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. 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. 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 4vith the fact that it is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone. it in fact creates a steroid that is less androgenic because it is already
"5-alpha reduced". In other words, it lacks the capacity to interact with the 5-alpha reductase enzyme and convert to a more potent "dihydro° form. 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.
Unlike most oral steroids, which are Class II steroids giving most of their anabolic effect by means other than the androgen receptor (AR), it seems that oxandrolone probably does have good binding to the AR, and is therefore a Class I steroid, while having little other effect. By itself it is considered to be a weak anabolic. Partly this is due to its apparent lack of non-AR-mediated activity. This can be corrected of course by stacking with a Class II steroid such as Dianabol, Anadrol®, 4-AD, or nor-4-AD: the latter two steroids require high blood levels which are not obtained by oral use of the powders. The other part of the reason for this is that bodybuilders make unfortunate and unreasonable comparisons when judging anabolicsteroids. If say 8 tablets per day does little, then the drug is pronounced useless or weak by the user. But that is only 20 mg/day, or 140 mg/week. Does 140 mg/week testosterone give much results? No. Few anabolic steroids give dramatic results at that dose. Per milligram the potency is reasonable, but each individual tablet is weak because the dosage is small. Because of its high price, very few bodybuilders have taken large doses of oxandrolone. There is a single case in the medical literature (Forbes et al.) where it is reported that a competitive athlete self-administered 150 mg oxandrolone per day with remarkable gains. This is of uncertain credibility because unless urinalysis was done to verify that no other steroids were taken, there is no way to be certain that the athlete did not actually take more drugs than he reported. In any case, at current prices, only the quite wealthy could afford such a dose. I personally have tried 150 mg/day and considered it somewhat effective, but not dramatically so, and not a preferred regimen. Oxandrolone does not aromatize or convert to DHT, and has a longer half life than Dianabol - 8 hours vs. 4 hours. Thus, a moderate dose taken in the morning is largely out of the system by night, yet supplies reasonable levels of androgen during the day and early evening. Oxandrolone shares the liver toxicity problems common to 17-alkylated steroids. At one time it was thought that it did not, but both clinical and practical experience with Oxandrin has shown that at doses of 40 mg/day and higher, liver toxicity is indeed an issue with prolonged use. Primobolan, I believe, should be considered a superior compound, offering the same activity at (usually) a lower price and without the alkylated-toxicity issue.
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 15-25mg (6-10 tablets) 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 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 this drug, 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.
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