
Primobolan
is an anabolic steroid which became very popular once it was
claimed that it was one of Arnold’s favorites. I’m not really sure why
this is, or how likely it is that Arnold went around telling everyone’s
favorite steroid- but nonetheless, this rumor has persisted through the
years.
When we take a critical look at it, in terms of its anabolic and
androgenic rating, it appears to be a pretty weak steroid but is rated
as stronger than Masteron
(Drostanolone)!
I’ve used both steroids and
can tell you that not too many people would claim that those ratings
provide an accurate idea of those two steroids compare
to each other.
In truth, I used Primobolan at 400mgs/week and wasn’t very impressed
with it, and honestly, for the money, that’s really disappointing,
since Primobolan
is not inexpensive. I also would speculate that the
reason many (male) Primobolan users have been less than thrilled with
results from it is that they failed to use high enough doses. If I were
to use it again (which I won’t), I would probably use 100mgs/ED (Every
Day).
Interestingly, Primobolan
has a relatively high affinity for binding to
the Androgen Receptor, and surprisingly it actually binds with more
affinity than testosterone
[1]. This
ability to strongly bind to the AR
may be why Primobolan is considered a good fat burner- although most
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derivations are very potent fat burners (the
notable exception being Anadrol).
Primobolan has been used medically to reduce breast tumors, with a
success rate of about a third
[2], so we can
safely assume that no
Anti-Estrogen products would be necessary. The use of Finasteride,
Dutesteride, or another anti-hair-loss product may be useful,
however,
as Primobolan
has a bad reputation for causing Alopecia.
Primobolan is very useful as both an anabolic as well as anti-catabolic
agent, and the probable cause for this property is its ability to aid
in nitrogen retention
[3], which is
a useful trait on both a bulking or
cutting cycle…once again, I have to reiterate that the expense of this
drug probably makes it a poor choice on a bulking cycle because of the
reasonably high doses that it would require.
One of the other very interesting facts about Primobolan is that it’s
one of the very few compounds available as both an oral as well as an
injectable. Unlike
Winstrol
and
Dianabol
(both alkylated and
non-estrified steroids) however, which are also available in both
forms, Primobolan is available with an Acetate ester for use as an
oral, and with an Enanthate ester as an injectable. Unfortunately, in
this case, making Primobolan a non-17-alpha-alkylated steroid greatly
reduces its potency. However, it must be noted that this alkylation is
what makes oral steroids survive their first pass through the liver; it
also makes them hepatoxic (liver –toxic). Oral Primobolan doesn’t
actually have this drawback, and thus it is very mild on liver function
and doesn’t elevate liver enzymes too much. Instead of the more toxic
17a-alkylation, Primobolan (Oral) uses 17 beta estrification and 1
alkylation to make it orally available. For both men as well as women,
daily dosing of the oral is necessary, although men would probably want
to take 100mgs per day and women would need to take at least 10mgs
every day.
Although it is typically considered to be a very mild drug when
inhibition of the natural hormonal profile is considered, this isn’t
totally true. Men were given a 30-45mg dose of the oral version of
Primobolan, experienced between a 15% and 65% decrease in their
Gonadatropin
levels
[4].
Since we’re probably looking at double or
triple that dose, for men to get any kind of results, it’s also
probable that gonadal inhibition will also be increased.
My history with Primobolan Enanthate (the injectable version) has been
less than impressive. I used it at 200mgs/week about a decade ago, and
wasn’t impressed at all. A couple of years ago I went back to it and
used 350mgs/week (100mgs/Every other Day), and got much better results,
but still wasn’t overly impressed with it. Add to that the fact that it
is an expensive chemical, and I really wasn’t impressed.
On the Black Market, Primobolan tabs are only being produced by British
Dragon currently, although PaperPrimo is being produced as
well. Both
are high quality products, although I would speculate that their use is
going to be reserved for women. With regards to the injectable version,
many underground labs produce it, and quality tends to vary, due to
powder quality at the moment. Expect to pay around $100 for a 10ml
bottle dosed at 100mgs/ml, if not more. Finally, ampules are available
at a cost of roughly $7-12 per amp, but since this is the most widely
counterfeited
steroid on the black market, I’d stick to the underground
lab variety.