Anadrol (Oxymetholone)

A long, long time ago when we were starting off with anabolic steroids, there were a few names that were commonly thrown around in gyms.

The D-Bomb if you wanted to add some pounds fast. Winny if you were looking to break through your lifting plateau. Deca if you were sore in the joints. Clen if you wanted to torch the fat.

And Anadrol if you wanted to mess with your HPTA forever.

Oh yeah, that was the reputation that Anadrol had.

It was called one of the harshest orals ever.

But after running three cycles with Anadrol over the years, we have come to realize that it’s not half as bad as people make it sound.

Especially if you know what sides to expect and how to control them.

Let’s talk Anadrol folks.

The top three benefits of using Anadrol

Anadrol or Oxymetholone is a DHT-derived C-17aa, oral anabolic steroid that is quite popular with experienced steroid users.

For beginners though, its reputation often precedes its benefits.

It is often compared to Dianabol as both the compounds have a very similar action on the body and even have identical sides.  

So, if you are looking to bulk fast and add an oral as a kick starter, it will most likely be a toss between Dianabol and Anadrol.

Here are the three primary benefits of an Anadrol cycle.

Bulking:

Anadrol is one of the best bulking steroids in the world. Period. It gets unfairly trashed because of the water retention that it causes. But if you are careful with the dosage and the ancillaries, you can work around the water gains and make some pretty good, stable gains with it.  

Strength:

Just like Dianabol, Anadrol will make you strong enough to allow you to cruise past your previous best 1RMs. That’s to put it mildly. You will gain a lot of strength during your cycle. Pretty useful when you are cutting. Oh yes, we have used Anadrol in two severe cutting cycles to add some muscle while we were dropping body fat. Trust us on this, the strength helps.

Aggression:

This is what we love the most about Anadrol. The aggression that we get with the compound is just incomparable to anything else. It’s not the feel-good euphoria that we get with Dianabol. Instead, it’s like this enhanced focus that allows us to go real hard at the weights. Club that with the strength gains and we are like ‘Hulk Smash’

Side effects to be concerned about

A lot of the bad rap that Anadrol gets is because of the water retention and the estrogenic side effects.

That’s despite it being a DHT-based steroid that does not aromatize.

If you are looking to start a A’drol cycle, here are the three primary side effects that you should keep in mind.

Blood Pressure:

It’s a given that your BP will spike when you are on Anadrol. Dietary changes might help but not to an extent that’s beneficial. Supplementation with Hawthorne berry and garlic is known to help. But again, it depends on how severe the condition is. We recommend that you keep monitoring your BP and if the surge is too severe, opt for pharma-grade medication like Lisinopril or something similar.

Liver toxicity:

We are of the firm opinion that liver toxicity is often hyped when it comes to oral steroids. But Anadrol and superdrol are two compounds that cause our liver values to go absolutely haywire. That’s despite adding TUDCA and other liver supplements to the cycle. So, if you have a sensitive liver to begin with, we’d recommend that you avoid Anadrol.

Loss of appetite:

When you are getting bigger at the rate at which Anadrol blows you up, you need to be able to eat to sustain those muscles. Else, you just inflate and deflate like a water-filled balloon. But the loss of appetite can be so severe that you may find it difficult to even consume 1000 calories in a day.

Gyno:

Anadrol does not aromatize. But some users still experience gynecomastia and other estrogenic side effects, which has led a lot of experts to believe that it converts to estrogen by activating specific receptors. So, an AI wouldn’t be useful with Anadrol. You’d have to use a SERM.

On a positive note, Anadrol does not cause painful muscle cramps that some users get with Dianabol.

Like we said, it’s a toss between the two.

How to use it

50mg/day is the lowest recommended dose for a 12-week cycle.

Starting with a low dose might help reduce the side effects to an extent, particularly the water retention.

If you do not experience any side effects at 50mg, up the dose to 75 and then subsequently to 100mg/day.

In fact, 100mg Anadrol and 50mg Winstrol is one of the oldest strength and size stacks.

But if you notice that your blood pressure has elevated or get crazy headaches and nosebleeds, immediately dial the dose down and reevaluate.

PCT with Anadrol

PCT will be absolutely necessary to kick start endogenous testosterone production as well as in helping resume your LH & FSH levels back to normal.

Nolvadex should be the first choice. If you cannot get pharma grade Nolva, Clomid is your next best bet.

For liver support, TUDCA may not suffice. We also recommend adding N2 guard.

You can use HCG during cycle and during PCT to trigger testosterone production. HCGenerate is a good OTC supplement that may also help.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 89 HIV-positive eugonadal women and men with wasting assigned to the anabolic steroid oxymetholone (50 mg bid or tid) or placebo for 16 weeks was performed. Body weight, bioimpedance measurements, quality of life parameters, and appetite were analyzed.

DOI:10.1310/hct.2003.4.3.002

Running Anadrol Solo – Pros and Cons

Are the rewards worth the risks if you run a solo cycle of Anadrol?

Let’s find out.

Pros

• No Pinning
• Rapid mass gains
• Freakish strength gains
• Is effective even at low doses

Cons

• Extreme water retention
• High possibility of losing the gains just as fast
• Suppression or shut down can hit you pretty fast

To sum things up, we don’t recommend a solo Anadrol cycle. Use it as a kick starter for your Testosterone cycle or use it with Deca.

Just don’t run it solo. Not worth the time, money and effort.

Anadrol vs. Dianabol for bulking

We’d say that it depends on how you react to these compounds. If you find that Dianabol offers you better results without the risk of nasty sides, go with Dianabol.

However, if Anadrol works for you, then chances are that you wouldn’t go back to Dianabol anytime soon.