Posted by Another Jeff on March 27, 1997 at 22:58:55:
In Reply to: Androstene posted by Is it Safe? on March 27, 1997 at 22:00:43:
: Does anyone know if Androstene is safe? Short term? Long term? I've recently started taking it and you definetly get increased strength and agressiveness, but how safe is it? Any side effects?
Here's some info FYI....
Dan Duchaine Discusses Androstene 50 (tm)
GURU: I read in the February 1997 issue of Muscle Media 2000 that the anti-estrogen 5-alpha-androstenedione
can raise testosterone. I read on the Internet that some company is selling androstenedione. Is this the
same stuff that you were talking about?
Answer: No, these are two different compounds: 5-alpha-androstenedione is a further reduction of
the adrenal androgen androstenedione. The enzyme, 5-alpha-reductase (that can convert testosterone
to dihydrotestosterone), can also convert androstenedione to 5-alpha-androstenedione. Let's shorten the name
to DHA (dihydro-androstenedione). Theoretically, DHA works by binding all the estrogen-converting
enzymes (aromatases) in the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls the stimulating hormones)
which in turn regulates luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), the two hormones
that stimulate testosterone secretion in the testicles. Androstenedione raises testosterone in the body by
another method entirely. Androstenedione is the intermediate hormone between DHEA and testosterone.
The liver has the necessary enzyme to convert androstenedione into testosterone. During the 1970's and 1980's, the
East German doping scientists routinely used a nasal-spray version of androstenedione in both male and
female athletes to boost testosterone levels. There are some pluses and minuses to this testosterone route.
On the positive side, the testosterone elevation is rapid and significant, and baseline levels of
testosterone can return to normal swiftly. However, because this testosterone elevation is happening in
the liver and not in the testicles, there is no accompanying epitestosterone elevation. So on a urine
test, an athlete would probably test positive for synthetic testosterone, as the testosterone:epitestosterone
ratio from using androstenedione usually measures 14:1, even though the limit is supposed to be no more
than 6:1. The product you mentioned, Androstene 50, is produced by a small supplement company called Osmo.
This is an encapsulated androstenedione in 50-mg amounts. Two 50-mg capsules will elevate testosterone to about
twice your normal level (or more) for about two and a half hours. A few months back, one of the owners of Osmo
stumbled onto a German patent on testosterone elevation using androstenedione (an East German doping trick) and
quickly realized that since DHEA is now legal as an over-the-counter (OTC) product, androstenedione would
also fall into the same category. This product will bother many sports federations who drug test their
athletes. But so far, no organization has bothered to ban androstenedione. However, any athlete using
this legal, non-banned product will generate a positive on the part of a drug test that shows the testosterone:
epitestosterone ratio. The other derivative, dihydro-androstenedione, is not yet commercially available.
In its favor, any testosterone elevation from using this compound would keep your usual testosterone:
epitestosterone ratio intact. I should point out that no human studies have been done on DHA and its effect
on a male's testosterone level, so we have no idea what kind of oral dosages are needed for such an effect.
Oddly enough, the oral androstenedione would slightly convert to DHA, as the liver has the necessary 5-alpha-
reductase enzyme.
I know this doesn't answer your specific question, but not everyone has seen this (I guess)
Hope it helps someone- AJ