Ask Bill Roberts #5

ACE Inhibitors During a Steroid Cycle

Dear Bill,
I saw your answer last month on using ACE inhibitors like Capoten during a steroid cycle. I can’t seem to get any from my usual black market sources. And how much should I take?

What I meant last month was that Robert Ames had a good article on this subject, and that ACE inhibitors indeed can be useful during a steroid cycle. I should have pointed out, though, that these drugs should not be self-medicated. If you have genuinely high blood pressure let your doctor handle that prescription. If you do not, then I would forget the idea. The fat loss thing is interesting, but if there is no blood pressure problem, there are better ways to lose fat.

Clomid and Estrogenic Activity

Dear Bill,

You said to use Clomid with my testosterone dose of 150mg per week. I need some estrogen for good health will Clomid let this happen?

Shawn

Clomid at 100 mg/week is safe for long term use in men.

Interestingly, Clomid is a mixed agonist/antagonist. That means that in some tissues, for example bone, it works like estrogen. In other tissues, including breast tissue, it is an estrogen antagonist.

Either there still is enough estrogenic activity taking place despite the Clomid that there is no health problem, or the Clomid itself is acting as an estrogen where needed.

Making Testosterone from Androstenedione

Dear Mr. Roberts,

I possess Dan Duchaine’s DirtyDieting reviews and wanted to know your opinion on his hypothetical preparation of testosterone from androstenedione.

Jeff

It is not practical for the average person and will not produce a pharmaceutically pure product. I think anyone would be crazy to do this instead of simply buying some Sustanon or test enanthate etc.

Examples of Shorter Steroid Cycles

Dear Bill,

You have mentioned being in favor of “shorter” steroid cycles to avoid suppression, and side effects. Could you give some examples of what you mean by the term “shorter”?

Dave

Two weeks on with short acting esters and orals, and four weeks off in between, using Clomid throughout and, if using aromatizable drugs, an antiaromatase while on those drugs.

I was thinking about 4 week cycles, one every 12 weeks with 8 weeks off between.

There is a special advantage to 2 weeks, because in the first two weeks of high androgen levels, pituitary response to LR releasing hormone (LHRH) not only does not decrease, it actually improves. After the two week point, the pituitary rapidly becomes fairly unresponsive to LHRH. Thus, both the hypothalamus (which produces LHRH) and the pituitary, which produces LH, must recover from inhibition.

As long as that is occurring anyway I am not sure that one might as well not go 6 or 8 weeks. Moderate length cycles like that are well proven. So is the 2 weeks on / 4 weeks off plan, although on far fewer subjects. The results of 4 weeks on are not known to me.

Ripped Fuel with Andro Fuel

Dear Bill.

I have just started using Twinlab’s Ripped Fuel, and I have been deciding whether or not to buy Andro Fuel from Twinlab I want to know if it is safe to take both at the same time?

Chad

There is no interaction between these compounds, so they can both be used. For the Ripped Fuel, I personally would avoid taking more than the dose they recommend (which has 25 mg of ephedrine or less) and avoid doing so more often than every 3 hours, avoid taking it past 6 PM, and would take two days off per week.

Testosterone Undecanoate

Dear Bill.

I will soon start a cycle of steroids; I’ve got 90 caps of 40 mg Virigen (testosterone undekanoat) for oral use…

Unfortunately, this is almost useless. 240 mg/day is just an ordinary replacement dose used medically, and won’t do much for bodybuilding. So basically you can get 2 weeks of nothing much from this. At most, this is equivalent to 200 mg of injectable testosterone.

…and I’ve got 5 amp of 100 mg Primobolan to the end of the cycle.

Probably the only way to get results out of this would be to use the Virigen for 2 weeks, and take the Primobolan all at the start of the cycle. You won’t get huge gains but you may gain a few pounds.

Saw Palmetto and DHT

Hi Bill:

Can Saw Palmetto taken with Androstenediol/ Androstenedione prevent permanent hair loss from occurring? Will it neutralize the effect of DHT? Because I read in some article that Saw Palmetto will help. Is the article true?

Mike

Saw palmetto is thought by many to reduce hair loss problems associated with androgen use, but not to eliminate the problems.

How Much Deca?

Bill,

A friend of mine recently brought me back an 8 week cycle of Deca-Durabolin. But this “cycle” consists of only 8 redi-ject syringes with just 50 mg of Deca each and I’m only suppose to take one a week. I don’t know much about this stuff but from what I’ve read that doesn’t sound like it’s enough. I’m 6″1′ and 170 lbs. and was wondering if you could tell me what kind of gains to expect from this, if any.

William

It sure isn’t enough to do anything except inhibit your own testosterone production somewhat. It is at most 1/4 of the dose that would usually be considered absolutely minimal.

The only way to possibly get any gains at all out of this would be to take all 400 mg at once, at one time. It might help you gain (and retain) maybe 3 lb. or so.

Elevated Estrogen and Depression

Dear Bill,

I have been using steroids for the past year and a half almost continuously. I have used mostly testosterone enanthate, nandrolone, and Parabolan. I have stopped using anabolics all together and have been clean for 3 months. In the past month I have noticed myself becoming increasingly depressed, I am happy with my appearance and everything else in my personal life couldn’t possibly be better. Is my depression due to higher than normal levels of estrogen and lower than normal levels of test? Should I try Nolvadex during this off time to lower estrogen levels? Would this help me mentally?

Travis

It might not. Nolvadex (tamoxifen), like Clomid, is a mixed agonist/antagonist and I suspect it is an estrogen agonist (acts like estrogen) in at least some parts of the brain.

Without blood tests, it would be pure guesswork to try to decide if hormone levels are the cause of this problem or not. If estrogen levels are in fact high, use of an anti-aromatase would probably be a better option.

Powerlifting and Steroids

Bill,

I am a 40 year old powerlifter currently training for a competition in early Dec. I started on the Dr. Sears diet approx. six weeks ago. I decided to add some anabolics to my program, since it has been about six years since I had used them, I started with Test Enanthate 200mg per week ( in 100mg doses ) and 100mg Deca, and the usual E/A/C stack. Also I take Creatine at 10 grams daily. I started at a bodyweight of 267lbs with 22.8% bodyfat and after six weeks I’m at 258lbs and 15.08% bodyfat. I have approx. twelve more weeks to go before the meet. Am I doing all of this correctly?

Lou

Well, a 13 lb. muscle gain and 22 lb. fat loss in six weeks is excellent! It may be that you owe a substantial amount of the muscle gain to creatine, if you had not been using creatine prior to this.

I trust that this is an untested meet (otherwise the Deca would be bad news.)

Eighteen weeks is a long time to be on one cycle. I would suggest going off 10 weeks prior to the meet, then going back on again 6 weeks out. Of course, if absolute performance is the only objective, then one would simply stay on the whole time.

Is it a good idea to divide up the Test Enanthate doses to two injections weekly?

Yes.

How much Testosterone & Deca Durabolin should I be taking?

Well, thus far your results have been great! If they slow down you might want to consider moving the testosterone up to 500 mg/week.

Is Sustanon better than the Enanthate?

Nope!

Steroid Comparisons

Dear Bill,

Suppose I could obtain legitimate Anadrol-50; Test Cypionate; Deca; Oxandrin; HGH (Humatrope); HCG and Clomid. I can get 200mg/ml–10ml vials of Test Cypionate and 200mg/ml–1ml vials of Deca and 5mg (15IU) vials of HGH. What would be an acceptable cycle for muscular gains followed by fat loss and cutting? How long? What dosages? How often? Thank you for the anticipated response.

Jeffrey

Well, a lot of things will work of course.
I think oxandrolone is largely a waste of money.

s the bodybuilder who has already reached his maximum with steroids to go further, but is not necehGH aids fat loss, but one can lose fat without it, definitely. It allowssary for someone who could still gain a great deal only with steroids.

hCG can be useful if one plans to do cycles long enough to cause problems with testicular atrophy.

Right now I would suggest, using only drugs you have mentioned, a repeating six week plan in which two weeks would be using AAS (for example, 50-150 mg Anadrol per day, either 1 gram testosterone cypionate all at once at the start of the cycle or preferably 100-150 mg per day of testosterone propionate) while eating enough to gain just a little fat, then 4 weeks off, of which two to four weeks may be dieting. Clomid would be used at 100 mg/day while on aromatizable drugs, and 50 mg/day when not. Antiaromatase would be used when on aromatizable drugs.

Testicular atrophy does not occur with such cycles, even with several done consecutively.

Condoning the Use of Anabolic Steroids?

Dear Mr. Roberts,

I was just reading through the Q&A . Are you condoning the use of anabolic steroids?

Chuck

I am informing people as to their effects and uses. I am not in the business of advising people whether they should use these drugs or not. In fact, since it is illegal to do so without prescription, I don’t recommend it.

What is Proviron?

Dear Bill,

Please advise me about Proviron? What is it, and what is it supposed to do? What are the side effects?

Umesh

Proviron is an anabolic/androgenic steroid but one which is not very anabolic. It reduces either levels of estrogen or the effect of estrogen. Thus, it is useful for avoiding gynecomastia, although it probably should not be relied upon as the sole drug for that. It is not hepatotoxic. It has the usual side effects of anabolic/androgenic steroids, with the added effect that it is particularly prone to cause erections.

Steroids, Increased Hematocrit, and Competitive Cycling

Dear Bill,

I’m considering using some sort of anabolics over this winter in preparation for the competitive cycling season in the Spring. I’ve taken Anadrol-50 orals once in the past, a 10-week cycle, and I did a lot of research before doing so and was into bodybuilding at the time, not competitive bicycle racing. I thought it was hard to find info on anabolics as pertains to bodybuilding… it’s impossible to find any info, good or bad, as pertains to cycling. Naturally, the goal for a cyclist is not so much size (which is contrary to most cyclists’ goals) but strength and, primarily, the increased hematocrit levels/red blood cell count. Which drug would be ideal?

Greg

Anadrol is king for increasing hematocrit. Blood cells have receptors for steroids besides the AR, which are sensitive to 5beta-DHT and etiocholanolone. Perhaps oxymetholone’s unusual effect here is a result of it being an agonist of this receptor as well as the AR. That is only speculation though. In any case, it appears to be the most potent AAS for this purpose, by far.

Incidentally, this receptor does not appear to be a member of the steroid receptor superfamily, and therefore is not another form of the AR.

Stacking Deca

Dear Bill,

I’ve heard a lot about the use of Deca and Dianabol; yet I myself don’t know half enough of what I’d like to before ever attempting use of them. For instance, if one uses Deca, does he/she have to stack another cycle to get expected results?

Using Deca alone is not the best choice. Adding in Dianabol for example would help greatly (25-50 mg/day, divided doses every few hours).

Is Deca powerful enough to bring results alone?

Some results.

Androdiol on an Empty Stomach?

Bill,

The bottle of my recently purchased Androdiol says to take the product on an empty stomach. Well, I tried that and it upset my stomach pretty bad. I was wondering if I could take it with food and still get the same benefits?

Yes.

Also, should I keep taking it on my off days?

Ultimately, the more of these prohormones is used, the more inhibition there will be of natural testosterone production. No one knows the best pattern: whether it is more efficient to use higher doses only on some days, or a lower dose every day. I would guess that it is more efficient to use a lower dose every day, but to take time off periodically.

Russian Dianabol

Dear Bill,

I have just purchased 100 5mg Russian Dianabol pills for 70 dollars. Maybe that deal sounds too good to be true. Anyway, I heard some rumors that the Russian Dianabol is more toxic to the liver than Dianabol from Thailand or India because of the way it is 17-alpha methylated in the lab, and unusual side effects occur like nausea and vomiting. Is this true?

Anthony

A person I know who has tested some Eastern European and Russian products found them in each case to contain no steroid at all. Reputedly, even the genuine Russian product is approximately half methyltestosterone due to poor chemistry on their part.

What dosage do you recommend with these 100 tablets? I was thinking of something like a 6 week cycle like the following: One pill the first week, 2 pills the second week, 3 the 3rd week, 4 the 4th week, 3 the 5th week and one a day for the last 9 days of the cycle to complete 100.

Seven tablets per day, divided doses every few hours, for 14 days if 100 tablets is all that is going to be used. (Assuming that this is to be used at all.)

Drug Tests and Androstenedione

Dear Bill,

Hi I just bought some Androstene and some Androdiol. I know it is illegal in some sports but I was wondering how long it stays in your system and if it would show up on a drug test?? Thanks!

Mark

It would be out of your system in a day. However, if use was long term and heavy enough to inhibit natural testosterone production, one might fail the urinary testosterone/ epitestosterone ratio test.

Efficacy of Homeopathic Preparations

Bill,

My boyfriend has been weight lifting for a couple of years and is looking to go on a homeopathic supplement specifically formulated to maximize testosterone and growth hormone levels, it’s called The Beast or The Human Growth Complex, can you please let me know more about this product, both its positive and negative aspects. Thank you.

Jamie

“Homeopathic” preparations contain none of the ingredient they are named after. They are prepared by starting with a dilute solution of that ingredient, then diluting again and again, by factors of a million or more.

The claim is that although there is none (or essentially none) of the original substance remaining, during the dilution process it somehow transferred its properties to the water or alcohol used for dilution.

I do not consider homeopathic remedies to be effective.

Steroids and College Football

Hello Mr. Roberts,

My name is Todd and I play college football. I have taken steroids for two summers before the last two seasons. I was averaging 1 to 1.5 cc’s a week for about 2 and a half months each time. Once the season started I would stop and not do it again until the next summer. I was taking different things such as Laurabolin, Deca and regular testosterone. I was wondering what kind of side effects I could have inherited from this even though none are present now.

Todd

If none are present now, then nothing really.

I was also wondering if I could go to a doctor and get checked out for liver damage and a sperm count.

Yes, you could. That would not be suspicious.

I am very afraid of not being able to have kids and more so future liver problems.

Testosterone does NOT result in permanent fertility problems, only temporarily reduced sperm count if LH/FSH decreases.

Injectable testosterone does not cause liver problems.

Neither does nandrolone (Deca or Laurabolin).

Androstenedione and Puberty

Bill,

Is androstenedione safe for a youth who is in or near puberty?

Peter

I would personally not recommend it.

In any case, at puberty, growth, including muscular growth, can be very fast without any such supplements.

Proscar, Hair Loss, and Steroids

Mr. Roberts,

I am a 32 year old natural bodybuilder. I’m thinking about starting a AS cycle, but I am worried about hair loss associated with taking steroids. Last year I noticed some thinning, so I started taking Proscar. Since I’ve been taking it, the thinning has ceased. If I start a cycle (Anadrol or Dianabol), will taking Proscar DURING the cycle prevent the DHT from binding to the hair follicles and keep me from going bald?

Joe

No. It will result in less DHT produced from testosterone. It would do nothing, I think, with respect to Dianabol or Anadrol.

If you have already had hair loss problems, it is essentially guaranteed that steroid use will accelerate the problem.

Deca would be the best choice if this is a major concern.

Anabolic Diet and Anabolic Steroids

Dear Bill,

I have a nutrition question. I have been on the Anabolic Diet by Mauro DiPasquale for 6 months now. I have dropped from approximately 16% body fat to 11%. I have only lost a minimal amount of strength (thank god) during this period of fat loss. Incidentally, I went from 232# to 200#. I want to start an AS cycle this fall, but I am unsure of the diet I should use during the cycle. Can I make serious gains on an AS cycle with the high fat/low carb/high protein diet?

Maybe, but I think it is a poor idea, since it helps greatly to have high insulin levels all the time, not just two days per week.

Or should I go on a traditional high carb/low fat/high protein diet like everyone keeps suggesting to me?

I would use isocaloric (33/33/33 or 40/30/30).

Are the muscle gains from AAS & Insulin really that much more than just AAS alone?

For an advanced bodybuilder who has already gotten as far as he can get with steroids, it makes all the difference in the world (he wouldn’t get any farther just using steroids but does make gains adding in the insulin.) For a novice or intermediate it is not necessary, excellent gains can be made without injected insulin.