Dianabol (methandrostenolone)

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 likewise 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 antiestrogen such as Nolvadex® and/or Proviron®. The stronger drug Arimidex® (antiaromatase) would be a better choice, but can also be quite expensive in comparison to standard estrogen maintenance therapies.

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. The benefit received from Proscar®/Propecia® would therefore be insignificant, the drug serving 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 administered, Dianabol will produce exceptional mass and strength gains. In effectiveness it 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 4-5 tablets (20-25mg) 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 adds 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, 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 regard, and users therefore commonly take this drug without any need to addition an antiestrogen. 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 5 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.

Athletes are also often asking how to go about cycling 100 tablets when that is the only amount available to use. Although most strongly prefer to cycle at least 200 tablets, half this amount can be used successfully. The goal should be to intake an effective amount, but also to stretch it for as long as possible. We can do this by taking four tablets daily during the week (Monday to Friday) and abstaining on the weekend. This gives us a weekly total of 20 tablets, 100 tabs lasting the user five weeks. This should be a long enough time to receive noticeable gains from the drug, particularly if you have not used steroid extensively before. Although unconventional, it is not necessary to vary the pill dosage throughout a cycle. This method should provide a much more consistent gain than if attempting an intricate pyramid schedule, which can eat up most of your pills during dosage adjustments. As discussed earlier in this book, tapering the dosage toward the end would offer us no real benefit.

On the U.S. black market, one can find a variety of Dianabol preparations. Among the more popular today are the Ttokkyo 5mg and l0mg tablets from Mexico. These come in bottles of 100 or 1000 tablets, and have been circulating the black market in extremely high volumes. The l0mg version actually replaced the 5mg in the Ttokkyo product line, however both will probably be found circulating for some time. The Ttokkyo tablets bear a striking resemblance to the tiny pink Anabol tablets from Thailand, which are also still popular on the black market. Methandon is also available from Thailand, but is currently much less popular in the U.S. than the Anabol tabs. Also from this country is a new l0mg product called Danabol, produced in bottles of 500 tabs by the March Pharmaceutical Company. Reforvit is a Mexican veterinary injectable, which is prepared in a strength of 25mg/ml. A 50 ml bottle contains the equivalent of 250 tablets and sells for a reasonable price. A l0ml vial is also produced but rarely seen in the U.S. Most users opt to take this item orally as it is just as effective as tablets (and much less painful than injecting). One can purchase empty gelatin capsules in the health food store and inject Reforvit into them with a needle. Look for the `00' size capsule, which can hold one full ml of solution. More recently its manufacturer Loeffler has introduced an oral version, carrying a whopping 25mg of steroid per tablet. Denkall also makes l0mg capsules and a 25mg/ml injectable of this steroid, which are also commonly found in the U.S. as of late. The Russian generic product (METAHAPOCTEHOROH) tablets are also still found in the U.S., although the packaging of this steroid has been updated recently to reflect a more detailed tablet strip and box.

As of the printing of Anabolics 2000 I reported no preparation that was being made in a dosage over 5mg, but just two years later we now have several preparations carrying l0mg, and one weighing in with an incredible 25mg per tablet. That equates to 5 normal Dianabol tablets worth of steroid, which I think is clearly indicative of a new trend in steroid manufacturing. Understanding that the steroid market in many parts of the world really caters to athletes, many producers have seemingly been rushing to release newer and more shockingly high dosed products. Not only Dianabol, but also versions of Testosteronecypionate, Testosterone propionate, nandrolone decanoate, nandrolone laurate, stanozolol, boldenone undecylenate and oxandrolone have been released in the past two years carrying higher dosages than ever before seen commercially. With the extremely lucrative market for steroids at this time there is little doubt that this trend will continue.