Ruined by Corticosteroids; Need your opinions about Anabolic steroid cycles

Hey all,

Glad to join this forum, lots of valuable information here :)

Need your valuable opinions about a problem I've been facing since last 2 and a half years.

I'm a 34 year old man. I've been very athletic all my life, used to work out/do running regularly and had a good physique that took several years to build as I always had problem in gaining muscle mass/weight in spite of really good diet program and working out under the best trainers.

So 2 and half years ago while working out I tore the brachioradialis muscle of my right arm (approx. 4 cm tear)...and that was the start of problems.

This muscle tear wasn't healing in spite of all those pain killers/immobilization/physiotherapy for several months. Long story short it took around 1 and a half years to heal and I had to take 2 Methyl Prednisolone shots to control the pain.

Well, around the time when this muscle tear was healing (like 1 year ago), I was prescribed some exercises by my physiotherapist. Stretching exercises with those rubber bands you know...so I was exercising one day with moderate strength rubber band when I felt extreme pain in my right shoulder - in the long head biceps tendon area.

And now this problem wouldn't go away...got a MRI + Ultrasound done and turned out I have biceps tendinitis + another small tear (5 mm) in the supraspinatus muscle + bursitis in the same muscle.

So 3-4 months ago, sick of pain and not able to raise my arm in the front/side positions in spite of pain killers/physiotherapy/supplements prescribed by doctor, I consulted this doctor again and he prescribed another shot of methyl prednisolone. The pain subsided a bit - still not completely gone and the range of motion still not completely restored.

And NOW - since last 3 weeks I developed a new problem in the knees of both legs. I have pain and slight popping sound in the right knee and severe pain just below the left knee. So much that I'm not able to walk properly since 3 weeks. Consulted the doc again n after some blood tests/x ray he says I have low levels of vitmin D(in spite of taking vit D and calcium supplements regularly!). The x ray study was normal though, but the pain is intense. According to him it might be the side effect of those corticosteroids I've been taking.

Well, so here I am. 34 year man with f'd up joints/tendons and lost the physique I once had. A friend of mine who happens to be a boxer just advised me that I *might* need a cycle of anabolic steroids to "reverse" these tendon/joint problems. I asked the doctor and he's not willing to prescribe me anabolic steroids. I'm sick of him/other ortho doctors anyway so I don't care. So here I am asking for your opinions.

This is what I'm curious to know and want to discuss with you guys:

1. I know there's no steroid that's completely safe. I also know that the more quantity you take, the more gains you get and the more potential of side effects. But here's the thing - I don't want to become a professional bodybuilder. All I want is 4-5 kg of lean muscle in one or two "cycles" MAXIMUM. Again, I don't want 6, 8 or 12 pack abs...all I want is a decent physique that I once had - and improved functioning of my joints and tendons, without getting man-tits or hair loss or f'd up liver.

2. Keeping in view the aforementioned points, which steroid would you recommend? Based on some research I did over internet it seems that Oxandrolone (Anavar - apparently the safest option?) and Primobolan are the safest out there but I just don't know what dose I should take, and for how long. Please suggest.


3. Do I need a PCT? If yes, which drug I should use, what dose and for how long?


4. Like I said before, the max. I wanna do is like 2 cycles. So let's say I need another cycle after the first one, how long should I wait before starting the 2nd cycle?


Feel free to let me know if it's a stupid idea or if it's not gonna help. Looking forward to your replies :)

Thanks!

Umm...no replies...maybe I should trim my post being too long haha :D

I don't think anabolic steroids are what you need. Weak tendons, ligaments, and other injuries can often worsen with the use of steroids. The reason behind this is because weakened connector tissue is not prepared to cope with the muscle increases that AAS brings, and it can result in muscle tears or worsening of current/past injuries. The only situation I could see in which using AAS would be a viable option is if you had low T and the doctor thought that could be a contributing factor to your injuries but I doubt that is the case. I suspect improper training, insufficient recovery time, or a combination of the two as the much more likely culprit. Give yourself ample time to recover, continue physical therapy and follow your doctor's instructions. If you're not already, I recommend seeing a sport's medicine specialist. Good luck and I wish you a full recovery

You only had 3 corticosteroid shots, so I really doubt that's what caused this. And steroids are likely only going to make you more prone to these injuries.

I would try visiting a few specialists to see if you have some underlying medical condition causing this.

You may also just be injuring yourself by lifting wrong.

Yeah, 3 shots aren't going to mess you up like that, and I agree totally with what Boise said.

Sounds like you might have something else going wrong with your body if you're having problems with joints and tendons at such an alarming rate.

I'm a bit older than you but Animal Flex seemed to have helped with the minor aches. Major stuff needs pt, like my hand injury.

Hey thanks guys for your opinions :) I'll see another physician specialist/endocrinologist soon to see if there's any underlying cause...the thing that's bothering me is, in all the mris/xrays/usg, the reports say that tendons/bones are normal with no visible damage. Blood tests are normal too (Vit D3, Thyroid tests - T3/T4/TSH, Kidney Function Test, Liver Function Test etc.). But still this f$%&*g pain in the tendons and joints. Doctors mostly prescribe nsaids/pain relieving gels for pain control but they're proving to be totally useless for me :(

Pain pills controls pain and the hope is that the soft tissues will heal. I have had two knee surgeries on my left knee, one on my right, rotator surgery on my shoulder and elbow surgery. My joints are not the greatest. What I found that gave my joints relief was low dose deca (100mg/wk to 150mg/wk) cycle along with low dose Test (250mg/wk to 300mg/wk). What REALLY helped was getting on HGH for a year. I would say that based on my previous injuries, I would heal 30% to 35% faster than without HGH. I wouldn't recommend you get on an AAS cycle with exercise now that you're injured. Figure out the root cause of your injuries and get that resolved. Then look at a low dose Deca/Test cycle for relief and/or add HGH to your cycle. Good luck. Joint issues stink.