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Winstrol is a brand name of the synthetic anabolic steroid, stanozolol. Although no longer available in the U.S. under the name of Winstrol, generic versions of stanozolol can still be found. Stanozolol is similar to testosterone and commonly used by veterinarians on debilitated animals (especially dogs and horses) to improve muscle growth, trigger red blood cell production, increase bone density and enhance appetite. It's approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating anemia and hereditary angioedema (swelling of blood vessels) in people, although a prescription is needed. Winstrol (stanozolol) is a banned performance-enhancing drug, but still used widely by track and field athletes as well as bodybuilders — usually illegally. You should take stanozolol only with the permission and under the care of a physician.
Steps
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Consult with your physician before taking any steroids. Anabolic (meaning protein and muscle building) steroids are powerful medicines with various health benefits, but all are considered controlled substances that require a prescription due to their potential for abuse and serious side effects. [1] X Research source Your family doctor is not likely to prescribe anabolic steroids for you unless you suffer from angioedema, aplastic anemia (both blood disorders) or some muscle wasting condition. Wanting bigger muscles or greater strength is not a valid reason for an ethical doctor to write you a prescription for anabolic steroids.
- For hereditary angioedema, adult dosage recommendations usually start at 2 mg, three times day. [2] X Research source If successful at reducing swelling, dosages are reduced after one to three months to 2 mg daily.
- For aplastic anemia, adult and childhood dosages typically start at 1 mg/kg per day and can be slowly increased from there.
- Winstrol comes in round pink tablets (meant to be taken orally) and in a serum meant to be injected directly into muscle tissue. Usage ranges from a few weeks to about six months at a time.
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Take Winstrol with lots of water. If you are taking Winstrol orally (via tablets), remember to always drink a full glass of water with it. [3] X Research source Drinking water helps the tablet dissolve quicker and also prevents stomach irritation. The pills contain a compound called c17 methyl, which helps the stanozolol from being destroyed in the stomach and liver so it can work on muscle growth; however, the downside to c17 methyl is that it irritates the stomach and is toxic to the liver. Drinking lots of water with the pills will help lessen the impact of c17 methyl on your body.
- Start with at least an 8-ounce glass of water with each pill you take. Avoid acidic juices as they may contribute to stomach irritation.
- Taken orally, stanozolol doesn't lose its potency (compared to injecting it) as much as some other anabolic steroids do.
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Don't drink any alcohol while on steroids. All types of steroids, particularly anabolic steroids, are damaging to the liver because they are toxic (difficult or impossible to break down into harmless by-products) and stanozolol is no exception. [4] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source As such, you shouldn't consume any alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor) even in moderation while on anabolic steroids because alcohol (ethanol) is also toxic to the liver — combining the two is like a "double-whammy".
- Any potential benefits of moderate alcohol consumption (blood thinning, antioxidants) does not outweigh the potential negative side effects when combined with steroid medication.
- Don't let the lack of alcohol consumption impact your social outings. Switch to "virgin" cocktails, soda, seltzer water, and/or grape juice if your friends are drinking.
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Don't take Winstrol with anticoagulant medication. Anticoagulant medications (also called blood thinners) such as heparin or warfarin reduce the body's ability to make a clot, which can be helpful for some cardiovascular diseases. [5] X Research source Anabolic steroids, however, tend to increase your sensitivity to anticoagulants, which increases your risk of internal bleeding and bruising. [6] X Research source As such, either don't combine the two different types of medication, or have your doctor decrease your anticoagulant medication to more appropriate levels.
- Antiplatelet drugs (such as aspirin) should also be avoided while you're on anabolic steroids.
- Blood thinners reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, so they often take precedent over anabolic steroids if your doctor thinks the two can't be combined for safety reasons.
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Consider using Winstrol if you have hereditary angioedema. The primary indicated use of Winstrol (stanozolol) for people, according to the FDA, is to help prevent and/or decrease the frequency and severity of attacks of hereditary angioedema. [7] X Research source Angioedema causes swelling of the face, extremities, genitals, large intestine and throat. Stanozolol may decrease the frequency and severity of attacks because it stimulates protein synthesis.
- Hereditary angioedema is a genetic disorder caused by a deficiency in C1 esterase (enzyme) inhibitor, which leads to widespread inflammation and swelling in blood vessels.
- A blood test taken during a flare-up can determine if you have this condition. [8] X Research source
- Angioedema-related swelling is similar to hives, but the inflammation is under the skin instead of on the surface.
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Consider using Winstrol for aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia is a rare and serious disease (usually beginning in childhood) that involves dramatically reduced production of red blood cells. [9] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source The disease causes severe fatigue and increases the risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding. Long-term treatments for aplastic anemia include blood transfusions or stem cell transplants, although short-term use of steroids such as stanozolol can stimulate red blood production according to a 2004 study. [10] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
- The 2004 study showed that stanozolol induced a remission of aplastic anemia in 38% of children given the drug for an average for 25 weeks at a dosage of 1 mg/kg per day.
- Stanozolol is considered ineffective for severe forms of aplastic anemia.
- However, stanozolol is not the best steroid for aplastic anemia. In earlier studies, it was found that fluoxymesterone and others are more effective than stanozolol for treating aplastic anemia in adults. [11] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
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Try Winstrol short-term for muscle wasting diseases. Stanozolol is commonly used in veterinary medicine to help debilitated animals gain muscle mass, strength, weight and energy. The steroid also has the same effect in people, although it's not approved by the FDA directly for such use. Your doctor may decide to recommend Winstrol (stanozolol) "off-label," which means for uses other than initially intended. Diseases that lead to muscle wasting include polymyositis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), Guillain-Barre syndrome, neuropathy, polio (poliomyelitis), anorexia nervosa, advanced forms of cancer and debilitating infections such as HIV. [12] X Research source
- The benefit of using Winstrol (stanozolol) compared to other steroids for increasing muscle size and gaining weight is that it's strongly anabolic (builds protein and muscle quickly), but it doesn't lead to as many negative side effects.
- Stanozolol also doesn't convert to estrogen (the main female hormone) in the bloodstream, unlike many other steroids, which is beneficial to men who want to avoid gynecomastia (breast tissue growth) and other estrogen-related side effects.
- Using prescription medications "off-label" is legal and ethical if a doctor determines the benefits to a patient outweigh the risks.
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Don't take Winstrol illegally to enhance athletic performance. Stanozolol is an anabolic steroid (and a synthetic derivative of testosterone), which means it promotes muscle building. [13] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source As such, Winstrol has a long history of abuse by athletes who want to quickly and greatly increase their muscle mass and strength in order to perform at higher levels within their sports. Without a prescription, this strategy is illegal and also dangerous because of all the serious symptoms and side effects that are related to anabolic steroid abuse.
- Besides making muscles bigger and stronger, anabolic steroids such as stanozolol help athletes recover from workouts quicker by reducing the muscle damage that occurs while straining muscle fibers. [14] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source This enables athletes to work out harder and for longer periods of time.
- Anabolic steroids also create an aggressive mood in users, which can be helpful in competitive sports, but not always so beneficial in other daily situations that require patience.
- Side effects of stanozolol usage includes: liver toxicity, liver failure, male pattern baldness, increased facial/body hair growth, testicle shrinkage, over-aggressiveness, and acne.
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Warnings
- Winstrol (stanozolol) is a performance enhancing drug that is banned by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and other international sports governing associations. Athletes who test positive for this substance during competition are disqualified and often banned or suspended from competing.Thanks
- Do not take Winstrol without a prescription, or for longer periods than are prescribed. Taking this drug for too long can cause liver damage.Thanks
- Watch for serious side effects related to liver damage, such as: abdominal pain, unusual fatigue, abdominal swelling, headaches, vomiting and/or yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice).Thanks
- Avoid "stacking" — combining it with other anabolic steroids to supposedly increase the effectiveness — as it greatly increases the risk of side effects and liver damage.Thanks
- Some male athletes and bodybuilders take as much as 100 mg of stanozolol per day, which is very dangerous and potentially life threatening even short-term.Thanks
- Other risks include injection site infections, increase risk of BPH, risk of tendon rupture, and stunted bone growth.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.drugs.com/stanozolol.html
- ↑ http://www.rxlist.com/winstrol-drug/indications-dosage.htm
- ↑ https://www.drugs.com/stanozolol.html
- ↑ http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anabolic-steroid-abuse/Pages/Introduction.aspx
- ↑ https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodthinners.html
- ↑ http://www.rxlist.com/winstrol-drug/side-effects-interactions.htm
- ↑ http://www.rxlist.com/winstrol-drug/indications-dosage.htm
- ↑ https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001456.htm
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aplastic-anemia/basics/definition/con-20019296
- ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15267042
- ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2872720
- ↑ https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003188.htm
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046134
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046134
About This Article
Article Summary
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Winstrol is a steroid that can be prescribed to you if you have anemia or hereditary angioedema. If you’re considering taking Winstrol, only do so under medical supervision, since it has serious side effects that must be managed. If you have a condition such as hereditary angioedema or aplastic anemia, consult your doctor to get a prescribed dosage. When you take Winstrol tablets, drink plenty of water to make sure they dissolve properly. This will help prevent stomach irritation. While you’re taking steroids, avoid drinking any alcohol, since you’ll risk damaging your liver. If you take anti-coagulant medication, avoid taking Winstrol altogether. This is because it can accelerate blood thinning, which may lead to internal bleeding or bruising. For tips from our Medical co-author on whether you can take Winstrol as an athlete or bodybuilder, keep reading!
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