Anabolics Q&A - Is More Better & Lowdown on Winstrol
Anabolics Q&A - Is More Better & Lowdown on Winstrol
More Always Better?
Q: What do you think of the statement, the more steroids you use the more muscle mass you gain, provided you are eating properly? Is there a limit to how much you take?
A: There is a limit. In fact, there is a sharp curve of diminishing return with anabolic steroids. They seem to drop off quickly once you go beyond the optimal dosage range. For example, this might be 500-1000 milligrams per week with an injectable testosterone. While some bodybuilders might find value at say 5,000 milligrams per week, it will not be 5-10 times stronger than a cycle of 500-1,000 milligrams per week. The diminishing return has to do with many things, one of them being limits to cellular receptor concentrations. There is just so much steroid you can attach to the same receptor sites. This is one of the reasons other non-steroidal anabolic drugs are popular with bodybuilders. This includes drugs like growth hormone, IGF-1, and insulin. These stimulate different anabolic/anti-catabolic pathways, and thus tend to add more to a cycle than simply increasing the steroid dosage. Of course, each additional drug has its own set of risks and potential side effects.
Winstrol for HRT?
Q: What is your opinion of adding Winstrol to a TRT [testosterone replacement therapy] protocol at around 25 milligrams every five to seven days, to drop sex hormone-binding globulin [SHBG] levels?
A: I do know that a small number of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) clinics follow this practice with some of their patients. A clinic rep once told me that their doctor got the idea after reading my book, ANABOLICS. I do cite research discussing this effect of Winstrol, so it is possible, I guess. I do mention in the book, however, that this is an effect shared by many steroids (oral anabolic-androgenic steroids, especially). Winstrol is not the only drug that will do this. Even injectable testosterone can lower SHBG. Either way, let me address your question.
First, I would say that in some cases, patient response could be vastly improved by a drug to increase the free (bioavailable) percentage of testosterone. As you know, the majority of testosterone found in your blood is bound to serum proteins. They can inhibit its activity. So, only a small percentage of hormone can interact with your cells at any given time. How much hormone is bound up can vary significantly from person to person. Some patients have persistent problems with low bioavailable testosterone, which causes traditional hypogonadism-related symptoms. In these individuals, elevating the testosterone dose to compensate isn’t always effective or even appropriate. A SHBG-suppressing medication could be useful here.
There is also the other side of the issue, however, namely that stanozolol (generic name for Winstrol) is not an ideal drug for long-term use. It is liver toxic, and can negatively alter cholesterol to a significant degree. You are only taking it once every five to seven days, so I would not expect the kind of issues you might encounter with daily bodybuilding use. Still, studies show that a single dose of stanozolol can alter cholesterol. This will correct itself when the drug is not in the body, but I could see a scenario where you are altering your lipids for the worse a good portion of the time. I don’t know what the implications of this might be over the long term. Maybe it would mean nothing, but I always prefer to err on the side of caution.
Stanozolol is also a tightly controlled substance. As such, prescribing it for an “off-label” purpose like this is probably not a good idea. As a patient, I understand you’d be less concerned about this, but it is worth noting. Ideally, you want to manage your hormones without any additional SHBG medication anyway. Unless your issue is of clinical significance, I wouldn’t mess with it. Remember, you need SHBG too. You don't want to suppress it below normal for the sake of more testosterone. If it is a clinical issue, be sure to look at all factors. For example, estrogen is often an issue with elevated SHBG. An inhibitor of some kind might be indicated. Failing that, some clinicians have been using danazol. This is an oral steroid, but it is not anabolic. It often lowers SHBG with fewer side effects than stanozolol. Good luck.
William Llewellyn’s books (ANABOLICS 10th Edition, UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS, and SPORT SUPPLEMENT REFERENCE GUIDE) may be ordered by calling 888-918-7888 or visiting AnabolicsBook.com