An Introduction to the Toxicity of the 6 Oral Steroids Commonly Used in Bodybuilding Today
Here are the 6 best oral steroids used in bodybuilding today for muscle building and fat loss purposes. These rankings are broadly related to anabolic (muscle building) ability.
1. Methasterone
Superdrol (Methasterone) is one of the most potent anabolic steroids in the world for significantly increasing muscle strength and size. It is a compound that truly lives up to its name.
Superdrol does not aromatize into estrogen, making it a unique bulking oral steroid. As a result, almost all of the weight gained on Superdrol will be retained post-cycle, as it does not cause an increase in extracellular water retention.
We often see Superdrol being used by advanced steroid users to take their physique to the next level while maintaining maximum muscle definition.
However, Superdrol is one of the most toxic steroids, causing excessive liver strain and uncontrolled increases in blood pressure.
Superdrol has been compared in the bodybuilding community to dropping bombs on the liver. This is also found in tests coupled with high levels of cardiotoxicity. Therefore, beginner steroid users should strictly avoid Superdrol.
Experienced steroid users taking Superdol for the first time are often shocked at its ability to increase lean muscle tissue and lead to significant improvements in strength.
Compared to other anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), Superdrol has a high chance of injury because strength levels usually increase dramatically in a short period of time. As a result, bodybuilders should be careful to lift as heavy an object as possible, and some have experienced ruptured hernias and required emergency medical surgery.
2. Anadrol
Anadrol (Oxymetholone) is a powerful DHT-derived compound that is arguably the best steroid for weight gain.
Unlike Superdrol, Anadrol has estrogenic effects and therefore leads to significant weight gain in the form of lean muscle mass and water retention.
It is common to see users gain as much as 30 pounds on Anadrol and strength levels soar.
Anadrol, like Superdrol, is highly hepatotoxic, causing elevated levels of AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) in liver function tests. Liver injury can be successfully minimized by supplementation with TUDCA (tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid).
Note: TUDCA supplementation is recommended when taking any hepatotoxic oral steroid.
Surprisingly, male physique athletes briefly cycle anadral prior to competition to significantly increase muscle fullness. It has also been found that they are able to maintain maximum definition by adopting a low sodium diet to keep extracellular fluid retention at bay. The combination of high estrogen levels and a sodium-rich diet is what really causes bloating.
Anadrol, like Superdrol, can have deleterious effects on the heart, leading to cardiac hypertrophy and a significant increase in blood pressure.
Anadrol can be cycled alone or stacked with other bulking steroids for maximum mass and strength gains, such as Trenbolone, testosterone, or Deca Durabolin.
However, Anadrol should not be taken with any other hepatotoxic compounds to prevent further liver damage.
There have been treatments where advanced steroid users took doses of up to 100 mg/day and ran cycles of Anadrol for up to 8 weeks.
SERMs (selective estrogen receptor modulators) have also been found to be effective when taking Anadrol because they prevent the expansion of breast tissue (gynecomastia) in the chest area.
SERMs work by inhibiting the action of estrogen directly at the receptor level, which is critical because Anadrol does not aromatize (convert testosterone to estrogen). This is precisely why AIs (aromatase inhibitors) are ineffective in controlling estrogen-related side effects.
3. Dianabol
Dianabol (Metandienone) is the most commonly used oral anabolic steroid in the world today.
Throughout its history, it has also been commonly used by classic bodybuilders in the 1970s to help add incredible mass in the off-season.
It is believed that a certain “Austrian bodybuilder” combined Dianabol with Deca Durabolin, enabling him to dwarf his opponents and dominate the Olympia stage.
Dianabol is similar to Anadrol in its effects; it is experienced as a powerful muscle builder, but also has hepatotoxic and estrogenic properties.
It has been found that Dianabol does not cause significant androgenic effects due to a significant reduction in 5α-reductase, which reduces the conversion of testosterone to DHT.
As a result, Dianabol causes fewer incidents of prostatic hypertrophy, androgenetic alopecia (hair loss), and acne vulgaris.
Dianabol can be circulated alone, intermediated, or stacked by advanced users with other bulking steroids.Dianabol should not be taken with another hepatotoxic oral steroid (such as Anadrol, Superdrol, or Winstrol).
Dianabol does aromatize; therefore, SERMs (such as tamoxifen) may be taken in order to prevent gynecomastia from occurring.
We have found that SERMs may be a better choice than AIs (aromatase inhibitors), which worsen lipids and increase the risk of hypertension.
4. Testosterone undecanoate (Andriol)
Testosterone is usually administered via intramuscular injection; however, it also comes in an oral form called testosterone undecanoate.
Compared to other oral steroids, testosterone undecanoate is very unique because it is suspended in an oil-based capsule. This esterification allows Testosterone Undecanoate to be absorbed via the lymphatic route, thereby bypassing the liver and significantly reducing hepatotoxicity.
When taking testosterone orally, 20 grams of dietary fat should be consumed per dose to maximize absorption. We have found that its bioavailability is extremely low when taken on an empty stomach.
This is in contrast to other oral steroids, which are c-17 alpha-alkylated and need to be consumed on an empty stomach to be fully effective. This is due to the fact that most oral medications are fat-soluble and therefore readily absorb less through the gastrointestinal tract.
Testosterone is one of the safest steroids tested and is still approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypogonadism.
Due to its mild nature, beginners often use only testosterone for circulation, thus promoting a substantial increase in mass.
The reason bodybuilders often inject testosterone is because it is marketed at a much cheaper price, at a fraction of the price of Andriol.
However, if bodybuilders can afford it, Andriol may produce the same results as injectable esters, with muscle mass of 20-30 pounds.
Another benefit of oral testosterone over injectable testosterone is its rapid onset of action. Serum testosterone levels can be seen to peak in the bloodstream only 5 hours after the first oral testosterone dose.
In contrast, testosterone cypionate and testosterone enanthate are the two most popular injectable options, but are slow to take effect, with both of them having half-lives of around 8 days.
We found that due to its low bioavailability, high doses (2,800 mg per week) of testosterone undecanoate were required to significantly increase mass and size.
5. Winstrol
Winstrol (Stanozolol) is the second most widely used oral steroid (after Dianabol) and is primarily used for fat loss.
Winstrol is able to enhance fat burning while increasing lean muscle tissue because of its powerful ability to lower SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) levels.
Testosterone bound to SHBG is inactivated; therefore, the less SHBG there is, the higher the free testosterone levels.
Testosterone is the key testosterone score which is used by the body for many physiological processes, including promoting new skeletal muscle tissue and reducing adipose tissue (fat storage). It rapidly reduces the user’s body fat percentage and also has a diuretic effect (due to lack of aromatization).
This can lead to a dry looking physique coupled with prominent blood vessels. From experience, one of the drawbacks of Winstrol Drainage is the reduction of muscle fullness due to the reduction of glycogen and intracellular fluid within the muscle cells.
From experience, the rapid improvement in body composition without significant weight gain has also made Winstrol a popular steroid among athletes.
The drawbacks of Winstrol are the same as those of other toxic oral steroids: liver strain and high blood pressure.
Winstrol’s diuretic effect can also increase joint inflammation, causing considerable discomfort or pain in some people.
The above doses are usually taken by intermediate steroid users.Winstrol usually produces masculinizing side effects in women. However, female patients have also been seen to prevent this physiologic change by using very small doses (5 mg/day).
