Dianabol (Dbol)

If there is a steroidal drug with a reputation that precedes it, then it has to be Dianabol.

The infamous pink pill that has the potential to turn you ‘huge’ in a matter of days. The ‘feel good’ steroid, the ‘easiest steroid’ to get big.

We have heard many an anecdote about the big D.

Our association with Dianabol began in the early 1980s, when it was all over gyms and sporting fields.

It came highly recommended from a guy who had a notorious reputation on the track. Not to mention that almost everybody dwarfed under him. Boy, was he big.

But he also died prematurely, at the age of 38 due to cardiac arrest.

In fact, a lot of big guys in the 80s died premature deaths and this was what set alarm bells ringing in the medical community about steroid abuse.

Well, that’s for another day.

Today, we will talk about Dianabol, the most famous oral steroid of all times.

Chemical structure

Dianabol is the brand name for Methandrostenolone, an anabolic steroid derived from Testosterone.

Two alterations are made to the testosterone hormone. A double bond is added at the Carbon 1 and 2 positions and a methyl group is added at the 17^th position.

This significantly reduces the androgenicity of the drug, amplifies the anabolic nature and allows it to survive, breakdown by the liver.

Common Names

Methandrostenolone was marketed under the brand name Dianabol by Ciba until 1983, when it finally pulled the plug on the compound due to mounting pressure from the FDA.

But that’s the name that has been synonymous with the drug.

Some of the other nicknames that it is known by are Anabol, Danabol, Vetanabol and the D-Bomb.

Main Uses

Because it is a testosterone-derived anabolic steroid, Dianabol has a very straightforward action in the human body in a performance enhancement setting.

It increases nitrogen retention, protein synthesis and gylcogenolysis (better use of carbohydrates that we consume).

But that would be to put it mildly, for the results that one achieves with Dianabol is unlike what you will get with any other steroid.

Mass gain:

If you have always been a hard gainer, then Dianabol will move the scales in no time. It is hands down, one of the most effective mass gaining steroids of all times. There are people who trash the drug saying that all the mass that you gain will be water and glycogen. That’s a huge load of bull. It’s true that Dianabol will cause water retention and you will lose some of that water when you go off the drug. But you can make some neat muscle gains while you are on cycle. And you can also retain these gains with a good PCT.

Strength:

Dianabol rivals Winstrol in increasing strength. You will cruise through plateaus and set new personal bests. On the track, you will be stronger and faster than ever before. Also, these gains occur fast. Almost dramatic, if that’s the right way to put it. Most first timers on Dianabol are surprised at how fast they can rack plates to the rod.

Side Effects

Sadly, Dianabol is also one of the riskiest steroids that you can use for performance enhancement.

It is bound to cause some serious side effects, some of them permanent and irreparable.

That’s if you use it carelessly though, which a lot of first timers are guilty of.

• Estrogenic side effects: Dianabol is moderate when it comes to aromatase activity. But when it aromatizes, it gets converted into methylestradiol, a stronger version of Estradiol. This can cause heavy water retention and also gynecomastia. What makes things worse is that the side effects can be as dramatic as the positive benefits of using Dianabol. They can appear overnight. The water retention can cause high blood pressure, which is almost unavoidable.
• Androgenic side effects: The structural modification to the hormone reduces Dianabol’s androgenicity to a large extent. But it can still cause hair loss, acne and a bevy of other androgenic side effects if you are prone to them. In females, it can cause virilization.
• Hepatotoxicity and cholesterol: Being a 17C-AA steroid, Dianabol is hepatotoxic and it can severely deplete your levels of good cholesterol, subsequently increasing bad cholesterol. If you have a prior history of bad cholesterol or liver diseases, then you would be advised to stay away from Dianabol completely.
• Suppression: Dianabol causes severe testosterone suppression that borders on a total shutdown. So, you might gain up to 20 lbs. very fast. But without testosterone, you will lose it faster than you gained it.

Dosage and stacks

Make no mistake, Methandrostenolone is an extremely strong drug and despite what you might read on messaging boards, you don’t probably need a high dose to get good results.

For men:

15mg/day divided into two or three doses for 8-12 weeks. That’s a very low dose mind you. But it can get you good results. If you have run multiple cycles of Dianabol, then you can go up to 25-35mg/day.

Even 50mg/day. But that’s the upper limit for us. We’d personally never recommend anything above 50mg. Not unless you are Kai Greene.

You can also use Dianabol as a kick starter to your testosterone cycle for the first four weeks.

For Women:

5mg/day for 8-12 weeks. Even at 10mg/day, there is a serious risk of virilization which can be avoided completely with low doses and PCT.

Dianabol vs. Superdrol vs. Anadrol

All three of these steroids are powerful mass gainers which might make one believe that you can swap one for the other.

But they are like oranges and apples.

Dianabol is a testosterone derivative whereas Superdrol is derived from DHT.

Superdrol may help you gain more mass but at the risk of side effects that are more severe than Dianabol.

Ditto with Anadrol. It might make you bigger than Dianabol, but if you are prone to the sides then it will completely trash your energy levels and kill your appetite.

Having said that, if Dianabol gives you severe side effects, like Gyno or water retention, then you might want to try out one of these two steroids.