Anadrol (Oxi) Side Effects
Anadrol (Oxymetholone) is well known as one of the more 'harsh' anabolic steroids, especially when it comes to liver toxicity.
The high level of liver toxicity associated with anadrol leaves little timeframe in which anadrol can be used, and it is recommended that anadrol be run for a period of no more than 4 - 6 weeks at a time.
Anadrol side effects are also quite harsh in other aspects such as high estrogenic activity despite the fact that it cannot be converted to estrogen via the aromatase enzyme.
This characteristic of Anadrol is mostly a mystery, as is the case with various other Anadrol side effects.
For example, while it is widely known that Anadrol has a lower androgenic rating than testosterone, the
"Anadrol has a rating of 45 while testosterone has a rating of 100"
strong androgenic side effects are seen in some individuals.
This factor alone makes Anadrol (Oxymetholone) not a suitable anabolic steroid for beginners and is best suited for intermediate to advanced anabolic steroid users.
Estrogenic side effects of anadrol
Although Anadrol is an estrogenic compound, the estrogenic activity of Anadrol does not stem from the conversion of Anadrol to estrogen, as it cannot be chemically converted to estrogen through interaction with the aromatase enzyme.
Therefore, the estrogenic side effects are due to a mysterious property about which little is known, but there are theories that Anadrol itself may act as an estrogen in various tissues of the body.
Anadrol side effects that are estrogenic in nature include water retention (bloating), possible fat gain/retention, and the development of gynecomastia.
Since anadrol does not aromatize into estrogen, aromatase inhibitors are completely useless in combating anadrol related estrogenic side effects (such as bloating).
Since aromatase inhibitors cannot combat water retention and bloating, there is essentially no defense against excess water weight and bloating issues other than dietary adjustments (and even dietary adjustments can have limited effectiveness).
SERMs like Nolvadex can be used to effectively prevent, block, and combat gynecomastia.
However, SERMs only block estrogen's activity at breast tissue receptor sites and do not lower total estrogen levels in the body, so water retention/edema issues cannot be addressed with this treatment.
Some have hypothesized that the estrogenic action of anadrol is actually due to the progestogenic activity associated with anadrol (very similar to the progestogenic activity associated with nandrolone).
However, this may not be true, as one study conducted on Anadrol (oxymrtholone) that examined its potential progesterone activity determined that Anadrol does not actually have any progesterone properties or activity [1].
Androgenic Side Effects
Anadrol has a lower androgenic rating than testosterone by nearly half.
Anadrol has an androgenic rating of 45, while testosterone has a rating of 100.
However, Anadrol (Oxymetholone) side effects still include side effects of an androgenic nature, and many users report that they tend to experience more severe androgenic side effects than the rating suggests.
Despite being a DHT derivative, Anadrol has been proven to convert to dihydrotestosterone.
The key to this situation is to understand that anadrol does not convert to DHT via 5-alpha reductase because, being a DHT derivative, it is unable to interact with this enzyme.
Instead, research has shown that simple metabolism of anadrol in the body removes the 2-hydroxymethylene group (one of the modifications of the parent hormone DHT) from anadrol, reducing anadrol to a much more potent androgen known as 17-alpha-methyldihydrotestosterone (aka mestanolone)[2].
Mestanolone has an androgenic rating of 78 - 254, which at its highest range corresponds to three times the androgenic strength of testosterone.
It is believed that through this mechanism, many people tend to experience much more exaggerated anadrol side effects than they would experience with anadrol alone.
Androgenic side effects include increased sebum secretion (oily skin), increased acne (associated with increased sebum secretion), body and facial hair growth, and an increased risk of causing male pattern baldness (MPB) in individuals with the genetic traits necessary for the condition to manifest.
HPTA and Endogenous Testosterone Production Side Effects
All anabolic steroids cause the potential side effect of suppression and/or shutdown of endogenous natural testosterone.
Anadrol side effects are no exception.
In fact, the post cycle 'crash' of anadrol can be among the worst of any anabolic steroid due to the nature of the compound itself.
Since anadrol places a very large amount of mass on an individual in a very short period of time, you can expect this mass to begin to disappear as quickly as it was added.
The dramatic weight loss on anadrol in the weeks following a cycle can be largely attributed to the loss of water retention produced by anadrol.
Muscle mass itself can be preserved by quickly and rapidly restoring endogenous testosterone production, often including a very strong post cycle therapy (PCT) program after the end of a cycle where testosterone stimulating compounds are used.
Hepatotoxicity side effects
Hepatotoxicity is the biggest factor in anadrol's infamous reputation when it comes to anadrol side effects.
It was previously mentioned that Anadrol is C17-alpha alkylated, which is the main cause of the compound's hepatotoxic effects.
However, what is interesting is the fact that Anadrol has a saturated A-ring in its structure which is known to reduce the liver toxicity of the compound[3].
However, despite this fact, evidence has been demonstrated that Anadrol still causes a significant amount of liver toxicity in the body.
In a study in which 31 male HIV-positive subjects were given 50 to 100 mg of Anadrol daily for 12 weeks, it was found that 17% of the subjects had a significant increase in y-glutamyltransferase (GGT), 10% had a significant increase in bilirubin, and 20% had an increase in serum albumin [4].
Many people have been diagnosed with a life-threatening liver tumor known as pelvic inflammatory disease that has been linked to anadrol use.
Therefore, it is recommended to use Anadrol in a cautious manner, not exceeding 4 - 6 weeks.
It is also recommended to supplement with proven liver support and health supplements such as TUDCA/UDCA while using oral anabolic steroids.
Cardiovascular side effects
Cardiovascular strain is one of the most prominent and serious of the anadrol side effects.
Cardiovascular tension and negative cholesterol changes are common side effects of all anabolic steroids, especially oral steroids.
These include a decrease in HDL (good cholesterol) and an increase in LDL (bad cholesterol).
The result of these changes is an increased risk of atherosclerosis, and the degree of these changes is generally dose dependent (higher doses increase the negative changes and risk).
Other factors that influence these negative cholesterol changes include duration of use and route of administration.
In terms of route of administration, oral anabolic steroids are known to have a much worse negative effect on cholesterol compared to injectable anabolic steroids.
This is because the liver acts as the body's cholesterol processing center, and the increased liver toxicity associated with anabolic steroids exacerbates negative cholesterol changes.
Anadrol in particular is very notorious for this, as it is highly resistant to structural breakdown by the liver.
A study of a group of men taking 50 to 100 mg of anadrol for 12 weeks showed a dangerously large increase in LDL and a decrease in HDL (19 to 23 points) [5].
In this case, it is important for all users of anabolic steroids, regardless of the formulation (oral or injectable), to take appropriate precautions to modify their dietary habits to favor positive cholesterol maintenance and change, especially when taking anabolic steroids, including supplementation with cardiovascular health support supplements.
Medical reference
[1]Les Hormones anabolisantes du point de vue experiments. PA Desaulles. Helb. Intermediate Acta 1960;479-503.
[2] Studies on anabolic steroids-8. GC/MS characterization of an unusual seco-acidic metabolite of oxymetholone in human urine. J Steroid Biochem Mol Bio 42 (1992):229-42.
[3] Effect of various 17-alpha alkyl substitutions and structural modifications of steroids on sulfobromophthalein (BSP) retention in rabbits. Lennon HD et al. Steroids 7 (1966): 157-70.
[4] Long-term oxymetholone use in HIV patients not associated with significant hepatotoxicity. Hengge UR et al. Poster presented at the 3rd International Conference on Nutrition and HIV Injection; April 22-25, 1999; Canex, France.
[5] Effects of oral androgens on muscle and metabolism in community-dwelling elderly men. Schroder et al. Am J Physiol Endocrinol. Metab. 284:E 120-28.
