Anavar info
Anavar was the
old U.S. brand name for the oral steroid oxandrolone, first
produced in 1964 by the drug manufacturer Searle. It was
designed as an extremely mild anabolic, one that could even
be safely used as a growth stimulant in children. One immediately
thinks of the standard worry, "steroids will stunt
growth". But it is actually the excess estrogen produced
by most steroids that is the culprit, just as it is the
reason why women stop growing sooner and have a shorter
average stature than men. Oxandrolone will not aromatize,
and therefore the anabolic effect of the compound can actually
promote linear growth. Women usually tolerate this drug
well at low doses, and at one time it was prescribed for
the treatment of osteoporosis. But the atmosphere surrounding
steroids began to change rapidly in the 1980's, and prescriptions
for oxandrolone began to drop. Lagging sales probably led
Searle to discontinue manufacture in 1989, and it had vanished
from U.S. pharmacies until recently. Oxandrolone tablets
are again available inside the U.S. by BTG, bearing the
new brand name Oxandrin. BTG purchased rights to the drug
from Searle and it is now manufactured for the new purpose
of treating HIV/AIDS related wasting syndrome. Many welcomed
this announcement, as Anavar had gained a very favorable
reputation among athletes over the years.
Anavar is a
mild anabolic with low androgenic activity. Its reduced
androgenic activity has much to due with the fact that it
is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone. Although you might
think at first glance this would make it a more androgenic
steroid, it in fact creates a steroid that is less androgenic
because it is already "5-alpha reduced". In other
words, Anavar lacks the capacity to interact with the 5-alpha
reductase enzyme and convert to a more potent "dihydro°
form. It is a simply matter of where a steroid is capable
of being potentiated in the body, and with oxandrolone we
do not have the same potential as testosterone, which is
several times more active in androgen responsive tissues
compared to muscle tissue due to its conversion to DHT.
It essence oxandrolone has a balanced level of potency in
both muscle and androgenic target tissues such as the scalp,
skin and prostate. This is a similar situation as is noted
with Primobolan and Winstrol, which are also derived from
dihydrotestosterone yet not known to be very androgenic
substances.
This steroid
is known as a good agent for the promotion of strength and
duality muscle mass gains, although the mild nature of this
compound makes it less than ideal for bulking purposes.
Among bodybuilders it is most commonly used during cutting
phases of training when water retention is a concern. The
standard dosage for men is in the range of 20-50mg per day,
a level that should produce noticeable results. It can be
further combined with anabolics like Primobolan and
Winstrol to elicit a harder. more defined look without
added water retention. Such combinations are very popular
and can dramatically enhance the show physique. One can
also add strong non-aromatizing androgens like Halotestin,
Proviron or trenbolone. In this case the androgen really
helps to harden up the muscles, while at the same time making
conditions more favorable for fat reduction. Some athletes
do choose to incorporate Anavar, oxandrolone into bulking
stacks. but usually with standard bulking drugs like testosterone
or Dianabol. The usual goal in this instance is an additional
gain of strength, as well as more quality look to the androgen
bulk. Women who fear the masculinizing effects of many steroids
would be quite comfortable using Anavar, as this is very
rarely seen with low doses. Here a daily dosage of 5mg should
illicit considerable growth without the noticeable androgenic
side effects of other drugs. Eager females may wish to addition
mild anabolics like Winstrol, Primobolan or Durabolin.
When combined with such anabolics, the user should notice
faster, more pronounced muscle-building effects, but may
also increase the likelihood of androgenic buildup.
Studies using
low dosages of this compound note minimal interferences
with natural testosterone production. Likewise when Anavar
is used alone in small amounts there is typically no need
for ancillary drugs like Clomid/Nolvadex or NCG.
This has a lot to do with the fact that it does not convert
to estrogen, which we know has an extremely profound effect
on endogenous hormone production. Without estrogen to trigger
negative feedback, we seem to note a higher threshold before
inhibition is noted. But at higher dosages of course, a
suppression of natural testosterone levels will still occur
with this drug as with any anabolic/androgenic steroid.
This makes clear
that while estrogen is important in this regard, androgen
action triggers feedback inhibition as well. In the context
of the average bodybuilder using this steroid at a level
to promote growth, we would probably expect that maintaining
a normal level of endogenous testosterone release would
likewise be very difficult.
Anavar is also
a 17alpha alkylated oral steroid, carrying an alteration
that is noted for putting stress on the liver. It is important
to point out however that dispite this alteration oxandrolone
is generally very well tolerated. While liver enzyme tests
will occasionally show elevated values, actual damage due
to this steroid is not a statistical problem. Bio-Technology
General states that oxandrolone is not as extensively metabolized
by the liver as other l7aa orals are; evidenced by the fact
that nearly a third of the compound is still intact when
excreted in the urine. This may have to do with the understood
milder nature of this agent (compared to other l7aa orals)
in terms of hepatotoxicity. One study comparing the effects
of oxandrolone to other agents including as methyltestosterone,
norethandrolone, fluoxymesterone and methAndriol clearly
supports this notion. Here it was demonstrated that Anavar,
oxandrolone causes the lowest sulfobromophthalein (BSP;
a marker of liver stress) retention among all the alkylated
orals tested. 20mg of oxandrolone in fact produced 72% less
BSP retention than an equal dosage of fluoxyrnesterone,
which is a considerable difference being that they possess
the same liver-toxic alteration. With such findings, combined
with the fact that athletes rarely report trouble with Anavar,
most feel comfortable believing Anavar to be much safer
to use during longer cycles than most of other orals with
this distinction. Although this may very well be true, the
chance of liver damage still cannot be excluded however.
At one time
oxandrolone was also looked at as a possible drug for those
suffering from disorders of high cholesterol or triglycerides.
Early studies showed it to be capable of lowering total
cholesterol and triglyceride values in certain types of
hyperlipidemic patients, which initially this was thought
to signify potential for this drug as a hypo-lipid (lipid
lowering) agent'°. With further investigation we find
however that while use of this drug can be linked to a lowering
of total cholesterol values, it is such that a redistribution
in the ratio of good (HDL) to bad (LDL) cholesterol occurs,
usually moving values in an unfavorable direction. This
would of course negate any positive effect that the drug
might have on triglycerides or total cholesterol, and in
fact make it a danger in terms of cardiac risk when taken
for prolonged periods of time. Today we understand that
as a group anabolic/androgenic steroids produce very unfavorable
changes in lipid profiles, and are really not useful in
disorders of lipid metabolism. As an oral c17 alpha alkylated
steroid, oxandrolone is probably even more risky to use
than an injectable esterified injectable such as a testosterone
or nandrolone in this regard.
On the black
market, Anavar, or Oxandrolone has always been a hot item.
Although it is again being manufactured in the U.S., don't
count on seeing it much. The exorbitant price BTG is asking
for Oxandrin precludes it from entering the black market
in any volume. At the pharmacy, these tablets can cost over
$4 each, a tremendous jump from the price Searle was selling
It for a decade earlier. Before last year, this left the
SPA version from Italy as the only version athletes did
see regularly on the black market. They come 30 tabs to
a box, in 2 foil and plastic strips of 15 each. The tablets
usually sell for $1-2 each, which is much more reasonable
than the U.S. item. This is a trusted item, but may still
not be the most cost effective at this time. Additionally,
many athletes have found mail-order sources that carry generic
oxandrolone preparations, often in 5mg and l0mg capsules,
which may offer even better pricing. Thus far I have seen
such Anavar produced in the US, Canada, Spain, France and
Brazil. it is obviously difficult to determine if these
are legitimate when purchasing, so there is risk involved. |
