Anavar (Oxandrolone)
Anavar, a synthetic oral derivative of testosterone that cannot be converted into estrogen, has significantly lower virilizing effects (only 5% of testosterone’s) and reduced liver toxicity compared to testosterone. It quickly reaches peak serum concentrations within one hour upon administration and is subsequently excreted through urine. Anavar works by binding to androgen receptors in skeletal muscle, stimulating protein synthesis and fostering anabolic activity. Its inability to convert into estrogen reduces the risk of estrogen-dependent bone age advancement, making Anavar a safe therapeutic option for all patients.
Anavar is considered one of the better anabolic steroids
Anavar is probably one of the best oral anabolic steroids, primarily due to its well-tolerated nature. It’s among the few steroids deemed safe for both men and women, boasting a remarkably low side effect profile. However, some underestimate Anavar due to its mildness, often stemming from unrealistic expectations. Many anticipate uniform effects from all steroids, disregarding the fact that each steroid carries distinct results and purposes. To truly appreciate Anavar’s benefits, we must grasp its unique characteristics.
Anavar is the trade name for the dihydrotestosterone-derived anabolic steroid Oxandrolone, initially introduced in the early 1960s by G.D. Searle & Co. It gained renown for its therapeutic attributes. However, Searle ceased production in 1989 due to FDA restrictions, leading to its near disappearance from the market, given Searle’s dominance over Oxandrolone products. In 1995, Bio-Technology General Corp (BTG), now Savient, reintroduced the Oxandrolone hormone under the name Oxandrin.
BTG monopolized the product, significantly elevating its cost. Fortunately, in recent years, some US-based pharmacies like Watson started producing generic Oxandrolone, reducing its price. Nonetheless, it remains relatively expensive compared to other steroids, even from underground labs. It’s essential to note for future purchases that while “Anavar” is commonly associated with Oxandrolone, no pharmaceutical company manufacturing Oxandrolone employs the “Anavar” name.
What exactly is Anavar?
Anavar or Oxandrolone is a modified form of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), characterized by an oxygen atom replacing the carbon-2 in the A-ring. This structural alteration enhances the hormone’s anabolic activity and prevents metabolic breakdown. Additionally, a methyl group added at the 17th carbon position enables oral ingestion, officially classifying Anavar as a C17-aa anabolic steroid.
As a therapeutic agent, Anavar proves effective for various treatment plans. It’s commonly prescribed for weight gain following surgery, infection, or severe weight loss. Anavar also addresses issues stemming from prolonged corticosteroid exposure and osteoporosis by promoting bone density. Despite its successful track record, its use in the U.S. is limited due to stringent laws. Furthermore, Anavar demonstrates efficacy in treating hepatitis and promoting growth in children with hormone deficiencies.
In the realm of performance enhancement, Anavar is highly favored among athletes. Despite its mild appearance, Anavar boasts significant anabolic potency, surpassing testosterone’s strength by 3-6 times. While not ideal for bulking cycles in male athletes, it excels in cutting cycles and direct athletic enhancement. Its low androgenic nature makes it particularly suitable for female use.
Anavar functions by increasing nitrogen retention in muscles, reducing sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and inhibiting glucocorticoid hormones. These mechanisms create an anabolic environment, enhance free testosterone levels, and counteract muscle-wasting effects. Additionally, Anavar elevates red blood cell count, enhancing endurance, and demonstrates fat-burning properties by promoting lipolysis. While some studies present varying results, Anavar is generally recognized as a potent fat-burning agent, solidifying its status as a versatile and effective steroid.
What kind of muscle will Anavar produce in bodybuilders?
Anavar, despite its mild reputation, can still contribute to muscle growth in bodybuilders. Its anabolic properties, though not as potent as some other steroids, can still stimulate protein synthesis and promote muscle hypertrophy. However, the muscle growth achieved with Anavar is typically leaner and more moderate compared to bulking steroids like testosterone or Dianabol.
Muscle definition and vascularity
Bodybuilders using Anavar may experience gradual, steady gains in muscle mass over time, accompanied by improvements in muscle definition and vascularity. Additionally, Anavar’s ability to enhance nitrogen retention in muscles can contribute to a more favorable anabolic environment, facilitating muscle growth and recovery.
It’s important to note that individual responses to Anavar can vary, and the extent of muscle growth will depend on factors such as dosage, duration of use, diet, training regimen, and genetic predisposition. Overall, while Anavar may not produce the rapid and dramatic muscle gains seen with some other steroids, it can still be a valuable tool for bodybuilders seeking quality, sustainable muscle growth with minimal side effects.
Fat loss and getting ripped
Anavar is exceptionally effective for both men and women during the cutting phase, making it a top choice for many. Its primary purpose of use revolves around fat loss, especially among non-competitive athletes who seek to enhance their physique. With its potent anabolic properties, Anavar excels at preserving lean muscle tissue while dieting. In any weight loss regimen, maintaining lean tissue is crucial, and Anavar ensures minimal muscle loss during calorie deficit periods.
Supplementing with Anavar during cutting phases not only helps preserve muscle but also enhances fat burning efficiency. Even if its direct lipolysis effect isn’t the strongest, Anavar significantly boosts metabolic rate. As fat is shed, individuals often notice a harder, more defined appearance with increased vascularity. Overall, Anavar contributes to a tighter and more aesthetically pleasing physique during the cutting phase.
Cutting properties
For a successful cutting cycle, Anavar is the go-to choice, offering a leaner and harder physique. Unlike many steroids, it’s primarily designed for cutting, much like Winstrol. It’s effective in preserving muscle while promoting fat burning and metabolic activity.
While men can benefit from Anavar for a beach-ready look, it’s particularly advantageous for women during dieting. Without it, the fitness industry wouldn’t be as it is today. Women often struggle more than men to lose body fat and maintain lean tissue. Anavar stands out for its minimal side effects, making it a safe option when used responsibly.
Bulking
During the off-season, Anavar isn’t very useful for bodybuilders or powerlifters because it doesn’t help much with muscle size. Even at high doses, it’s not meant for bulking. However, for athletes like baseball or football players, it can be helpful for maintaining and repairing muscle tissue during the off-season.
Female athletes benefit the most from Anavar during the off-season. It can add lean tissue effectively without causing significant side effects.
Anavar and Athletes
Anavar earns widespread appreciation from athletes for several reasons. While it may not deliver the immense strength gains seen with steroids like Dianabol or Halotestin, it still provides a notable increase in strength, a crucial factor for athletic success as it directly impacts speed and power.
Another appealing aspect of Anavar for athletes is its ability to avoid significant mass gain. In many sports, excessive mass can impede performance or draw unwanted attention. Additionally, Anavar’s inability to cause water retention is advantageous, as excess water weight can be burdensome for athletes. Thus, Anavar stands out as a top choice for athletes seeking performance enhancement without unwanted side effects.
Anavar Dosage Recommendations
- To optimize benefits and minimize risks, adhering to proper dosage guidelines is essential when using Anavar. The ideal Oxandrolone dosage varies based on an individual’s experience, objectives, and tolerance.
- Beginner Dosage: For Anavar novices, a typical starting dose falls between 20 to 30 milligrams (mg) per day. This conservative approach allows the body to adapt to the compound and assess individual response.
- Intermediate Dosage: As users gain familiarity with Oxandrolone, dosage can be increased to a range of 40 to 60 mg daily. This intermediate level strikes a balance between achieving noticeable results and managing potential side effects.
- Advanced Dosage: Advanced users with higher tolerance levels may choose doses ranging from 60 to 80 mg per day. However, it’s crucial to approach higher dosages cautiously and closely monitor any adverse effects
Stacking Anavar
For many who use anabolic steroids, a common question revolves around stacking—what combinations yield the best results? Anavar often comes into play in these discussions. Stacking Anavar can vary significantly based on gender, but whether bulking or cutting, the overall approach remains largely consistent.
Typically, the Oxandrolone hormone isn’t recommended for men in bulking cycles, as it’s generally considered inefficient for this purpose. However, men can still incorporate it into a bulking stack if they choose. In contrast, Anavar can be quite effective for cutting cycles in men.
We’ll explore the most suitable ways for both men and women to stack Anavar. While there may be minor differences between female bulking and cutting cycles, the overall approach is quite similar.
Anavar Stacks for Men
Male anabolic steroid users typically utilize the Oxandrolone hormone during cutting phases, where reducing body fat is the main goal. For most individuals, it’s advisable to incorporate some form of exogenous testosterone. Testosterone serves as the foundation for most cycles, not only due to the suppression of natural production caused by anabolic steroid use, but also because it’s the most versatile and effective hormone.
Those who opt to stack Anavar with testosterone during a cutting cycle have several other options as well. Other anabolic steroids that synergize well during this phase include, but are not limited to:
- Equipoise
- Primobolan
- Masteron
- Winstrol
- Trenbolone
Anavar Stacks for Women
Stacking Anavar can offer significant benefits for female athletes during any cycle, whether bulking or cutting. In many instances, Anavar alone may suffice as the primary anabolic steroid during the cycle, although additional hormones and performance enhancers can be added if desired.
For first-time female steroid users, it’s usually recommended to use the Oxandrolone hormone on its own initially to gauge the body’s response and ensure tolerance.
For female athletes looking to stack Anavar with other anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, Oxandrolone pairs well with the following:
- Nolvadex
- HGH
- Clenbuterol
- Cytomel
- Winstrol
- Primobolan
How long can you use the Anavar Stacks?
When incorporating Anavar into our stack, it’s crucial to consider timing. Generally, both men and women should aim for 6-8 weeks of use, with 6 weeks being the standard maximum for most women. While extending the duration of use is possible, it’s advisable to take a break before starting again.
For men, it’s often beneficial to switch to another anabolic steroid after a period of Anavar use. On the other hand, women may find it useful to take a break from Anavar for 3-4 weeks before resuming stacking with it again.
Best Brands of Oxandrolone
The quality of oxandrolone (Anavar) brands can vary widely depending on various factors such as manufacturing standards, reputation of the pharmaceutical company, and feedback from users. Some reputable pharmaceutical companies known for producing high-quality oxandrolone include:
- Pfizer (manufactures Anavar under the brand name Oxandrin)
- Dragon Pharma
- Balkan Pharmaceuticals
- Meditech Pharmaceuticals
- Alpha Pharma
- Geneza Pharmaceuticals
- Swiss Remedies
Anavar and the Liver
While previous research has discussed potential liver-related side effects with oxandrolone use, there are significant issues with the current information available. These issues make it hard for doctors to know how common or severe these side effects really are. One problem is that different studies define liver problems and increased liver enzymes in different ways. Also, many studies have only looked at a small number of patients, and only one study has focused specifically on liver problems as the main point of study.
One of the largest studies on oxandrolone involved 81 patients with burn injuries. It found that more patients in the oxandrolone group had higher liver enzymes (11% higher than normal) after at least 8 weeks of treatment compared to those who didn’t take the drug. This study also showed that the oxandrolone group had more cases of liver damage, defined as having certain liver enzymes higher than normal levels.
Other studies have also looked at liver problems with oxandrolone, but they use different definitions. For example, some define liver problems as a change in certain liver enzymes from the baseline level, while others define it as an increase in these enzymes to 1.5-3 times the normal level. Because of these differences between studies and the fact that liver problems are often not the main focus, it’s hard to determine how often oxandrolone causes liver issues.
Androgenic properties
Anavar has been shown to increase testosterone levels in boys
In their study, the researchers were surprised to discover that oxandrolone significantly increased testosterone levels. Initially, they hypothesized that oxandrolone would either decrease testosterone levels or have no effect, as indicated by previous studies.
However, they observed a notable rise in testosterone levels at various intervals post-burn following oxandrolone administration. Similar findings were reported in a study involving growth-delayed boys, where researchers suggested that oxandrolone may exert an androgenic effect, thereby stimulating serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms underlying oxandrolone’s augmentation of endogenous androgenic hormone production remain unknown.
Given the predominance of boys in the oxandrolone treatment group, the researchers investigated whether this gender imbalance influenced the results by potentially eliciting a greater androgenic effect in males compared to females. Through subgroup analysis, they examined the differential impact of oxandrolone on males versus females concerning body composition, serum proteins and cytokines, hormones, and strength. Although they observed inherent differences between males and females, they found no significant gender-specific effect of oxandrolone on the measured parameters.
What can we take from the study?
Although not highly potent, oxandrolone does possess some androgenic activity, which can manifest in acne, accelerated hair loss in individuals predisposed to male pattern baldness, and increased body hair growth. However, most users will not experience significant issues due to its overall low androgenic nature. It’s worth noting that 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, commonly used to counteract androgenic side effects of other steroids, have limited effectiveness with Anavar because oxandrolone is not affected by the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. Unlike testosterone, oxandrolone is already in the dihydrotestosterone form, so conversion is not a concern.
Although oxandrolone’s androgenic effects are mild, they can still potentially cause virilization symptoms in women, such as increased body hair, deepening of the voice, and clitoral enlargement. Fortunately, Anavar has a very low virilization rating, and most women can use it safely as long as they do so responsibly. However, individual responses may vary. Despite its low risk, if virilization symptoms do occur, it is crucial to discontinue use immediately to prevent them from becoming permanent.
Anavar and increases in strength
Anavar will cause an increase in strength. In a study of children with burn injuries and being treated with anavar a significant increase in strength was observed.
“We looked at 39 patients who didn’t receive oxandrolone treatment and 19 patients who did (age: 11.4 ± 0.24 years for controls, 12.0 ± 0.7 years for those treated with oxandrolone). Most patients were boys. We measured muscle strength in both groups after they left the hospital, before they started exercising again, which usually happened between 3 to 6 months after they were burned.
We found that muscle strength decreased in both groups compared to kids who weren’t burned. However, the average muscle strength (peak torque) was twice as high in the oxandrolone group compared to the control group.”
Should you run PCT after Anavar?
Given that Anavar is a mild steroid, running a PCT (post-cycle therapy) is more of an option than a necessity.
Based on our experience, Anavar doesn’t completely shut down testosterone levels; instead, they become suppressed and may take several weeks to recover to optimal levels. However, implementing a PCT can significantly accelerate this recovery process.
During the recovery period, users may experience fatigue, low mood, and reduced libido post-cycle. These effects aren’t exclusive to men but also affect women.
Steroids exert a potent influence on women’s hormones, leading to a depletion of their natural testosterone levels. Although women have much lower testosterone levels than men, it remains a crucial hormone in their body chemistry. Women often report experiencing a mild ‘crash’ from Anavar post-cycle at our clinic.
For an Anavar-only cycle, an aggressive PCT isn’t necessary. Men have achieved success using Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) or Clomid (Clomiphene) to help restore their testosterone production, which is more than adequate.
The recommended dosage for Nolvadex is 40mg per day for 45 days, with 2 x 20mg pills taken daily. For Clomid, the recommended dosage is 100mg per day for 30 days, with 2 x 50mg pills taken daily. Users should commence their PCT approximately 57 hours after their last Anavar dose, which is the estimated time for Anavar to completely clear out of the body.
Conclusion
Anavar isn’t classified as an extremely potent anabolic steroid, but its benefits are still considerable. Its well-tolerated nature elevates its status, making it one of the most valuable steroids available. To maximize Anavar’s potential, it’s essential to understand its effects and integrate it into your plan for the right reasons.
If you’re expecting significant gains in lean muscle mass quickly, Anavar may not meet your expectations. Many people mistakenly believe that the primary goal of using steroids is to build substantial muscle mass. However, gains from steroids encompass more than just muscle size; they can also involve overall body transformations or enhancements in athletic performance.
Whether your goal is to improve athletic performance, maintain muscle mass, or enhance your appearance, Anavar remains an excellent choice for fulfilling your needs with anabolic steroids.