LOL.....no one gets live failure after 6 weeks of dbol. Pot meet kettle.....do you spoonfeed everything you read and hear as well? That's urban legend perpetuated by internet bodybuilders like you. Steroids most definitely downregulate the androgen receptor. How much and to what extent is debatable. And I'm sure RonnyT has done plenty of cycles and has a lot of knowledge when it comes to anabolics......that is if it's the same RonnyT from BodyofScience.
It is ..now also juicedmuscle.com. Why all crap and no reason? You agree or disagree, thats why we have these boards.
Lets make it simple, when you drank you're first beer, it worked, but when your body got used to it (don't worry I know how it works with enzymes and things but keep it simple) you need more and more to get the same effect. Or change to drinking whiskey. Or better combine the two, drinking whiskey in shots and flush it away with beer (stacking).
Its heavy on the liver everyone says, right? But we all know guys that drank for years and years and still have no livercirrosis. Even if you agree to livertoxity it depends on the time (to stick to this example) years you drank and the doses, a few beers in the week-end or a few bottles of whiskey per day. And even then, not everyone gets sick.
There are many scientific studies (here we go again) that are conflicting mostly because the authorities wanted people to scare away from steroids.
copy and pasted this ...
Anabolic steroid-induced hepatotoxicity: Is it overstated?
Clin J Sport Med 1999 Jan;9(1):34-9 (ISSN: 1050-642X)
Dickerman RD; Pertusi RM; Zachariah NY; Dufour DR; McConathy WJ
The Department of Biomedical Science, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth 76107-2699, USA.
Why is Anavar not Liver Toxic?
Anavar does not contain a C-17 alpha alkylated ion which makes it extremely safe and non-toxic to the liver. It also does not easily convert to estrogen like other steroids
As for toxicity of 17aa the only report i have to hand at the moment but is:
From research conducted by Michael Mooney that this is particularly well noted with HIV patients who have been using Oxandrin, another brand name for oxandrolone Anavar is much less liver toxic than other 17-alpha alkylated steroids, probably because it is primarily metabolized outside of the liver, when metabolized, and much of it is excreted unchanged. At higher doses it can increase liver enzyme values, there seems to be no evidence that any cytotoxicity exists, as is the case with other 17-alpha alkylated steroids.
Anabolic Steroids and the Liver
Anabolic steroids are processed by the liver. As discussed earlier, C-17 alkylated oral steroids (steroids with an alkyl group added at the alpha position of the "C-17" or number 17 carbon atom of the molecule to withstand total degradation on their first pass through the liver are unusually harsh on the liver. For this reason, even moderate short-term administration of these C-17 oral steroids can effect liver function test readings. Elevated liver counts indicating liver stress (toxicity) have been reported in recent studies of somewhat moderate oral anabolic steroid therapy (daily doses of 40 and 80 mg of oxandrolone [Oxandrin, formerly Anavar]) as reported in the online periodical Medibolics, edited by Michael Mooney (
www.medibolics.com). However, these elevated liver function readings will return to normal after cessation of a moderate, short-term steroid cycle. I could find not one case to the contrary. Further, it is recognized that intense weight training alone often causes changes in liver function tests, including SGOT, SGPT and LDH (this is something that all physicians monitoring athletes using anabolics should be familiar with).
The more serious liver problems attributed to anabolic steroid use include hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) and peliosis hepatitis (blood-filled sacs within the liver). But the majority of cases reporting liver problems have dealt with extremely sick and elderly patients treated with C-17 alkylated oral steroids for years of continuous use, and many of these patients had a particular type of anemia linked to liver tumors even without anabolic steroid therapy. A computer search of the medical literature looking for steroid-associated liver tumors could find only three in athletes (Friedl, 1990). Of the three athletes, one was using 700 mg of oxymetholone a week for five straight years, and one had a tumor more indicative of classic liver cancer than of steroid-associated tumors. Virtually all of the reported liver problems seemed to occur with the 17 alpha-alkylated oral steroids. There have been no cysts or liver tumors reported in athletes using the 17 beta-esterified injectable steroids (Wright & Cowart, p. 61). It has been noted that injectable steroids generally appear to have little effect on the liver at all (Haupt, 1993, p. 469).
Recent studies continue to suggest that reports of serious adverse effects of anabolic steroids upon the liver in healthy athletes may be highly overstated. In a study of athletes, of the 53 current or past steroid users who underwent laboratory testing, only one subject displayed an abnormal liver test (Pope & Katz, 1994, p. 379; incidentally, on physical examination, not one user displayed evidence of any major abnormalities possibly attributable to steroids, such as high blood pressure, edema, acne or hair loss.) Another study tested one of the most powerful and reputedly dangerously toxic anabolic steroids for 30 weeks on HIV positive men and women (Hengge et al.). Oxymetholone, formerly known as Anadrol in the U.S. and a C-17 alkylated oral steroid, was administered in a dosage of over 1,000 mg per week (more than that used by many bodybuilders, and for a much longer duration of uninterrupted use). The results were significant gains in lean muscle mass -- even without any weightlifting. Even more importantly - and surprisingly -- there were no significant problems with liver function, water retention, or virilization side effects (it will be interesting to see whether further studies yield consistent findings at such high dosages).
While the dangers of anabolics to athletes' livers appear to have been highly exaggerated, it must be recognized that an apparently healthy athlete with a previously existing but undiscovered liver problem could do serious damage to himself by self-administering C-17 oral anabolic steroids. For this reason alone, it would be quite irresponsible for any athlete to use anabolic steroids without having a physician regularly conduct blood tests to monitor liver function.
