Dianabol
was originally released by Ciba in 1956. It has had a long stint of
popularity since then, especially in the US. Until the late 70's
Dianabol was all the rave. Perhaps the most popular steroid ever. Known
users include every Mr.Olympia from Scott to Zane. Of course the doses
used have severely increased since then. Its popularity was also the
cause of its demise. Almost a decade ago now the original D-bol was
discontinued when the FDA drew the conclusion that its therapeutic uses
were minimal compared to the amount of bodybuilders who were using it.
But Dianabol has never been out of circulation really. Especially the
Russians appeared quite fond of it and Russian D-bol is one of the best
and most marketed forms of the substance Dianabol today.
Dianabol is without a doubt one of
the best, if not the best product for people who compete in non-aerobic
oriented sports. It promotes drastic protein synthesis, enhances
glycogenolysis (repletion of glycogen after exercise) and stimulates
strength in a very direct and fast-acting way. It may be less useful to
those competing in aerobic events as it also diminishes cell
respiration1. But Dianabol manifests itself in a distinct manner :
rapid and fast-acting build-up of strength and mass is noticed. That's
why its often used at the beginning of cycle consisting of mostly
injectables like long-acting testosterone esters and nandrolone. Since
the effects of such drugs don't fully come out for the first 10-15
days, Dianabol is dosed in to provide immediate and visible results. It
has a rather weak androgenic component and an obviously quite strong
and visible anabolic component. Its effects are largely non-AR
mediated, which is documented by its rather low influence on the
natural endocrine system2 and the fact that it decreases rather than
increases red blood cell content in the blood. Which means that one
worry users of Dianabol, especially short term, needn't fear is the
dramatic shutdown of natural testosterone production as is often the
case with very androgenic compounds. Of course this effect is
dose-dependent. It still has a mild androgenic component, meaning in
high doses (30+ mg daily) androgen-mediated side-effects can be noted
(acne, male pattern hair loss).
Because of its fast effects,
immense popularity and the increasing "more-is-better" sentiment among
bodybuilders, increasingly high doses are indeed being used and
recommended. One has to wonder about the logic of such recommendations
however, since high dose urine-analysis showed portions of
unmetabolized compounds were being excreted3. In simpler terms that
means that with higher doses, higher amounts of unchanged Dianabol were
being excreted in the urine. This would indicate that the current
stance needs to be reviewed and that smaller doses, taken multiple
times per day would deliver better results and maximal use of the
steroid. Dianabol simply is highly effective in low doses(25-40 mg ed).
Som say Anadrol, a comparable steroid to Dianabol, is better, but its
taken in doses of 50-150 mg. If one was to take Dianabol in those doses
better gains could be expected. Dianabol is also a lot safer in as
opposed to the highly toxic and progestagenic anadrol. If one takes
into account that the half-life of Dianabol in the body is only 3-6
hours, this theory makes even more sense. So taking your daily dose
spread over 3 or 4 doses may elicit a better effect than only 1 or 2
doses. Dianabol is quite effective in these lower doses by the way.
Milligram for Milligram its more powerful than a testosterone ester,
generally considered the best mass-builder.
A few notes there need to be made
however. Not everyone should try and spread their doses out over
multiple servings. First of all there is a slightly lower efficacy to
take into account here as well due to two characteristics. The first
being that you feed the total amount to the liver in smaller portions,
yet the liver still manages to metabolize the same amount. Percentage
wise that means less methandienone would make it through totally. The
second would be that the peak levels aren't quite as high since no
large doses are taken all at once. These two facts make it hard to
recommend that just anyone take multiple doses. People who take
moderate to low doses of ONLY Dianabol should probably opt for a single
morning dose. This delivers a higher peak level and more survival of
your only steroid. It also, due to the short half-life, makes the drug
clear the body before the body produces its largest dose of natural
testosterone, the early hours of sleep. Combined with the already mild
effect at the AR, you could keep a good amount of your gains when using
clomid or Nolvadex post-cycle. For those using it in conjunction with
other, mostly injectable steroids, two doses seems to be the better
choice, if you are taking in excess of 40 mg a day perhaps even three
doses.
This is usually the case for
fast-acting substances, they have short half-lives. Which brings us to
the point of prolonged use. The general concensus is that Dianabol
should never be used more than 6 weeks on end due its strong hepatoxic
effects. Being largely an oral compound, its also 17-alpha-alkylated to
help it survive the liver upon first pass. Liver values are elevated
over a short period of time4, making long-term use a very dangerous
affair. Liver values should return to normal quite fast after
discontinuation however since the effects are so short-lived. Other
risks associated with the use of Dianabol include the apparition of
estrogenic side-effects because it interacts rather well with the
aromatase enzyme on account of its methylated properties. It is
therefore best used in conjunction with an anti-estrogen. Gynocomastia,
high blood pressure, salt and water retention and mild cases of acne
are therefore not uncommon.
Its methylated properties
(17-methyl group) does have several positive characteristics of course.
Why else would they add this group? The main purpose of course it to
make sure less of the Dianabol is affected by hepatic breakdown when
taken orally. But apparently it also decreases the affinity of the drug
to SHBG (sex-hormone binding globulin), a sex steroid binding protein
that takes up as much as 98% of testosterone. Testosterone that can't
be used to build muscle. Since Dianabol does not bind to this protein
easily, its quite an active substance, no doubt accounting for its fast
and immediately visible action. Dianabol also does not affect
cholesterol levels to a high degree in moderate doses5, and it seems to
help an athlete stock up on potassium6. This is particularly beneficial
taking into account the amount of sodium its estrogenic effects store
as well.
We hinted at the short time of
activity Dianabol possesses. This means that despite its immediate,
fast and explosive gains in both strength and mass, they are quite hard
to maintain. Often the bulk of mass is lost shortly after
discontinuation, making it most unsuitable for those looking to gain
and keep quality muscle. An injectable may suppress some of these
obviously flawed characteristics, but the 5 mg tabs remain the trend.
With its high capacity to survive breakdown in the liver this
understandably. Orally its perhaps the most powerful, although in the
strength of effects it still can't hold a candle to androl. But its
cheaper and safer than the aforementioned of course.
In light of the evidence
presented, we conclude that the best use for Dianabol is short-term,
for 5-6 weeks, at the beginning of a longer bulking stack (10+ weeks),
preferably injectable, to kickstart gains and strength. Its effects are
largely non-AR mediated and it aromatizes quite well, which leaves it
with limited stacking partners, The best candidates are of course
nandrolone and testosterone. It should be taken in doses no higher than
50 mg (20-40 mg being the norm) ,spread over multiple doses for maximum
effects in stacks and a single morning dose when taken by itself. D-bol
remains a favorite today however, that's a fact that cannot be argued.
