Anadrol is one of the favorite oral steroids used by powerlifters and other strength athletes.
Anadrol is the trade name for the orally-active anabolic steroid known as oxymetholone. Like most of the anabolic steroids used today, Anadrol was commercially released in the 1960s. While many of these steroids have since been pulled from the market, Anadrol is still manufactured and distributed by pharmaceutical companies for the treatment of HIV-related anemia and wasting.
Anadrol was first synthesized and released by the Mexican pharmaceutical company Syntex during a period when Mexico was a major player in the steroid trade responsible for producing the bulk of raw steroid hormones for most of the world.
Anadrol is the most popular orally-active steroid after Dianabol. It is more powerful than Dianabol and most other oral steroids as well. It is also considered one of the most toxic within the bodybuilding community. However, the medical evidence tends to suggest otherwise.
How to use Anadrol
Anadrol can and has been successfully used alone in many steroid cycles. But this is not recommended especially since it does not aromatize to estradiol. Anadrol is far more useful to the performance athlete when stacked in combination with other injectable anabolic steroids.
Anadrol, much like Dianabol, tends to have a synergistic effect when stacked with injectable steroids such as Testosterone Enanthate or Cypionate.
Anadrol is generally used at a dosage of 50 to 150 milligrams per day for performance-enhancement and body-building purposes. If used alone, the higher dosage of 150 mg/day may be appropriate. Less Anadrol should be used when stacked with other steroids such as Testosterone.
Anadrol dosages exceeding 150 mg/day and approaching 300 mg/day have been used particularly in powerlifting. Anadrol is a favorite among powerlifters because the water retention results in fuller muscles that contract more strongly, increased fluid in the connective tissues and presumably a lower chance of injury.
Anadrol side effects
The adverse side effects of Anadrol tend to be overstated. The most concerning side effect of Anadrol is its liver toxicity.
Yet liver toxicity is not limited to Anadrol. It is a common side effect associated with all c17-alpha alkylated steroid compounds. And contrary to subjective opinion, the liver toxicity of Anadrol appears to be less than any other alkylated oral steroid on a milligram per milligram basis.
Anadrol is known to cause a lot of water retention. Yet many steroid users would be surprised to learn that Anadrol does not aromatize to estradiol nor does it display any estrogenic activity on its own. But it is possible that Anadrol interferes or disrupts normal estrogen metabolism.
If Anadrol is stacked with aromatizing injectable steroids like Testosterone, the estrogenic side effects seem particularly noticeble. For this reason, it is very important to manage aromatization with the appropriate use of aromatase inhibitors like Arimidex and Letrozole. Most of the harsh side effects associated with Anadrol tend to occur in stacks involving aromatizable steroids.
Anadrol for women?
As a side note, Anadrol has been recommended by some respected steroid experts as an appropriate anabolic steroid for women. While Anadrol has a reputation for being a harsh and androgenic drug, several medical studies involving the administration of Anadrol to women suggest a relatively low rate of virilization.
Anadrol is less virilizing on a milligram per milligram basis than other steroids generally considered suitable for women e.g. Anavar and Winstrol.
Of course, virlization and masculinization is always a possible outcome for women who use anabolic steroids. This adverse side effect may not be reversible. This is something women should keep in mind when contemplating even the most conservative steroid cycle.