deca appetite, experiences

[CAswole]

Anybodys personal experience with deca and appetite increase? Bout to start 600mg next week

 

[Big_paul]

I can't say it increases my appetite more than other steroids. I always included deca to bulk.

I'm going to use it in my trt soon.

 

[Big_paul]

Good stuff. It has strong anabolic properties without androgenic sides.

 

[Izk]

I can't say it increases my appetite more than other steroids. I always included deca to bulk.

I'm going to use it in my trt soon.

Read the joints/tendons sticky, scally posted a few studies showing deca inhibits tendon growth/adaptation. Might not be beneficial to stay on it.

 

[Mayne]

Read the joints/tendons sticky, scally posted a few studies showing deca inhibits tendon growth/adaptation. Might not be beneficial to stay on it.

Hm have you got a link to the study because I couldn't find any. Makes no sense to me...

 

[Izk]

All here. Pretty long read though.

AAS Improve Rehabilitation After Surgery

Acute distal biceps rupture poses a devastating injury associated with athletes following high-resistance-training regimens. It usually occurs in the dominant extremity during excessive eccentric tension and is mainly observed in sports including high resistance and/or full body contact. Numerous articles report the benefits of different acute repair operative techniques. Regardless of incision or fixation type, the goal of any repair is to promote tendon ingrowth into bone while preventing range of motion (ROM) deficits and heterotopic ossification.

Currently there is little consensus on post-operative rehabilitation guidelines. Early active or passive ROM has been suggested to facilitate tendon reattachment into bone at the repair site with papers reporting on the safety of early active ROM after repair via single anterior incision. This helps with another problem the physician has to deal with when treating high resistance training individuals; highly variable compliance to postoperative regimens, with many of these patients returning to aggressive sports or occupational activities earlier than recommended. Recognizing this patient-specific peculiarity, we followed an immediate active ROM protocol after repair via the modified single incision repair thus helping patients regain ROM comparable to the uninjured side without deleterious effects on neither the reconstruction’s healing nor the operated extremity’s flexion and supination strength.

The fact that an increasing number of high-resistance-training individuals abuse AAS complicates treatment. AAS have a proven substantial protein anabolic effect on contractile proteins, increasing structural integrity and size of existing and/or newly regenerating muscle fibers. It has been proven that AAS enhance remodelling and improve biomechanical properties of bioartificially engineered human tendons, suggesting that they may enhance tendon-healing in vivo. Latest developments indicate that androgens are important for male bone metabolism and homeostasis, increasing radial growth via maintenance of cancellous bone mass and expansion of cortical bone. This may influence incorporation of the newly attached tendon in the radial bone but may also affect heterotopic ossification in a non-favourable manner. There is an increasing need to further delineate the effects of this kind of pharmacological agent abuse on the anatomic reconstruction of the musculotendinous injury.

The aim of this study was to observe and report all possible effects the AAS abuse patterns might have on the healing and recuperation of anatomic reconstruction of the ruptured distal biceps tendon and on heterotopic ossification, comparing these results to a similar group of surgically treated individuals.


Pagonis T, Givissis P, Ditsios K, Pagonis A, Petsatodis G, Christodoulou A. The effect of steroid-abuse on anatomic reinsertion of ruptured distal biceps brachii tendon. Injury. The effect of steroid-abuse on anatomic reinsertio... [Injury. 2011] - PubMed result

INTRODUCTION: There is an increase in the number of anabolic-steroid (AS)-abusing trainees, who suffer from sports injuries, needing reconstruction surgery. Rupture of the distal biceps brachii tendon is a common injury in this group.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate the effect of AS abuse in the anatomic reconstruction of the ruptured distal biceps brachii tendon along with an immediate range-of-motion postoperative protocol.

METHODS: We conducted an observation study of 17 male athletes suffering from distal biceps tendon ruptures. Six of them reported that they abused AS (group A), whereas the non-users comprised group B (n=11). Both groups were treated with the modified single-incision technique with two suture anchors and an immediate active range-of-motion protocol postoperatively. Follow-up was at 4, 16 and 52weeks postoperatively, with a final follow-up at 24 months.

RESULTS: Follow-up at 4, 16 and 52 weeks postoperatively showed a statistical significance in favour of group A for therapeutic outcomes concerning flexion, supination, pronation, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Disability Symptom Scores, Mayo Elbow Performance Elbow Scores and isometric muscle strength tests for both flexion and supination. Twenty-four months postoperatively, statistical significance in favour of group A was recorded in isometric muscle strength tests for both flexion and supination and also in DASH Disability Symptom Score.

DISCUSSION: The results of our study suggest that there is a correlation between the effect of AS and the quicker and better recuperation and rehabilitation observed in group A. Nonetheless, these results must be interpreted with caution, and further in vivo research is needed to confirm these findings.

Marqueti RC, Heinemeier KM, Durigan JL, et al. Gene expression in distinct regions of rat tendons in response to jump training combined with anabolic androgenic steroid administration. Eur J Appl Physiol 2012;112(4):1505-15. European Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 112, Number 4 - SpringerLink

The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of key genes responsible for tendon remodeling of the proximal and distal regions of calcaneal tendon (CT), intermediate and distal region of superficial flexor tendon (SFT) and proximal, intermediate and distal region of deep flexor tendon (DFT) submitted to 7 weeks of jumping water load exercise in combination with AAS administration. Wistar male rats were grouped as follows: sedentary (S), trained (jumping water load exercise) (T), sedentary animals treated with AAS (5 mg/kg, twice a week) and animals treated with AAS and trained (AAST). mRNA levels of COL1A1, COL3A1, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, MMP-2, IGF-IEa, GAPDH, CTGF and TGF-beta-1 were evaluated by quantitative PCR. Our main results indicated that mRNA levels alter in different regions in each tendon of sedentary animals. The training did not alter the expression of COL1A1, COL3A, IGF-IEa and MMP-2 genes, while AAS administration or its combination with training reduced their expression. This study indicated that exercise did not alter the expression of collagen and related growth factors in different regions of rat tendon. Moreover, the pattern of gene expression was distinct in the different tendon regions of sedentary animals. Although, the RNA yield levels of CT, SFT and DFT were not distinct in each region, these regions possess not only the structural and biochemical difference, but also divergence in the expression of key genes involved in tendon adaptation.

Gerber C, Meyer DC, Von Rechenberg B, Hoppeler H, Frigg R, Farshad M. Rotator Cuff Muscles Lose Responsiveness to Anabolic Steroids After Tendon Tear and Musculotendinous Retraction: An Experimental Study in Sheep. Am J Sports Med. Rotator Cuff Muscles Lose Responsiveness to Anabolic Steroids After Tendon Tear and Musculotendinous Retraction

BACKGROUND: Long-standing rotator cuff tendon tearing is associated with retraction, loss of work capacity, irreversible fatty infiltration, and atrophy of the rotator cuff muscles. Although continuous musculotendinous relengthening can experimentally restore muscular architecture, restoration of atrophy and fatty infiltration is hitherto impossible.

HYPOTHESIS: Continuous relengthening with pharmacological stimulation of muscle growth using an anabolic steroid or insulin-like growth factor (IGF) can reverse atrophy and fatty infiltration as well as improve the work capacity of chronically retracted rotator cuff muscles in sheep.

STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study.

METHODS: Sixteen weeks after tenotomy of the infraspinatus (ISP) tendon, atrophy and fatty infiltration had developed in the retracted ISP muscle. The musculotendinous unit was continuously relengthened in 14 sheep during 6 weeks: Four sheep were treated without pharmacological stimulation, 4 with intramuscular administration of an anabolic steroid, and 6 with IGF before final repair and rehabilitation (12 weeks). Changes were documented by intraoperative measurements of muscle work capacity, histology, and computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging.

RESULTS: Musculotendinous relengthening by continuous traction resulted in gains of length ranging from 0.7 cm in the IGF group to 1.3 cm in the control group. Fatty infiltration progressed in all groups, and the muscle's cross-sectional area ranged from 71% to 74% of the contralateral side at sacrifice and did not show any differences between groups in weight, volume, histological composition, or work capability of the muscle. The contralateral muscles in the anabolic steroid group, however, showed significantly higher (mean +/- standard deviation) muscle work capacity of 10 +/- 0.9 N.m than the contralateral muscles of the control group (6.8 +/- 2.4 N.m) (P < .05). This was accompanied by an increased mean muscle fiber area as well as by an unusual gain in the animals' weight after injection of the anabolic steroid.

CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous continuous relengthening of a chronically retracted musculotendinous unit is feasible and advances the retracted musculotendinous junction toward its original position. This does not change the muscle work capacity. Whereas anabolic steroids have been shown to be effective in preventing classic degenerative muscle changes after tendon tears, neither an anabolic steroid nor IGF contributes to regeneration of the muscle once degenerative changes are established.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings demonstrate that muscle cells lose reactiveness to an anabolic steroid and IGF once retraction has led to fatty infiltration and atrophy of the muscle. Retraction of the muscle after tendon tears must be avoided by early repair, particularly in an athlete, as no regeneration can be achieved by mechanical or pharmacological means at this time.

Seynnes OR, Kamandulis S, Kairaitis R, et al. Effect of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids and Heavy Strength Training on Patellar Tendon Morphological and Mechanical Properties. Journal of Applied Physiology. Effect of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids and Heavy Strength Training on Patellar Tendon Morphological and Mechanical Properties

Combined androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS) and overloading affects tendon collagen metabolism and ultrastructure, and is often associated with a higher risk of injury. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether such effects would be reflected in the patellar tendon properties of individuals with a history of long-term resistance training and AAS abuse (RTS group), when compared to trained (RT) and untrained (CTRL) non-steroids users. Tendon cross-sectional area (CSA), stiffness, Young's modulus and toe-limit strain were measured in vivo, from synchronized ultrasonography and dynamometry data. The patellar tendon of RT and RTS subjects was much stiffer and larger than in the CTRL group. However, stiffness and modulus were higher in the RTS group (26%, P < 0.05 and 30%, P < 0.01, respectively) than in the RT group. Conversely, tendon CSA was 15% (P < 0.05) larger in the RT group than in RTS, although differences disappeared when this variable was normalized to quadriceps maximal isometric torque. Yet maximal tendon stress was higher in RTS than in RT (15%, P < 0.05), without any statistical difference in maximal strain and toe limit strain between groups. The present lack of difference in toe-limit strain does not substantiate the hypothesis of changes in collagen crimp pattern associated with AAS abuse. However, these findings indicate that tendon adaptations from years of heavy resistance training are different in AAS users, suggesting differences in collagen remodelling. Some of these adaptations (e.g. higher stress) could be linked to a higher risk of tendon injury.

Marqueti RC, Paulino MG, Fernandes MN, de Oliveira EM, Selistre-de-Araujo HS. Tendon structural adaptations to load exercise are inhibited by anabolic androgenic steroids. Scand J Med Sci Sports. Tendon structural adaptations to load exercise are inhibited by anabolic androgenic steroids - Marqueti - 2013 - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports - Wiley Online Library

The present study investigated the structural changes in the rat calcaneal tendon (CT), superficial flexor tendon (SFT), and deep flexor tendon (DFT) in response to jump exercises and anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS).

Animals were divided into four groups: sedentary, trained, AAS-treated sedentary rats, and AAS-treated trained animals. Training increased the volume density (Vv%) of blood vessels in all regions of the CT and DFT, cell Vv% in the peritendinous sheath of the proximal and distal regions of the SFT and proximal region of DFT, and cell Vv% in the tendon proper of the proximal and distal regions of the SFT and DFT.

The combination of AAS and load exercises showed little increased blood vessel Vv% at the proximal region of the CT, intermediate region of the SFT, and all regions of the DFT as opposed to an increase in adipose cell Vv% in the CT proximal region. The AAS reduced the levels of hydroxyproline in the proximal region of the DFT and in the distal region of the STF.

In conclusion, exercise promoted benefits to the adaptation of the tendons to overload. These effects were absent when load exercise was combined with AAS. The abusive consumption of AAS contributes to tendon inertness and rigidity, and increases the potential risk of injury.

Tsitsilonis S, Panayiotis CE, Athanasios MS, et al. Anabolic androgenic steroids reverse the beneficial effect of exercise on tendon biomechanics: An experimental study. Foot Ankle Surg 2014;20(2):94-9. Anabolic androgenic steroids reverse the beneficial effect of exercise on tendon biomechanics: An experimental study

BACKGROUND: The effect of anabolic androgenic steroids on tendons has not yet been fully elucidated. Aim of the present study was the evaluation of the impact of anabolic androgenic steroids on the biomechanical and histological characteristics of Achilles tendons.

METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomized into four groups with exercise and anabolic steroids (nandrolone decanoate) serving as variables. Protocol duration was 12 weeks. Following euthanasia, tendons' biomechanical properties were tested with the use of a modified clamping configuration. Histological examination with light and electron microscopy were also performed.

RESULTS: In the group of anabolic steroids and exercise the lowest fracture stress values were observed, while in the exercise group the highest ones. Histological examination by light and electron microscopy revealed areas of collagen dysplasia and an increased epitendon in the groups receiving anabolic steroids and exercise.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that anabolic androgenic steroids reverse the beneficial effect of exercise, thus resulting in inferior maximal stress values.