Deca Durabolin info
Deca Durabolin
is the Organon brand name for the injectable steroid nandrolone
decanoate. This compound came around early in the wave of
commercial steroid development, first being made available
as a prescription medication in 1962. This steroid is an
extremely long acting compound, with the decanoate ester
said to provide this drug a slow release time of up to three
or four weeks. While perhaps true in a technical sense,
what we find with further investigation is that the release
parameters after a single injection are such that a strong
release of nandrolone is really only maintained for one
to two weeks. This figure admittedly fails to take into
account drug buildup that may occur after multiple injections,
which may allow a longer duration of good effect to be seen.
World wide "Deca"
is one of the most widely used anabolic steroids. Its popularity
is due to the simple fact that Deca Durabolin exhibits many
very favorable properties. Structurally nandrolone is very
similar to testosterone, although it lacks a carbon atom
at the 19th position (hence its other name 19-nortestosterone).
The resulting structure is a steroid that exhibits much
weaker androgenic properties than testosterone. Of primary
interest is the fact that nandrolone will not break down
to a more potent metabolite in androgen target tissues.
You may remember this is a significant problem with testosterone.
Although nandrolone does undergo reduction via the same
(5-alpha reductase) enzyme that produces DHT from testosterone,
the result in this case is dihydronandrolone. This metabolite
is weaker than the parent nandroloness, and is far less
likely to cause unwanted androgenic side effects. Strong
occurrences of oily skin, acne, body/facial hair growth
and hair loss occur very rarely. It is however possible
for androgenic activity to become apparent with this as
any steroid, but with nandrolone higher than normal doses
are usually responsible.
Nandrolone also
show an extremely lower tendency for estrogen conversion.
For comparison, the rate has been estimated to be only about
20% of that seen with testosterones. This is because while
the liver can convert nandrolone to estradiol, in other
more active sites of steroid aromatization such as adipose
tissue nandrolone is far less open to this process'. Consequently
estrogen related side effects are a much lower concern with
this drug. An anti-estrogen is likewise rarely needed with
Deca, gynecomastia only a worry among sensitive individuals.
At the same time water retention is not a usual concern.
This effect can occur however, but is most often related
to higher dosages. The addition of Proviron and/or
Nolvadex should prove sufficient enough to significantly
reduce any occurrence. Clearly Deca Durabolin is a very
safe choice among steroids. Actually, many consider Deca
Durabolin to be the best overall steroid for a man to use
when weighing the side effects and results. It should also
be noted that in HIV studies, Deca Durabolin has been shown
not only to be effective at safely bringing up the lean
body weight of patient, but also to be beneficial to the
immune system.
It is of note
however that nandrolone is believed to have some activity
as a progestin in the body". Although progesterone
is a c-19 steroid, removal of this group as in 19-norprogesterone
creates a hormone with greater binding affinity for its
corresponding receptor. Sharing this trait, many 19-nor
anabolic steroids are shown to have some affinity for the
progesterone receptor as well. This can lead to some progestin-like
activity in the body, and may intensify related side effects.
The side effects associated with progesterone are actually
quite similar to those of estrogen, including negative feedback
inhibition of testosterone production, enhanced rate of
fat storage and possibly gynecomastia. Many believe the
progestin activity of Deca Durabolin notably contributes
to suppression of testosterone synthesis, which can be marked
despite a low tendency for estrogen conversion.
Deca Durabolin
is not known as a very "fast" builder. The muscle
building effect of this drug is quite noticeable, but not
dramatic. The slow onset and mild properties of this steroid
therefore make Deca Durabolin more suited for cycles with
a longer duration. In general one can expect to gain muscle
weight at about half the rate of that with an equal amount
of testosterone. A cycle lasting eight to twelve weeks seems
to make the most sense, expecting to elicit a slow, even
gain of quality mass. Although active in the body for much
longer, Deca Durabolin is usually injected once per week.
The dosage for men is usually in the range of 200-600mg/week.
If looking to be specific, it is believed that Deca Durabolin
will exhibit its optimal effect (best gain/side effect ratio)
at around 2mg per pound of bodyweight/weekly. Deca Durabolin
is also a popular steroid among female bodybuilders. They
take a much lower dosage on average than men of course,
usually around 50mg weekly. Although only slightly androgenic,
women are occasionally confronted with virilization symptoms
when taking this compound. Should this become a concern,
the shorter acting nandrolone Durabolin would be a
safer option. This drug stays active for only a few days,
greatly reducing the impact of androgenic buildup if withdrawal
were indicated.
As mentioned
earlier, endogenous testosterone levels can be a concern
with Deca-Durabolin, especially after long cycles.
It is therefore a good idea to incorporate ancillary drugs
at the conclusion of therapy. An estrogen antagonist such
as Clomid or Nolvadex is therefore commonly used
for a few weeks. These both provide a good level of testosterone
stimulation, although they may take a couple of weeks to
show the best effect. HCG injections could be added for
extra reassurance, acting to rapidly restore the normal
ability of the testes to respond to the resumed release
of gonadotropins. For this purpose one could administer
three injections of 2500-50001.U., spaced five days apart.
After which point the antiestrogen is continued alone for
a few more weeks in an effort to stabilize the production
of testosterone. Remember to begin the ancillaries after
Deca Durabolin has been withdrawn for a few weeks, not the
first week after the last shot. Deca Durabolin stays active
for quite some time so the ancillary drugs will not be able
to exhibit their optimal effect when the steroid is still
being released into the bloodstream. The major drawback
for competitive purposes is that in many cases nandrolone
metabolites will be detectable in a drug screen for up to
a year (or more) after use. This is clearly due to the form
of administration. Esterified compounds have a high affinity
to stay stored in fatty tissues. While we can accurately
estimate the time frame it will take for a given dose to
enter circulation from an injection site, we cannot know
for sure that 100% of the steroid will have been metabolized
at any given point. Small amounts may indeed be stubborn
in leaving fatty tissue, particularly after heavy, longer-term
use. Some quantity of nandrolone decanoate may therefore
be left to sporadically enter into the blood stream many
months after use. This process may be further aggravated
when dieting for a show, a time when body fat sores are
being actively depleted (possibly freeing more steroid).
This has no doubt been the cause for many unexpected positives
on a drug screen. The fact that nandrolone has been isolated
as the "hands-off" injectable for the drug tested
athlete is most likely due to its popularity (and therefore
common appearance on drug screens). The same risk would
of course hold true for other long chain esterified injectables
such as Equipoise, Parabolan and Primobolan.
On the other hand we find that the use of the oral nandrolone
precursors norandrostenedione and norandrostenediol can
allow the drug-tested athlete the benefit of an injectable
nandrolone, without the same risk for a positive result.
A recently published French study makes this possibility
very clear. During this investigation it was shown that
trace levels of the nandrolone metabolites norandrosterone
and noretiocholanolone could be found in human urine up
to eight months after a single 50mg injection of nandrolone
undecanoate". This time frame shrank to only 8 days
with norandrostenediol (50mg) and norandrostenedione (100mg).
I have also had the opportunity to speak with an amateur
bodybuilder recently, who was unexpectedly subject to a
drug screen and now strongly supports the use of oral precursor
hormones. He was using up to 3 grams norandrostenedione
daily not very far from the date of the show, and to his
amazement did not test positive for steroid use.
Those not subject
to a drug screen are likely to find the low water retention
and good effect of this drug favorable for use in pre-contest
cutting stacks. A combination of Deca Durabolin and Winstrol
during the weeks/months leading up to a show for example,
is noted to greatly enhance to look of muscularity and definition.
A strong non-aromatizing androgen like Halotestin or
trenbolone could be further added, providing an enhanced
level of hardness and density to the muscles. Being an acceptable
anabolic, Deca Durabolin can also be incorporated into bulk
cycles with good results. The classic Deca Durabolin and
Dianabol cycle has been a basic for decades, and always
seems to provide excellent muscle growth. A stronger androgen
such as Anadrol 50 or testosterone could also be substituted,
producing greater results. When mixed with Deca, the androgen
dosage can be kept lower than if used alone, hopefully making
the cycle more comfortable. Additionally one may choose
to continue Deca Durabolin for a number of few weeks after
the androgen has been stopped. This will hopefully harden
up some of the bloat produced by the androgen, giving a
more quality appearance. Remember that endogenous testosterone
production will not resume during Deca Durabolin therapy,
and ancillaries are likewise still needed. |
