Accurate Steroid Info

[Guest guest]

I was doing a google search on steroids and found this achieved Medibolics web site and found this article written half a decade ago that is a way more accurate then that odd steroid article reprinted here earlier today. Side effects and other issues are covered in detail in the footnotes--al

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Anabolic Steroids For AIDS Therapy: Differences Between Analogsby Mooneyexcerpted from Issue No. 1, revised July 1998

The table on the following page is designed to clear up some of the misconceptions regarding anabolic steroids as therapeutic agents for AIDS-related wasting therapy. Specifically, some anabolic steroids are rather benign compared to other more problematic steroids. This table is a guide to compare the relative risks to benefits for some of the common steroid analogs that are available in the United States (and many other parts of the world). It merges anecdotal information from my survey of doctors and athletes over many years and what little published data there is. Please note, studies show that anabolic steroids may be immuno-potentiating. 1, 2, 5, 6 Note, all anabolic steroids can inhibit the body's production of its own testosterone, and all can produce side-effects when the dose is high enough.

Compound/Tradename Anabolic Androgenic Effects/Side Effects/Reported Dosages

Nandrolone Decanoate Trade name is Deca Durabolin (injections) * * * * * A best steroid for men. Available in the USA/foreign high low to medium Some water retention, 100-400 mg./wk for men is relatively safe, very good lean muscle growth, women @ 25 mg./wk (to 50 mg. for severe wasting only - chance of virilization, improves immune metabolism 1,6 An NIH funded HIV study used 600 mg. per week with men.

Testosterone Enanthate or Cypionate * * * * * (Injections) Available - USA/overseas

high medium to high Good lean muscle growth. Higher doses increase potential for water retention, hair loss, acne, gynecomastia, Men 100-200 mg./week, strong effect on increase in libido, energy, appetite.

Stanozolol * * *

Trade name is Winstrol (Oral)

Available in the US. A good steroid for men and women. Cost effective.

low to medium very low Men need 6-18 mg. per day, women may use 4-8 mg. per day, very slight chance of virilizing for women, no water retention, watch liver enzymes with oral steroids in general. See note 4. Seems to increase the effectiveness of other steroids.

Stanozolol * * *

Trade name is Winstrol (injections)

This product is not available in the US. Included here because some PWA's obtain it from overseas sources and self-administer.

low to medium very low Some men respond well. No water retention, very slight chance of virilizing for women, injections need to be every 2-3 days. Water based injectable is 17 alpha alkylated - watch liver enzymes. Men - 50 - 100 mg. 2-3 x/week. Women/15 mg. 2-3x/ wk.

Methenolone) * * * Trade name is Primobolan Depot (injections) A good steroid for women Only available according to FDA guidelines from Europe, Mexico.

low

the lowest The "cleanest", gentlest anabolic steroid, presents the least chance of virilizing, no water retention, 400-1000 mg./week for men, 50 mg. to 200 mg./wk for severe wasting in women. Primobolan is very weak, though, too weak for men.

Methenolone

Primobolan * *

(Oral = tablets)

Availability same as injectable. A good steroid for women

low the lowest Same as above, 50-300 mg./day for men, up to 100 mg./day for women. This oral steroid is not 17-alkylated and should be very safe for the liver, but does not absorb well. Too weak for men.

Oxandrolone * * * (Oxandrin) (Oral)

A good steroid for women and men

Oxandrin available in US Very expensive at $3.75 per 2 mg. tablet

low to medium very low Some growth over about 15-30 mg./day for men, very slight chance of virilization for women, does not stunt growth in children, men need 15 - 80 mg./day, women 10-30 mg./day, children .1 mg./kg or 2.5-5 mg./day. Some potential for liver toxicity, expecially above 20 mg./day. HIV+ and negative women report water retention and fat gains as well as lean tissue gains.

Oxymetholone µµ Trade name - Anadrol-50 (oral) Expensive at $12 per tablet

very high medium 10 - 100 mg./day for men. Most powerful oral steroid. Potential for balding, high blood pressure, water retention, body hair growth, gynecomastia, etc... Watch liver enzymes (especially GGT, and bilirubin). HIV study with males & females, at 150 mg./day/30 wks showed no significant side effects, and 14% weight gain, but I am very skeptical of the lack of side-effects. May decrease glutathione production.

Stars mean: five stars = best rating, one star = lowest rating. Some good muscle-building steroids are given lower ratings because they may be more "problematic" (i.e. questions about side-effects). Nandrolone decanoate, a generic drug, costs about $14.00 (California price) for a 200 milligram bottle, where Deca Durabolin (trade-name by Organon) costs about $30.00 for the exact same compound. Buy the generic version and question a pharmacist who says they can't get nandrolone, then shop around. They make more money on Deca. Except for a few months two times in the last four years, generic nandrolone is readily available everywhere in the US. Some studies show that specific anabolic steroids have beneficial effects on specific immune functions.. 1, 2, 5, 6 Differences in how specific steroids affect the immune system in HIV should be studied. Many AIDS doctors use testosterone and the other anabolic steroids and see improvements in immune markers, and studies show that testosterone can delay the progression of other immune diseases, like the auto-immune disease lupus 7, so it may be proven that they are beneficial for the immune system for AIDS, too. Oral/tableted steroids are 17-alpha alkylated, and so they present a burden to the liver that can cause an increase in liver-specific blood tests because they are "somewhat" toxic to the liver, in a dose-dependent manner (Methenolone is an exception and is not 17-alkylated.) Injectable steroids, except perhaps injectable stanozolol (not sold in the US), which is 17-alpha alkylated, don't cause any significant liver burden. 3, 13 Injectables are generally preferred over oral steroids for this reason. Injectable steroids may appear to cause elevated multi-purpose liver blood tests (SGOT, SGPT, and LDH) during increased muscular or other stress in the body, though. Steroid-free athletes, with high metabolic and muscular stress may show some elevation of some of these blood tests, too. Numerous other drugs also increase these blood tests. Liver test elevations usually reverse with cessation of the steroids. Anecdotal evidence from competitive bodybuilders, and published data in the medical literature suggest that the incidence of liver toxicity from oral steroids is somewhat exaggerated and seldom creates severe problems in healthy humans. I suggest that physicians be particularly sensitive to the discrete liver readings bilirubin, GGT, and the liver isoenzyme of LDH. Data suggests that these are more consistent indicators than the multi-purpose liver tests, like SGOT, and SGPT, when looking for potential liver problems related to anabolic steroids. 11, 12 Of course, it is prudent to respond to liver function tests when pharmacology is complicated with compounds like the common AIDS medications. "Virilizing" means masculinizing. This can mean increased body hair growth, deeper voice, etc... in males and females. Women may find that they start to get oily skin and acne, grow dark peach fuzz or a mustache or other body hair, have increasing clitoral size, or develop other "male" characteristics with continued administration of steroids that are somewhat androgenic and virilizing. "Anabolic" characteristics are desirable for wasting therapy because it means increased lean body mass (LBM), which is highly correlative with survival in AIDS 4. "Androgenic" generally means more side effects, more virilizing, etc... and is generally undesirable when androgenic potential is high. However, we do need some natural androgenic activity for libido, energy, and health brain chemistry. Generally speaking, the less androgenic a steroid is, the less side-effects there will be. However, all anabolic steroids have some androgenic potential. The upper dosage listed for women is usually for severe wasting only. Women's bodies do not tolerate anabolic steroids as well as men in general, so doctors agree that it is best to be conservative in the dosages, except in special circumstances where there is severe wasting. The steroids that are more androgenic, like testosterone, may not be problematic if the dosage is appropriately low. It is wise to consider starting at the lowest dosage possible when women use steroids. Generally, less androgenic steroids also seem to produce less real anabolic activity. Dosages listed are based on a survey of the dosages used by medical doctors, and are not the authors' suggestions. This information is for your doctors' evaluation and is not to be construed as information to be used for self-medication. If you self-medicate, you do so at your own risk. Also note, these dosages are conservative and may be considerably higher based on specific patient needs. The conservative dosages in this table have been verified by medical doctors familiar with AIDS therapy to cause no significant problems in several articles.8, 9, 10

References cited:

Ooshika N et al, "Effect of an anabolic steroid on cellular immunity and postoperative evaluation of uterine cervical cancer." Japanese Journal of Cancer and Chemotherapy (1984) 11.10 : 2177-2184. Mendenhall CL et al, "Anabolic steroid effects on immune function: differences between analogues." J Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (1990) 37.1 : 71-76. Marquardt GH, Logan CE, Tomhave WG, Dowben RM, "Failure of non-17-alkylated steroids to produce abnormal liver function tests." J Clin Endo (1964) 24 : 1334-36. Kotler DP, Tierney AR, Wang J, Pierson RN, "Magnitude of body-cell-mass depletion and the timing of death from wasting in AIDS." Am J Clin Nutr (1989) 50 : 444-7. Calabrese LH, Kleiner SM, Barna BP, Skibrinski CI, "The effect of anabolic steroids and strength training on the human immune system." Med Sci Sports Exerc (1989) Aug., 21.4 : 386-92. Huys JV, Plum JR, "Effect of Nandrolone Decanoate on T-Cell Lymphocytes During Radiotherapy." Clin Therap (1979) 2.5 : 352-357. Ansar Ahmed S, Penhale WJ, Talal N, "Sex hormones, immune responses, and autoimmune diseases. Mechanisms of sex hormone action." Am J Pathol (1985) Dec., 121.3 : 531-551. Ehrichs L, “Testosterone may prevent AIDS wasting.†Family Practice Oct. 10, 1994, p.36. Jekot WF et al, “Treating HIV/AIDS patients with anabolic steroids.†AIDS Patient Care (1993) April, 7.2 : 11-17 Gilden D, “Weight loss: a role for growth hormone and anabolic steroids.†AIDS Treatment News Nov. 19, 1993, #187. Haupt, HA, et al., Anabolic steroids: A review of the literature. Am J Sports Med (1984) 12(6): 469- 484. Dickerman, R, et al., Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, aminotransferases, and anabolic steroids. Abstract Proc. Exp. Biol. Med. (1996) In Press Oct. 18-19. Welder, AA, et al., Toxic effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids in primary rat hepatic cell cultures. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods (1995) 33(4):187-95 1995

The contents of this table is for educational purposes only. No liability is assumed by the author for the use or misuse of the information contained in this publication. This information is not presented to diagnosis or treat any illness. The information contained here is the author's opinion and not that of a medical doctor. Specific medical advice about steroid therapy should be obtained from a licensed medical doctor. I do not recommend self-medicating as you should have a doctor follow your lab work carefully in case there are any medical complications. If you self-medicate, you do so at your own risk.