Dianabol is the old Ciba brand name for the oral steroid methandrostenolone. It is a derivative of testosterone, exhibiting strong anabolic and moderate androgenic properties. This compound was first made available in 1960, and it quickly became the most favored and widely used anabolic steroid in all forms of athletics. This is likely due to the fact that it is both easy to use and extremely effective. In the U.S. Dianabol production had meteoric history, exploding for quite some time, then quickly dropping out of sight. Many were nervous in the late 80's when the last of the U.S. generics were removed from pharmacy shelves, the medical community finding no legitimate use for the drug anymore. But the fact that Dianabol has been off the U.S. market for over 10 years now has not cut its popularity. It remains the most commonly used black market oral steroid in the U.S. As long as there are countries manufacturing this steroid, it will probably remain so.
Similar to testosterone and Anadrol 50®, Dianabol is a potent steroid, but also one which brings about noticeable side effects. For starters methandrostenolone is quite estrogenic. Gynecomastia is likewise often a concern during treatment, and may present itself quite early into a cycle (particularly when higher doses are used). At the same time water retention can become a pronounced problem, causing a notable loss of muscle definition as both subcutaneous water and fat build. Sensitive individuals may therefore want to keep the estrogen under control with the addition of an anti-estrogen such as Nolvadex® and/or Proviron®.The stronger drug Arimidex® (anti-aromatase) would be a better choice, but can also be quite expensive in comparison to standard estrogen maintenance therapies.
In addition, androgenic side effects are common with this substance, and may include bouts of oily skin, acne and body/facial hair growth. Aggression may also be increased with a potent steroid such as this, so it would be wise not to let your disposition change for the worse during a cycle. With
Dianabol there is also the possibility of aggravating a male pattern baldness condition. Sensitive individuals may therefore wish to avoid this drug and opt for a milder anabolic such as Deca-Durabolin®. While Dianabol does convert to a more potent steroid via interaction with the 5-alpha reductase enzyme (the same enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone), it has extremely little affinity to do so in the human body108. The androgenic metabolite 5-alpha dihydromethandrostenolone is therefore produced only in trace amounts at best. The benefit received from Proscar®/Propecia® would therefore be insignificant, the drug serving no real purpose.
Being moderately androgenic, Dianabol is really only a popular steroid with men. When used by women, strong virilization symptoms are of course a possible result. Some do however experiment with it, and find low doses (5mg) of this steroid extremely powerful for new muscle growth. Whenever administered, Dianabol will produce exceptional mass and strength gains. In effectiveness it is often compared to other strong steroids like testosterone and Anadrol 50®, and it is likewise a popular choice for bulking purposes. A daily dosage of 4-5 tablets (20-25mg) is enough to give almost anybody dramatic results. Some do venture much higher in dosage, but this practice usually leads to a more profound incidence of side effects. It additionally adds well with a number of other steroids. It is noted to mix particularly well with the mild anabolic Deca-Durabolin®. Together one can expect an exceptional muscle and strength gains, with side effects not much worse than one would expect from Dianabol alone. For all out mass, a long acting testosterone ester like enanthate can be used. With the similarly high estrogenic/androgenic properties of this androgen, side effects may be extreme with such a combination however. Gains would be great as well, which usually makes such an endeavor worthwhile to the user. As discussed earlier, ancillary drugs can be added to reduce the side effects associated with this kind of cycle.
In order to withstand oral administration, this compound is c17 alpha alkylated. We know that this alteration protects the drug from being deactivation by the liver (allowing nearly all of the drug entry into the bloodstream), however it can also be toxic to this organ. Prolonged exposure to c17 alpha alkylated substances can result in actual damage, possibly even the development of certain kinds of cancer. To be safe one might want to visit the doctor a couple of times during each cycle to keep an eye on their liver enzyme values. Cycles should also be kept short, usually less than 8 weeks long to avoid doing any noticeable damage. Jaundice (bile duct obstruction) is usually the first visible sign of liver trouble, and should be looked out for. This condition produces an unusual yellowing of the skin, as the body has trouble processing bilirubin. In addition to the skin, the whites of the eyes may also yellow, a clear indicator of trouble. Should this occur the drug should be discontinued immediately and a doctor visited. This is usually a point where further, permanent damage can be avoided.
It is also interesting to note that methandrostenolone is structurally identical to boldenone, except that it contains the added d 7 alpha alkyl group discussed above.This fact makes clear the impact of altering a steroid in such a way, as these two compounds appear to act very differently in the body. The main dissimilarity seems to lie in the tendency for estrogenic side effects, which seems to be much more pronounced with Dianabol. Equipoise® is known to be quite mild in this regard, therefore, users commonly take this drug without the need to add an anti-estrogen. Dianabol is much more estrogenic not because it is more easily aromatized, as in fact the 17 alpha methyl group and cl-2 double bond both slow the process of aromatization. The problem is that methandrostenolone converts to 17alpha methylestradiol, a more biologically active form of estrogen than regular estradiol109. But Dianabol also appears to be much more potent in terms of muscle mass compared to boldenone, supporting the notion that estrogen does play an important role in anabolism. In fact boldenone and methandrostenolone differ so much in their potencies as anabolics that the two are rarely thought of as related. As a result, the use of Dianabol is typically restricted to bulking phases of training while Equipoise® is considered an excellent cutting or lean-mass building steroid.
The half-life of Dianabol is only about 3 to 5 hours, a relatively short time.This means that a single daily dosage schedule will produce a varying blood level, with ups and downs throughout the day.The user, likewise, has a choice, to either split up the tablets during the day or to take them all at one time.The usual recommendation has been to divide them and try to regulate the concentration in your blood.This however, will produce a lower peak blood level than if the tablets were taken all at once, so there may be a trade off with this option.The steroid researcher Bill Roberts also points out that a single-episode dosing schedule should have a less dramatic impact on the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, as there is a sufficient period each day where steroid hormone levels are not extremely exaggerated. I tend to doubt hormonal stability can be maintained during such a cycle however, but do notice that anecdotal evidence often still supports single daily doses to be better for overall results. If this is the better option, I am more inclined to think it has to do with higher peak dosages vs. lower more even blood concentrations. Since we know the blood concentration will peak about 1.5 to 3 hours after administration, we may further wonder the best time to take our tablets. It seems logical that taking the pills earlier in the day, preferably some time before training, w
ould be optimal. This would allow a considerable number of daytime hours for an androgen rich metabolism to heighten the uptake of nutrients, especially the critical hours following training.
Athletes are also often asking how to go about cycling 100 tablets (5mg) when that is the only amount available to use. Although most strongly prefer to cycle at least 200 tablets, half this amount can be used successfully for a small "mini"cycle.The goal should be to intake an effective amount, but also to stretch it for as long as possible. We can do this by taking four tablets daily during the week (Monday to Friday) and abstaining on the weekend. This gives us a weekly total of 20 tablets, 100 tabs lasting the user five weeks. This should be a long enough time to receive noticeable gains from the drug, particularly if you have not used steroid extensively before. Although unconventional, it is not necessary to vary the pill dosage throughout a cycle. This method should provide a much more consistent gain than attempting an intricate pyramid schedule, which can eat up most of your pills during dosage adjustments. As discussed earlier in this book, tapering the dosage toward the end would offer us no real benefit.
Dianabol is one of the most popular steroids in the world, and consequently one can find a variety of such preparations on the black market. You must be warned though. This drug is also amongst the most widely counterfeited.You need to do some educated shopping to avoid getting ripped off. One of the first things you need to remember is that most of the Western world has completely done away with this steroid. In medical circles here it is thought to hold no real value anymore. Its potential existence is viewed as supporting doping/performance-enhancement only. Therefore, you are not going to come across legitimate Dbol from the U.S., Canada, or Western Europe. This drug is made exclusively in areas such as Asia, South America (limited), Mexico, and Eastern Europe. Ignore anything labeled as
Italian or Spanish, etc. They will not be legitimate. In regards to some of the most popular legitimate brands on the black market, here is what to look for.
Nutri-Vet recently launched its "official" steroid line in Mexico. This includes a methandrostenolone product called Ultra D-Boll.This particular product joins the ranks of but a few very high dosed version of Dianabol in circulation, containing 50mg of steroid per tablet instead of the standard 5mg. One hundred tablets are contained in each white plastic container, providing the same total steroid content as is found in a full 1,000 tablet jar of Thai Anabol. The price point on this product is also very favorable given how much drug it provides.
Animal Power sells Methan Tabs to Mexico.This is a 10mg methandrostenolone tablet product, which comes packaged 100 tablets per glass bottle. Animal Power uses several security features to deter counterfeiting, including placing hologram stickers on all of their boxes, bottles, and vials, and etching their company logo directly into the glass of vials and bottles. Do not buy the product if either feature is missing. Feedback has been excellent on the AP line thus far, making them easy to recommend.
Pet's Pharma sells two versions of methandrostenolone on the Mexican market. One an injectable called Metandiol 60, which carries 60mg/mL of steroid in a 10mL vial.The other is an oral called Metandiol 25, which comes as a 25mg tablet in bottles of 100. Both products will carry the Pet's Pharma security sticker (see: Security Stickers). At the present time counterfeits of this line are not a big issue.
The brand D-Bol is manufactured by Denkall, also in Mexico. Their D-Bol comes in three distinct forms: lOmg tablets, lOmg capsules, and a 25mg/mL injectable. The injectable uses oil to dissolve the steroid instead of propylene glycol, making it much more comfortable to inject compared to Reforvit, if that is your intention. All versions are to be considered top quality. Note that fakes of the Denkall line with counterfeit holograms are in circulation, so be careful when shopping (see: Security Stickers for more information).
Reforvit is a Mexican veterinary methandrostenolone product from Loeffler. It is prepared in both oral and injectable forms. The injectable contains 25mg/mL of steroid, with each 50mL bottle containing the equivalent of 250 tablets. A 10mL vial is also produced, but not commonly seen in the U.S. due to general disinterest (it contains only 50 tablets worth of drug). Note that the product uses propylene glycol instead of oil as a solvent, which makes for very painful injections. Most users opt the take it orally for this reason. It tastes like ass though (big time!), so you may want to buy some '00' size empty gel caps at the health food store and fill them with your dose. You can inject the assembled caps by piercing the tip. The now more popular oral Reforvit tablets (called Reforvit Simple) carry 25mg of steroid each, and are sold in bottles of 100 and 1,000 tablets in total. Loeffler uses a hologram sticker to deter counterfeiting, so be sure to look for it when shopping.
Salud in Mexico is still selling methandrostenolone under the Dianabol brand name. Like Denkall and Pet's Pharma, they produce it in both oral and injectable forms. The injectable comes in a 10mL, 50mL, or 100mL multi-dose vial, and carries 25mg/mL of steroid. It uses an oil carrier instead of propylene glycol, which makes injections much more tolerable than Reforvit. Their Dianabol tablets contain lOmg of drug each, and are packaged in very small plastic bottles of 100 tablets each.This product has passed lab testing before, and represents a very cost effective buy on the Mexican market right now.
Norvet in Mexico makes oral and injectable forms of this steroid. The injectable is sold as Anabol-Jet, and it contains 25mg/mL of methandrostenolone in 10mL, 30mL, 100mL, and 250mL sizes. They also make a variant called Anabol-Jet ADE.This has 30mg/mL of steroid with some added vitamins, and comes in lOOmL and 250mL sizes.Their oral is sold as Anabol Pet's, and comes in 10mg and 25mg dosage strengths. Two hundred tablets are included per bottle.
Ttokkyo is no longer in business, so do not expect to find this generic Dianabol in Mexico (or on the black market) anymore. Old stock is long since gone, leaving only counterfeiters hoping to profit off of the still widely known Ttokkyo name.
British Dispensary Anabol tablets from Thailand are still very popular. Due to rampant counterfeiting, the manufacturer has instituted three security guards. One is a hologram sticker, which is affixed to each 1,000 count tub of tablets. Second, the tablets themselves are imprinted with the company's snake emblem. Lastly, the 1,000 count tub bears the company logo formed into the plastic top. Are these three features effective at blocking fakes? In the case of Anabol, the answer is "not really'.' While many fakes are poor in quality and lack all of these, Anabol is in such high demand that some advanced counterfeiters have been duplicating British Dispensary's holograms, custom tablet dyes, and logo-impressed plastic bottles.They look good, but all fakes thus far have minor deviations from the original. Be sure to compare your product's features to the real Anabol photos very closely. BD is aware of the current most accurate fake, and has made the following observations. 1) The hologram on the real item is more yellow and crisp than the fake. 2) The fake tablet has white specs in it, showing that their blending was not complete. 3) The lot number and expiration date are too clean on the fake.These numbers are stamped on the real item, and are never that neat. Also note that BD has recently introduced a 10mg version of Anabol called (what else?) Anabol lO.This product sports the same security features as the regular Anabol product, but in a smaller yellow and white package. The tablets themselves are identical in shape to the 5mg
version, and also carry the company logo stamped into them.The only difference is their color, which is yellow instead of pink.
The Thai company British Dragon is also selling its own brand of methandrostenolone.lt is called Methanabol,and comes prepared in both 10mg and 50mg tablets.The 10mg version comes 500 to a pouch, while the 50mg dosed tablets are sold in lots of 10O.The tablets are square and are marked "BD" on one side and the dosage on the other. All oral products from BD will carry a security hologram sticker to deter counterfeiting, however, this has been duplicated before. Be sure to also look for the BD logo on the back of the pouch, and on the included silica gel pack (placed inside to reduce moisture). British Dragon also recently introduced an injectable methandrostenolone called Averbol 25. It contains 25mg/mL of steroid in a 20mL vial. This product never carried a hologram sticker, but does have a bright shiny area on the label that is inlayed red metallic foil. Also, make sure your product has a cap that displays the product name (formed into the plastic). When removed it should reveal the company's dragon logo, which is formed directly into the rubber stopper.
Generic "Russian D-Bol" (METAHAPOCTEHOROH) is still being produced in Russia by Akrikhin (the name looks like Akpnxnh in Cyrillic).The current box is purple in color, and carries 10 strips of 10 tablets each. This has always been a highly regarded form of Dbol. As such, it has also been a regularly counterfeited one. Most of the fakes have been poor copies of the original, often coming as bottles of loose tablets instead of proper foil and plastic push-through strips. That is not to say locating the current production version in tablet strips assures a safe purchase, however, so take care to compare your product to the original photos closely. Note that the manufacturer has started making a version of this product for the Ukrainian market. This product can be identified by the company name, which appears as Akpixih on the packaging. Some have mistakenly identified these as fakes, believing this to be a typographical error.
Another generic popular in Europe is the Russia Bioreaktor (Peaktop) brand.The packing of this drug has recently changed, and now reflects a more modern looking white/black/green design. Some of the older boxes may still be in circulation at this time. There have been a handful of very adept fakes of this product in the past (of the previous design), which means the new item is likely to be targeted as well. Note also that in 2000, in a court battle with Akrikhin, Peaktop lost the right to use the trade name METAHAPOCTEHOROH.They have since changed it to (roughly) METAHANEHOH.This involved a change in the barcode as well. Prior to 2000, the strips would each carry a barcode number that ended in 000359. After 2000, they end in 000700. Several counterfeits have been seen that still carry the old barcode number so beware.
Naposim from Rumania changed the look of its packaging about a year ago. The newer box is white instead of yellow, and has a more modern look to its layout. Otherwise, most features remain very much the same, containing 10 triangle stamped pills to each foil and plastic strip. Note that the foil strip on real Naposim has date and lot number stampings on both ends. Some fakes in the past have overlooked this, placing them only on one end. Additionally, there is a little nipple in the center of each pill bubble on the real Naposim strip. Fakes of this product have been located in the past with smooth pill bubbles. Also, be sure the triangle on your tablets is sharp and even. One recent fake has been seen with stampings that look more like Star Trek emblems than triangles. Also, note that some strips are found with the generic name metandienona instead of metandienonum.This is simply how the company labels the product for export.
Danabol DS is no longer in production.The manufacturer of this product, Body Research/March Pharmaceutical Company in Thailand, was raided by Thai authorities last year.Their anabolic steroid products were confiscated,and their license to sell such medicines was suspended.There is talk of a possible return to market, but nothing has been made certain as of yet. Note that a popular Russia counterfeit ring has stared using the Body Research name, and is doing so to market a number of questionable fakes.
Methandon and Melic from Thailand are both legit items, and come packed in containers of 1,000 tablets each. Both of these products are relatively rare on the black market these days, although it is believed that both are still in production.Their lack of abundance may simply be due to the far greater popularity and recognition of Anabol, which continued to dominate the Thai Dianabol market in spite of growing competition. Both products have pink 5-sided tablets like Anabol, and are very similar in appearance without the bottles.The Methandon product (which used to use plain white tablets) is the most distinct, as it carries the letters"ES"etched into them.
Dronabol from Plaza Dispensary, Methan Tabs from Remy Pharm, the generic from LA Labs, and Metabolin
are all fake products on the Thai market. It may be good advice to stick with the known brands like BD and Acdhon, instead of risking these.
Bionabol from Bulgaria is no longer in production, although old stock may very well still be in circulation. In mid-2005, the Bulgarian Ministry of Health refused to renew Balkanpharma's license to sell this drug. Drug companies are normally required to renew their drug permits every 5 years in Bulgaria, and it is speculated that in anticipation of entry into the European Union in 2007, the government is discontinuing certain "controversial" medicines like Dianabol. The last batch should expire in early 2009 (02 2009 is the last date of manufacture I have seen).
Anabolex 3mg tabs from the Dominican Republic are still a safe buy. Note that each pill contains an added 1.5mg of Periactin, used as an appetite stimulant. It's an antihistamine and may cause drowsiness. Make sure your product is packaged in the modern style blue pouches, not the older plain white ones. These are long off the market at this point.
Metanabol from Poland is another legit brand, but be sure to purchase these only in strips of 20 tabs, as shown in the picture library.
Nerobol from Hungary is no longer being manufactured. Avoid all products bearing this brand name.
Pronabol 5 is still being made by PBL in India. This product was once very popular on the black market, however, it has been a scarce find for many years now. Perhaps this is because India is no longer a hot source country for steroids, or simply due to the fact that cheaper Dbol can be found in many other places.