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Anabolic Research Update Oct 2004 |
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Written by William Llewellyn
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Monday, 04 October 2004 |
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This month I am doing something new with Anabolic Research Update. I have changed the format to a Q&A, which will allow me to focus on multiple topics and areas of research. Feedback from readers will support the continuation of this change. I would like to hear your questions or examine your oddball steroid boxes! If I use your question or show a picture of your steroid box in this column, I will send you a free copy of Anabolics 2004. Remember to send empty steroid boxes only! Questions/boxes can be mailed to William Llewellyn, c/o Body of Science, 5500 Military Trail #22-318, Jupiter FL 33458. Or e-mail me at
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. Please include your mailing address with all correspondences.
Q: I read that the aromatase inhibitor formestane is also an anabolic steroid, and that it has about the same effect as Primobolan Depot (methenolone enanthate). Is that true?
A: No. Formestane is an aromatase inhibitor. This makes it good for lowering estrogen levels, not building muscle. It’s also an androstenedione derivative, which displays very weak conversion to hydroxytestosterone. This has probably led to some speculation that it’s as good as an anabolic substance. I have had enough experience with formestane, hydroxytestosterone and Primobolan to know that the latter two drugs are certainly in a different class than the first. Even though formestane is technically a prohormone, its effect, as such, is far too week for anyone to compare it to Primobolan with a straight face. Its level of conversion is not even enough to suppress testosterone levels when you take normal doses, let alone impart the same muscle growth as a legitimate anabolic steroid. No matter how much of an aromatase inhibitor you took, a good dose of Primo would still suppress your testosterone levels. If you are looking to get big, don’t waste your money thinking this is the answer. Q: What’s the deal with receptor down-regulation? How long does it take after I start a cycle for my receptors to become suppressed? How long after I end the cycle until they’re back to normal? I want to get the most for my money. Steroids are too expensive to waste!A: Androgen receptor down-regulation (decrease in number) is one of the most common misconceptions in the steroid world. The fact is, anabolic/androgenic steroid use is well-documented to cause a marked increase in androgen receptor levels (J Appl Physiol, 2002 Jul;93(1):242-50), not a decrease. The notion that steroid receptors down-regulate is one adopted from your average high school biology textbook. With many drugs, such as certain painkillers and stimulants, receptor down-regulation is known to cause tolerance to a drug’s effects with regular use. It is one of the first physiological defense mechanisms we learn when discussing how drugs affect the human body. But not all drugs cause this phenomenon and with androgens we have quite the opposite occurring. Receptor levels peak when steroids are administered, as these hormones are integral to the creation of their own receptors. There is some down-regulation that occurs to the androgen receptor, but it comes in a very different form than the classic mechanism above. It occurs with very regular training and the depletion of arachidonic acid in skeletal muscle tissue. As androgen receptor (AR) density is linked to the release of arachidonic acid during intense training, repetitive lifting interferes with the heightened AR response to some extent. For most lifters it becomes more difficult to stimulate muscle soreness when you are training all the time, and this has a lot to do with it. In my experience, periodic supplementation with high doses of arachidonic acid tends to reverse this trend very effectively. But again, this is an effect completely unrelated to the administration of anabolic steroids. Q: I recently picked up a box of oxandrolone. I have never heard of the brand, Protivar. The guy who sold it to me told me it was a new version in U.S. pharmacies, just released for HIV treatment. He assured me it was top-notch stuff. In four weeks I haven’t noticed anything. What is the deal? Is this stuff real gear?A: I’m sorry to tell you this, but unfortunately you got taken. Protivar is not sold in the U.S. or anywhere in the world at this time. That particular brand was once sold in France, but has been discontinued for many years. It’s kind of a neat-looking box for a counterfeit, but a poor choice of brand names. Next time someone should try copying a brand of Anavar that hasn’t been out of production for nearly a decade; it would be more passable on the black market. If any other readers spot this item— run, don’t walk, in the other direction. Q: Does it matter if I take Dianabol with meals? What would allow for the best absorption?A: It really isn’t going to matter much with a steroid like Dianabol. This compound is protected with a 17-alpha alkyl group, which is a chemical modification that allows it to survive the digestive process largely intact. Taking a steroid with a meal will help significantly if the compound is something other than an alkylated oral steroid, as food can alter the route in which it enters the bloodstream. Something like Andriol (testosterone undecanoate) is going to vary greatly in potency depending on whether it’s taken with a meal, and even what type of food it’s consumed with. The best absorption with this drug is found when taken with a high-fat meal, as the fat helps the steroid enter circulation via the lymphatic system, bypassing the liver. But with D-bol, it really isn’t going to matter much. Q: Is there any difference between Omnadren and Sustanon? Is the higher price of Sustanon worth it?A: There usually is a difference in price, but really not anything else. Omnadren and Sustanon both supply 250 milligrams of testosterone in multi-ester, sustained-release formulas. They are both designed for long-term testosterone replacement therapy, as they allow the patient to get by on fewer injections and longer intervals between doctor visits. But in the context of using such drugs to build muscle, these variances quickly disappear. Bodybuilders are not taking a drug like Sustanon or Omnadren once a month, but likely once a week. With such frequent dosing, blood levels are going to be indistinguishable between the two drugs. Ignore all the armchair advice about how one provides less water retention, or the other results in less acne or androgenic side effects. It is all hogwash. Testosterone is testosterone and I for one would always go with what provided the most milligrams for the dollar. Rarely is that Sustanon or Omnadren. Q: My training partner is recommending that I bridge between cycles with 15 milligrams of Anavar per day. According to him, this low dose will not interfere with my testosterone recovery, yet will help me hold onto my muscle mass. Do you think this is a good idea?A: No. The practice of “bridging” with steroids is always a very bad idea, at least if you actually want your natural hormone levels to recover during your off time. The fact is, in doses sufficient to build muscle, all steroids are going to suppress your natural testosterone levels. Even if a drug like oxandrolone doesn’t convert to estrogen, its androgenic action will still interfere with testosterone output. I have seen studies in which as little as 2.5 milligrams daily of oxandrolone demonstrated suppression toward the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis (Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 1997 Feb;46(2):209-16). Fifteen milligrams per day, or six times this dose, is certainly going to prevent your testosterone levels from budging during your bridging phase. This bridging probably works very well for your friend’s physique only because he is really never going off his steroid cycle. Q: I heard a rumor that Masteron (drostanolone) is available on the black market again. My buddy mentioned that British Dragon is making it. Is this true, or just another rip-off?A: It very well may be true. British Dragon seems to have been working hard on the creation of innovative new formulas as of late, separating themselves from the pack, so to speak. They claim to soon be releasing Oral Turinabol (4-chloro-methadrostenolone). There has been a lot of activity in China (the main global producer of bulk materials) in the past five years, so the reemergence of these obscure anabolic steroids is possible. I plan on lab-testing British Dragon Mastabol in the near future to be absolutely sure. Based on the reputation of this company, I’m inclined to be cautiously optimistic. The turn of the century has brought with it a new renaissance in the steroid world. More new drugs and more new companies are popping up now than at any other time in history. I’m quite curious what else the future is going to hold for the industry. Editor’s Note: William Llewellyn’s critically acclaimed steroid reference manual, Anabolics 2004, is now available in both softcover and hardcover formats. They can be purchased by calling Molecular Nutrition at 888-828-8008, or visiting www.molecularnutrition.net.
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