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Masteron~drostanolone propionate

heavyiron

Chemistry Experiment
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Masteron

(drostanolone propionate)

Masteron is, to be honest, my favorite Anabolic/Androgenic Steroid (AAS). For many years, this compound was unavailable to the average athlete; it was frequently counterfeited, often very expensive, and almost never available on the black market. The most common form of this product, as manufactured by major pharmaceutical houses, is 50mg/ml ampules with either 1-2mls per amp (or vial). Needless to say, these products used to be the only game in town, and since this drug was a particularly sought-after compound for bodybuilding contest preparation, it´s price made it prohibitive for all but the highest level bodybuilders.

Masteron is a derivative of DHT (as you can tell from its chemical name: 2a-methyl-dihydro-testosterone propionate), but what they fail to tell you is that DHT and its derivatives are commonly used in treatment of certain forms of breast cancer (see the etymology here: MASTectomy, gynocoMASTia, MASTeron, get it?). Masteron is not clinically used for weight gain (as is common with most steroids), so this makes it a very unique steroid from that perspective. Unfortunately, much of the information on Masteron available in medical journals doesn´t focus on weight or strength gain or even fat loss, for those reasons. Most information on Masteron focuses on it´s use in treating certain forms of breast cancer, and it does this reasonably well.(4)(5) To give you an idea, Masteron + Tamoxifen actually fared better than Chemotherapy for immediate objective responses from patients (8).So? What does this tell us? Well, this makes it a very exciting drug for a lot of reasons. Clearly it won´t aromatize at all nor will it have progesteronic sides, remember, Nolvadex (and most ancillaries) are used to reduce estrogen for breast cancer patients, so a drug used to treat breast cancer obviously wouldn´t convert to estrogen...and in fact Masteron may interact with the aromatase enzymes to inhibit aromatization of other steroids into estrogen, and may additionally interact with estrogen (as a "blocker" of sorts) at the receptor site. (4)(5) This is how it helps to combat breast cancer, obviously, but this could also be part of the reason that Masteron is considered a "cutting" or "Pre-contest" drug. Masteron may actually be very useful for combating estrogenic/progesteronic side effects yes, you read that right, if you include Masteron in your cycle, you may not need other "ancillary" drugs like Arimidex or Letrozole). Hence, much like Proviron, Masteron could be used as an anti-side-effect-drug (remember, most ancillary drugs we use to combat estrogenic sides, like nolvadex, letrozole, and arimidex were originally developed to combat breast cancer...and thats exactly what Masteron was developed and used for). Along a similar line, being a DHT (DiHydroTestosterone) derivative, it´s got a very nice ability to add muscle hardness to an already lean physique, remember, Masteron has a deceivingly low anabolic/androgenic ratio, but since DHT is 5x as androgenic as testosterone and has a 3-4x higher affinity to receptor sites, Masteron provides a lot of "bang for the Buck" when examined on a Mg for Mg basis.

In my experience, as well as many others, Masteron is a stronger androgen than it appears on paper, and and this could cause increased aggression. As we know, higher androgens also produce that "hard" look prized by competitive BB´ers and as we all know, androgens also promote lypolysis (fat loss). The effects of Masteron, in that way are consistent with the documented effects of (somewhat heavier) androgens to decrease lipoprotein lipase and upregulate -adrenergic receptors on adipocytes, which would inhibit the accumulation of lipid (fat) and enhance the efflux of lipid from these cells in response to catecholamines (1)(2)(3). So, like I said previously, don´t let Masteron´s deceptively low Anabolic:Androgenic ratio fool you, it helps eliminate fat as well (if not better) than much more highly scored androgens, in part due to its being a derivative of DHT. This reduction in fat and rise in aggression (making workouts more effective) could be beneficial for people competing in a sport or who are on a reduced calorie diet. Sounds pretty good, right? Unfortunately, being a DHT derivative means that it can have certain undesirable sides as well (acne, hairloss, prostate enlargement, etc. you may want to consider using Finasteride with this drug). Water retention (and increased danger of high Blood Pressure) with this compound is virtually nil, and liver toxicity is not much of an issue either. Really, you can take heaps of this stuff...the maximum therapeutic dose is pretty high: 167mgs/kg-bdywt/day. So that´s 167mgs per day, every day of the week, for a 220lb person...and that´s not considered excessive by the FDA...who hasn´t been very traditionally liberal on dosing protocols. So clearly, up to that dose is very safe for almost anyone. DHT has a bad reputation for causing prostate hypertrophy, acne, and hairloss but most people I´ve talked to find that reputation to be mostly undeserved at least in the case of Masteron.

Remember that year that the Chinese National Swimming Team (women´s) were kicking everyone´s ass? Or the year that the German National Swimming Team (again, I´m talking about women) were taking all those Gold medals? They were all using a form of DHT or a derivative, possibly Masteron. The German Women had very deep voices, which leads me to believe that Masteron´s virilizing effects on women could be very bad (there was a famous/funny interview where the interviewer implied that they all had deep voices, and one of them replied "Ve came here to svim, not to sing."). Hence, I feel Masteron is a great drug for any type of athlete, but possibly not for women (at least not at high doses... perhaps 50mgs/E3D is appropriate). Sorry girls...you can have a go with this drug, but keep the doses low.

Stacking Masteron? Well, I´d say that your best bet is with test, of course but really, due to Masteron´s reasonable binding to the Androgen Receptors and its high androgenic properties, almost any cutting drug (Tren, Anavar, etc... ) could be included in a cycle with it for an efficient stack. I have a feeling that due to Stanozolol´s (Winstrol) non-AR mediated effects, and its ability to reduce SHBG, a stack including both of these drugs would be very synergistic. However, don´t forget the Testosterone, as Masteron will reduce your own natural testosterone levels (9), and since you are going to have to inject Masteron Every Other Day at least (100mgs EOD is the lowest dose of this stuff I´d consider using), you might as well stack it with Testosterone Propionate, and possibly injectable Winstrol (and/or maybe Tren Acetate, if you´re inclined to use a lot of compounds in the same cycle& and I know I am& ). Eq is another popular choice to stack with Masteron.

I´d say that optimum effects of this stuff are found with 4-500mgs/week (based on conversations I´ve had with people who have used Masteron, as well as my own results). I happen to have a friend who has gone up to 600mgs/week with Masteron and didn´t feel that it provided significantly better results than 400-500mgs per week. I think, for maximum cost effectiveness, 400mgs per week is ideal. It´s also important to remember to spread those shots out on an every other day basis, as the Masteron I´m talking about here is the Propionate version, and as such, requires more frequent dosing. Of course I know there is a version of Masteron with an enanthenate ester dosed at 200mg/ml being produced by a very good Underground Lab (I personally used the "alpha" version, as a sort of Human Guinea Pig almost a year ago), but that´s not the version of Masteron I´m talking about in this profile. In addition, there is another form of Masteron out there: Drostanolone (base), yeah, that´s right, Masteron without an ester. It´s called Dromostan and it´s made by the Xelox Company. I´ve never tried this version, and don´t know anyone who has, but it´s my suspicion that it would be a very potent product, but would need to be injected every day.

Buying Masteron

If you are looking for this drug from a major pharmaceutical company, I´d caution you to reconsider that route, and go with an Underground Lab instead. There are many very reputable underground labs operating out there, with no known counterfits. On the other hand, genuine Masteron is one of the most difficult drugs to find on the black market, when you´re looking for a "Human-grade" product made by a major pharmaceutical house. In addition, UGLabs commonly offer this product for a very reasonable $50-75 for a 10ml bottle dosed at 100mg/ml. Trying to find the Syntex (or comparable Human-Grade) version of this product will bring a mg for mg cost of 2-5x that amount.

To recap: Masteron is derived from DHT, could be used as an anti-estrogenic drug, clearly it doesn´t convert to estrogen and actually works to reduce it in your body, can possibly cause hair loss and other DHT-related sides, is great for all types of athletes and BB´ers, but not women in high doses, it stacks well with almost anything, is very androgenic, awesome for losing fat and getting "hard", and should be used at around 400-500mgs/week. It´s no surprise that it´s many people´s favorite steroid, mine included.

Masteron profile

(Drostanolone Propionate)
[17beta-Hydroxy-2alpha-methyl-5alpha-androstan-3-one propionate]
Molecular Weight: 360.5356
Formula: C23H36O3
Melting Point:N/A
Manufacturer:Syntex, Various Underground Labs
Effective Dose (men):350mgs/week (*100mgs Every other day) to 500mgs/week
Effective Dose (women): 25-50mgs Every other Day to Every Third Day
Active Life:2-3 days
Detection time: 3 weeks
Anabolic/Androgenic Ratio:62:25
References:


  1. Marin P, Oden B, and Bjorntorp P. Assimilation and mobilization of triglycerides in subcutaneous abdominal and femoral adipose tissue in vivo in men: effects of androgens. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 80: 239-243, 1995
  2. Rebuffe-Scrive M, Marin P, and Bjorntpor P. Effect of testosterone on abdominal adipose tissue in men. Int J Obes 15: 791-795, 1991.
  3. Xu XF, De Pergola G, and Bjorntorp P.Testosterone increases lipolysis and the number of beta-adrenoceptors in male rat adipocytes. Endocrinology 128: 379-382, 1991.
  4. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1983 Sep;19(9):1231-7.
  5. Cancer Res. 1982 Nov;42(11):4408-12.
  6. Gan No Rinsho. 1986 Apr;32(4):345-8. Japanese.
  7. Khirurgiia (Sofiia). 1987;40(6):80-6. Bulgarian.
  8. Sem Hop. 1982 Sep 23;58(34):1919-23.
  9. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1965 Apr;25:476-9.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Masteron as an Anti-Estrogen

by Anthony Roberts
Author of Beyond Steroids; Co-Author with Christian Thibaudeau of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Body Transformation From Both Sides of the Force

Publication Date: January 23, 2006

Discussion of pharmaceutical agents below is presented for information only. Nothing here is meant to take the place of advice from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult a physician before taking any medication.

I know it must seem like I sit around all day trying to find new uses for old drugs, but in this case, nothing could be further than the truth. Before I get into how and why you can use Masteron as an Anti-Estrogen, I???ll tell you a bit about where this idea came from, and why I???m telling you about it. And yes, this works in real life, not just on paper - I???ve used it and seen it used for this purpose successfully by several athletes.

A few years ago, I wrote my first piece on Masteron (Drostanolone Propionate), and discovered what its clinical use actually was: Reduction of breast cancer tumors, and as hormonal treatment of breast cancer. Well???the long version of that is that Masteron is an androgenic, anabolic steroid, used as an agent used to prevent or inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors.

Then, in one of those weird "duh" moments, I realized that gynocomastia, mastectomy, and Masteron all had that similar word root. You???d think that having an English degree would have helped me notice this fact sooner???anyway, I wrote the profile and didn???t think much about it anymore. I was then contacted by the owner of an underground lab, and asked why Masteron was always produced with a propionate ester, and whether it would be ok with a longer ester. This began another long period of research for me into Masteron. Well, I found out that Masteron would be fine with a longer ester, but I actually had a chance to test it out with that particular ester before it hit the market...I was still standing after 3 weeks on it, so it was produced en masse (as a side note that particular Underground Lab still produces it and it???s one of their better selling products).

So here I was with all of this research on Masteron and nothing to do with it. Well, after I took another look at the compound, a couple of things struck me. The first that struck me is that Masteron is made for women! Yeah???go back and read that again if you have to. Masteron is one of the few steroids that were actually created with women in mind, not men, and it???s the one that most people tell women to avoid! And the other thing that I noticed right away was that it is used for treatment of breast cancer. In particular, it???s used for the treatment of estrogen dependant breast tumors. By now, I???m sure you see where I???m going with this???Nolvadex is used clinically for this same purpose, as is Arimidex, Femera, Aromasin (a steroidal Aromatase Inhibitor), and Teslac (a steroid, technically). That???s some good company to be in, if you???re a steroid. But interestingly, Teslac is actually a steroid also, and Aromasin is a Steroidal Aromatase Inhibitor. So why can???t a "real" steroid do the same job at preventing breast cancer? Well, the answer is that it can!

To understand why Masteron can be used as an anti-estrogen, first we need to know that it???s derived from DHT. Why is this important?

This is important because DHT directly inhibits estrogenic activity on tissues. It is possible that it does this, possibly by acting as a competitive antagonist to the estrogen receptor or by decreasing estrogen receptor binding. Either way, it has multiple hypothesized mechanisms of action in some tissues. It has also been hypothesized that DHT actually suppresses estrogen???s effects not by inhibition of synthesis of estrogen receptor, but by (get ready???big words coming up) decreasing estrogen-induced RNA transcription at some point after the actual estrogen receptor binding has occurred. This means, in much simpler terms, that the estrogen gets to the receptor, but just doesn???t do its job (1). This means you can take steroids that convert to estrogen (called aromatizable steroids) and not worry about that estrogen possibly making you retain water, gain fat, or watch "Desperate Housewives." Also, this could mean that the antiestrogenic effect of DHT is mediated by an androgen receptor mediated mechanism. In fact, DHT has been shown to prevent the estrogen-dependent augmentation of the progesterone receptor in human breast cancer cells. And, not to be redundant, but it???s important to remember that virtually all of the anti-estrogens we use to control gyno and water retention are also used to treat breast cancer. So, now we know have observed that androgens are capable of inhibiting both the estrogenic induction and the ongoing stimulation of PRc synthesis, but have no apparent effect upon basal concentrations of this receptor. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) demonstrates a very high degree of inhibition of estrogen in human breast cancer cells. (2). But it???s not just DHT that does this; its metabolites have been shown to inhibit aromatization itself; DHT, androsterone, and 5alpha-androstandione are all potent inhibitors of the formation of estrone from androstenedione. In fact, it's so potent at reducing estrogen that transdermal DHT gel applied to the affected area has been used to treat gynocomastia (3). DHT is such a potent anti-estrogen that it been even been used to increase height in children with short stature, and since it???s been determined that this increase is not due to GH-mediated effects, it was strongly suggested that DHT???s anti-estrogenic effects are the mechanism by which it can increase height (4) Of course, I suspect I don???t need to tell you that DHT is structurally incapable or converting to estrogen???

So all of this tells us that DHT will certainly have beneficial effects on keeping our estrogen in check, but what about Masteron? Can it be used as effectively? Well, let???s take a look at what Masteron actually is, relative to DHT. But before we can do that, I think a quick explanation of DHT is in order first. Don???t worry; I???ll make it as brief and painless as possible.

DHT is actually the result of testosterone interacting with the 5alpha-reductase (5a-R) enzyme. This enzyme is present in the scalp, prostate, external genitalia, and other places. As far as I can see, it apparently exists for the sole purpose of converting a steroid with a double bond between carbon 4 and carbon 5 to one with a single bond between them, and subsequently adding a hydrogen atom to each carbon. This process is called (of course) 5alpha-reduction.

(Testosterone)
dihydrotestosterone.gif

+
5a-Reductase
=
dihydrotestosterone.gif

(Dihydrotestosterone)


So now we know how testosterone becomes Dihydrotestosterone. And everything would be great if this is the only thing that happened to our good old friend testosterone, because as you may already know, DHT is a far more potent androgen than testosterone. But, unfortunately, this is not the end of the story, because DHT is largely deactivated by the enzyme 3-alpha Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (3bHSD), which is mainly present in skeletal muscle.

For our purposes here, we???re only going to be concerned with one particular action of this enzyme. It can either converts a steroid with a keto group on position 3 of the steroid to one with a hydroxy group in that position, thus converting DHT is to androstanediol. This conversion is part of reason DHT alone has not proven to be a very effective muscle builder, as androstanediol is not going to be very anabolic at all. If you look off to the left of the following molecular diagram, and compare it to the one above for DHT, you???ll notice that the "O" (oxygen) has been replaced with an "HO" (hydrogen + oxygen) at the third position:

androstanediol.gif

(Androstanediol)

3bHSD is present all over the body (as is 5a-R, for the most part), but is found in especially high concentrations in the scalp and prostate, and it???s even possible that its actions on DHT will exacerbate male pattern baldness in the former tissue. Also, it???s worth noting that DHT is the androgen responsible for development of external genitalia. This is most likely the reason that women experience a temporary clitoral hypertrophy when they use the often recommended steroids (Primobolan, Anavar, Winstrol, etc???) in excessive doses. In an interesting aside, I find it really interesting that the most typical steroids recommended are the most likely to cause clitoral enlargement and other possible androgenic effects. But on the bright side, in my experience with female athletes, that first effect is most welcome...actually, topical DHT can even be used to treat Microphalia (extremely tiny genitalia) in males (5). This last fact, if you???ve ever wondered, is the type of information discussed behind closed doors by of owners and staff of "private/invite-only" anabolic steroid boards and forums???for obvious reasons???

Ok, so now you know what DHT is, where it comes from, what it can do, and why it???s not a particularly potent anabolic when used alone. Here???s what Masteron is, relative to its parent compound, DHT. Masteron is an injectable steroid that is simply the DHT molecule which has been altered to be 2alpha-Methyl-DHT???you can see this modification by comparing the DHT molecule above with the following Masteron one, and paying special attention to the left hand side again, and the "H3C" modification:

masteron.gif
(Masteron, aka Drostanolone Propionate)

This 2-alpha-methyl alteration makes it much more potent anabolic, although it???s still only about 60% as anabolic as testosterone and a quarter as androgenic. I???m going to speculate that these ratings make it not the most potent anabolic in the world, but its anti estrogenic effects plus its ability to increase aggression make it a very nice pre-contest addition. This is also where we get the absurd rumor that Masteron won???t do anything for you unless you???re already at a very low body-fat percentage. This is not true at all. No matter what body-fat percentage you???re at going to get a nice anti-estrogenic effect from Masteron, as well as some nice aggression and strength in the gym - the former and latter are both known as "non-genomic" effects, and are a result of the strong Central Nervous System stimulatory effects of Masteron, which is very common with DHT derived steroids. Basically, if you???re fat, and you take something that increases aggression and has anti-estrogenic effects (Halotestin and Arimidex, lets say), you wouldn???t expect to get huge and ripped. It???s the same thing with Masteron. Now, what if you add in Arimidex and Halotestin to a pre-contest cycle, you???ll get harder and look better. That???s exactly what???ll happen if you add Masteron into a Pre-contest cycle. It???s not that you have to be at some random body-fat percentage to get results from it, but you???ll need to be at that lower body-fat percentage to "see" those results. Again, if you???re fat and take Halo and Arimidex, you aren???t going to look much better???think of Masteron in similar terms, but it won???t work as well for aggression as Halotestin, and won???t be as good for combating estrogen as Arimidex. Gauged against either one of them alone, Masteron will likely make you look much harder and lift more weight. But if you are looking to do a low dosage cycle with a minimal amount of compounds in it, a simple Testosterone (propionate) and Masteron cycle may be exactly what you are looking for. On a personal note, that is a cycle that I use very frequently, at about 100mgs of each, shot every other day.

But has Masteron actually lived up to my claims for being an anti-estrogen? Yes. From 1968 to 1972, a decent sized study was conducted on Masteron, in a group of premenopausal women with breast cancer. About a third responded well to Masteron (6). This is because of its anti-estrogenic effects, clearly- though it doesn???t perform as well as Arimidex, Letrozole, or Aromasin. If you???re not running huge amounts of aromatizable steroids, this is a very good choice to add into your cycle. If you???re doing large amounts of those compounds, then you need to use a traditional anti-estrogen as your ancillary compound of choice. But if you???re running well under a gram of aromatizable steroids, Masteron will likely be all the anti-estrogen you need. This number comes from my person experience, as well as others I???ve interviewed.

Now, as a bit of an addendum, I???d like to address the use of Masteron in women. Lets get this straight: Masteron was developed for women. Okay? Got me? If you??? ve been paying attention up to this point, you already know that Masteron is intended for females and is derived from the same root (DHT) as most other steroids commonly used and recommended for female athletes (Primobolan, Anavar, Winstrol, etc???are all derived from DHT). And, another shocking fact is that Masteron has a lower androgenic rating than almost every other commonly recommended steroid used by female athletes. Anavar has a rating of 24 compared to oral testosterone and Masteron has a rating of 25 compared to testosterone, expressed as a percent (so yes that means 24% and 25% respectively).

Basically, Masteron works as a hormonal therapy for breast cancer and has been shown to be a useful and safe agent for females of all age groups, even though it may appear to be less effective then other possible therapies in postmenopausal patients (6). It is, therefore, very safe for women. Masteron is certainly no less safe than Anavar or Primobolan for women, as long as it???s used with something resembling a degree of respect and intelligence.

My recommendations for female use of this compound would be to start between 10-25mgs every third day, and increase dosages from there if no side effects are experienced. At those dosages, I suspect no side effects would be experienced, and I???d be comfortable saying none will be experienced up through 20mgs, injected every other day.

So there you have it. A totally new way to look at an old friend- Masteron- it???s useful as an anti-estrogen as well as an anabolic, and can certainly be safely used by both Men as well as women.


References:

J Steroid Biochem. 1983 Oct;19(4):1513-20.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 53, 836-842, Copyright © 1981 by Endocrine Society

Successful percutaneous dihydrotestosterone treatment of gynecomastia occurring during highly active antiretroviral therapy: four cases and a review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis. 2001 Sep 15;33(6):891-3. Epub 2001 Aug 10.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993 Apr;76(4):996-1001.

Baillieres Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Oct;12(3):501-6

Hormonal therapy of breast cancer with special reference to Masteron therapy. Bennett MB, Helman P, Palmer P PMID: 1242823).
 
Any new research or info on lipid effects of Drostanolone?

Can't find much on pubmed.
 
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