Andriol is one of the few new steroids
developed during the last few years. Unlike most anabolic
steroids which were found on the market during the 1950s
and 1960s (and which in part, have disappeared) Andriol has only been available since the early 1980s. This
fact probably explains why Andriol holds a special place among the steroids. Andriol is a revolutionary steroid because, besides methyltestosterone,
it is the only effective oral testosterone compound. Testosterone itself,
if taken orally, is ineffective since it is reabsorbed
through the portal vein and immediately deactivated
by the liver. The substance testosterone undecanoate
contained in Andriol, however, is reabsorbed from the
intestine through the lymphatic system, thus bypassing
the liver and becoming effective. The liver function
is not affected by this. Testosterone undecanoate is
a fatty acid ester of the natural androgen, testosterone,
and in the body is for the most part transformed into
dihydrotestosterone, a metabolite of testosterone. For
this reason Andriol aromatizes only minimally, meaning
that only a very small part of the substance can be
converted into estrogen, since the dihydrotestosterone
does not aromatize. The users of Andriol therefore do
not experience feminization symptoms such as gynecomastia
or increased body fat.
This makes it a welcome alternative for
athletes who have problems with the common injectable
testosterone compounds. Due to this, Andriol is also suitable for pre competition workouts. An additional
advantage of Andriol is non-aromatizing quality consists
of the fact that the body own hormone production is
only affected after a long-term administration of very
high dosages. Andriol has only a low inhibitive effect
on the hypothalamus so that the release of LHRH (luteinizing
hormone releasing hormone) is rarely influenced. This
is very important since-as we know-LHRH stimulates the
hypophysis to release gonadotropine which causes the
Ledigs cells in the testes to produce testosterone.
Consequently, Andriol should be the perfect steroid;
however, this is not the case.
The disadvantage of Andriol is that it
becomes effective if taken in high doses. Even if a
dose of 200 mg of Andriol/day is taken, the testosterone
level in the blood is still too low for a bodybuilder
to gain strength and muscle growth. The need for such
a high daily dosage can be explained by its extremely
short half-life time since the substance testosterone undecanoate is excreted very quickly by the body through
the urine. The capsules, therefore, are effective for
only a few hours so that 6-7 capsules, that is 240-280
mg (minimum), must be taken daily to achieve good results
comparable to those of injectable compounds. This, however,
puts the athlete in a dosage range which begins to influence
the hormone production and the compound now more readily
converts into estrogen. Such a dose can also manifest
itself in a higher retention of sodium and water. This
is one factor which competing athletes must consider.
Another disadvantage is Andriol high price. A package
with 60 capsules costs approximately $80. and the minimum
daily dose of 6-7 capsules thus costs almost $8. For
those athletes who would like to try Andriol 8 capsules
( 320 mg daily) should be taken. The capsules should
be taken three times daily (approximately every 8 hours)
after meals so that the substance can be properly reabsorbed.
However, even this high dosage does not guarantee satisfactory
results. Those of you who believe that you need even
higher doses should then consider that it might be more
sensible to switch to the injectable testosterone. Andriol is often combined with Anavar since Anavar also does
not suppress the production of testosterone and, in
addition, does not aromatize.
The Andriol/Anavar stack gives athletes
who do not yet have much experience with steroids a
fairly large strength increase and also often substantial
muscle growth. For athletes over forty this combination
is also of interest. Those working out for competitions
and wanting to avoid injections on a regular basis can
substitute Testosterone propionate with Andriol. Since
Andriol is quickly eliminated by the body it should
also be considered for use before competitions requiring
doping tests. Women should avoid Andriol since the androgenic
component common with testosterone is also strongly
developed in this compound. Andriol intake can occasionally
lead to high blood pressure, retention of fluids, acne,
sexual over stimulation, and, in women, the well known
virilization symptoms.
The greatest advantage of Andriol lies
in its good compatibility. It can, for example, be used
with Deca Durabolin in long-term therapy and, in this
combination and for health-conscientious athletes, it
is an alternative to the famous Dianabol/Deca Durabolin stack. Theoretically, Andriol should build
up muscle and mass, in combination with noticeable water
retention, in a fast and reliable way, similar to the
tested injectable Sustanon 250 and Testoviron Depot. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Some athletes
who work out for a competition store too much water
due to their use of the injectable testosterone, resulting
in smooth muscles. However, if they still do not want
to give up Testo, they should at least not have the
estrogen-linked complications caused by taking up to
240 mg Andriol/day and be able to reduce the water retention.
In this phase, the estrogen level must be kept as low
as possible, otherwise the best diet will be useless.
The intake of Andriol makes sense in this case and usually
brings acceptable results. Otherwise, Andriol is a drug
better used by hobby-bodybuilders.
