the job done equally well if not better than other anabolic steroids making it a favorite in medical practices due to its lower chance of abuse.

Mesterolone is generally well liked nonetheless as it delivers very few side-effects in men. In high doses it can cause some virilization symptoms in women. But because of the high level of deactivation and pre-destination in the system (albumin, SHBG, 3bHSD, aromatase) quite a lot of it, if not all simply never reaches the androgen receptor where it would cause anabolic effects, but also side-effects. So its relatively safe. Doses between 25 and 250 mg per day are used with no adverse effects. 50 mg per day is usually sufficient to be effective in each of the four cases we mentioned up above, so going higher really isn't necessary. Unlike what some suggest or believe, its not advised that Proviron be used when not used in conjunction with another steroid, as it too is quite suppressive of natural testosterone, leading to all sorts of future complications upon discontinuation. Ranging from loss of libido or erectile dysfunction all the way up to infertility. One would not be aware of such dangers because Proviron fulfills most of the functions of normal levels of testosterone.

Mesterolone is an oral alkylated steroid. If used primarily as an anti-aromatase drug, using it throughout a longer cycle (10-12 weeks) of injectables may elevate liver values a little bit, though much, much less than one would expect with a 17-alpha-alkylated steroid. Eventhough instead of inhibiting gains, mesterolone may actually contribute to gains. So that's a bit of a shame. Its not quite as toxic since its not alkylated in the same fashion, but at the 1 position, which reduces hepatic breakdown, but not like 17-alpha alkylation. The reason for the change of position I assume, is because alkylating at the 17-alpha position has been shown to reduce affinity for sex hormone binding proteins. This would in turn decrease its ability to free testosterone. Nonetheless the delivery rate is quite good. Its taken daily in 50-100 mg doses.

The best thing to stack it with is testosterone of course. Its most easily bound to SHBG and albumin, and deactivated for up to 98%. Since the DHT can compete for these structures with higher affinity it would naturally lead to a higher yield of whatever testosterone product you stacked it with. Since DHT levels are notably higher now there is also more stimulation of the androgen receptor causing more strength gains, and because of its affinity for aromatase the overall estrogen level decreases as well. This has as a result that gains are leaner, and once again the overall testosterone yield is increased as less I converted at the aromatase enzyme.

It's of course used in other stacks with products such as methandrostenolone, boldenone and nandrolone to reduce estrogenic activity and increase muscle hardness. The addition of proviron makes boldenone a dead lock for a cutting stack and for some may even make it possible to use nandrolone while cutting, although the use of Winstrol or a receptor antagonist in conjunction is wishful as well. The benefit of adding it to a nandrolone stack is that it may also help you reduce the decrease in libido suffered from nandrolone, since the latter is mostly deactivated by 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme that makes other hormones more androgenic. Proviron is an anti-aromatase, so obviously anti-estrogens would be futile and redundant. Blood pressure medication for those prone to hypertension may be wise, as this DHT can increase the blood pressure.

[RRAdam]

Parabolin
Pharmaceutical Name: trenbolone (as hexahydrobencylcarbonate)
Chemical structure: 17-beta-hydroxyestra-4, 9-11-trien-3-one
Effective dose: 76 mg every 2-3 days, 152 mg every 3-4 days


Parabolan is another trenbolone product, in the same nature as Finaplix, so what's been said for finaplix pretty much goes for Parabolan as well. It differs distinctly in a few characteristics. Parabolan is a different ester that acts considerably longer, meaning you could go longer without injecting. But since it comes in 76 mg vials and few people take the time to inject multiple vials at once, its still used on a frequent basis. 2 or 3 days between injections seems to be the general norm. Leading up to a similar build-up of 228-304 mg per week.

Another difference is that Parabolan was specifically designed for human use. That would in itself make it a better choice than Finaplix because it needn't be prepared and the chance of faulty, painful, home-brewed injections decreases. But since it hasn't been manufactured in a while and legit lots only surface from time to time the price of the stuff is quite high. As more bodybuilders become aware of the absence of Finaject and that it is very hard to fake Finaplix, Parabolan is also being faked quite a bit. Usually fake trenbolone compounds are a low-dose testosterone propionate product. This has often lead to the belief that trenbolone causes gyno and other estrogenic effects, but that simply isn't true.

This belief has taken on a life of its own though. Making theories pop up all over the place. The only one that made sense, from some point at least, was that trenbolone was progestagenic and acted at the progesterone receptor. Its structure is similar to nandrolone, so this is a logical assumption. But even then, for progesterone activation to cause things like gyno, it needs to act as an estrogen agonist. It needs an estrogen as mediator. Since trenbolone doesn't cause aromatization, any sighting of gyno with trenbolone use should be regarded as a misinterpretation and is most likely to blame on another compound, an aromatizable one. So while trenbolone may increase the risk of gyno when stacked with heavily aromatizing substances, its simply not true that trenbolone alone causes gyno.

Trenbolone is relatively safe steroid all in all. There is some concern about kidney toxicity, but usually exaggerated. The beauty of trenbolone is that its one steroid that has it all : Its highly effective in its own, provides all lean gains which are fairly easy to maintain and isn't very prone to cause side-effects. Parabolan is the more expensive way to go, but definitely the most userfriendly as you side-step the need to make your own home-brewed concoction and any risk of involuntary infections and abscesses. Parabolan is quite hard to come by however, and should you find a real one, its not all that cheap.

Trenbolone doesn't have to be stacked per se, its quite effective on its own and as such is quite popular with beginners as it delivers good lean gains without extra costs. 76 mg every two or three days and you are done. But some prefer to stack it, and justly so. As a strong androgen mediator it stacks particularly well with base steroids such as nandrolone, boldenone and methenolone. Nandrolone for bulking, methenolone for cutting and boldenone can be used for either. As with basically any steroid, it stacks quite well with all forms of testosterone as well, most notably testosterone propionate during a cutting cycle.

Trenbolone is preferred over Winstrol, Masteron, Proviron and so forth in strength, so simply upping the dose to every day would be a better choice than stacking it with these compounds. Great gains can be obtained using oxymetholone or methandienone with trenbolone. Of course for short stacks of 6 odd weeks, and taking the necessary precautions. You need to use Nolva and probably add some winstrol if you are stacking with oxymetholone, since both oxy and tren have some progestagenic activity. So all in all a very useful, powerful and versatile steroid in use. There is little or no need to stack secondary drugs with Parabolan. It does not aromatize. There is some concern as to Parabolan being progestagenic, so you should you opt to stack it with an aromatizable compound it may worsen potential gynocomastia so adding winstrol or Nolvadex, or even both to such a stack may be wise. But in itself or in a non-aromatizing stack this is not necessary. The use for post-cycle estrogen antagonists is limited as well, so Nolva or clomid to boost natural test will have little use. It is a very strong androgen receptor agonist however, so perhaps using some HCG from the second to the before last week of a cycle may help you retain more gains and prevent testicular shrinkage.

[RRAdam]

Miotolan
Pharmaceutical Name: Furazabol
Chemical structure: 17-alpha-methyl-5-alpha-androsta-2,3-furazan,17b-ol
Effective dose: 20-50 mg/day



Furazabol reminds us of Stanozolol (Winstrol) strucrurally. Its similar in appearance in that it's a DHT molecule with a 17-alpha-methyl group for oral availability, and has no 3-keto group, needed for androgenic binding. But instead of a 2,3-pyrazol group, furazabol has a 2,3-furazan group. The difference may not be all that big, both groups contain 2 nitrogen atoms and 2 double bonds and both are present instead of the 3-keto group. The advantage is that its not readily deactivated and therefore whatever influences it has, they are consistent. The downside is that the lack of a 3-keto group, which will impair its overall androgenic potency. So in that aspect again comparable to stanozolol. Anabolics 2002, without a doubt the best reference guide for steroids in print, lists Furazabol as extremely androgenic however, which is no doubt just an oversight. In nearly every way the behaviour of furazabol would be identical to that of Stanozolol.

It's an obscure steroid, that's the least we can say. Its only manufactured in Japan and in tabs of 1 mg. Low availability makes the cost of this steroid rather high, and its not particularly easy to find. Perhaps a tad more potent than Stanozolol, the doses used lay in the same neighbourhood, 20-50 mg/day. The higher doses being the preference. The demand for it isn't very high either, because Winstrol/Stromba is a popular and cheap to come by. The only benefit of its obscurity is that noone will invest in faking it. So if you do come across Furazabol, you have pretty good odds that the stuff is legit.

Now, the literature does not make a whole lot of mention of furazabol, but from what I was able to find1, it supports the weak nature of the steroid. In one case it was found that furazabol was a good treatment for hyperlipemia, and this without affecting proteinuria (the prevention of excretion of amino acids, where one would expect a steroid to increase proteinuria and not effect hyperlipemia). The low androgen binding may explain the lack of effect it had on proteinuria. The doses used were considerably high though, at least for furazabol. 1.1 mg/kg/day. That means a 200 lb bodybuilder would be using around 90-100 mg/day

Furazabol can be considered a relatively light steroid therefore. It is not estrogenic in anyway, on account of its dihydro structure and its lack of estrogenic action and low androgenic binding make it have fairly little influence on the body's own testosterone production. Much like Winstrol (stanozolol) and Anavar (oxandrolone). In the long run suppression will occur of course, but because it occurs much slower a user will suffer less from testicular atrophy and therefore bounce back easier when a cycle is concluded. There is a slim chance of androgenic risk, as with Winstrol, but its not frequent or severe. So acne, increased body and facial hair and even an aggravation of male pattern hair loss can occur, but it's a lot less likely than with more androgenic specimen.

Furazabol is a 17-alpha-alkylated steroid, and therefore has a level of hepatoxicity. In the interest of protecting your liver, you should not extend use beyond 6-8 weeks maximum. It's a mild steroid with no estrogenic activity, so logically its best used when cutting in stacks with Equipoise (boldenone undecylenate), Finaplix (trenbolone acetate) or Primobolan (methenolone enanthate) and the needed fat-burners of course. Unlike most steroids, this drug has a relatively short half-life2 however. It compensates with quite long activity (15-33% excretion of unchanged metabolites after 24 hours) so a single dose should be enough to get you through the day. But on account of the low half-life time, you may want to consider splitting doses in two each day. Because it doesn't aromatize and doesn't have a strong androgenic component, the use of ancillary drugs is limited. The use of Clomid or Nolvadex after a cycle is certainly advised, though the merit may be rather limited. There is no need for anti-estrogens or blood pressure medication during the cycle.

[RRAdam]

Methyltestosterone
Pharmaceutical Name: Methyltestosterone
Chemical structure: 17alpha-methyl-4-androstene-3-one,17b-ol
Effective dose: 25-50 mg/day


Methyltestosterone was, well, still is the worlds first oral steroid developed. Using the now infamous 17-alpha-methyl alteration to render the base hormone, testosterone, orally active. However, unlike the whole host of injectable testosterones, methyltest is a rather crude and not very well liked compound. Mostly due to this alteration. Methyltestosterone is to testosterone, what Dianabol (methandrostenolone) is to Equipoise (boldenone). On the one hand the 17-alpha-alkylation of the steroid gives it less affinity for the aromatase enzyme so less estrogen is formed, but as with Dianabol, the estrogen formed is 17-methyl-estradiol, which is much more potent. Just as we will notice serious bloat and water retention with Dianabol, we will see the same with methyltestosterone, but to a much greater degree, simply because the base structure has twice the tendency to aromatize. With this amount of estrogenic effects, gynocomastia is a very real threat and concomitant use of an anti-estrogen is strongly advised.

The alteration also decreases the affinity for other structures. First and foremost the androgen receptor. This offers us few benefits. Due to the decreased androgenic activity the potency of methyltestosterone is weaker than that of testosterone, but even in terms of androgenic risk nothing is really gained. Testosterone being the prime androgen, even with this alteration risk of hair loss, acne, prostate hypertrophy and a whole host of other side-effects is never far away. Also, where Dianabol has little to no conversion to a more active androgen by way of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, methyl-testosterone still shows fair affinity for this particular enzyme and converts to the powerful 17-methyl-Dihydrotestosterone. These type of side-effects alone will turn most experienced users off of methyl-testosterone, at least when equally priced and more controllable injectable products are available. As with any potent androgen, some men may develop aggressive tendencies during its use.

As with Dianabol, what we have on our hands here is a very potent mass builder and all in all an effective steroid when observed individually. 40-50 mg per day taken for just a few weeks can make drastic changes. But since many already find the bloat and fat gain of Dianabol a bit much to tolerate, this steroid is never in high demand. Dianabol is more available, provides extremely good results, is quite safe and comparatively cheap. So there is a multitude of reasons why methyltestosterone is rarely used. It seems, however, that it is making a re-introduction as a medical aid for oligospermic men, especially in the United States. One reason for this may in fact be the low demand for it on the black market, making more physicians comfortable in prescribing it due to a lowered chance of abuse.

Lastly, as with all 17-alpha-alkylated steroids, we need to mention the risk for liver damage. A methyl-testosterone product used for extensive time periods can cause severe hepatoxicity, so use is best limited to 6, maximum 8 weeks on end followed by an off-period of equal length or longer.

In conclusion, most will find methyl-testosterone to not be worth their while. The side-effects are ever present, and while they can easily be combated with a combination of arimidex and finasteride, it seems a bit idiotic to pay 15 or more dollars per day on ancillary drugs that will reduce the anabolic activity, while spending only 1-2 bucks at most on the steroid itself.

Those still seeking to use methyltest will probably do so out of necessity and will not be stacking it with another anabolic/androgenic steroid. For such use 40-50 mg taken in a single daily dose upon waking, for a period no longer than 8 weeks would be ideal. Some may wish to use this steroid, like Dianabol, to kickstart a cycle and get results sooner at the beginning of a longer cycle of injectable testosterone, possibly stacked with another base compound such as boldenone or nandrolone. In that case 30 mg or so, again in a single morning dose, taken for the first 5-6 weeks of said cycle would provide the needed benefits. Since this is only useful in bulking stacks with aromatizable steroids, the resulting severity of side-effects will be grave. One needs to verify he is not at risk for hair loss or prostate hypertrophy first, and have ancillary drugs such as Nolvadex, arimidex and finasteride on hand to control the side-effects.

In terms of ancillaries, If gynocomastia symptoms should appear, one should start the use of 20 mg of Nolvadex daily and start a cycle of 0.5 mg of anastrozole (arimidex) alongside it. After 3-4 days, the Nolva can be discontinued, but the anastrozole should be continued for a while longer. Some have asked me about the use of Proviron in this matter, but in my opinion one needs to realize how much DHT will be present with the use of this compound to begin with, it may do more harm than good to add more of it (Proviron being a 1-methyl-DHT). So granted, anastrozole is quite expensive, but needs to be given preference here. I don't normally approve of the use of finasteride, because DHT often offers a steroid user more benefits than problems (apart from those prone to hair loss) and the blocking thereof may reduce the results obtained, in this case, especially at the beginning of a longer injectable testosterone cycle, one may choose to look into its use. Natural testostosterone shutdown may be quite severe, so the use of HCG and Nolvadex or clomid post-cycle is virtually a must.

[RRAdam]

Esiclene
Formebolone

Esiclene is a steroid that is somewhat different from the others. The substance formebolone is available in various forms of administration. For athletes only the injectable version is of interest. Because of its anabolic effect, Esiclene is not well suited as a steroid for athletes. In bodybuilding, however, it is a highly valued and commonly used compound since it has the unusual characteristic of allowing any muscle to increase in diameter and size within the shortest period. How is this possible? Esiclene stimulates the muscle tissue located at the point of injection. The tissue defends itself or shall we say, reacts with a local inflammation.

This is manifested by an accumulation of tissue fluid from the lymph system which is the cause for the swelling or enlargement of the injected muscle. In order to avoid any misunderstandings we want to explicitly emphasize once more that the liquid is not accumulating in the skin but actually in the muscle tissue. Now it should also be clear why all other forms of administration of the compound will bring no results for bodybuilders. Since an inflammation is normally painful, each Esiclene ampule also in-cludes 20 mg lidocaine, a mild painkiller. The injection itself is not painful but an unpleasant feeling at the point of injection is noted for about a day. Since the substance dissolves in water, Esiclene's duration of effect is limited so that the swelling begins to decrease after about one day, and after at most 4-5 days the muscle is back to its normal size. For this reason, bodybuilders use Esiclene only during the last 7-14 days before a competition to shape up less-developed muscle groups. In order to compen-sate for the decrease in swelling, the compound is usually in-jected daily. Smaller muscle groups such as biceps, triceps, del-toid muscles and calves are especially suitable and thus preferred over others.

Over a period of 1-2 weeks a temporary growth gain of 1-1,5 inches on arms and calves can be obtained. At most, two or three different muscles are usually injected at the same time. Often the athlete starts with a 1 ml injection; during the following days it is increased to 2 ml = 1 ampule per muscle. Esiclene, for this purpose, is injected with insulin needles. Esiclene is also popular among women since it is highly effective. It has also been proven that Esiclene, as is com-mon for water-dissolved steroids, helps the athlete to achieve a bet-ter muscle hardness over the entire body during the course of his preparation for a competition. Some bodybuilders use Esiclene over a longer period in regular intervals, usually 2 ml every 5-7 days, in order to stimulate the growth of an extremely obstinate arm or calf muscle. Apart from the pain at the point of injection and, in some cases, a somewhat awkward-looking muscle, Esiclene has no sig-nificant negative side effects. It is difficult to find Esiclene on the black market. Six ampules are included in a box with a pull-out plastic bed. One ampule contains 2 ml of injection liquid with 4 mg of dissolved substance.

[RRAdam]

Nilevar
Norethandrolone

This is an oral steroid which is a derivative of nortesterone. It is interesting that Nilevar is produced by the same manufacturer who also introduced the well-known Anavar to the U.S. market. Nilevar, which was already sold in American pharmacies in 1956, was a precursor of Anavar which was introduced to the market in 1964 by Searle USA. It has since been voluntarily removed from the mar-ket. Thus it is not surprising that Nilevar has certain similarities to Anavar or Oxandrolone. 11ke Oxandrolone it has only a weak ana-bolic effect, whereas the androgenic component is distinctly stron-ger. Nilevar, even in low dosages, aromatizes easily so that the in-creased estrogen level could become a problem. The main effect of Nilevar, in part, is a considerable strength gain. This gain often goes hand in hand with a distinct water retention, especially if high dosages are taken, which also explains the gain in body weight of its users. The manufacturer of the French and Swiss Nilevar recom-mends a daily dose of 10-30 mg. Athletes using Nilevar-usually powerlifters-take 30-40 mg/day, divided into two to three equal dosages. it is mostly used for a short period, a maximum of 4-6 weeks. Women should not take Nilevar since it can cause considerable virilization symptoms. Nilevar is I 7-alpha alkylated and there-fore potentially hepatoxic which put-, stress on the liver. Other pos-sible side effects are acne, gynecomastia, aggressiveness, headaches, gastrointestinal pain, reduced production of the body's own hor-mones and high blood pressure..

[RRAdam]

Turinabol
chlordehydromethyltestosterone

Oral-Turinabol is an oral steroid which was developed during the early 1960's.

OT has a predominantly anabolic effect which is combined with a relatively low androgenic component. On a scale of 1 to 100 the androgenic effect is very low -only a 6- and the anabolic effect is 53. (In comparison: the androgenic effect of Dianabol is 45 and its anabolic effect is 90.) Oral-Turinabol thus has milligram for milli-gram a lower effect than Dianabol. It is therefore not a steroid that causes a rapid gain in strength, weight, and muscle mass. Rather, the achievable results manifest themselves in a solid muscle gain and, if taken over several weeks, also in a good strength gain. The athlete will certainly not get a puffy look as is the case with Test-osterone, Dianabol, and Anadrol 50. The maximum blood concen-tration of Oral-Turinabol when taking 10, 20 or 40 mg/day is 1.5 -3.5 or 4.5 times the endogenous testosterone concentration (also see Dianabol). This clearly shows that the effectiveness of this compound strongly depends on the dosage.

0.4 x pound (body weight) x days = number of tablets to take overall during the interval of intake
mg / tablet


An athlete weighing 200 pounds would take only 4 tablets of 5 mg (20mg/day.) In our experience bodybuilders take 8-10 tablets of 5 mg, that is 40-50 mg/day. Many enthusiastically report good results with this dosage: one builds a solid muscle mass, the strength gain is worthwhile seeing, the water retention is very low, and the estrogen-caused side effects are rare. Not without good reason OT is also popular among powerlifters and weightlifters who appreciate these characteristics.

Due to its characteristics OT is also a suitable steroid both for men and women in competitions. A usually very effective stack for male bodybuilders consists of 50 mg OT/day, 228 mg Parabolan/week, and 150 mg Winstrol Depot/week. Those who have brought their body fat content to a low level by dieting and/or by using fatburning substances (e.g. Clenbuterol, Ephedrine, Salbutamol, Cytomel, Triacana), will find that the above steroid combination will manifest itself in hard, sharply-defined but still dense and full muscles. No enlarged breasts, no estrogen surplus, and no watery, puffy-look-ing muscle system. If OT were available on the U.S. black market for steroids, bodybuilders, powerlifters, and weightlifters would go crazy for this East German anabolic.

OT enjoys a great popularity since it is quickly broken down by the body and the metabolites are excreted relatively quickly through the urine. The often-posed question regarding how many days before a test OT can be taken in order to be "clean" is difficult to answer specifically or in general. We know from a reli-able source that athletes who only take OT as a steroid and who, in part, take dosages of 10- 15 tablets/day, have discontinued the com-pound exactly five days before a doping test and tested negative. These indications are supported by the fact that even positive urine analyses have rarely mentioned the names Oral-Turinabol or chlordehydromethyl-testosterone.

The potential side effects of OT usually depend on the dosage level and are gender-specific. in women, depending on their predisposi-tion, the usual virilization symptoms occur and increase when dos-ages of more than 20 mg per day are taken over a prolonged time. In men the already discussed reduced testosterone production can rarely be avoided. Gynecomastia occurs rarely with OT Since the response of the water and electrolyte household is not overly dis-tinct athletes only rarely report water retention and high blood pressure. Acne, gastrointestinal pain, and uncontrolled aggressive behavior are also the exception rather than the rule with OT An increased libido is reported in most cases by both sexes. Since the substance chlordehydromethyltestosterone is I 7-alpha alkylated the manufacturer in its package insert recommends that the liver func-tion be checked regularly since it can be negatively affected by high dosages and the risk of possible liver damage cannot be excluded. Thus OT is also a steroid that can be taken without interruption for long intervals. Studies of male athletes who over a period of six weeks were given 10 mg OT/day did not show any indications of health-threatening effects.

[RRAdam]

Pharmaceutical Name: Stenbolone (as Acetate)
Chemical structure: 2-methyl-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one,17b-ol




Stenbolone acetate was first marketed by Syntex in 1963, but has since been discontinued almost 15 years ago now, despite a great popularity. I get the strange impression that a lot of popular steroids disappeared around that time, which is a real shame. Syntex had previously marketed oxymetholone, but with the high doses needed of oxymetholone and its poor androgenic properties, it lead to problems with excessive bloating, gyno and liver toxicity. Syntex's answer was Stenbolone. It was mistakenly called injectable anadrol by a lot of users, even though the steroids were as different as night and day (similar mistakes were made with Searle's Nilevar and Anavar).

Stenbolone actually closely resembles the steroid methenolone (Primobolan). The only difference is that instead of a 1-methyl group, it has a 2-methyl group. The same difference that separates drostanolone (Masteron) and mesterolone (Proviron). In characteristics this changes very little, one can assume stenbolone to have roughly the same effect as methenolone. It's a 5-alpha-structure, a 5-alpha reduced version of boldenone. That means it doesn't aromatize to estrogen and does not cause problems with bloating through water retention, or gynocomastia (growth of breast tissue in men). That took care of the first problem. But at the same time the 1,2-double bond in its structure made it less androgenic than one would expect from a 5-alpha-reduced steroid. As with boldenone, which is only half as androgenic as testosterone, Stenbolone is only half as androgenic as Dihydrotestosterone, the 5-alpha-reduced version of testosterone. So despite the fact that it did not cause estrogenic problems, it didn't really cause androgenic problems to a great extent either. So a user would worry less about hair loss, acne, prostate hypertrophy and deepening of voice than he would with say, testosterone.

So what really is the difference between stenbolone and methenolone (Primobolan)? Well, there really isn't one. The 1-methyl group serves a function to increase oral activity. But since there is no oral stenbolone, that point is irrelevant. The 1-methyl group serves no real purpose to the injectable form of methenolone. So they are the same. I would assume the addition of a 2-methyl group on stenbolone was the same as that of drostanolone, to protect the 3-keto group and improve stability and androgenic binding. But here too the alteration is fairly useless. The reason methenolone and stenbolone have reduced androgenic activity is the 1,2-double bond, but that same double bond also keeps it from being readily deactivated by the 3a-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme, as the case is with Dihydrotestosterone (drostanolone is 2-methyl-DHT). So the need for the 2-methyl alteration is minimal at best.

So we've established that in characteristics there is no difference between injectable methenolone and stenbolone. But what is of relevance is that stenbolone is only made as an acetate ester, and that injectable methenolone is only made as an enanthate ester. That means upon injection methenolone stayed active much longer and a single weekly injection would suffice for proper action. The acetate ester on stenbolone only lasted two days at best, so it was to be injected daily for proper effect. So for convenience one would have preferred methenolone enanthate over stenbolone acetate. A good use for a shorter ester may have been to avoid testing positive in a drug test. The shorter ester could be used longer, closer to contest time, and needed less time to clear the blood and urine. But oddly enough stenbolone disappeared off the market around the time that drug testing became really popular. In that aspect stenbolone was ahead of its time. The use of such a drug, being mild and non-aromatizing, was mainly as a base compound during cutting phases. An athlete would find that stenbolone made a great anti-catabolic, that allowed him to keep his mass while on a hardcore diet. And it made a good match for other steroids that served the same purpose like stanozolol (Winstrol) and trenbolone (Finaplix, although at that time Parabolan was still available). Like one would use Nandrolone (Deca-durabolin, Laurabolin) during a mass phase, stenbolone and methenolone were used during cutting phases. Because of its mild nature, several female competitors liked stenbolone as well.





As a non-aromatizing injectable, the male athlete would typically use around 50 mg of stenbolone, to be injected daily. Around 350 mg/week. Strong competitors even went as high as injected the 100 mg/ml amps daily, totaling a whopping 700 mg per week. It was rarely if ever used alone. It made a good match for other mild non-aromatizing compounds during cutting phases, drugs like oxandrolone (Anavar) and stanozolol (Winstrol/Stromba) at 30-50 mg/day. One could use it for mass gaining purposes as well, as a base for the likes of testosterone, methandrostenolone (Dianabol) or oxymetholone (Anadrol). Usually with good success, although today's athletes would prefer a longer-acting compound like Primobolan Depot for that purpose, which is convenient since the Primobolan is still made, and stenbolone is now extinct.

As far as ancillary drugs are concerned with stenbolone, their use is minimal. No anti-estrogens are required because it is incapable of forming estrogen. Since its only a mild, and due to its short ester, very controllable androgen, no real precautions need to be taken on that front either. Simply discontinuing the product when problems arise should suffice. Post-cycle use of Nolvadex or clomid for a short period of time is recommend, but has a limited use. After long cycles (10+ weeks) one may consider using HCG and a longer therapy with Nolvadex and or clomid to bring back natural testosterone faster and help one retain the gains made. Females will find that 25-50 mg injected every other day will more than suffice for good results. Females are also advised to keep an anti-androgen like spironolactone handy in case virilizing symptoms surface. Product should then be discontinued and using 50 mg/day of spironolactone (Aldactone) for 3-4 days should remedy the worst.

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[quote=tribal;246349] Toremifene Citrate/Fareston Profile

Pharmaceutical Name: Toremifene Citrate
Drug Class: Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator
Active Life: 5-7 days

Toremifene citrate is a non-steroidal triphenylethylene derivative that exhibits anti-estrogenic properties. It acts as an estrogen receptor antagonist and is quite comparable to tamoxifen citrate in both its actions and mechanisms by which they work. However it is the apparent improved safety of use that toremifene citrate offers that is the main benefit behind it for strength athletes, bodybuilders and other steroid users. Medically, toremifene citrate was developed and is still used to treat breast cancer and was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this use in the United States in 1995.

Similar to the other more commonly used selective estrogen receptor modulators used by steroids users, namely clomiphene citrate and tamoxifen citrate, the toremifene citrate molecule binds to estrogen receptors. Thus this leads to the estrogen being blocked from interacting with the receptor and it can not have any influence thereby remaining inactive in that tissue. By doing so an "anti-estrogenic" effect is achieved.

The difficulty in using toremifene citrate is the lack of research conducted using human subjects, and specifically male subjects. While it is possible to apply most of what is known about the other selective estrogen receptor modulators to toremifene citrate, independent research conducted with the drug itself is invaluable and therefore a risk is taken when using the drug because of the lack of information. Unfortunately toremifene citrate is possibly the least researched selective estrogen receptor modulator, with the possible exception of raloxifene.

Despite the lack of human-based research available, in terms of its use in steroid users, toremifene citrate can help in two ways. Firstly due to the binding affinity of the compound it is able to help in the prevention of gynocomastia. Toremifene citrate will compete with estrogen for the estrogen receptors in certain tissues, including the breast, and if it can bind to the receptor estrogen will not have an opportunity to interact with receptor and therefore gynocomastia should not be able to develop. When using anabolic steroids that can convert to estradiol (estrogen) this protection against gynocomastia can be invaluable. However it should be noted that toremifene citrate will not eliminate the estrogen or disallow the conversion to occur. Instead it attempts to counteract the effects of circulating estrogen in the body in those tissues that the drug effects. Therefore there is no evidence that toremifene citrate has any effects counteracting estrogenic side effects that are unrelated to the tissues not affected by the drug. Namely there is no real causal connection to any reduction in water retention and acne in users that begin taking toremifene citrate as it relates to estrogen.

The second, and possibly more beneficial, aspect of toremifene citrate for steroid users is its ability to increase the production of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, and therefore increasing testosterone. This ability is why it is often used by steroid users during their post-cycle therapy. Toremifene citrate would accomplish this by blocking the negative feedback inhibition caused by estrogen at the hypothalamus and pituitary, and this in turn will help to increase the production of these hormones. Currently there is no available research that directly links toremifene citrate to being able to raise testosterone levels in male users, however due to the nearly identical mechanisms that both tamoxifen and toremifene citrate use and the reactions that they produce in the body, it would be easy to extrapolate that both drugs should have similar effects in this respect as well. Anecdotally users have reported good results with toremifene citrate and say that they are at least comparable that those of tamoxifen citrate.

One area where it has seemingly been demonstrated that toremifene citrate outperforms tamoxifen citrate is in terms of its positive effects on the regulation of serum cholesterol (1, 2). It has been shown that toremifene citrate not only supports HDL synthesis, but also LDL reductions. This is due to the estrogenic action of the drug in the liver. While there is some evidence that tamoxifen citrate produces a somewhat similar response, this is significantly outweighed by the response produced by toremifene citrate. It appears that toremifene citrate would be a solid addition for cholesterol support during an anabolic steroid cycle, where the results produced by tamoxifen citrate in the available research are sometimes less then significant.


Use/Dosing

In terms of dosing, sixty milligrams of toremifene citrate has been shown to be similar in effect to that of approximately twenty milligrams of tamoxifen citrate in terms of estrogen receptor binding ability (3). From this it can be extrapolated that for treatment and/or prevention of gynocomastia sixty milligrams should be sufficient for treatment. The same could be said for use during post-cycle therapy when the user wants to raise his testosterone levels as quickly as possible. However, as stated earlier in this profile, no research is currently available that definitively states that there is a certain dosage of the drug that does indeed raise testosterone levels in users whose are suppressed.

In terms of dosing frequency, the drug has a fairly long active life therefore one could administer the compound once every few days. However to maintain fairly stable levels of the drug circulating in their system most users would be best served to administer the drug at least every other day or ideally every day. This ensures that there are no extreme spikes in the level of the drug and no severe tapering off.


Risks/Side Effects

In terms of the safety of toremifene citrate, there is some evidence that suggests that it is actually safer and presents less possible serious side effects then tamoxifen citrate (4). For example the risk of stroke, pulmonary embolism, and cataract are all lower when using toremifene citrate when compared to that of tamoxifen citrate (5), although the incident of ocular toxicity is fairly rare with both drugs (6).

There is no toxicity issues directly related to the use of toremifene citrate (2, 7). Any issues arising in this area were seemingly caused by the hormonal effects of the drug, rather then the properties of the drug itself. As well, most of these complications were connected to the disease, namely breast cancer, that the drug was being administered to treat. For the purposes of anabolic steroid users, toremifene citrate poses no potential toxicity issues.

The only major concern is that there is no available research on the long term effects of administration of this drug. Of course this is due to the drug only having been approved for use since the mid-1990s. Outside of these concerns however, it appears that toremifene is a relatively safe compound for use by most anabolic steroid users.



References

1. Saarto T, Blomqvist C, Ehnholm C, Taskinen MR, Elomaa I. Antiatherogenic effects of adjuvant antiestrogens: a randomized trial comparing the effects of tamoxifen and toremifene on plasma lipid levels in postmenopausal women with node-positive breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 1996 Feb;14(2):429-33.

2. Kusama M, Miyauchi K, Aoyama H, Sano M, Kimura M, Mitsuyama S, Komaki K, Doihara H. Effects of toremifene (TOR) and tamoxifen (TAM) on serum lipids in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2004 Nov;88(1):1-8.

3. Valavaara R, Pyrhonen S, Heikkinen M, Rissanen P, Blanco G, Tholix E, Nordman E, Taskinen P, Holsti L, Hajba A. Toremifene, a new antiestrogenic compound, for treatment of advanced breast cancer. Phase II study. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1988 Apr;24(4):785-90.

4. Riggs BL, Hartman L. Selective estrogen-receptor modulators -- mechanism of action and application to clinical practice. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:618-629.

5. Harvey HA, Kimura M, Hajba A. Toremifene: An evaluation of its safety profile. Breast. 2005 Nov 8

6. Gianni L, Panzini I, Li S, Gelber RD, Collins J, Holmberg SB, Crivellari D, Castiglione-Gertsch M, Goldhirsch A, Coates AS, Ravaioli A; International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG). Ocular toxicity during adjuvant chemoendocrine therapy for early breast cancer: results from International Breast Cancer Study Group trials. Cancer. 2006 Feb 1;106(3):505-13.

7. Gong C, Song E, Jia W, Qin L, Guo J, Jia H, Hu X, Su F. A double-blind randomized controlled trial of toremifen therapy for mastalgia. Arch Surg. 2006 Jan;141(1):43-7.

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[vassille]

[quote=vassille;559042][quote=tribal;246349] Exemestane/Aromasin Profile

Pharmaceutical Name: Exemestane
Drug Class: Aromatase Inhibitor
Active Life: 24-30 hours

Exemestane is a steroidal suicide aromatase inhibitor/irreversible aromatase inactivator, lowering production of estrogen in the body by blocking the aromatase enzyme. Similar in structure to formestane, exemestane’s medical use like most aromatase inhibitors is for treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer. It is usually only prescribed in those cases where therapies using less aggressive compounds have not produced the results hoped for, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators.

For use by strength athletes and bodybuilders, exemestane has several properties that would be beneficial. First, exemestane reportedly can lower estrogen 85% on average (1). In doing so of course this will aid in the prevention of estrogen related side effects caused by aromatizing steroids. The drug also raises testosterone levels in users which can be advantageous if used during post-cycle therapy (2). Add to this the fact that there is some evidence that exemestane may elevate levels of insulin growth factor [IGF] (3).

Like other aromatase inhibitors, there is also conflicting information and studies regarding the effect that exemestane has on users blood lipids/cholesterol, with some studies indicating that the compound has little to no effect while others say that it is quite harsh (4,5).


Use/Dosing

Exemestane reaches peak plasma concentrations within 2 hours following the oral administration of a 25 mg dose (1). The active life of the drug is between 24 and 30 hours. This is significant since it is quite shorter than for the non-steroidal inhibitors (1). A single oral dose of 25 milligrams of exemestane causes a relatively long-lasting reduction in plasma and urinary estrogen levels, with maximal suppression occurring approximately 2 to 3 days after dosing and persists for about 4 to 5 days (1, 4).

It has been shown that 25 milligrams of exemestane is basically just as effective as 50 milligrams at suppressing estrogen, raising testosterone levels, and levels of IGF (2). It is therefore unnecessary to go higher in doses than 25 milligrams per day. Due to the active life of the compound exemestane should be administered roughly once every twenty-four hours.

It appears that the only negative aspect of the compound in terms of the dosing schedule is that it takes approximately seven days for it to reach steady blood plasma levels. However, this is not a major hindrance to its use. It just simply requires that a user begin using exemestane a week prior to when they want the effect of the compound to be full realized.


Risks/Side Effects

Exemestane has no significant drug toxicity at doses up to 600 milligrams per day. It is well tolerated by most users with the maximum tolerated dose toxicity not yet being identified (1). Negative side effects related to the use of this compound are usually quite mild and can include things such as transient gastrointestinal effects, hot flashes, nausea, and/or fatigue (1, 2). As previously mentioned, the effect of exemestane on the blood lipids/cholesterol are unknown due to the conflicting research and therefore should be monitored when using the compound. Sexual dysfunction is also a possibility due to the lowering of estrogen levels as well. However reports of this are relatively rare.

Due to the mild negative side effects associated with the compound, as well as the potency of the drug in alleviating estrogen-related side effects when administering aromatizing anabolic steroids, exemestane is seemingly a relatively safe choice when looking for an aromatase inhibitor.


References

1. Brueggemeier RW. Overview of the pharmacology of the aromatase inactivator exemestane. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2002;74:177-185.

2. Mauras N, Lima J, Patel D, Rini A, di Salle E, Kwok A, Lippe B. Pharmacokinetics and dose finding of a potent aromatase inhibitor, aromasin (exemestane), in young males. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):5951-6.

3. Martinetti A, Zilembo N, Ferrari L, Massimini G, Polli A, La Torre I, Giovanazzi R, Pozzi P, Bidoli P, De Candis D, Seregni E, Bombardieri E, Bajetta E. Bone turnover markers and insulin-like growth factor components in metastatic breast cancer: results from a randomised trial of exemestane vs megestrol acetate. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jul-Aug;23(4):3485-91.

4. Buzdar AU. An overview of the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of the newer generation aromatase inhibitors anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane. Cancer. 2002 Nov 1;95(9):2006-16.

5. Atalay G, Dirix L, Biganzoli L, Beex L, Nooij M, Cameron D, Lohrisch C, Cufer T, Lobelle JP, Mattiaci MR, Piccart M, Paridaens R. The effect of exemestane on serum lipid profile in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer: a companion study to EORTC Trial 10951, 'Randomized phase II study in first line hormonal treatment for metastatic breast cancer with exemestane or tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients'. Ann Oncol. 2004 Feb;15(2):211-7.

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