Nandrolone Decanoate: features of action and administration schemes

Author: Vasiliy Roldugin - coach and Master of Sports in Powerlifting.
2014-04-10

Important! We do not advocate for the use of steroids and other potent substances. All information is provided so that those who still decide to take them can do so with minimal health risks.

Synthesized in 1950, the androgenic-anabolic steroid (AAS) nandrolone remains one of the most sought-after substances in strength sports today. There are quite a number of nandrolone esters: propionate, phenylpropionate, laurate, undecanoate, hexoxyphenylpropionate, and decanoate. The most commonly used are phenylpropionate and decanoate.

Today, we will discuss nandrolone decanoate, which is found in products such as: Deca-Durabolin (25, 50, 100 mg/ml), Retabolil (25, 50 mg/ml), Deca-Durabol (25, 50, 100 mg/ml), and many others.

Positive Properties of Nandrolone Decanoate

1. In medicine, nandrolone decanoate is used in the treatment of dystrophy, recovery after injuries, surgeries, and heart attacks.

2. Nandrolone decanoate is a classic anabolic. It has the longest lasting effect on the cellular receptors responsible for anabolic processes.

3. The excellent anabolic effect of nandrolone decanoate on the user's body is explained by the ability of this drug to cause muscle cells to accumulate nitrogen in greater amounts than required for expenditure. Thus, a positive nitrogen balance is created, leading to muscle growth, especially with a sufficiently high protein intake. The significant anabolic action of nandrolone decanoate is combined with a minor androgenic effect, allowing users to gain a decent increase in muscle mass and strength.

4. Another positive feature of decanoate is its ability to accumulate water in the connective tissue. In practice, this effect alleviates or completely eliminates joint pain, which is very helpful for athletes who have issues with their shoulders, knees, and elbows.

5. Among the positive properties of the decanoate is its ability to block cortisol receptors. This reduces the degree of muscle breakdown. Additionally, the decanoate increases hemoglobin levels and decreases calcium loss, which is particularly relevant for women.

6. The most significant positive aspect of using nandrolone decanoate, in my opinion, is that it does not negatively affect the liver and can even be used in cases of liver disease. Scientific studies have shown that after several years of using nandrolone decanoate, no liver damage was found.

Possible Side Effects

In general, the side effects of nandrolone decanoate are minimal and may only be noted at dosages above 400 mg per week. Such effects include:

• Increased blood pressure;
• Delayed blood clotting;
• Nosebleeds, slow-healing wounds;
• Increased activity of sebaceous glands, acne;
• Headaches;
• Water retention;
• Increased libido;
• Reduced natural testosterone production.

Aromatization when taking nandrolone decanoate is a relatively rare phenomenon that occurs at dosages above 400 mg per week. Similar to the risk of water retention, the issue of aromatization can be addressed by co-administering Proviron and Nolvadex.

As for the side effects of nandrolone decanoate in women, they are practically absent at doses up to 200 mg per week. Higher doses may lead to masculinization phenomena:

• Often irreversible lowering of voice pitch;
• Increased body hair;
• Acne;
• Increased libido;
• Occasional clitoral hypertrophy.

For athletes competing under doping control, the use of decanoate would be an absolutely unreasonable decision, as the metabolites of this substance can be detected 1.5 to 2 years after stopping its use.

Dosages and Dosage Schedules

The best results from nandrolone decanoate are achieved with a dosage of 4 mg per kg of body weight per week. It has been noted that dosages below 200 mg/week yield very weak effects. Therefore, the optimal, practice-tested dosage is 200 - 600 mg of nandrolone decanoate per week.

In the case of higher dosages, the effectiveness of the drug does not increase. Therefore, 1500 mg/week will not provide results above those achieved with 600 mg/week. However, it can shift the benefit-harm ratio towards harm. Beginners in AAS cycles should remember that to achieve decent results, they will be fine using no more than 200 mg of the substance per week.

Since the half-life of nandrolone decanoate is 7-10 days, injections are typically recommended once a week. However, in order to maintain a constant level of the substance in the blood, it would be promising to administer injections every fourth day (see Table 1.)

Nandrolone decanoate administration schedule "solo"

The schedule presented in the table uses nandrolone decanoate as the only substance in the "cycle" and serves merely as an example. Moreover, using it alone is not very convenient because the drug takes a relatively long time to take effect. This usually happens by the end of the first week or the middle of the second week of use. In this regard, it is advisable to use decanoate either as a foundational substance in a combined cycle or in conjunction with a short ester of testosterone (for example, testosterone propionate) at the beginning of the cycle and with methandrostenolone throughout its duration. This combination allows for a smooth and effective start to the cycle and provides a synergistic effect.

Conclusions

1. Nandrolone decanoate is one of the most common and sought-after substances in strength sports.
2. The drug has a pronounced anabolic effect.
3. It is used for increasing strength and mass.
4. It helps alleviate joint problems.
5. It is non-toxic to the liver.
6. In reasonable dosages, side effects are rarely observed.
7. The optimal dosage of the drug is 200 - 600 mg/week.