Anabolic Steroid Profile: Anavar (Oxandrolone)

First introduced in the United States in 1964, Oxandrolone(Oxandrin®) is an anabolic steroid created by Pfizer, Inc. and marketed under the trademark name Anavar®.  During the late 1980's when public opinion turned against steroid use, manufacturing of Oxandrolone was suspended and has only recently begun to be produced again.



What is Anavar®?


Anavar® is an anabolic steroid is available in either 2.5 or 10 mg oral tablets.  The drug has an active life of 8-12 hours, the average daily dose for a male is between 20-50 mg per day and for a female the average does range is between 5-15 mg per day. 


Anavar® treatment is indicated as adjunctive therapy and is used to promote weight gain after weight loss following surgery, chronic infections, trauma and for patients who have certain health conditions that prohibit weight gain.  The drug is also used to offset protein catabolism due to prolonged usage of corticosteroids and for the relief of bone pain caused by osteoporosis.


Proper Dosage and Administration of Anavar®


Steroid treatment with Anavar® is not meant as a treatment replacement.  Duration of treatment will depend upon the response of the patient and whether or not any adverse reactions occur, therapy should be done using a schedule of intervals and not consistent.


When administered to adults, the response to steroid treatment will vary with each individual.  The average adult daily dose ranges anywhere from 2.5-20 mg, divided up into 2-4 doses.  A normal course of treatment would be between 4-6 weeks and may be repeated as indicated.


In children the total daily dose of Anavar® is <0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight or <0.045 per pound of body weight. Therapy may be repeated on an intermittent basis as necessary.

The geriatric patients on an anabolic steroid treatment regimen with Anavar®, the recommended daily dosage is 5 mg twice per day.


When administered in 2.5 mg, Anavar® tablets are oval shaped, white and scored with the letters BTG on one side and “11” on either side of the score line, each bottle contains 100 tablets.  Anavar® 10 mg tablets are in capsule form, white and have BTG on one side and “10” on the opposite side, and each bottle contains 60 pills.


Side Effects of Anabolic Steroid Usage


As with any type of medication, there are several types of  side effects one  may experience, including the use of  anabolic steroids.  The following list includes the most common side effects:


•    For people who have chronic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or patients who are unresponsive to bronchodilators, close monitoring is necessary because the patient may experience COPD exacerbation and fluid retention.

•    For people with hepatic (liver) disorders the side effects can include jaundice, hepatic necrosis (death of cells and living tissues), hepatocellular neoplasms (new abnormal tissue growth), peliosis hepatis (multiple, randomly distributed blood-filled cavities in the liver), and a change in liver function tests can also change with long-term steroidal therapy.


Male Side Effects:


•    Prepubertal(before puberty): steroid therapy can result in penile enlargement and/or increased or persistent erections.

•    Postpubertal (after puberty):  steroid therapy can impair testicular function, testicular atrophy (wasting of muscle tissue), oligospermia (lowered sperm count), impotence (inability to sustain an erection of the penis), chronic priapism (sustained erection), epididymitis (inflammation of the scrotum) and bladder irritability.


Female Side Effects:


•    Clitoral enlargement and menstrual cycle irregularities


Other Side Effects that May be Experienced By Either Gender:

•    Central Nervous System effects:  excitation, insomnia (sleep disturbance), depression, changes in sexual appetite and habituation (tolerance buildup in response to continued drug use).

•    Hematologic effects: bleeding in patients using anticoagulant therapy.

•    Breasts:  development of Gynecomastia (male breasts enlargement).

•    Larynx:  females may experience deepening of the voice.

•    Hair: hirsutism (excessive hair growth) and male pattern baldness in females.

•    Skin:  acne, particularly in prepubescent males and females.

•    Skeletal:  the premature closing of the epiphyses (the rounded end of a long bone) in children.

•    Fluids and electrolytes:  edema (fluid retention), retention of serum electrolytes (potassium, sodium chloride, phosphate and calcium).

•    Metabolic and Endocrine system:  decreased in tolerance to glucose, increase in creatinine excretion, increase serum levels of creatinine phosphokinase, masculinizing of fetus and inhibited gondatropin secretion (hormones secreted by endocrine glands that effect function of male and female gonads).

•    Drug abuse and dependency:  Oxandrolone is a controlled substance under the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 classification, and has been listed as a Schedule III (non-narcotic).


Drug Contraindications


Anabolic steroidal therapy may increase a patients sensitivity to oral anticoagulant medications.  Dosage of an anticoagulant medication may need to be decreased if sensitivity results in order to control desired clotting time.  Patients who are receiving anticoagulant medications require close monitoring, particularly when the steroidal treatments are started or ceased.


Warfarin patients taking an anabolic steroidal medication experienced a shortened half-life from 26 to 48 hours.  Hematuria (red blood cells present in the urine) and bleeding gums were also experienced by patients taking Warfarin therapy.  When a patient is already receiving Warfarin treatment and then given a regimen of anabolic steroids, clotting time needs to be closely monitored.  Any patient receiving a combination of these two medications will also need to be monitored for occult bleeding.


Patients receiving oral hypoglycemic agents might experience an inhibition of metabolizing the medication, as a result of treatment with anabolic steroids.


For patients suffering from edema (swelling), when given anabolic steroid medications in conjunction with adrenal steroids, the swelling may increase as a result.


In patients suffering from breast cancer, receiving anabolic steroidal medications can cause hypercalcemia (elevated calcium levels in the blood), by stimulating osteolysis (a resorption or dissolution of bone tissue).  Treatment with anabolic steroids would be suspended if the condition were to occur.


Cholestatic hepatitis and jaundice may occur in patients receiving a low-dose anabolic steroid.  If jaundice or cholestatic hepatitis occurs or if liver function tests are abnormal, oxandrolone treatment should be stopped and the cause should be determined.   Drug-induced cholestatic jaundice can be reversible when the steroidal treatment is discontinued.


Edema, accompanied with or without congestive heart failure can be a very serious complication for patients with a pre-existing cardiac, hepatic or renal disorder or disease.  Administrating adrenal corticosteroid treatments in combination with an anabolic steroidal medication, may increase edema in the patient.


When used in children, androgenic steroids can result in acceleration of bone maturation without producing compensatory increase in linear growth.  The adverse effects can result in a child experiencing compromised adult height.  The younger a child is when androgenic steroids are started, the great the risk of compromising adult height.  The effects of androgenic steroids on bone maturation should be monitored by doing a bone assessment test of the left wrist and hand at 6-month intervals.


For elderly patients being treated with androgenic steroids, may experience an increased risk in developing prostatic hypertrophy (exaggerated growth of prostate gland) and prostatic carcinoma (prostate cancer).


Anavar® and Fat Loss


Anavar® is considered to be a “fat-burning steroid.”  Both abdominal and visceral (deep) were both reduced in subjects were administered low/normal dosage range of natural testosterone found in Anavar®.  Subjects experienced a reduction in appendicular, total and trunk fat when given a dose 20 mg per day and no exercise was included in the regimen.  In yet another study, subjects who had concluded an anabolic steroid regimen experienced weight maintenance within 6 months of cessation of the treatment.  Another study found that 83%  patients who concluded treatment with anabolic steroids within a 12-week period were able to sustain fat reduction levels in the trunk, extremities and total body. 


Anavar® Cycle


Many Anavar studies have been done using elderly males and young boys as the subject, what the studies found were that the effects of the medication were no age dependent.  Subjects should use a period of “time on,” and “time off,” when using anabolic steroids, this means people lose a large amount of fat during time spent on the medication and maintain fat loss until the next cycle. 


Anavar® is used for strength training and cutting purposes, but not for use in bulking up or losing a significant amount of weight.  With a low dosage of Anavar®, serum testosterone, Sex Testosterone Binding Globulin (SHBG), and Leutenizing Hormone (LH) levels were lightly suppressed, considerably less than with other compounds.


In contrast, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Insulin Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF1) and Growth Hormone levels for patients using a low dose of Anavar® were raised to significant levels, however, LH levels will rebound when a person stops using Anavar®. 


Anavar®: Use and Abuse in Sports


The use of anabolic steroids in sports is to increase performance of the athlete.  Oxandrolone was first designed for use in women and children, but since it has so few androgenic side effects, many males have also used the medication as well.


Oxandrolone is very popular among athletes for many reasons including, but not limited too:


•    Oxandrolone causes users to experience a large strength gain because it stimulates phosphocreatine synthesis in muscle cells without causing edema in the joints and muscles.

•    A combination of Oxandrolone and Holotestin taken on a daily basis has proven to give muscles a “harder” and more “cut” appearance.

•    Oxandrolone does not aromatize in any dosage and only a certain percentage of the testosterone in the body gets converted to estrogen.


Because the side effects of Oxandrolone are only slight over a long period of time, this has made the drug extremely popular for use among athletes.  Oxandrolone is considered an “all-purpose” remedy and for this reason, depending upon the goal of in the individual, can be very versatile.  If any adverse side effects are experienced during use of anabolic steroids, it is highly advisable to stop taking the medication and consult with a physician.


Use of anabolic steroids can produce many ill side effects in patients who overuse or abuse the medication. Abusing anabolic steroids can produce many permanent side effects and may result in death.  It is important to take the medication only as directed and  to follow the dosage instructions as prescribed by a health care professional.



Anavar® Use By Women


For women who wish to use anabolic steroids and avoid the masculinity-type side effects that can occur, Anavar® offers an alternative.  Because Anavar® does not aromatize (to convert into one or more aromatic compounds), at any level, it allows women to experience the benefits of a hard and ripped appearance.


Another benefit of using Anavar® in women, is appetite suppression.  For those seeking to use the medication for gaining muscle, combining Anavar® with Winstrol, Primabolan Depot, Testosterone Propionate or Parabolan, will enhance the effects of the medication.

Anavar® Results


Anavar® has shown itself to be a very versatile medication for use in treating many medical conditions and improving health and fitness.  Before taking any type of anabolic steroid medication, it is important to consult with a physician and have a complete check-up to make sure the medication can be taken safely.