Deca Durabolin Side Effects
Deca Durabolin is an anabolic steroid that is considered by many to be 'mild' in terms of side effects.
However, the term 'mild' is often used too broadly and is a very broad and vague label to give to all anabolic steroids.
In fact, while nandrolone has 'mild' properties, it also has 'harsh' properties.
The first thing to understand is that Deca Durabolin side effects include side effects that are unique to Nandrolone and not seen with almost any other anabolic steroid (although its sibling compound, Trenbolone, shares many of the same side effects and characteristics).
First and foremost, it is important to understand that nandrolone lacks the 19th carbon that testosterone possesses, making it a progestin, and it has been proven that 19-nor anabolic steroids tend to show a binding affinity for the progesterone receptor in the body.[1]
As mentioned above, this creates some issues that are not typically seen with other anabolic steroids that are not progestins.
Nandrolone is considered to have moderate progestogenic activity.
Progestogenic side effects are almost identical to estrogenic side effects and include severe disruption/suppression of endogenous testosterone production, gynecomastia, and water retention.
The activity of progestins has been found to correlate closely with the activity of estrogen in the body. There are also some side effects associated with progestins that are not seen with other anabolic steroids.
The progestogenic compound 19-NORS is known to increase a hormone in the body known as prolactin.
Higher than normal levels of prolactin in men can lead to side effects such as gynecomastia, erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia (inability to have an orgasm), and suppression/interruption of endogenous testosterone production.
It is interesting to note that progesterone itself is known to inhibit prolactin production, and 19-NORs such as nandrolone and trenbolone are classified as progestins, which means that they should actually act to suppress prolactin levels.
However, this is not true, as nandrolone and trenbolone are not progesterone itself, but rather anabolic steroids that exhibit progestogenic activity due to chemical modification, making it very likely that these hormones will exhibit activity that is opposite to that of similar hormones or their parent hormone.
Nandrolone and trenbolone can and have been found to actually increase prolactin levels in the body.
While the increase in prolactin can be controlled by using a prolactin antagonist (such as cabergoline or pramipexole), preventing the increase in estrogen levels is also effective.
First of all, it is strongly suspected that estrogen actually acts as a co-binding factor in prolactin receptor expression (PRLR).
This can increase an individual's sensitivity to prolactin, even if prolactin levels in the body itself are not high.
This is a very valid theory, considering that estrogen receptors are at the root of prolactin problems.
Therefore, controlling estrogen levels can also control the effects of prolactin.
This is the biggest reason why side effects associated with 19-NOR compounds (such as nandrolone and trenbolone) are reported to be much more pronounced and severe when used in a high estrogen environment (whether or not this is due to stacking nandrolone or trenbolone with aromatizable compounds such as testosterone at high doses).
Estrogenic side effects
Deca Durabolin side effects related to estrogen are fairly mild and very minimal.
Nandrolone has very low estrogenic activity and does not bind well with the aromatase enzyme (the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogen).
Compared to the conversion rate of testosterone, it is estimated that only about 20% of nandrolone is converted to estrogen[2].
The reason for this is that nandrolone is a progestin (as are all 19-NOR compounds), as previously mentioned and discussed [3].
Another major factor is the fact that while nandrolone can undergo estrogen conversion in the liver, it is fairly resistant in other locations where estrogen conversion is high (e.g. adipose tissue) [4].
While progestins are very resistant to estrogen conversion, the fact that nandrolone is a progestin in itself creates a number of issues, which are covered in detail above.
Androgenic Side Effects
Deca Durabolin has an androgenic rating of 37, which is known to be one of the lowest, if not the lowest, androgenic rating of all anabolic steroids.
This is good news for women and anyone sensitive to the androgenic side effects of anabolic steroids.
In comparison, testosterone's androgenic strength is rated at 100.
Although considered very mild, androgenic side effects can still occur with the use of Deca Durabolin, and potential androgenic side effects include increased sebum secretion (oily skin), increased acne breakouts (associated with increased sebum secretion), body and facial hair growth, and an increased risk of developing androgenic alopecia (MPB) in individuals who have the genetic traits necessary to develop MPB.
Masculinization symptoms due to deca durabolin side effects can also occur in women, which may include the development of masculine features such as body hair growth, voice changes, clitoral enlargement, and menstrual irregularities.
However, when nandrolone is used wisely in women, these symptoms are very unlikely to occur, but the risk still exists.
HPTA and Endogenous Testosterone Production Side Effects
All anabolic steroids have the side effect of suppressing and/or stopping endogenous testosterone production.
Deca Durabolin side effects are no exception.
Previously, many in the steroid use community have commonly (and unfairly) described nandrolone as an anabolic steroid that exhibits 'mild' HPTA suppression/stoppage.
This could not be further from the truth, as there exists a great deal of evidence and data that demonstrates that nandrolone actually suppresses the body's natural endogenous testosterone production quite severely.
In one study, subjects were given 100mg of nandrolone per week for 6 weeks and saw a 57% decrease in endogenous testosterone levels, while in another study, subjects were given 300mg per week and saw an even higher 70% decrease in testosterone levels [5].
Nandrolone is a much more severe HPTA inhibitor than most other anabolic steroids, especially due to the fact that the 19th carbon of nandrolone is a progestin[6].
Compounds with progestogenic properties, such as nandrolone and trenbolone, inhibit HPTA to a much greater degree than any other anabolic steroid.
Hepatotoxic side effects
Deca Durabolin is not an oral C17 alpha alkylated anabolic steroid, so there is no risk of hepatotoxicity associated with Deca Durabolin.
Cardiovascular Side Effects
It is well known that all anabolic steroids have a negative effect on cholesterol levels in the human body.
This includes 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 extent of these changes is generally dose-dependent (the higher the dose, the greater the negative changes and risk).
Other factors that influence these negative cholesterol changes include duration of use and route of administration.
Decadurabolin, in particular, has been shown to reduce HDL cholesterol levels by 26% in a study in which subjects were given 600 mg weekly for 10 weeks [7].
In another study where testosterone cypionate was administered, HDL and LDL levels were monitored, and the negative changes in cholesterol levels from deca-durabolin administration were found to be even greater than testosterone [8].
As this article shows, recent studies have confirmed that nandrolone is more toxic to fat than testosterone.
Medical references
[1] Studies on the biological activity of certain 19-nor steroids in female animals. Pincus G, Chang M, Zarrow M, Hafez E, Merril A. December 1956.
[2] Biosynthesis of estrogens, Gual C, Morato T, Hayano M, Gut M and Dorfman R. Endocrinology 71 (1962):920-25
[3] Competitive progesterone antagonists: receptor binding and biological activity of testosterone and 19-nortestosterone derivatives. Reel JR, Humphrey RR, Shih YH, Windsor BL, Sakowski R, Creger PL, Edgren RA. Fertil Steril May 1979;31(5):552-61
[4] Aromatization of androstenedione and 19-nortestosterone in human placenta, liver and adipose tissue (abstract). Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi 62(1986):18-25
[5] Administration of pharmacologic doses of testosterone or 19-nortestosterone to normal men is not associated with increased insulin secretion or impaired glucose tolerance. Karl E. Friedl et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 68:971, 1989
[6] Effects of nandrolone decanoate on the pituitary-gonadal axis in men. Bijlisma J, Duursma S, Thijssen J, Huber O. Acta Endocrinol 101 (1982):108-12
[7] Metabolic effects of nandrolone decanoate and resistance training in HIV-infected men. Sattler FR, Schroeder ET, Dube MP, Jaque SV, Martinez C, Blanche PJ, Azen S, Krauss RM. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Dec;283(6):E1214-22. August 27, 2002 Epub
[8] Lipidemic and lipoproteinemic effects of natural and synthetic androgens in humans. Crist DM, Peake GT, Stackpole PF, Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1986 Jul;13(7):513-8
