Andractim is a steroid preparation that contains the potent androgenic steroid dihydrotestosterone.This product comes in the form of a transdermal gel, typically containing 2.5% dihydrotestosterone by weight in an 80 gram tube. As with Androgel, we can expect roughly 10% of the active steroid to make it into circulation with each application. This would equate to 80 doses of 25mg (each dose delivering approximately 2.5mg of steroid to the body). Dihydrotestosterone itself is the most active androgen in the human body, displaying an ability to bind and activate the androgen receptor at least three of four times greater than that of its parent steroid testosterone. It is a potently androgenic steroid, however this trait is not accompanied by equally powerful anabolic tendencies (as we often note with other highly androgenic steroids). In the case of Andractim, we have a steroid that is essentially a pure androgen.
Due to its non-aromatizing and anti-estrogenic nature, percutaneous dihydrotestosterone may be an effective option for the treatment of gynecomastia. Studies have reported a good level of success when treating certain forms of this disorder with Andractim, the drug affecting the ratio of androgenic to estrogenic action in the breast area enough that notable regression of mammary tissue has been achieved in many cases9192. It has also been used successfully to treat gynecomastia triggered by HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) in HIV positive patients, a somewhat common problem wd to treat this disease. Unimed, current maker of Anadrol-50 and Androgel in the United States, has also been conducting clinical trails on Andractim, suggesting that it plans to release this drug on the U.S. drug market before long. Instead of using it to treat gynecomastia, however, they seem to be looking into this product to replace androgen levels due to Andropause. They are likely looking at the non-estrogenic nature of DHT to provide a safer alternative to testosterone-replacement therapy for those at risk for prostate hypertrophy (estrogen is involved in the pathology of this condition), and idea well supported by other medical research studies9394.
Dihydrotestosterone is a poor choice when it comes to building muscle. This is due to the fact that this steroid is extremely open to alteration by the 3-alpha-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase enzyme, which is responsible for breaking down active steroids like DHT into their inactive or less active metabolites. 3a-HSD is present in high quantities in muscle tissue, running interference between the outer cell membrane and the androgen receptors that all steroid hormones are trying to reach. In humans, little DHT ends up actually making its way to this receptor.Testosterone is very resistant to this enzyme however, which allows it to be a much more effective muscle-building agent. 3a-HSD steroid deactivation in muscle tissue causes the same problem with Proviron (1-methyl-dihydrotestosterone). Although Proviron is a very potent steroid due to its resemblance to dihydrotestosterone, binding to the androgen receptor with high affinity, it is a very poor muscle-building agent for the same reason. DHT and Proviron both have very effective uses in areas such as fat loss, hardening, increasing CNS activity and pure strength gain, but they do not hold up well as anabolic agents at all.
Andractim is not widely available, and is rarely seen on the black market. It is sold in several countries, but steroid dealers and consumers just do not pay enough attention to it for it to circulate here in any volume. Its effectiveness in treating conditions of gynecomastia and Andropause is rarely discussed, and to be honest most consumers really do not even know this product even exists. This is unfortunate, because all of the medical data on dihydrotestosterone seems to show it to be both safe and effective treatment option in many instances. Hopefully with the new attention Unimed is giving this drug, things will change. We can keep our fingers crossed that it will be FDA approved for the treatment of gynecomastia. However, I expect it will more than likely be prescribed for the limited use of replacing androgen levels in cases of Andropause.