Gorilla Steroid Anadrol Returns To U.S.A.
by Michael Mooney (from Medibolics, V. 2, N. 2, November, 1998. See also Anadrol Update July, 1999 below.)

With the publication of the HIV study (Henge, 1996) that employed the oral anabolic steroid called oxymetholone (see the May 1996 issue of Medibolics), the stage was set for oxymetholone's return to the U.S. market. Trade-named Anadrol-50, oxymetholone is the world's most powerful oral anabolic steroid. Unimed Pharmaceuticals (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) announced that Anadrol will return in January of 1998, and ads have already been appearing in the U.S. HIV press. While we welcome access to another anabolic steroid for HIV use, especially one that is so effective for lean body mass increases, it is best to express our reservations, and call your attention to some potential points of interest about Anadrol-50's possible use by HIV-positive people.

First, BioTechnology General's misinformation about their oral steroid, oxandrolone (Oxandrin) that exaggerates its anabolic potency as "13 times as anabolic as testosterone" will be brightly highlighted when the two oral steroids are compared in the real world of doctor/patient experience. Anadrol is probably several times as "anabolic" as Oxandrin, and this will become obvious immediately when oxymetholone begins to be used in the AIDS community.

With all due respect to the author of the study on Anadrol that showed no liver toxicity or side-effects, upon close review, I find this very hard to believe, especially since the dosage was very high at 150 mg., three times the dose most bodybuilders would consider using. Anadrol can be "toxic" to a great percentage of any population, so its side-effects will become apparent very quickly when it is used by HIV-positive patients. I predict that hair loss, water retention, high blood pressure, enlarged prostate, mood swings, tiredness resulting from liver-burden, and a lot more will be seen in a majority of HIV-patients who use it, and some of these side-effects will be seen quickly, for some people on the very first day. I also think that a few people will be able to tolerate Anadrol and experience a powerful anabolic effect. I am also curious about what effects Anadrol will have on liver metabolism when used by people who are using liver-burdening medications like the protease inhibitor - cocktails. Anadrol can have a pronounced effect on complicating healthy liver function all by itself, much less in combination with these powerful drugs.

Of course, one consideration is that with its anabolic "power", Anadrol may be a worthwhile option for people who are having a hard time gaining weight and who are not responding to other less powerful steroids like Oxandrin (and even testosterone and nandrolone). In the Henge study, even those people who suffered from infections during the study continued to gain weight with Anadrol. This is something I know is possible, as I have seen Anadrol's effectiveness while observing many years of (illegal) use by athletes and bodybuilders.

Doctors and patients can get more information about Anadrol-50 by calling Unimed at (847) 541-2525.

Anadrol Update - July, 1999

Anadrol has been on the market for over one and one half years now, and we have been surprised that we have not had even one report of elevated liver enzymes from HIV(+) men who call our hotline. We have had males who have had some side effects, including primarily water retention and acne, but we have also had males who have had no problems, only glowing praise that Anadrol was the only steroid that helped them gain weight after severe weight loss, and it was the only steroid besides testosterone that improved their libido and energy. (August, 1999: We now have one report of a negative effect on the liver that appears to have been caused by an interaction with specific AIDS medications. To see the details, go to the article on Oxandrin.)

Doses
Reported doses used have varied from 25 mg per day to 150 mg per day, and as with almost all drugs, side effects are dose related, so a lower dose has less potential for side effects. While the most commonly prescribed dosage is 100 mg per day, Anadrol is a powerful anabolic steroid and a 25 mg daily dose will still elicit a significant effect on muscle growth while having much less potential to cause problems than higher doses, so if you choose to employ Anadrol, work with your doctor to find the lowest dose that gets the desired effect. As with any oral steroid, dividing the daily dose and taking it several times per day will produce the best overall effect with less chance of side effects. Anadrol comes in 50 mg tablets and they are scored so they can be split in two, but some people split them in fourths and take as little as 1/4 tablet twice per day.

Comparison To Oxandrin
In comparison, while we haven't had a lot of males report side effects with the standard 20 mg daily dose of Oxandrin, the other oral steroid that is commonly used in HIV, we have had a few reports of water retention, irritability and acne. Perhaps more important, we have had many reports from HIV(+) people and doctors that Oxandrin can cause elevations of SGOT and SGPT, which may indicate liver problems.

Data from a multi-site dose-ranging study of Oxandrin presented by Dr. Carl Grunfeld at the Geneva AIDS Conference stated that Oxandrin caused elevations of SGOT and SGPT when used in 40 and 80 mg doses. It has been suggested that Oxandrin may interact with the 3A4 P450 enzyme system that metabolizes protease inhibitors while this does not appear to be the case with Anadrol.(1) In comparison, Anadrol did not cause elevations of these enzymes in the Hengge study at a daily dose of 150 mg.(2) It may be that Oxandrin has more potential for liver toxicity than Anadrol when a person is using protease inhibitors.

The Grunfeld study looked at 40 and 80 mg doses of Oxandrin because the standard 20 mg dose appears to be too low to be effective for some HIV(+) men. While some studies have shown good muscle growth with 20 mg per day, this low dose was shown in a study by Salvato to produce little if any muscle muscle growth(1), and we wonder if at comparable milligram doses Anadrol may be a stronger anabolic agent.

Oxandrin produces more muscle growth when it is used in combination with testosterone, and Oxandrin used without testosterone can lower libido, while Anadrol is more androgenic and does not appear to require testosterone for anabolic effects and healthy libido. We suggest that for people who are more prone to side effects, it might be better to use Anadrol alone rather than with testosterone as both are strong androgens so there is more potential for androgenic side effects when they are combined.

References:
1. Thacker DL, et al. Metabolism of an anabolic androgenic steroid, oxymetholone by human cytrochrome p450s. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 1999;65(2): Abstract number 75.
2. Hengge, UR, et al. Oxymetholone promotes weight gain in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection. Brit J Nutr (1996) 75:129-138.
3. Salvato, P, et al. Conference on Nutrition and HIV Infection Cannes, France (1997) April 23-24; Abstract No. 0-003.