Anadrol 50

Anadrol 50, or just A50 is probably the most popular oral steroid used by athletes today for bulking. It gained its reputation for being a powerful and cheap steroid in the original underground steroid handbook where Dan Duchaine presented it as a cheaper alternative to Dianabol. That’s still what many people use it for, since it’s typically given in 50mg tablets or (underground) in capsules.

Anadrol is a Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-derived compound with the notable addition of a 2-hydroxymethylene group. In many respects, this modification could be called the defining characteristic of Anadrol. It’s really a very odd modification which imparts many unique characteristics on Anadrol when you compare it with other DHT based anabolics. It’s very odd, when you think about it- Winstrol, Masteron, Anavar, Primobolan, and Proviron- basically all other DHT derived steroids are used for cutting cycles. Anadrol is the black sheep here, and is really the only DHT derived steroid that we use to bulk up. We (or at least I) have to assume it’s the 2-hydroxymethylene group that’s responsible for Anadrol’s unique nature.



Before we get into that, lets see how it shares similarities with other DHT based drugs. Firstly, it doesn’t bind well at all to the androgen receptor (its Relative Binding Affinity is actually too low to be determined).^[1]

This is really pretty close to Winstrol’s binding affinity, so it’s not that much of a surprise, as both are DHT derivations. Another pretty common modification we see with this compound is that it’s oral, and has consequently been made a 17-Alpha-Alkylated steroid; it has been altered at the 17th carbon position to survive oral ingestion. This is the most common modification we see with oral anabolics, in order to help them survive passing through the liver.

But now, lets take a look at one of the properties that really distances Anadrol from other drugs that are in it’s family: It’s ability to put weight on users. Anadrol is really one of the very big guns in our anabolic arsenal and that’s how doctors look at it as well. It’s been used to successfully combat AIDS and other wasting diseases.^[2]

This is because it has a very profound ability to pack pounds on to virtually everyone.  I have used Anadrol a couple of times personally, and I can tell you that for the first 3 weeks you can expect up to a pound every day of new weight. Yeah, it’s watery and not really pretty, but it’s going to help you bulk up and it’s going to make all of your training weights move up on a daily basis. It is a huge favorite of the elite powerlifters I know, for just this reason. Ever see the red-face that’s common on elite level heavy weight powerlifters? Yeah, that’s probably the Anadrol doing that, as it increases blood pressure quite a bit. Side effects are, however, manageable…and in one very few sides were reported for subjects using up to 2 tabs (100mgs) of Anadrol daily.^[3]

And I suppose that brings us to the side effect portion of Anadrol. Again, from personal experience and from the experience of those I know, users typically find that the side effects experienced from Anadrol are present and noticeable for the entire length of the cycle. For me, that meant increased blood pressure, headaches, lower back cramps/pumps as well as shin cramps/pumps, and of course elevated liver enzymes. Gyno has also been reported with its use, and this is actually quite odd. Anadrol is derived from DHT, with only the one modification and alkylation I mentioned previously. And being structurally situated as it is, it simply can’t convert to estrogen; it’s not a progestin or a compound with any viable progestenic activity…so what’s up? Well, the only speculation I can really come up with is that it has some kind of inherent ability to stimulate the estrogen receptor, or cause the estrogen receptor to be stimulated. It’s actually a bit embarrassing to admit, but I have no idea how this happens. It’s a bit less embarrassing when I consider the fact that nobody else knows either…

Anadrol is a favorite addition to a bulking cycle for many, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend attempting to use it alone, in most cases. The weight gain will simply be much nicer and have a harder more high quality look to it if you stack it with some injectable compounds (I recommend making it the only 17aa compound in a given cycle, however). Most people stack it with 400-600mgs per week of testosterone and often an equal amount of Deca Durabolin or Equipoise.  And it’s basically used at the outset of a cycle, as a “jumpstart”. Using it in this manner allows gains to be seen from the outset of the cycle, and if high quality injectables are stacked with it, those quick gains in body weight can be solidified by the end of the cycle. Testosterone and Trenbolone or Equipoise are typical choices here, when attempting to solidify those gains.

This steroid is one of the most widely available on the black market. I’ve used both the tablets as well as the paper version (the latter, I suspect was overdosed). Typical prices range from $1.50-3 per tablet or capsule.