Trenbolone Acetate

Trenbolone acetate (commonly abbreviated as Tren Ace, TrenA, or simply Tren) is the most popular form of trenbolone used by bodybuilders and athletes today.

Initially, trenbolone was officially introduced to the human prescription market for a very short period of time under the brand name trenbolone hexahydrobenzylcarbonate under the brand name Parabolan, manufactured in France.

Parabolan was the first and only form of trenbolone to be manufactured and marketed for human use.

However, it was only used for a very short period of time in the 1990s and was removed from the market by the late 1990s, and trenbolone itself was never officially approved for human use.

To this day, trenbolone is only officially used as a veterinary drug for the purpose of promoting and preserving lean meat in cattle and beef cattle.

Although it is not currently approved for human use anywhere in the world, there is a possibility that it could be used for medical purposes as it is currently undergoing clinical studies as an anabolic steroid that is more selective than other steroids[1].

Therefore, there are strong indications that trenbolone may soon re-enter the human prescription drug market and be approved for human use again, although it is unknown how long it will take until then.

Trenbolone itself is a derivative of nandrolone, and these two anabolic steroids (trenbolone and nandrolone) are classified as 19-NOR compounds in their chemical structure, meaning that they lack a 19th carbon (this is the hallmark of a 19-NOR compound, and this 19th carbon is actually found in testosterone and all other anabolic steroids except for it).

Because of this, they are also classified as progestins.

While trenbolone and nandrolone are clearly different from progesterone, they are progestins and do interact with and exhibit activity with the progesterone receptors in the body.

In any case, trenbolone is more removed from its parent hormone, nandrolone, because the 19th carbon of nandrolone is replaced by a hydrogen atom, while trenbolone is replaced by a double bond to fill the void left by the missing 19th carbon.

Trenbolone also modifies carbon 11 so that the hydrogen atom is removed and the empty space left behind is once again filled by double bonding with a neighboring carbon atom.

This gives trenbolone three characteristics, the first of which is that its affinity for the androgen receptor is greatly increased, creating a very potent and powerful anabolic steroid.[2]

The second advantage of trenbolone is that it is completely resistant to aromatization into estrogen.

This is a distinct difference from nandrolone, which merely has an increased resistance to aromatization (but it still occurs in small amounts).

The aromatase enzyme (the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogen) does not recognize trenbolone as a suitable substrate for the chemical reaction.

The third property endowed to trenbolone due to this modification is its high resistance to metabolism in the body.

Trenbolone acetate itself was researched by Roussel-UCLAF through several experiments and published in 1967[3].

In the early 1970s, Hoescht of the United Kingdom took over the production of Trenbolone acetate and marketed and sold it under the brand name Finajet.

Roussel of France marketed trenbolone acetate under the name Finajet, and Roussel AG of Germany actually owned and controlled both pharmaceutical companies.

Finaceject and Finajet also existed for a short time in the human prescription drug market, as did Parabolan, but they too were discontinued and not approved for human use.

Today, trenbolone acetate is officially used as a livestock implant, primarily under the brand name Finaplix tablets/pellets, although other brands exist.

The popularity of trenbolone acetate among bodybuilders and athletes began in the 1980s, and almost all of the trenbolone acetate used at that time was Finajet and Finajest smuggled into North America from Europe (often in large quantities).

It quickly became a very popular anabolic steroid, not only for its tremendous anabolic properties, but also for its ability to produce a 'hard' physique with zero estrogen conversion and consequently zero water retention.

As mentioned earlier, trenbolone acetate's short life in the human prescription market was short-lived, with imports of trenbolone acetate quickly ceasing in 1987, just as the drug's popularity and controversy among athletes and bodybuilders was reaching its peak.

The late 1980s and early 1990s were a time of increasing anti-steroid hysteria in the U.S. government and media, and many pharmaceutical companies deliberately discontinued and destroyed many anabolic steroids known to be favored and used by non-medical athletes (such as Dianabol and many others).

Ironically, however, at the same time that Finazate and Finajet were coming to an end in Europe, trenbolone acetate came to the United States in the form of livestock implant pellets (which must be implanted with a special implant gun) and was approved by the FDA in 1987.

However, it wasn't long before underlabs (UGLs) and bodybuilders began obtaining these pellets and converting them for use in humans, making them into injectables or transdermal patches.

Some bodybuilders and athletes have also taken it orally, although this is rare.

However, this practice is not far from reality, as trenbolone is highly resistant to metabolism in the body, resulting in moderate absorption and bioavailability via the oral route (however, this method of administration requires a higher dose to compensate for the percentage of losses due to metabolism).

However, it should be noted that there are various brands and variants of trenbolone acetate available in the form of cattle implant pellets that contain other undesirable ingredients.

For example, in addition to the different variants of Finaplix tablets (Finaplix-H and Finaplix-S), there are also Revallor and Synovex tablets that contain different concentrations of estrogen in addition to trenbolone acetate.

These additions are not desirable for athletes or bodybuilders, these estrogen additions were designed for cattle to increase the marbling effect on meat and alter the lean meat percentage of the animal.

In addition to this, today trenbolone acetate is manufactured by Underlab.

As of the time of writing this profile, there are currently no human grade trenbolone acetate products for pharmaceutical use.

What is trenbolone acetate and why is it so popular?

Trenbolone acetate is the shorter ester variant of trenbolone, and tends to be the most popular ester variant among bodybuilders and athletes.

Trenbolone is also sold in two other forms (trenbolone hexahydrobenzylcarbonate and trenbolone enanthate) on the anabolic steroid black market.

Trenbolone acetate is a short acting variant with a half-life of 3 days, meaning that it must be injected at least every other day to experience the desired performance and physique changes.

In comparison, trenbolone enanthate has a half-life of approximately 7-10 days and trenbolone hexahydrobenzylcarbonate has a half-life of approximately 14 days.

Trenbolone acetate tends to be the most popular of the three variants, not only because it is widely available (especially in the form of Finaplix pellets), but also because it is fast acting, allowing users to start and stop using the drug very quickly, with only a few days before the hormone is completely eliminated from the body.

Trenbolone is favored by most bodybuilders and athletes because it is considered an intermediate level anabolic steroid with potential side effects not seen with other anabolic steroids.

Therefore, being categorized as a 'harsh' anabolic steroid, first time users usually proceed with trenbolone acetate and use it cautiously, and if the various side effects become too concerning or noticeable, they can stop the cycle and eliminate trenbolone acetate from the body fairly quickly.

This is unlike enanthate or hexahydrobenzylcarbonate, which may require two weeks or more before the hormone is completely eliminated from the body.

This hormone is revered for its ability to be utilized for almost any goal, including strength, bulking, muscle mass, lean mass, dieting, fat loss, and more.

Trenbolone has an anabolic rating of 500, which is five times that of testosterone.

It also exhibits an androgenic rating of 500, which is five times that of testosterone.

Therefore, Trenbolone Acetate is a very strong and potent anabolic steroid that does not require high doses to achieve positive results.

Trenbolone acetate can be used to gain large amounts of muscle mass without water retention and bloating (provided the user uses low doses of other aromatizing compounds and consumes a caloric surplus).

It can also be used to reduce physique and eliminate body fat faster than other anabolic steroids if the user engages in a calorie deficit and a proper training regime.

Due to trenbolone's extremely powerful nutrient splitting capabilities, it can be used to effectively gain weight or lose body fat, and is considered an essential supplement for pre-contest cycles.

It is often referred to as 'honey from the gods' due to its amazing capabilities.

However, tren acetate tends to leave many users feeling intimidated.

This is partly due to the myths and legends surrounding tren acetate, which are often referred to as 'harsh' side effects.

We'll get to that in a moment, but it's important to let all readers know that while there is some truth to the legend of trenbolone being a 'harsh anabolic steroid', there is also a lot of exaggeration and mythology to these claims and stories.

How does trenbolone acetate work and how is it best used?

As mentioned earlier, trenbolone acetate is the most versatile anabolic steroid after testosterone.

It can be used in all cycle types and complements other compounds very well.

However, due to its progestogenic activity, it should always be used in conjunction with testosterone, as it can impair libido and other proper functions that testosterone is responsible for.

For this reason, many users who use Tren Ace alone often experience sexual dysfunction and anorgasmia (the inability to achieve orgasm).

Testosterone at a TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) dose of 100mg per week should be sufficient to support the body while using Tren.

Trenbolone Acetate Side Effects

Trenbolone Acetate has many of the standard potential side effects that all anabolic steroids in general have (e.g. negative cholesterol changes, cardiovascular effects, suppression/shutdown of endogenous testosterone and HPTA, etc.)

However, it is the unique side effects associated with trenbolone that should be the focus of this profile in this section that are often referred to as 'harsh' and come with outrageous legends, lore, myths, and rumors.

When trenbolone acetate was first used in the 1980s, not much was known about it and many athletes and bodybuilders were left to their own suspicions and curiosity, but today the amount of scientific and clinical knowledge is much greater and many of the myths and rumors surrounding Tren should be clarified.

A unique side effect associated with trenbolone acetate is moderate to severe coughing during and immediately following an injection.

This tends to occur more often with trenbolone acetate than other forms of trenbolone, which may be due to the rapid release of the compound and other unknown factors.

The cause of this 'tren cough' is largely unknown, but some valid and accurate hypotheses include the fact that trenbolone itself causes varying degrees of anaphylactic reaction in the bronchial route, and the fact that during injection some of the compound seeps into the perforated capillaries/veins and irritates the lungs.

The result is a cough that ranges from very mild to severe and lasts only a few minutes.

When the compound is slowly infused, the intensity of the cough tends to be eliminated or reduced, and in many cases, no coughing occurs at all.

Coughing can occur from injected anabolic steroids seeping into ruptured blood vessels, and it is important to note that coughing does not necessarily mean that trenbolone is 'legal' or 'good'.

Trenbolone has been known to cause severe sweating, especially during nighttime sleep.

This is also accompanied by insomnia in the form of inability to fall asleep or intermittent awakenings accompanied by tossing and turning throughout the night.

The insomnia, commonly referred to as 'trancesmnia', is believed to be due to trenbolone's effects on the nervous system and increased activity than other anabolic steroids, which tends to increase the excitability of the nervous system and disrupt quality sleep patterns.

The cause of the heavy sweating and perspiration associated with tren acetate is currently unknown, but some hypotheses claim that the sweating is triggered by trenbolone's ability to increase metabolism at certain times of the day, resulting in heat production.

Finally, trenbolone is known to cause greater amounts of aggression, anger, and impatience in some users.

This is due in large part to trenbolone's increased activity on the central nervous system, but also due to its very strong androgenic strength.

Individuals with temper or patience issues are advised to act responsibly and avoid trenbolone use at all costs, or learn to exercise self-control when their anger, temper, or patience is at its peak.

It is irresponsible to use a highly potent compound like trenbolone (and be fully aware of its potential effects) and allow yourself to become angry and get into trouble, and instead blame the anabolic steroid for your lack of self-responsibility.

Tren is a drug, and it's a hormone that needs to be respected. Respect the hormone and it will respect you.

Trenbolone References

[1] Tissue selectivity and potential clinical applications of trenbolone (17beta-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one): A potent anabolic steroid with reduced androgenic and estrogenic activity. Yarrow JF, McCoy SC, Bost SE. Steroids. 2010 Jun;75(6):377-89. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2010.01.019. Epub 2010 Feb 4.

[2] Characterization of the affinity of various anabolic agents 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] J. Mathieu, Proc. Symp. 1967, p 134. Chem. Inst. Can.