Trenbolone (AKA Finaject)

History and Overview of Trenbolone

Trenbolone is a very well-known injectable anabolic steroid, and it is the most powerful anabolic steroid commercially and customarily available.

It is an anabolic steroid that tends to evoke intimidation and alarm among those who read about it.

The truth is that trenbolone is not as harsh an anabolic steroid as many people think, but it is by no means a beginner's compound and needs to be taken seriously when considering its use.

It is typically used by intermediate to advanced level anabolic steroid users, and is rarely used by beginners until they have gained some experience.

Trenbolone is a derivative of nandrolone (deca durabolin), and along with nandrolone, it belongs to a class of anabolic steroids known as 19-nor compounds.

This category of 19-nor steroids is so named because they contain a specific modification to the 19th carbon in the molecular structure of anabolic steroids.

This modification, where the 19th carbon is removed, is not found in other anabolic steroid families.

There are also other modifications in this area that give it androgenic strength (the ability to bind to the androgen receptor with much greater strength) and a high resistance to metabolic breakdown in the body.[1][2]

As a result, trenbolone is five times as androgenic and anabolic as testosterone, with a rating of 500 for each.

It also exhibits characteristics that promote weight gain, almost exclusively as lean muscle mass, and no water retention[3].

Trenbolone has also been found to stimulate the production of the endogenous hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) in muscle tissue, which enhances its anabolic properties [4].

Ultimately, the reason trenbolone is unable to cause users to retain water and bulk up is due to its inability to aromatize into estrogen at any dose due to chemical modification [5].

There are three main esterification forms of trenbolone:

These are trenbolone acetate, trenbolone enanthate, and trenbolone hexahydrobenzylcarbonate.

Of the three, the most popular and most widely used is the fast acting acetate variant.

The history of trenbolone is generally accepted to begin in 1967 and was repeatedly researched by Roussel-UCLAF in France[6].

It was later acquired by Horschut in the UK, where it was manufactured in the form of the acetate ester and marketed under the brand name Finazate.

In France, it was marketed by Roussel under the name Finacept.

Both companies were actually owned and operated by Roussel AG of Germany.

The two brand names for the same product (Trenbolone acetate) were used in the prescription drug market as a human drug until the 1980s, when it was discontinued and not approved for human use.

Trenbolone hexahydrobenzylcarbonate was also sold under the brand name Parabolan until it met the same fate as the other two ingredients in the 1990s.

Today, Tren is officially used as a veterinary drug, primarily to promote growth in livestock used for feeding.

However, as scientific research into trenbolone continues, it is still a compound of particular interest in the medical community, with scientists discovering new uses for human use and recommending its reintroduction as a human drug.

However, to date, trenbolone has not yet been approved for human use by the FDA, and all trenbolone products currently available for sale are typically under-the-label (UGL) products.

Chemical Properties of Trenbolone

Trenbolone is essentially a derivative of nandrolone, with some important differences in chemical properties and strength.

Trenbolone and its parent, nandrolone, both belong to a class/category of anabolic steroids known as 19-nor compounds or 19-nor (short for 19-nortestosterone).

19-nor anabolic steroids are categorized as such because they lack a 19th carbon in their structure, which is present in all other anabolic steroids except testosterone and 19-nor compounds such as nandrolone and trenbolone.

This significantly alters the properties of anabolic steroids, making them progestins, which we will discuss in more detail shortly.

In trenbolone, the missing carbon atom at the 19th position (actually the entire methyl group) is replaced by a double bond between the two carbon atoms that the 19th carbon was originally bonded to (this is different from nandrolone, where the missing 19th carbon is simply replaced by a hydrogen atom instead of a double bond).

The lack of the 19th carbon makes the 19-nor compound very resistant to the aromatase enzyme, making it highly resistant to estrogen conversion, but in the case of trenbolone this is not the whole story when it comes to aromatization.

Trenbolone also contains a modification at carbons 19 and 11, where one hydrogen atom is removed from each carbon, causing carbons 19 and 11 to form double bonds with neighboring carbon atoms in their respective cycloalkane rings.

This additional modification of the double bonds at carbons 19 and 11 makes trenbolone not only resistant to aromatization, but also completely immune to aromatization and unable to interact with the aromatase enzyme at all.

These modifications are also responsible for trenbolone's extremely enhanced androgenic strength (the ability to bind to the androgen receptor with much greater strength)[i] and its ability to remain highly resistant to metabolic breakdown in the body.

Properties of Trenbolone

Due to the chemical modifications described above, trenbolone is a much more potent androgen and anabolic than its parent hormone, nandrolone or testosterone.

Testosterone is used as the primary standard by which all other anabolic steroids are measured and compared (similar to how the Celsius temperature scale uses the boiling and freezing points of water as the primary standard for temperature measurement).

Therefore, you can determine the anabolic and androgenic strength of Trenbolone by comparing it to testosterone.

Testosterone has an anabolic and androgenic rating of 100.

Trenbolone has an anabolic and androgenic rating of 500.

The modification that makes trenbolone 5 times stronger than testosterone is the two double bonds at carbons 19 and 11.

Also, for better understanding and perspective, all potential trenbolone users should realize that to achieve the same strength as 200 mg of trenbolone, 1,000 mg of testosterone would have to be administered.

For an individual to achieve the strength of 500mg of trenbolone, 2,500mg of testosterone would be required.

This sets up a very important and interesting point that every user should remember:

Trenbolone is a very powerful anabolic steroid (the most powerful in general) and it is very clear from the figures presented that you do not need a large amount of trenbolone to achieve impressive performance and physique changes, you can get a lot out of a small amount.

In terms of anabolism, we have previously mentioned that trenbolone is completely resistant to the aromatase enzyme (the enzyme that converts aromatized androgens into estrogen).

Therefore, trenbolone has zero estrogenic activity as it cannot be converted to estrogen in any quantity.

Trenbolone is also completely resistant to 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that reduces testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a much more potent androgen.

Again, trenbolone is immune from interaction with 5-alpha reductase and will not be converted to DHT.

However, it must be understood that trenbolone is a very androgenic hormone in its own right (remember that trenbolone has an androgenic rating of 100 compared to testosterone's androgenic rating of 100).

The extremely strong anabolic properties of trenbolone and the fact that it does not convert to estrogen both contribute to trenbolone being a very versatile and flexible anabolic steroid, capable of providing massive strength and lean mass gains and can also be utilized during cutting and fat loss phases.

These characteristics certainly dispel the old rumors that trenbolone is only useful for fat loss, dieting, or pre-contest phases.

These rumors were spread within the anabolic steroid using community who were not educated about trenbolone and its capabilities.

This also supports the fact that there is no reason to use trenbolone in unnecessarily high doses.

This is especially true if you are a beginner to trenbolone use.

Trenbolone Side Effects

Trenbolone is often touted as an anabolic steroid with 'harsh' side effects, which tends to scare off many people considering the use of this compound.

First and foremost, it is important to note that Tren does not convert to estrogen at any dose, so there is no risk of developing estrogenic side effects.

The trenbolone side effects of particular concern are androgenic side effects and other side effects that are not commonly seen with other anabolic steroids (e.g. insomnia, excessive sweating, etc.).

Trenbolone is a very potent androgen and binds very strongly to the androgen receptor [7].

This brings both good and bad news for this compound, as a very strong androgen usually means very strong anabolic activity (especially in the case of trenbolone).

However, very strong androgens are much more likely to cause stronger androgenic side effects.

These androgenic side effects include increased oily skin and acne, increased body and facial hair growth, increased risk of male pattern baldness (MPB), and increased risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Along with these side effects, there is also an increased tendency for strong androgens to increase aggressive behavior, which is anecdotal evidence that may be of concern to trenbolone users.[8]

How you handle these mind altering effects will determine whether they become a positive or negative issue.

These androgenic side effects of trenbolone cannot be mitigated or controlled with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors such as Proscar, Finasteride, Dutasteride, or Propecia, which act to inhibit the reduction of testosterone to the more potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Trenbolone does not interact with 5-alpha reductase at all, and is already a very potent androgen on its own.

Trenbolone tends to come with certain side effects that are not typically seen with other compounds.

These side effects are increased sweating (diaphoresis) and insomnia (commonly nicknamed “insomnia”), especially when sleeping at night.

The cause and rationale for these unusual side effects is not yet known, and there are currently a variety of hypotheses to explain them.

Since Tren itself is a progestin, containing approximately 60% of progesterone, it is possible that progesterone related side effects may also be present.[9]

Additionally, a metabolite of trenbolone (17-beta-trenbolone) is known to bind more strongly to the progesterone receptor, which may be a cause for concern.[10]

Trenbolone can also increase prolactin levels in the body.

All of these progesterone and prolactin related issues can manifest as very similar side effects to estrogen, including nipple swelling, gynecomastia, and abdominal bloating.

Anti-estrogen and aromatase inhibitors are known to effectively combat these side effects, even if they are attenuated through the progesterone receptor.

However, for prolactin issues, taking 600 mg of vitamin B6 daily has been shown in studies to help control prolactin levels [11].

In addition, antiprolactin medications such as cabergoline and bromocriptine are very effective in lowering prolactin levels and are often used as first-line treatment in prolactin problems [12][13][14].

In general, the side effects of trenbolone include those typical of all anabolic steroids (including HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis) disruption and obstruction, and negative cardiovascular effects).

In particular, because trenbolone is a very potent androgen and progestin, it can quickly shut down endogenous testosterone production, even in very low doses.

Trenbolone Cycles and Uses

A trenbolone cycle is highly effective as a fat loss or muscle mass gain cycle.

As an effective muscle and mass gainer, trenbolone has been shown to bind to the receptors of catabolic hormones, effectively blocking those hormones from participating in catabolic signaling to muscle cells.[15][16] This is especially true for cortisol, which is a catabolic hormone.

This is especially true for cortisol, a catabolic hormone that trenbolone should be able to effectively inhibit.[16]

So what we see here is that just by looking at the anti-catabolic effects at the cellular level, trenbolone could be an excellent compound for cutting cycles during dieting or in the pre-contest phase where catabolism is an issue.

Furthermore, the fat loss effects of trenbolone have been well documented through its amazing nutrient partitioning effects[17].

We also know that androgen receptors are actually present in fat cells and play an important role in fat loss when activated, specifically the stronger the androgen binds to these receptors, the greater the effect on fat loss. [18][19][20]

In the field of muscle mass and bulking, trenbolone has demonstrated a significant ability to increase nitrogen retention within muscle tissue [18].

For example, in cutting cycles, Tren Ace is commonly stacked with Testosterone Propionate in an 8-10 week cycle.

Additional compounds such as Anavar (Oxandrolone) can also be used to help achieve similar goals (e.g. fat loss).

For bulking purposes, Trenbolone is typically stacked with some form of testosterone solid base (for bulking, usually testosterone enanthate) and can be used with similar types of oral compounds such as Dianabol (methandrostenolone).

During bulking cycles, injectables such as boldenone (Equipoise) may also be used in addition.

Trenbolone Dosage and Administration

Trenbolone is a specific compound that does not require large or high doses at all.

Being a compound that is 5 times as potent as testosterone itself, it is not necessary to use even a 'moderate' dosage to achieve the desired effects and goals.

When it comes to trenbolone, a little goes a long way.

Most beginners are advised to take 50mg of trenbolone acetate every other day (200mg total per week), which is more than enough to prevent muscle loss during cutting.

Moderate doses of trenbolone, 75 to 100 mg every other day (300 to 400 mg total per week) will usually produce amazing changes in the physique.

Since trenbolone is a very potent compound that increases discomfort in the form of side effects in proportion to the amount used, it is rarely necessary to venture beyond this dosage range, even for advanced users.

This is why most regular advanced users will not exceed 400 to 600 mg per week, and only extremely specialized and competitive bodybuilders have been known to take more than this.

Buying Trenbolone

On the anabolic steroid black market, trenbolone is available exclusively as an under-the-counter product.

There is no official pharmaceutical grade product manufactured by an FDA-approved pharmaceutical company.

For its strength and capabilities, trenbolone is fairly inexpensive on the market.

Individuals looking to purchase trenbolone typically visit internet websites that sell trenbolone acetate products in the price range of $60 - $100 per 10ml vial.

Most sources will average between $75 and $80 for a single 10 ml vial.

Trenbolone acetate is typically manufactured in concentrations of 75mg/ml or 100mg/ml.

Trenbolone Enanthate typically costs $90 to $130 per 10ml vial and is usually manufactured at a concentration of 200mg/ml or 250mg/ml.

Trenbolone References

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[2]. Characterization of the affinities of various anabolic and synthetic hormones for the human androgen receptor, human sex hormone binding globulin, and bovine progestin receptor. Bauer, Meyer et al. Acta Pathol Microbiol Imunol Scand Suppl 108 (2000):838-46.

[3]. Br J Nutr. Nov 1978;40(3):563-72.

[4]. J Cell Physiol. 2004 Nov;201(2):181-9.

[5]. Unique steroid homologs for receptor studies. Ojasoo, Raynaud. Cancer Research 38 (1978):4186-98.

[6]. Mathieu, Proc. Intern. Symp. Drug Res. 1967, p 134. Chem. Inst. Can., Montreal, Canada.

[7]. Toxicol Sci. Dec. 2002;70(2):202-11.15.

[8]. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Jan;35(1):32-8.

[9]. Cancer Res. November 1978; 38(11 Pt 2):4186-98.

[10]. Cancer Res. 2000 Dec;108(12):838-46.

[11]. Effects of pyridoxine administration on the circadian rhythm of plasma ACTH, cortisol prolactin and somatotropin in normal humans. Barletta C, Sellini M, Bartoli A, Bigi C, Buzzetti R, Giovannini C. Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper. 1984 Feb 28;60(2):273-8.

[12]. Verhelst J, Abs R, Maiter D, et al. (July 1999). “Cabergoline in the treatment of hyperprolactinemia: a study of 455 patients”. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 84(7). pp: 2518-22. doi:10.1210/jc.84.7.2518. PMID 10404830.

[13]. Webster J, Piscitelli G, Polli A, Ferrari CI, Ismail I, Scanlon MF (October 1994). “Comparison of cabergoline and bromocriptine in the treatment of hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea. Cabergoline Comparison Study Group”. N. Engl. J. Med. 331(14): 904-9. doi:10.1056/NEJM199410063311403. pmid 7915824.

[14]. Colao A, Di Sarno A, Guerra E, De Leo M, Mentone A, Lombardi G (April 2006). “Drug insight: cabergoline and bromocriptine in the treatment of hyperprolactinemia in men and women”. Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab 2(4): 200-10. doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0160. PMID 16932285.

[15]. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Jan;109(1):1-8.

[16]. J Anim Sci. 1990 Sep;68(9):2682-9.

[17]. J Anim Sci. Nov 1992;70(11):3381-90.

[18]. Am J Physiol. 1998 Jun;274(6 Pt 1):C1645-52.

[19]. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1995 May 11;1244(1):117-20.

[20]. J Appl. Physiol.94 1153-61 2003. J Anim