Is the hepatotoxicity of oral steroids like Metandienone (Dianabol) overstated? I couldn’t find many new studies on its potentially toxic effects on the liver. Looks like most of the info we have is from the 60s.
What basis do you have for believing it to be overstated?
You are probably not finding new studies on this topic because 1) further study is unlikely to add to our understanding of this effect, and 2) it would be unethical to subject individuals to compounds with known hepatotoxicity (specifically, 17-alpha alkylated steroids). Of course, not all individuals experience all side effects from a given compound, and dose-response effects are likely relevant here as well.
There are several recent reviews of the topic (for example), but I would not expect to find new trials on these compounds with respect to their hepatotoxicity, when relatively safer alternatives exist.
I believe that oral steroids have some medical value, and I’m not sure if anything can take their place. I read that Oxymetholone is given to AIDS patients in small doses to counter muscle-wasting, help with weight gain for some patients, used for anemia, and osteoporosis. Are there better alternatives?
The use of these agents in clinical situations is fairly uncommon overall. I have treated many HIV/AIDS patients and have never seen oxymetholone used, whereas I have occasionally seen Oxandrolone used (an example of a 17-alpha alkylated anabolic steroid with less hepatotoxicity), as well as certain other injectable therapies. Any treatment decision in practice requires comparing the anticipated clinical benefits against established risks in the context of an individual patient’s context and prognosis.
Would you say that athletes who take orals are taking an unnecessary risk with their health when they could just be injecting testosterone alone? Or is “proper” dosing and short cycles a good way to prevent liver damage? I assume we just don’t know, since everyone responds differently to it, but perhaps you have some insight.
There is no situation in which taking AAS as an athlete is “necessary”, so technically any use adds “unnecessary risk”. But yes, for those who are willing to accept some degree of risk for athletic performance outcomes, avoiding these oral agents would mitigate that risk. If they are going to accept a higher degree of risk and use them anyway, using lower doses, shorter durations, avoiding other hepatotoxic substances, and close monitoring of labs would be wise.
Tumors of the liver, liver cancer, or peliosis hepatis, a form of liver disease, have occurred during long-term, high-dose therapy with anabolic steroids. But it is possible only if you get steroid for years.
The oral steroids are resistant to immediate degradation, but the slower clearance from the liver makes them potentially more hepatotoxic. The potency of the oral steroid as a group tends to be less than the injectable steroids. I don’t recommend getting steroids at all. Firstly, they are not healthy, and people that ketosteroids deal with consequences in the future. Secondly, there are such great alternatives as supplements from behemothlabz.com that are natural. Maybe you will not get such a fast result, but at least your muscles will be natural.