Primobolan (methenolone)

Primobolan is an altered form of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). As with most DHT-derived drugs, it does not increase estrogen or prolactin levels in the body. In fact, Primobolan actually has mild anti-estrogenic properties. Primobolan is one of the few oral steroids that is not carbon 17-alpha alkylated. As a result, the steroid bypasses the first pass of the liver and causes no liver toxicity. Primobolan is one of the few steroids suitable for female usage.

There is an injectable and oral version of Primobolan. Primobolan depot is the injectable version, where the methenolone hormone is bound to an enanthate ester. Primobolan is the oral version, where the methenolone hormone is bound to an acetate ester. Besides their half-lives, detection times and delivery methods, there’s no difference between the two versions, and both provide the same base hormone.

Primobolan has an anabolic: androgenic ratio of [88:44]. This scale is based on testosterone, which has a ratio of 1[00:10]0. As a result, Primobolan would be considered a relatively weak bulking steroid. However, Primobolan is a great addition to cutting cycles. The main benefit of including Primobolan in cutting cycles is that it increases nitrogen retention in the body. This prevents loss of muscle mass during a low-calorie diet. Human clinical studies on Primobolan have shown that users retain all their muscle mass while eating 30% less calories than their BMR for extended periods of time.

Primobolan is often stacked with other DHT-derived drugs such as Anavar, Masteron and Winstrol.

History

The methenolone hormone was first released to the market in 1962 by the pharmaceutical company Squibb. Both an injectable version and an oral version of the steroid were sold. The injectable version, methenolone enanthate, was sold under the tradename Nibal depot. The oral version, methenolone acetate, was sold under the tradename Nibal.

The rights to the methenolone hormone were purchased by Schering a few years later. Schering renamed the steroids to Primobolan depot and Primobolan. Schering, a German-based company, only sold the Primobolan steroid in Europe. There was no Primobolan available for purchase in the North American market unless it was ordered from Europe. What’s interesting is that, although it was not sold in North America, it is one of the few steroids approved for human use by the US FDA.

Primobolan was primarily developed to prevent muscle wasting in patients with HIV and cancer. Primobolan is also clinically used to prevent muscle loss and osteoporosis development in seniors, and in the growth of children suffering from delayed onset of puberty. Primobolan is considered one of the safest steroids available. It boosts the immune system, does not affect digestive flora, and is virtually free of side effects.

Esters and Injections

An oral and injectable version of Primobolan are available for purchase. In the injectable version (Primobolan depot), the methenolone hormone is attached to an enanthate ester. In the oral version (Primobolan), the methenolone hormone is attached to an acetate ester.

The oral version is slightly less bioavailable than the injectable version, because some of the hormone is destroyed in the digestion and absorption process. Neither version is liver toxic, so the only real benefit of the injectable version over the oral is a slightly higher bioavailability.

It’s interesting to note that although the half-lives of the two drugs are different, their detection times are the same. Due to the short half-life of the oral version, the daily dosage should be split up into two dosages spaced throughout the day. The injectable version should be injected once or twice per week.

Dosages and Use

An effective dosage is 500-800 mg per day for males, and 5-20 mg per day for females. If using the oral version, it is best to split up the daily dosage into an AM and PM dosage. The bioavailability of the drug doesn’t change whether it is taken with food or on an empty stomach. Most users will break up their daily dosage by taking their AM dosage with breakfast and their PM dosage 30-60 minutes before their workout.

Cycles

Men will get the most out of Primobolan by stacking it with testosterone and other DHT-derived drugs like Winstrol, Anavar and Masteron. The testosterone base in the cycle can be replaced with a good natural testosterone booster, and the Masteron can be removed from the cycle if someone doesn’t want to do injections. A Testosterone, Primobolan, Masteron and Winstrol cycle is a very common and effective cutting cycle.  HCGenerate is a great Testosterone booster you can use to increase your own natural testosterone production instead of taking the injections.  N2Slin is a very strong recomposition agent that will help you build lean muscle mass at the same time you lose bodyfat, it will amplify the results you get from the steroids you are already taking.

Sample male Testosterone, Primobolan, Masteron, and Winstrol cycle layout

A proper post-cycle therapy (PCT) is needed after each cycle to restore natural testosterone production. You want to wait until the steroid esters have started to clear out of your body before starting the PCT.

As a general rule, you want to start the PCT 4-5 days after your last injection if you used short-estered steroids (such as testosterone propionate and Masteron propionate) or did an oral-only cycle. If you used longer-estered steroids (such as testosterone cypionate or Masteron enanthate), start the PCT 10-14 days after your last injection.

Sample male PCT layout

Females should not include testosterone in their cycle. Females can use Primobolan by itself or stack it with Anavar.  BRIDGE is a very strong muscle builder used by men when they are off steroids to maintain the mass they gained on the Steroids, for women BRIDGE offers a natural way to gain muscle mass without side-effects.

Sample female Primobolan and Anavar cycle layout

A proper post-cycle therapy (PCT) is required after each Primobolan cycle for females too. Although females do not have testicles, they still produce testosterone through their ovaries and adrenal cortex. Natural testosterone production will be suppressed by the use of exogenous steroids, and a PCT is required to restore normal production. Females should start the PCT 4-5 days after their cycle.

Sample female PCT lay out

Half-Life

It’s interesting to note that the oral and injectable versions of Primobolan have the same detection time, even though their half-lives are different. The half-life of a steroid is the amount of time required for the drug to be reduced to one half of the original amount in the body. For example, if you took 100mg of oral Primobolan, in 6 hours there would only be 50mg left in the body. The detection time is the length of time that the administered steroid will be in present in the bloodstream in detectable amounts.

Due to oral Primobolan’s short half-life, it is recommended to split up your daily dosage into an AM and PM dosage. Injectable Primobolan should be injected once or twice per week.

Side Effects

Overall, Primobolan is considered a very mild steroid. It is one of the few oral steroids that is not liver toxic. It does not increase estrogen or prolactin levels in the body, so side effects like gynecomastia and water retention are impossible. Primobolan’s effect on blood pressure is extremely minimal and pretty much negligible unless you have pre-existing blood pressure issues.

The main issues with Primobolan usage are its negative effect on cholesterol levels, suppression of natural testosterone production, and increased hair loss. Although its impact on cholesterol levels will be far less than other steroids, Primobolan will decrease the HDL: LDL cholesterol ratio in the body. As long as you don’t have pre-existing cholesterol issues, this shouldn’t be a huge problem, because your levels will return to normal after the cycle. Following a cholesterol-friendly diet that is high in omega-3 essential fatty acids and low in saturated fat and refined sugars is the best way to minimize Primobolan’s negative effect on cholesterol levels in the body.

There are rumors that, because of Primobolan’s mild and virtually side-effect-free nature, a PCT isn’t needed after each cycle—but that simply isn’t true. A small daily dosage of Primobolan has been shown to decrease FSH and LH production in men by 65%. A proper post-cycle therapy is needed after each Primobolan cycle to restore natural testosterone production. Finally, if you’re prone to baldness, you might want to forgo Primobolan use altogether. Primobolan is one of the worst steroids for promoting hair loss. Drugs like Finasteride will have no effect on reducing hair loss from Primobolan usage. The only prevention steps you can take is the daily use of a Rogaine (minoxidil) spray and daily use of a good anti-hair loss shampoo such as N2shampoo from n2bm.com.

Managing Side Effects

Following a cholesterol-friendly diet that is high in omega 3 fatty acids, low in refined sugars and low in saturated fats will keep Primobolan’s negative effects on blood cholesterol levels minimal. In addition, the supplements niacin, red yeast rice, fish oil, and hawthorn extract have all been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels in human clinical studies.

Use of any steroid will suppress natural testosterone production, and Primobolan is no exception. Natural testosterone production will return to normal after the cycle if a proper post-cycle therapy (PCT), based on Clomid, Nolvadex, Ostarine, Cardarine and a good natural testosterone booster, is run after the cycle.

Primobolan’s effect on hair loss is the hardest side effect to try and prevent. Primobolan is a DHT derivative, so drugs like Finasteride will have no effect on preventing hair loss from Primobolan usage. The only real preventative measures include daily use of a Rogaine (minoxidil) spray and a good anti-hair-loss shampoo. Due to Primobolan’s well-documented effects on promoting hair loss, I don’t recommend using Primobolan longer than 12 weeks without a break. The entire cycle doesn’t necessarily have to be only 12 weeks, but the portion of the cycle where Primobolan is included shouldn’t exceed 12 weeks.

Buying

In most countries, you will need a prescription to legally obtain Primobolan. Many users turn to the black market to purchase the drug. Primobolan is relatively hard to find on the black market, with pharmaceutical-grade Primobolan being pretty much non-existent. It is also one of the most-expensive and commonly faked steroids on the black market. It’s very important to do your research and carefully choose sources when looking to purchase Primobolan. There’s no regulation in UG labs, and the quality of the product will depend on the source. This is particularly important for females, because the steroid used to replace Primobolan in the faked product may be much more androgenic and cause masculating side effects (e.g. facial hair).

The cost for a bottle of UG lab-prepared Primobolan ranges from $80-$200 USD.
There is usually no difference in cost between the injectable and oral versions.

Trade Names

-Metenolone Enanthate
-Pharmaprimo
-Primo-25
-Primo-100
-Primobol 100
-Primodex 100
-Primobolan Depot
-Primobolan S

Podcast About Primobolan

-Listen on SoundCloud

episode 292 profiles primobolan

-listen on iTunes

episode 292 profiles primobolan

Forums

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• primobolan depot homebrew questions
• Primo question
• Endurance/Speed/Strength/Cardio (MMA focused cycle)

Yours in sport,

George Spellwin

Author: George Spellwin