Oxandrolone: properties, effectiveness, dosages

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2014-02-09

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.

Oxandrolone is arguably the least harmful (in terms of side effects) of all anabolic steroids. After all, it was primarily created for children and women. And while it may not be as effective as other steroids, it possesses some valuable properties that can sometimes make it simply irreplaceable. But let's go through everything in order.

Properties and Features

1. Oxandrolone, unlike other anabolic steroids, does not suppress the production of natural testosterone at all. Therefore, it does not require the use of any drugs when coming off a "cycle."

2. In addition, it does not aromatize. This means that during its use, estrogen levels (female hormones) do not increase. This is very convenient, as it eliminates the need for drugs that suppress estrogens. Hence, the risk of gynecomastia in men is absent. In women, even at higher dosages, there is no development of secondary sexual characteristics of the male type. In short, it doesn’t turn women into men and men into women )).

3. Oxandrolone is one of the strongest anti-catabolics among anabolic steroids. It blocks cortisol receptors, which are responsible for muscle breakdown. Therefore, oxandrolone can significantly reduce the rate of muscle tissue catabolism.

4. Oxandrolone stimulates the production of creatine phosphate in muscles. This directly affects the growth of muscle strength. However, it is useless for gaining muscle mass. In other words, strength will increase, but mass will not. Studies have shown that only significant doses (100 mg or more per day) can lead to a slight increase in mass.

Side Effects

Oxandrolone is rightly considered one of the most innocuous anabolic drugs. This is understandable since it was initially created for children and women. No aromatization, no suppression of natural testosterone. Oxandrolone does not require the simultaneous use of any drugs to support the liver or suppress estrogens. However, minimal side effects can sometimes occur.

1. Diarrhea. Oxandrolone irritates the stomach lining. Therefore, taking large doses at once (40-50 mg) on an empty stomach can cause a temporary bout of diarrhea. However, many bodybuilders do not even consider this a side effect ). To avoid this, take oxandrolone after or during meals. Personally, I have not experienced any issues even when taking it on an empty stomach.

2. Liver strain. Like all 17-alpha alkylated compounds (I am not entirely sure what this means), oxandrolone places an additional load on the liver. However, this is much less than, for example, with methandienone. Generally, if you have no pre-existing liver issues, even large doses of this drug do not lead to complications.

Application Area

1. Oxandrolone is widely used in medicine for children and women. For children, it effectively restores skin integrity (after burns). Additionally, it can be safely given to young athletes to increase their strength indicators. This drug will not interfere with the hormonal system of the body and will not cause any complications in the future.

2. In strength sports, oxandrolone is often used between main cycles of anabolic steroids. As I mentioned earlier, it is a good anti-catabolic agent and does not suppress the production of natural testosterone. All this allows you to retain the muscle mass gained during the main cycle while simultaneously restoring your hormonal background. In other words, it allows the body to rest from the side effects of other anabolic drugs while preserving muscle.

3. In combination with stanozolol, oxandrolone is used to increase muscle strength without increasing body mass. This is especially relevant for those who do not want to exceed their weight category before competitions.

4. Its property of not increasing body mass while protecting muscles from breakdown is very useful during cutting. Therefore, it is often used when one needs to make the body as defined as possible while maintaining muscle.

5. Oxandrolone is also suitable for those who want to try steroids for the first time. If your body is not yet "used" to anabolic drugs, even small dosages of oxandrolone will lead to noticeable increases in strength indicators.

Dosages

More or less effective dosages of this drug are: 50-100 mg per day for men, and 20-50 mg per day for women and children. Ideally, this portion should be divided into three doses. This is because the half-life of oxandrolone is 8-10 hours. Dividing the intake into three doses and taking them at equal intervals would correspond to 8 hours.

This method of administration helps maintain a consistent level of the drug in the body, slightly increasing its effectiveness compared to taking it once every 24 hours. In that case, you would experience hormonal fluctuations since, after a day, there would be almost nothing left in your body from the previous dose. It’s not necessarily bad, but if you can maximize the benefits of this drug, it’s best to do so. By the way, the frequency of any steroid intake should depend on the length of its half-life.

Typically, dosages exceeding 100 mg per day are impractical since the effectiveness does not significantly increase. Such dosages can also be hard on your wallet.

The duration of this drug's use is 1-2 months. Although I am confident that it can be taken longer without any consequences. Thus, for a full course of oxandrolone, you will need approximately 200-300 tablets of 10 mg each.

Specific Drugs

In general, oxandrolone is quite an expensive drug. This is precisely why it is not highly regarded among strength athletes, where its effective doses need to be relatively high. And that may not be affordable for everyone. Currently, the most commonly available drug in Russia is “Oxaver” by “Vermodje.” 100 tablets will cost you around 3000-3200 rubles (this is still relatively cheap). Each tablet contains 10 mg. So if you take at least 5 tablets a day, you will need 150 tablets for a month. As you can see, it gets expensive.

You can also get “Oxandrolon” by “Balkan Pharma.” However, if I remember correctly, its price is about 1.5 times higher. Both of these companies have already established a good reputation. However, I am unsure how they fare with counterfeits.

Conclusions

1. Oxandrolone has only two pronounced properties: increased muscle strength and the prevention of muscle breakdown (anti-catabolic effect). Some studies also indicate a slight fat-burning effect. However, using this drug for mass gain is impractical.

2. Proper use of adequate dosages does not lead to any side effects at all, neither during its use nor after.

3. The absence of suppression of natural testosterone and lack of aromatization allows people of any age and gender to take this drug without fear.

4. If you are just about to try anabolic steroids, or if you want to increase muscle strength without gaining mass, or want to maintain muscle after another cycle of steroids, then oxandrolone will be just right for you.