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Written by William Llewellyn
28 May 2019
Steroid With the Least Side Effects?
Q: I have not taken steroids yet, but I see friends using them and making great gains. I have decided I don't want to stay natural forever. I want to try steroids at least one time. But I am not sure what to buy for my first cycle. What I really want to know is, what steroid has the least side effects? I’m a 25-year-old male with seven years training.
The answer to this question really depends on what you mean by side effects. As you likely know, there are many potential areas of concern here. In my experience, people are generally focused on one of several specific things. With this in mind, I’ll break down my personal nonmedical opinions in these key areas.
Balding: I’d say I get more questions from men concerned about losing their hair than about any other side effect. Most guys get into anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) with an interest on improving their aesthetics. This usually doesn’t involve a desire to trade hair for muscles, of course. The bad news is that if you are genetically prone to hair loss, ALL anabolic steroids can potentially accelerate the process. It is mediated by the same receptor that controls muscle growth, after all. Some drugs are milder than others, though. Nandrolone, oxandrolone and methenolone come to mind. But none are benign in this regard. The good news is that if you are NOT genetically prone to hair loss, AAS use is unlikely to give you a head like Bruce Willis. Figuring out if you have similar “head genetics” as Mr. Willis is a more complex discussion I’ll leave for another time.
Gyno: Gynecomastia is another cosmetic issue, but like hair loss, scares a lot of people. Most men don’t want to grow breasts. Those who do, I suspect try to find more efficient means. This side effect is specifically linked to a steroid’s level of estrogenicity. Testosterone, Anadrol and Dianabol are the biggest offenders here. Many other AAS can’t convert or act as an estrogen, though— such as Anavar, Primobolan and Winstrol. Others still can convert to estrogen, but are still generally milder, like Equipoise and nandrolone. And then you have a collection of modern anti-estrogens and aromatase inhibitors, which can be used to mitigate the issue of estrogen quite well. With this side effect, drug choice is everything.
Liver: Hepatotoxicity is a fancy word for liver toxicity. Most of us have heard about those rare cases where AAS abuse has led to serious issues with liver damage or cancer. The important thing to know here is that this side effect is largely related to oral anabolic steroids … drugs that have been chemically modified to survive first-pass metabolism through the liver. Drugs like Anadrol, Anavar, Dbol and Winstrol stand out here. A few orals aren’t really liver toxic, like Andriol and Primobolan. But these are also very weak, and not commonly used. In comparison, injectable AAS like testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone and methenolone are quite strong, and not regarded as appreciably liver toxic.
Cardiovascular: Steroids can negatively influence your cholesterol values, blood pressure and several other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This is a risk inherent with AAS abuse, though some drugs are better or worse than others. The testosterones tend to be the least troublesome here, as they provide both androgens and estrogens to the body. The latter sex steroids are important to HDL (good) cholesterol management in both men and women. The most problematic tend to be the orals. Any AAS that displays appreciable hepatotoxicity is likely to also be pretty harsh on your hepatic cholesterol management, as well as other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
There you have my quick rundown of common areas of concern. Of course, these side effects are not exclusive, and all nonmedical AAS use carries with it measurable risk. With that stated, I hope you found the information helpful. As I commonly recommend to readers, it is best to be slow and careful in your decisions, and always make sure health stays as one of your primary concerns.