Principles of AAS harm reduction.

[HawaiianPride.]

Posted this in the educational threads but nobody every checks those so I'll have to transfer my thread over here where more rookies like to gather.

Think of Testosterone first.

Of all the AAS steroids produced, test esters like Cypionate and Enanthate tend to have the lowest negative impact on health when taken in moderately supratherapeutic doses (such as 300-400 mg) for muscle building and performance-enhancing purposes. Test provides a hormone identical to that already produced in your body, presenting the same spectrum of physical and physiological effects. In addition to being one of the most effecient muscle builders out there, Test generally has a positive effect on libido, supports necessary estrogen so that cholesterol levels are less negatively shifted and gains can be made during cycles. Orals are NOT needed on a first cycle. Testosterone alone will do provided dosing is sufficient, proper protocols are followed and diet/nutrition are up to par.

Use Health Support Supplements

AAS users out there can help lower the negative health impact of steroid use with the consumption of health support supplements. To begin with, the negative cardiovascular effects of these synthetic hormones can be offset (at least to some degree) with cholesterol supplements. Fish oil is recommended as a base, which should be stacked with a number of other clinically studied cholesterol support ingredients including green tea, garlic powder, resveratrol, phytosterols, niacin, and policosino. The blended product Lipid Stabil by MN includes these ingredients and is recommended IMO. Cholesterol support supplements should be taken at all times during AAS cycles to be on the safe side. Next, those taking oral steroids should be reducing liver strain witha liver support supplement. Recommended products include Liver Stabil, Liv52, Liver Juice, Liver Longer, UDCA, and Essentiale Forte. One of these products should be taken at all times during cycles with hepatotoxic agents in the mix. Keep in mind, supplementation of these has been noted to break down the greater amount of the oral during administration. Something to think about..

Always cycle Steroids.

A steroid cycle usually consists of 6-12 weeks depending on the compounds you are using, followed by an equal period of time or more abstaining from all AAS including PCT. This practice is advised for a number of reasons. For one, as you supplement these synthetic hormones your body will reduce the production of its own testosterone. Cycling helps reduce the risk of developing long-term fertility and hormonal issues, which are sometime caused by uninterrupted use of steroids for many months or years. Cycling also lets your general markers of health (such as cholesterol levels, hematocrit, and blood pressure) return to their normal state periodically, reducing the impact of temporary changes may have over time. Those guys out there that you see using AAS for a long durations without interruption of run a greater risk that these negative changes in health markers will results in long-term health issues.

Use Reasonable Dosages

High doses of AAS are NOT necessary to achieve significant muscle growth for novices, especially if these noobs goals are moderate physique or performance enhancement. A dose limit of 350mg - 400mg per week on injectables is more than enough. In the case of Test C, 400mg per week equates to at least 4-5 times the level of hormone naturally produced in your body. This level of use will sure as hell produce dramatic muscle gain if combined with proper training and diet. In fact, during the 1970's and 80's the dosage range of 200-400mg per week was considered "standard" for the bodybuilding use of Test, 19nor's, Bold, or Dbol . Hench why none of them get bloated as hell like you see plenty of the IFBB pros walking around today. There is little real need for extreme doses of 750-1000mg or more of AAS per week, or to supplement an injectable base with additional orals (unless as stated before, you want to become Mr. Olympia one day, or you have plateaued in all your previous cycles) High doses may produce faster gains, but are generally not cost effective for the extra muscle they provide. Additionally, high doses of steroids greatly increase cardiovascular strain and the incidence of other side effects.

Get Regular Blood Tests

I can't stress this enough on a day to day basis. Comprehensive blood testing including an examination of hormones, cholesterol, blood cell concentrations, and enzymes is the most use tool for assessing the negative health impact of AAS use. Changes in cholesterol, for example, can help quantify for the user what effect a particular drug regimen is having on their cardiovascular health. The individual then has the opportunity to better assess long-term risk if this cycle is to be repeated. At a minimum, blood testing should be conducted before a cycle is initiated 3-4 weeks intoa cycle, and a month or 2 after a cycle. This allows for 1) a baseline of later comparison; 2) a snapshot of the on-cycle health impact; and 3) an opportunity to assess if natural homeostasis has been restored post-cycle.

Use Proper Injection Procedues

I won't even bother with elaborating my ideas on this. Enough has been clarified else where in this forum board all referenced in the educational threads. USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION!

Watch your Diet

AAS can allow one to significantly more latitude with their diet than normal. The caloric demand typically increases due to the effects of these drugs on muscle mass and metabolism, allowing more calories to be consumed each day without adding fat mass. It is important not to let this latitude affect your health in a negative way. Remember, the use of steroids at a physique and and performance-enhancing doses is expected to cause an unfavorable shift in cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular health markers, favoring a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Simultaneously feeding your body greater amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol and simple carbs can make the impact of these hormones even worse. Diets low in saturated fats, cholesterol, and simple sugars are recommended, and are known to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Note, however, that diet alone is not effective at countering the negative cardiovascular effects of AAS use, but dietary restrictions can reduce these risks..

Always Consider Reward AND Risk.

It can be easy to ignore the potential health impact of steroid use when the positive benefits are so rapid and the negative consequences so remote. At the end of the day, however, it is very important to remember that the use of steroids in doses sufficient to support short term muscle gain are virtually always going to have some negative impact on your body. Your cholesterol will shift in an unfavorable direction, your blood pressure may go up a little bit, and you may ever so slightly thicken the ventricles in your heart. Your hormones are out of balance when you take synthetic hormones, which will invariably cause other things to go out of balance. Steroid use is rarely dangerous over a short term period. These hormonal drugs are acutely very safe. As use continues over the years, however, these short-term periods accumulate, and total on-cycle time may become very long. Always remember to consider the risks as well as the rewards of each cycle. Choosing your drug program carefully and keeping the negative effects of steroid use in check over the short term is the best way to reduce long term risks.

UPDATE: Monday 9/13/2010

Commonly Asked Q's:

1) How much weight can someone expect to gain during the first cycle of steroids?

Provided dosing is sufficient, you can expect to make the most significant progress during your first cycle. Although this will vary from person to person, it is not uncommon for someone to gain 20 pounds of weight or more during a 6-8 week period of AAS use. Keep in mind, with this kind of radical mass on a first cycle, is a clear indication you aren't ready to be using steroids. Simply because you haven't reached your natural genetic potential. And the new compounds being introduced into your system made you grow like a weed. Some of this may be water retention, although a solid gain of more than 10-15 pounds of muscle mass is possible.

2) Are the gains from steroid use temporary?

Yes, and no. AAS can help you do two basic things with regard to muscle growth. First, they can allow you to more rapidly reach your genetic limits for muscle growth. Provided you continue to train actively, eat properly, and use an effective PCT program, you should be able to maintain at your genetic limit indefinitely. So in this regard, the early gains do not have to be temporary.

Later, steroids can allow you to push well beyond your genetic limits. It is important to emphasize this, as extreme physical development cannot be maintained long-term without the repeat administration of anabolic substances. The body will always revert back towards its normal metabolic limits once AAS are removed. In this context, some of the gains will not be permanent.

Steroids do permanently alter the physiology of your muscles by adding more cellular nuclei. With higher nuclei content, each muscle cell can manage its volume more efficiently, which allows more rapid expansion. Even after a long period of complete abstinence from training and AAS, the nuclei remain. This may provide a "muscle memory" effect, allowing you to reach your genetic limit (perhaps a slightly extended limit) faster than if you had never used AAS in the past. So in this regard, there are lasting benefits beyond the temporary increase in muscle size itself.

3) Can steroids make me look like a professional bodybuilder?

If you have the underlying genetics to allow for this extreme muscle growth, this may be possible with a lot of hard work and and tons of dedication. If you are like the vast majority of people, however, steroids will not be able to make you look like a professional bodybuilder. Genetics are a big factor in determining the ultimate limits to your physique, even in an enhanced state. Many people use steroids and look very big and impressive because of it, but very few users are able to make it to the stage of a professional bodybuilding show.

4) How dangerous is an isolated cycle of steroids?

AAS (Test in particular) are among the safest drugs available, at least in a short-term sense. Fatal overdose is not reasonably possible, and the negative health changes such as alterations in cholesterol, blood pressure, hematocrit, and blood clotting (among other things) are very unlikely to manifest in serious bodily harm or death after an isolated cycle. There are rare deaths from such things as stroke and liver cancer in short-term abusers, but such occurrences are statistically extremely rare in light of the millions of people that use these drugs. If you had to comparatively rate the acute risks of AAS abuse, they would be slightly higher than certain recreational drugs, but far less than virtually all other illicit recreational drugs.

5) How dangerous is long-term steroid use?

The long-term use of steroids for non-medical reasons can be a significantly unhealthy practice. It has been difficult, however, to quantify the exact risk. The main issue is the fact that AAS abuse can promote heart disease, the number one killer of men. Heart disease is a slow progressive disease, which may build for decades without symptoms. Steroid abuse may accelerate the silent process of plaque deposition in the arteries, and also induce other changes in the cardiovascular system that can increase susceptibility to stroke or heart attack. If death finally occurs, however, it will be difficult for a medical examiner to pinpoint AAS as the cause; too many variables play a role in the etiology of cardiovascular disease. The vast majority of deaths where AAS have contributed go unreported for this reason. The exact mortality rates of long-term steroid abusers have, likewise, been difficult to calculate. According to one population based study, steroid abusers had a 4.6 times greater risk of early death from all causes including suicide compared to non-users. It is unknown, however, how applicable this number is to the full steroid-using population. It is especially important to closely monitor cardiovascular disease and other health risk factors if long-term steroid use is a practice you will follow.

6) Can steroids be used to enhance an athletic career safely?

The non-medical use of AAS by definition cannot be defined as a safe practice. However, it can be argued that AAS can be used with high relative safety, even over a period of many years. The guidelines of steroid harm reduction are important to minimizing the negative health effects of these drugs. Provided an individual follows these guidelines and is careful with drug selection, dosages, and durations of intake, follows a diet low in saturated fats, cholesterol, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, actively trains with both resistance and cardiovascular exercise, and uses cholesterol support supplements such as fish oils and Lipid Stabil during all cycles, it may be difficult in many cases to argue high tangible health risks. It takes a great deal of involvement and planning to use AAS in this manner, which is always advised.

7) What are the safest steroids for men?

Testosterone, whatever the form, tends to be the safest steroid for men. When the dose remains within the moderately supratherapeutic range (such as 350-400 mg of an injectable testosterone ester per week), alterations in cardiovascular risks factors are noticed, but not extreme. Some of this has to do with the beneficial cardiovascular effects of estrogen in men. Also considered fairly safe are the common injectable steroids boldenone , nandrolone , and methenolone. Isolating your use to these drugs is recommended over using the full spectrum of oral and injectable steroids.

8) What steroids will not cause hair loss?

For those with a genetic predisposition to hair loss, all AAS are capable of accelerating the process. Slowing the onset of this during AAS use requires a focus on reducing relative androgenicity in the scalp. This can be accomplished with the use of predominantly anabolic drugs such as nandrolone, oxandrolone, or methenolone. Alternately, moderate doses of testosterone can be used with finasteride, a drug that reduces DHT conversion (and androgenic amplification) in the scalp. Still, those genetically prone to hair loss can have problems with any steroid, and are always advised to limit dosing, drug intake durations, and monitor effects on the hairline closely. Some may want to consider finasteride, Propecia, DHT blocker/hair loss shampoo with the DHT blocking properties, or Nizoral as supplementation for hair loss.

9) What are the safest steroids for women?

Women are generally most concerned with the virilizing (masculinizing) effects of anabolic/androgenic steroids. The least virilizing agents are those with the highest relative anabolic to androgenic effect, such as nandrolone, oxandrolone, and methenolone. Care must always be taken, however, as all AAS are based on male sex steroids, and as such can cause masculinizing effects in women. I've posted a thread recently regarding females and AAS here Are you a female? Are you considering AAS?

10) Should I rotate my steroids every few weeks to prevent receptor downregulation?

No, this is not necessary. AAS all work primarily by attaching to and activating the same receptor. As such, you do not gain anything by switching to a new compound that works via stimulating the same receptor. If tolerance were induced by one AA5 compound, it would be extended to all compounds. The plateau effect that is noticed 6-8 weeks into most cycles is poorly understood, but likely related to the new metabolic limits placed on muscle cells under the influence of ( certain AAS dosages, not insensitivity to AAS. Classic downregulation does not occur with these drugs, and even if it did, rotating steroids would not prevent it.