A little history about Anavar
Anavar is the trade name for an oral anabolic steroid with the chemical name Oxandrolone. The emergence of the drug fell on the period of active research on anabolic steroids, which lasted from the 1950s to the 1980s.
The goal of the research was to develop an anabolic compound that could be considered ideal. And the creators of Anavar, perhaps, managed to get as close as possible to this goal. The drug has an excellent safety profile and a ratio of the risk of side effects to the expected benefit. It is one of the few steroids that can be prescribed for the treatment of children and women. In these two groups of patients, anabolic steroids are rarely used because of the risk of adverse reactions.
For the first time, the drug Oxandrolone became known in 1962. It was later introduced by Searle Laboratories (Pfizer Inc) under the brand name Anavar.
Subsequently, various pharmaceutical companies released Oxandrolone under other brand names. Among them: Protivar, Anatrofil, Antitriol, Lipidex and Lonavar. The drug has become one of the significant achievements of the pharmaceutical industry, which is confirmed by numerous data on the good tolerance of Anavar by most patients.
Anavar is a Dihydrotestosterone derivative whose structure has been modified to give new properties to the compound. The first of the changes is the C17-alpha alkylation, which makes it possible to take the drug orally.
The second is the replacement of carbon in the 2nd position with oxygen, which enhanced the anabolic properties of the compound. The anabolic effectiveness of Anavar is 3-6 times higher than that of Testosterone.
Chemical characteristics
Anavar belongs to the family of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derivatives. In fact, it is Dihydrotestosterone with methylation at position 17. This structural change allows the compound to cross the hepatic barrier when ingested and makes it more resistant to liver metabolism. Another modification was made to the structure of the drug: in the first cycloalkane ring of the molecule, the second carbon atom was removed and replaced by oxygen.
Thanks to this structural change, Anavar occupies a special place among steroids, as it is the only compound in this group that has a direct modification in the ring structure: carbon has been completely replaced by an atom of another element. Probably, this feature is the reason for the increase in the anabolic activity of the hormonal agent in comparison with the parent compound.
One of the mechanisms responsible for the high anabolic efficiency of this modification of Anavar (when compared with DHT) is an increase in resistance to the enzyme 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. This enzyme present in the muscles catalyzes the conversion of DHT to a non-anabolic metabolite.
This explains the absence of the anabolic effect of dihydrotestosterone on muscle tissue. The compound is deactivated by 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase before it acts on androgen receptors in the muscles.
Properties of the drug
Anavar belongs to the Dihydrotestosterone family along with other drugs such as Masteron, Primobolan, Winstrol and several others. A common feature of these drugs is that they all come from DHT. Therefore, DHT is considered the “parent” hormone for all compounds in the family.
Anavar has a noticeable predominance of anabolic action over androgenic effects (this is clearly seen when comparing the anabolic index (322-630) with the androgenic index (24)). As for Testosterone, it has an index ratio of 100: 100. Obviously, Oxandrolone has a much lower androgenic effect and a markedly more pronounced anabolic effect than Testosterone.
The anabolic activity of Anavar can be 3-6 times higher than the similar effects of Testosterone, while the concomitant androgenic activity of Anavar is assessed as insignificant. In addition, Oxandrolone has not been shown to have any estrogenic or progestogenic activity. You can purchase it by following this link https://theroids.ws/anavar-oxandrolone-20mg/.
Anabolic activity of Anavar
Obviously, the described properties of Anavar make it very attractive for use in sports and bodybuilding. It can be used to achieve improved results in the stages of building mass and increasing strength, when fluid retention is undesirable.
This steroid is also used in cases where it is necessary to reduce body fat while maintaining muscle mass if possible, despite restricting calories. At this point, again, fluid and fat accumulation should be avoided. As you can see from the above, Anavar may well be considered a universal drug.
In the comparative description of anabolic steroids, it is usually referred to as a “mild” agent, although in reality it has a rather impressive anabolic effect. This is confirmed by the value of the corresponding index 322-630, which is noticeably higher than the indices of Testosterone (100) and another widely used anabolic, Primobolan (88). Hence, when it comes to Anavar, the term “mild” cannot refer to its anabolic action as many might think.
The reason is the oral dosage form of Anavar, due to which a significant part of the anabolic steroid, when used internally, can undergo hepatic metabolism. In this regard, the structure of oral steroids is altered due to methylation at position 17, which makes it possible to increase resistance to destruction in the liver. This modification significantly increases the proportion of the drug entering the bloodstream, although it does not completely cancel metabolic processes.
Some of the drug is still lost, and this explains why, instead of an accurate indicator, a range of values is indicated for some steroids (mainly for oral drugs, whose anabolic effect varies depending on metabolism in the liver).
Anavar Side effects
It was previously mentioned that Anavar is popular in medicine, bodybuilding and the sports environment due to the excellent ratio of adverse reactions and benefits of the drug, as well as the almost complete absence of unwanted effects compared to most anabolic steroids.
When using Anavar, as well as when using the parent compound Dihydrotestosterone, no estrogenic effects are observed. DHT is an androgenic hormone devoid of the ability to convert into estrogen, and its derivative Anavar has the same property. In view of this, its use does not induce fluid retention, bloating, body fat and gynecomastia. In addition, Anavar showed no progestogenic activity, and therefore no corresponding adverse events.
Although the androgenic effects of Anavar are much less pronounced than that of Testosterone, they are still possible, especially in the presence of hypersensitivity. Such undesirable phenomena include oily skin, acne, increased body hair growth, increased risk of male pattern baldness, and prostate adenoma.
Conclusion
Despite claims about the mild effect of Anavar on the endocrine system, studies have shown different results. It turned out that a five-day use of the drug in a daily dose of 15 mg by healthy individuals leads to a deterioration in testicular function and a decrease in testosterone production by almost 40%.
The use of Anavar should not be taken lightly, as it can cause significant hormonal disturbances. If a short-term course of the drug in a daily dose of 15 mg can suppress the activity of HHGO (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis), then the use of high doses for several weeks, typical for bodybuilders, can completely block the functioning of the axis.