Nebido is a new injectable testosterone preparation, first introduced to parts of the European drug market in late 2004.This steroid utilizes the very slow acting undecanoate ester, which is supplied in a concentration of 250mg/mL. You may recognize undecanoate as the same ester used in the creation of Andriol. In that case, however, we have a drug designed for oral administration, not injectable use as we have here. Nebido is a product of Schering AG, which is marketing it as a replacement for faster acting esters (such an enanthate and cypionate) in androgen replacement therapy. They are hoping that its less frequent injection schedule will make for greater patient comfort (and interest) compared to the injectable testosterones already in widespread use. This would make Nebido a drug developed under a similar focus as testosterone buciclate, which is another recently developed and very slow acting injectable ester of testosterone. Given the more widespread acceptance of androgen replacement therapy as of late, Nebido may very well become a dominant testosterone product in the years to come, especially with the support of a pharmaceutical giant like Schering.
The protocols for using Nebido (in a medical setting) differ from faster-acting injectable testosterone considerably. First, a brief "sub-loading" phase is initiated, which requires the injection of 1,000mg (4 mL) every six to eight weeks. This usually takes place for only two or three injections, after which point physiological testosterone levels can usually be maintained with one 4mL injection every 12 weeks.This would make for only four injections per year for normal androgen maintenance.This is a drastic departure from enanthate or cypionate, which usually require 22 injections per year on average. In studies using these protocols, physiological testosterone levels were well maintained, with less peaks and troughs than observed with testosterone enanthate.The only drawback is the high injection volume. However, researchers reported no adverse reactions or patient complaints regarding this during clinical trials. Considering the trade off is 18 or so fewer injections per year, I don't expect this will be much of an issue for most patients.
For bodybuilding purposes, the benefits of a very slow acting testosterone like this become a little difficult to see. For starters, supraphysiological (rather than physiological) hormone levels are the usual goal of use. This would require injecting the drug on a more regular basis, lowering the "comfort" factor. The most logical protocol would be to administer a 4mL injection of Nebido every 2-4 weeks, for an approximate average weekly dosage of 250-500mg of testosterone ester. At this level one could expect results (and side effects) very much in line with what would be found with all common testosterone esters, albeit with (still) a little less frequent schedule.The only real difference in effect might be its onset of action, which may be slower with Nebido. It, therefore, may be a good idea to start off any cycle with a faster acting ester, such as enanthate, cypionate, or propionate. This would allow testosterone levels to reach into supraphysiological ranges sooner, and the cycle to "kick in" a bit faster. It is also important to note that while testosterone can sometimes be tolerated by females in low doses, the extremely slow acting nature of this drug (and protracted withdrawal period) makes it an obvious poor choice.
The availability of Nebido is currently low at this time, but this is expected change as the countries approving this androgen for use increase.This drug only started rolling out in a small number of European countries in late 2004, and is expected to see much more widespread adoption in the European Union in the months and years ahead. Schering has even set its sights on the American market, recently announcing a partnership with U.S. pharmaceutical firm Indevus. Indevus has announced plans to apply for FDA approval on Nebido sometime in 2006. If all goes well, Nebido will be approved for use within a few years, which may make it the first new anabolic steroid brought to market in the United States in decades. It is a good sign to see Schering and others investing in anabolic steroids like this, as it shows their confidence in the continued expansion of the global male hormone replacement market.