Anavar was the old U.S. brand name for the oral steroid oxandrolone, first produced in 1964 by the drug manufacturer Searle. It was designed as an extremely mild anabolic, one that could even be safely used as a growth stimulant in children.

Anavar (oxandrolone) is not very toxic, not very androgenic, mildly anabolic, and pretty mild on the bodys HPTA (Hypothalamic-Testicular-Pituitary-Axis). Those are its 4 major points, and I’d like to examine each one a bit further; as usual, gym-rumors and internet conjecture has made this steroid the subject of many misconceptions.

Although Anavar doesn’t give users tremendous gains in muscle mass, it is an ideal steroid for burning fat and giving the body a more cut look. Additionally, the muscle mass gained and fat burned tend to be more permanent than with the steroids associated with large muscle mass gains.

Milligram for milligram it displays as much as six times the anabolic activity of testosterone in assays, with significantly less androgenicity. This drug is a favorite of dieting bodybuilders and competitive athletes in speed/anaerobic performance sports, where its tendency for pure tissue gain (without fat or water retention) fits well with the desired goals.

Structure:

Oxandrolone is a modified form of dihydrotestosterone. It is the only commercially available steroid with such a substitution to its basic ring structure, an alteration that considerably increases the anabolic strength of the steroid (partly by making it resistant to metabolism by 3- hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in skeletal muscle tissue).

Side Effects (Estrogenic):

Oxandrolone is not aromatized by the body, and is not measurably estrogenic. Gynecomastia should not be a concern even among sensitive individuals. Since estrogen is the usual culprit with water retention, oxandrolone instead produces a lean, quality look to the physique with no fear of excess subcutaneous fluid retention.

This makes it a favorable steroid to use during cutting cycles, when water and fat retention are major concerns. Oxandrolone is also very popular among athletes in strength/speed sports such as sprinting, swimming, and gymnastics. In such disciplines one usually does not want to carry around excess water weight, and may find the raw muscle-growth brought about by oxandrolone to be quite favorable over the lower quality mass gains of aromatizable agents.

Side Effects (Androgenic):

Although classified as an anabolic steroid, androgenic side effects are still possible with this substance. This may include bouts of oily skin, acne, and body/facial hair growth. Anabolic/androgenic steroids may also aggravate male pattern hair loss. To its tissue-building actions, making the threshold for strong androgenic side effects comparably higher than with more androgenic agents such as testosterone, methandrostenolone, or fluoxymesterone.

The low androgenic activity of oxandrolone is due in part to it being a derivative of dihydrotestosterone. This creates a less androgenic steroid because the agent lacks the capacity to interact with the 5-alpha reductase enzyme and convert to a more potent “di-hydro”form. This is unlike testosterone, which is several times more active in androgen responsive target tissues such as the scalp, skin, and prostate (where 5- alpha reductase is present in high amounts) due to its conversion to DHT.

Side Effects (Hepatotoxicity):

Oxandrolone is a c17-alpha alkylated compound.  Oxandrolone appears to offer less hepatic stress than other c- 17 alpha alkylated steroids. The manufacturer identifies oxandrolone as a steroid that is not extensively metabolized by the liver like other 17-alpha alkylated orals, which may be a factor in its reduced hepatotoxicity. This is evidenced by the fact that more than a third of the compound is still intact when excreted in the urine.

The use of a liver detoxification supplement such as Liver Stabil, Liv-52, or Essentiale Forte is advised while taking any hepatotoxic anabolic/androgenic steroids.

Technical:

• [17b-hydroxy-17a-methyl-2-oxa-5a-androstane-3-one]
• Molecular Weight: 306.4442
• Formula: C19H30O3
• Melting Point: 235 238 Celcius
• Manufacturer: BTG, SPA, Originally Searle (1964)
• Effective dose: (Men)20-100mgs/day (or .125mg/kg~bdywt); (Women) 2.5-20mgs.day
• Active Life: 8-12 hours
• Detection Time: 3 weeks
• Anabolic/Androgenic Ratio (Range): 322-630:24