Anavar is the trade name for an oral anabolic steroid with the chemical name Oxandrolone. The appearance of the drug coincided with a period of active research on anabolic steroids, which lasted from the 1950s to 1980s. The aim of the research was to develop anabolic compounds that could be considered ideal. And the creators of Anavar may have managed to get as close to this goal as possible. The drug has an excellent safety profile and an excellent risk-to-benefit ratio. It is one of the few steroids that can be prescribed to treat children and women. In these two groups of patients, anabolic steroids are used extremely rarely due to the risk of side effects.

The drug oxandrolone first became known in 1962. A little later, it was introduced by Searle Laboratories (Pfizer Inc) under the Anavar brand. Subsequently, various pharmaceutical companies released Oxandrolone under different trade names. These include: Protivar, Anatrophil, Antitriol, Lipidex, and Lonavar. The drug is one of the remarkable achievements of today’s pharmaceutical industry, which is confirmed by numerous data on the good tolerance of Anavar by the majority of patients.

Anavar is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone that has been structurally modified to give the compound new properties. The first of the alkylation changes is C17-alpha, which allows the drug to be taken orally. The second is the replacement of carbon in position 2 with oxygen, which enhances the anabolic properties of the compound. Anavara’s anabolic effectiveness is 3-6 times greater than that of testosterone.

Properties of drugs

Anavar belongs to the dihydrotestosterone family along with other active ingredients such as Masteron, Primobolan, Winstrol, and a few others. What these drugs have in common is that they are all derived from DHT. Therefore, DHT is considered the “mother” hormone of all relationships in the family. Anavar has a marked excess of anabolic over androgenic effects (this is evident when comparing the anabolic (322-630) and androgenic ratios (24). For testosterone it has a ratio of 100: 100. Obviously, oxandrolone has a much weaker androgenic effect and a much greater anabolic effect than testosterone. Anavar’s anabolic activity can be 3 to 6 times higher than that of testosterone, and Anavar’s sustained androgenic activity is considered negligible, and Oxandrolone showed no estrogenic or progestogenic activity.

Of course, the described properties of Anavar make it very attractive for use in sports and bodybuilding. This has better results in building mass and strength if water retention is not undesirable. This steroid is also used in cases where, despite the reduction in calories, there is a need to reduce body fat while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. Here, too, the accumulation of fluid and fat should be avoided. As seen above, Anavar can be considered a universal drug. In the comparative description of anabolic steroids it is usually referred to as a “mild” drug, although in fact it has quite a strong anabolic effect. This is confirmed by the value of the corresponding index 322-630, which is significantly higher than other commonly used testosterone (100) and anabolic Primobolan (88) indices. So, when referring to Anavar, the term “mild” may not refer to its anabolic effects as many think. The reason for this is the Anavar oral dosage form which allows a significant proportion of anabolic steroids to be metabolized in the liver when taken internally. Therefore, the structure of oral steroids is altered by methylation at the 17-position, which allows for increased resistance to liver damage. Such a modification significantly increases the proportion of the drug that enters the bloodstream, although it does not completely abolish metabolic processes. Part of the drug is still missing, so some steroids are assigned a number of values ​​rather than an exact value (mainly for oral drugs, the anabolic effects of which vary depending on the metabolism of the liver).

Anavar Side Effects

It was previously mentioned that Anavar is popular in medicine, bodybuilding, and athletics due to the excellent side-effects-to-benefit ratio of the drug. Moreover, there are almost no side effects compared to most steroids.

The effects of estrogen were not seen when using Anavar as well as when using the original DHT compound. DHT is an androgenic hormone that cannot be converted into estrogen. And Anavar derivatives have the same properties. Therefore, its use did not cause water retention, bloating, fatty deposits and gynecomastia. Additionally, Anavar did not detect any progestin activity and therefore no associated adverse effects were reported.

Although the androgenic effects of Anavar are less pronounced than those of testosterone. But it is still possible, especially in case of allergic reactions. These side effects included oily skin, acne, increased body hair growth. Risk of male pattern baldness and prostate cancer

Despite claims that Anavar is endocrine friendly, studies have found mixed results. It was found that taking the drug for five days at a dose of 15mg per day in healthy men reduced testicular function and testosterone production by almost 40%.Anavar should not be taken at the mild because it can cause significant hormonal imbalances. If a short-term treatment with 15mg per day is able to inhibit HHGO (pituitary-pituitary-pituitary axis) activity, the high-dose regimen for several weeks is typical for HHGO. Bodybuilders can completely block the work of the core.