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If you are considering the use of 17-aa oral steroids for a cycle, or are already on cycle using 17-aa oral steroids, you must read this article.
Damaging the liver with oral steroids can cause serious health problems. No matter how big or ripped you may be, a faulty liver will drive your hard earned gains right down the toilet and send you strait to a hospital bed.
In fact, by the time most steroid using athletes or bodybuilders reach the hospital they have already lost 20-30lbs of body weight and have become extremely sick and feeble. (1-7) Nobody wants this. In this article I'm going to show you how to screen for liver problems, watch for the visual warning signs and protect the liver the most effective way possible.
What a lot of people don't know is that even legal steroids can stress the liver and cause serious problems. Legal steroids can be just as bad as illegal steroids such as Winstrol, Dianabol or even Anadrol. While most people are well informed about which illegal steroids cause liver damage, I'm going to talk about which legal steroids can cause damage. Whether you cycle legal or illegal steroids, the information you learn here today will probably save you a trip to the emergency room.
Today you will learn -
How oral steroids impair liver function and damage the liver
Warning signs that your liver may be damaged
Which legal steroids pose the most risk and which are the safest
How to get an at home liver test for less than $5
How Liver Juice can reduce liver damage even from the harshest compounds
Before I cover these topics, let's talk about which currently popular oral steroids are most liver toxic.
Legal Oral Steroids
Toxicity Ratings
It's important to understand that not all "oral steroids" negatively affect the liver. For instance, DHEA, androstenediol and pregnenolone are "steroids" that can be taken orally, but none of them are liver toxic.
What makes a steroid liver toxic is a modification to its structure known as a methylation in the 17th position. This is typically referred to as a "17 alpha alkylated" or "17-aa" oral steroid. This modification allows the steroid to pass the liver and avoid excretion, thus giving them higher potency than non-17-aa steroids. (1-7) 17-aa steroids also negatively affect the liver which I will explain later.
Popular methylated (17-aa) legal oral steroids include -
Superdrol clones -
Superdrone
Superdrol
Beastdrol
M-Drol
Chemical name(s):
2a,17a-dimethyl-5a-androst-3-one-17b-ol
2a,17a-dimethyl-etiocholan-3-one-17b-ol
17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 5
Dimethazine clones -
Dimethazine
Dieselbolan v2.0
Chemical Name(s):
17beta-hydroxy 2alpha,17alpha-dimethyl 5alpha-androstan 3-one azine
17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 5
Halodrol clones -
Turinabol
Halodrol
Helladrol
H-Drol
Chemical name(s):
4-chloro-17a-methyl-androst-1,4-diene-3b,17b-diol
17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 2
Epistane clones -
Epistane
Epi-Strong
Havoc
M-14 E
Chemical Name(s):
2a,3a-epithio-17a-methyl-etioallocholan-17b-ol
2a,3a-epithio-17a-methyl-5a-androstan-17b-ol
17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 3
Methyl 1,4-AD clones -
M1,4AD
M14-E
Chemical Name(s):
17a-methyl-1,4-androstadiene-3b,17b-diol
17a-methyl-androst-1,4-diene-3b,17b-diol
1,4-Methylandrostenedione
17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 3
DHEA clones -
Dermacrine
Methyl 1-D
Chemical Name(s):
Dehydroepiandrosterone
3beta-Hydroxyandrost-5-Ene-17-One
3-beta-hydroxy-etioallocholan-5-ene-17-one
5-Androstene-3b-ol, 17-one
Non 17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 0
1-DHEA clones -
1-T
1-Androsterone
Chemical Name(s):
17a-methyl-1,4-androstadiene-3b,17b-diol
17a-methyl-androst-1,4-diene-3b,17b-diol
1,4-Methylandrostenedione
Non 17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 0
Epiandrosterone clones -
Methyl Masterdrol
Stano-Drol
Chemical Name(s):
3-beta-hydroxyetioallocholan-17-one (3b)
5a-androst-3b-17-one (3b)
3-epiandrosterone (3b)
Non 17-aa steroid
Toxicity rating (1-5): 0
As you can see, Superdrone and Dimethazine are some of the most toxic legal oral steroids. They are "di-methylated" which means they have two methyl groups, as opposed to just one in the 17th position. (4-5) Although this makes them extremely potent oral compounds, it also makes them more liver toxic than the single methylated 17-aa legal steroids (or even the illegal oral steroids Winstrol, Dianabol, Anadrol, ect.).
This is why its important to NOT stack 17-aa with other 17-aa compounds since oral steroids have a dose dependant toxicity value. In other words, the more total steroid you take, the more toxic it becomes to you liver.
Most all non-17-aa oral steroids have virtually zero toxicity to the liver, which usually makes them a good stack with 17-aa orals.
How do 17-aa oral steroids cause liver damage?
Despite a lot of discussion on the forums about the "toxicity" of different oral steroids, most users are unaware of the mechanism or implications around these "toxic effects" (which is probably the reason why most users have yet to find an effective cure for the toxic effects).
Let me shed some light on this ambiguous topic.
17-aa steroids are toxic to the liver because they inhibit the excretory functions of the liver. (1-7)
More specifically, the more "liver toxic" a 17-aa steroid is, the more it inhibits the production and flow of bile from the liver.
Bile salts are known as the liver's "cleansing agents" because they act as "soaps" that carry away the toxins and flush them into the intestines for excretion. If the bile flow is restricted in the liver, then the liver cannot rid itself of toxins. When the liver loses its ability to excrete toxins, it creates a buildup of toxins throughout the entire body. (1-13)
This condition is known as cholestasis [Kola-sta-sis]. By definition, cholestasis is a condition where the flow of bile cannot flow from the liver. (1) This is the most common liver condition developed from 17-aa steroids. (1-7)
If a liver becomes cholestatic for too long, the condition can begin damaging liver cells by causing necrosis (premature death of liver cells) from excessive toxin build up in the liver. This can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver (development of fibrous scar tissue) when the liver attempts to regenerate the damaged liver cells. This leads to loss of liver function from the replacement of healthy liver cells with fibrous connective tissue. (2)
Although cholestasis is reversible and generally not a lethal condition, it can lead to the more serious problems mentioned above if left untreated -- not to mention costly medical bills.
To avoid serious health complications it's important to protect the liver before it becomes cholestatic or seriously damaged from prolonged cholestasis (which I will explain later).
What are signs that my liver is damaged?
When the liver has been damaged by oral steroids there are certain signs that may become obvious to the user.
Here are some of the most common signs indicating you may have a serious liver issue. Warning signs usually appear in the following order, with the later signs being the most serious -
Reduced appetite
Nausea and fever
Excessive Itchiness
Yellow eyes or skin (jaundice)
Very dark urine (dark amber colored)
Bloody stools
Waiting for all these signs to appear means you have waited too long. You want to take action BEFORE these signs appear. This is why I advise getting full lab values on liver function before, during and after any 17-aa oral steroid cycle. If performing lab tests for liver function, the following values are considered normal.
Normal Values -
Total bilirubin range: 0.3-1.7 mg/dl
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) range: 10-40 IU/L
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) range: 10-40 IU/L
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) range: 34-125 IU/L
Gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT) range: 7-32 IU/L
Levels above these normal values doesn't necessarily mean you have liver damage. It is common for healthy weight training athletes or bodybuilders to be slightly outside of the "normal" ALT, AST and ALP values. Therefore these "Danger Values" have been established as more appropriate levels to indicate a serious liver toxicity issue. (1-7)
Danger Values -
Total bilirubin: 10 mg/dl or higher
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT): 50 IU/L or higher
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST): 50 IU/L or higher
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP): 150 IU/L or higher
Gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT) range: 50 IU/L or higher
NOTE: Historical research from 17-aa oral steroid induced liver toxicity suggests that lab values higher than the "Danger Values" indicate that you may be suffering from cholestasis (1-7) If your lab values are higher than the "Danger Values" listed above you should discontinue any current oral steroid use and seek medical treatment.
If the above lab tests are not an option, it is possible to get an affordable at home test for bilirubin levels, which can help diagnose a liver damage from a 17-aa oral steroid. There are tests available, such as the TestMedica Liver Home Scan, which can be purchased online for less than $5 per test. Although these home based tests lack accuracy or true diagnosis ability, it can offer a valuable insight about the condition of the liver and is recommended for any steroid user not able to get lab tests done in a clinical setting.
How can I protect my liver?
To prevent cholestasis, the primary condition caused by oral steroid use, it is important to ensure there is ample hydrophilic bile acid available in the liver for the proper clearance of toxins. There are two reliable options for this.
1. The first option is the drug known as Ursodiol - a.k.a. ursodeoxycholic acid. This naturally occurring bile acid is used for its ability to detoxify the liver by clearing out less hydrophilic bile acids and other toxins that cause a toxic build up, such as 17-aa oral steroids. (4,5)
Ursodiol is typically prescribed to patients admitted to the hospital for steroid induced liver toxicity, but unfortunately, it is an expensive prescription drug, and not easily obtainable.
Typical dose - 1000-1200mg/day before, during and after cycle
2. The other option is a highly bio-available milk thistle supplement, such as Liver Juice.
New research suggests that high doses of milk thistle can increase the liver's production of ursodeoxycholic acid - the same bile acid used in the drug Ursodiol. (8) The active component in milk thistle responsible for this is the flavone silybin. Liver Juice is standardized for 30% silybin and is delivered in a highly bio-available liquid form using Liqua-Vade technology.
Liqua-Vade delivery technology makes Liver Juice absorb 8x better than other regular milk thistle supplements, and avoids intestinal upset typically associated with high doses of regular milk thistle powder. (14-23)
Typical dose - 5mL twice daily before, during and after cycle. (Liver Juice)
References -
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J Clin Gastroenterol 2002;35(4):350-352
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Magdalena et al.
Liver International ISSN 1478-3223
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John Nasr and Jawad Ahmad
Digestive Diseases and Sciences (2007)
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