Methandienone

Anabolic steroids

Also known as Dianabol, Dbol, Methandrostenolone

The original oral anabolic, and still the archetype.

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Not licensed for human use anywhere. Dosing is entirely community convention, and blood pressure can rise sharply within the first fortnight.

How it works

A 17-alpha-alkylated testosterone derivative that aromatises readily, so oestrogenic effects are prominent alongside the androgenic ones.

Oral

In the body

Half-life

5 hours

Time to peak

1.5 h

90% gone after

16.6 h

Builds up to

1.04×

Steady state after about 25.3 h at daily, in divided doses.

Shape of a single dose, modelled as one compartment with first-order absorption. The peak is normalised to 100% because bioavailability and volume of distribution are not published for most of these compounds.

Around 4.5 to 6 hours, which is why it is conventionally split across the day. The figure is consistent across sources but rests on old pharmacology rather than a modern study.

Doses

20 mg, 50 mgdaily, in divided dosesCommunity practice

Community convention. No current clinical dosing exists; the compound is not licensed for human use anywhere.

Side effects

Rapid water retention and a matching rise in blood pressure
Aromatises strongly, gynecomastia is a common reason people stop
Liver strain, as with any 17-alpha-alkylated oral
A steep fall in HDL
Suppression
Monitor: ALT and AST
Monitor: blood pressure, which can rise quickly
Monitor: lipids and oestradiol

Cautions

Existing liver disease
Hypertension
Prostate or breast cancer
Pregnancy
Taking another 17-alpha-alkylated oral at the same time

Status

Not licensed for human use in most countries. Schedule III in the United States. Banned in sport at all times.

Sources

Metandienone pharmacology

Reference information for personal record-keeping. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to use any of these compounds.