posted May 19, 2000 12:23 PM            

Trenbolone hexahydrobencylcarbonate

Current brand names and companies

There's only one company that makes this compound, and it's sold under the brand name Parabolan. It comes in a blue box containing a 1.5-ml vial yielding 76 mg of the active ingredient.

Historical perspective

Parabolan was first developed in 1962 but wasn't introduced to the market until 1980. Then it was discontinued twice in the early '90s and was just reintroduced in the beginning of 1996. Currently, it's only available through official medical channels in France. However, Northern European bodybuilders will often trade Parabolan with French bodybuilders for oxymetholone or methandrostenolone. It's the most sought-after injectable in Europe. Once its chemical cousin Finaject was discontinued in 1987, Parabolan's popularity soared. The top portion of the new ampoule is much smaller than its predecessor, and the new product doesn't have as strong a scent as the earlier versions of this drug.

Dosage

Bodybuilders and powerlifters normally take two ampoules, or 152 mg, per week. However, many professional bodybuilders have taken as much as two ampoules a day, bringing up the dosage to 1,064 mg a week.

Beneficial effects

� It's both a strength and mass drug and the results are impressive. Will foster additional development in bodybuilders who have adapted to other steroids.
� One of the few androgens that does not aromatize, therefore users are not bothered by feminization characteristics such as gynecomastia, nor are they plagued by extreme water retention.
� Promotes significant muscular hardness when calories are restricted. With males, it along with Primobolan, is a top pre-physique-contest injectable. However, unlike Primobolan, Parabolan cannot be taken year round because of its toxicity.
� Does not cause an increase in blood pressure.
� Does not convert to DHT, therefore does not cause hair loss or severe acne.
� Increased aggressiveness due to its high androgenicity, making it a favorite of strength athletes.

Negative side effects

� Should not be taken for periods longer than 10-12 weeks due to the stress it imposes on the kidneys.
� Like Anadrol, it's only used by the most ambitious female bodybuilders. It's known to cause strong virilization characteristics in females, with most the side effects being irreversible (e.g. voice deepening and clitoral hypertrophy).
� Stressful to the kidneys but not to the liver; it's best to increase water intake when using Parabolan.
� Parabolan is often associated with hypoglycemia, thus many people use it in conjunction with high carb diets and various forms of insulin.
� The activity spectrum of trenbolone is similar to that of 19-nortestosterone or those anabolics that are derived from 19-nortestosterone. The compound has an androgenic effect about three times stronger than testosterone propionate, which also means that the possibility for virilizing effects is strong. The antigonadotropic activity (inhibition of ovulation and testicular growth) of trenbolone acetate far exceeds that of testosterone propionate.

Drugs commonly stacked with parabolan

Powerlifters like to combine it with an injectable form of stanozolol (2-4 mg/kg a week) or with oxandrolone (0.3-0.5 mg/kg per day) when going up a weight class. The gains in strength are appreciable and the gains in size are definitely high-quality, lean muscle mass with this stack.

For rapid weight increases, athletes combined Parabolan with methandrostenolone (0.2-0.6 mg/kg per day) or oxymetholone (0.5-1.5 mg/kg per day). Austrian and German bodybuilders like to combine Parabolan (3-4 ampules a week) with stanozolol (200-400 mg a week) and Oral-Turinabol (0.5 mg/kg per day). There is a stronger German bootleg form of Parabolan, which permits these athletes to have a regular supply.

Because using Parabolan is often associated with hypoglycemia, athletes often combine it with high carb diets and various forms of insulin.

Rating


Mass
****

Strength
*****

Contest preparation
***

Safety
**




Bootlegs and counterfeits

Mexican counterfeits often contain more than 1.5 ml, and there's also a 4.5-ml, multiple-dose vial, which contains only sesame oil. One is made in Canada and the other one is made in the US. If you get severe acne from it, you're most likely using a counterfeit. There is also a German bootleg form, 10 cc, 100 mg/ml, and a Canadian bootleg version 50 cc, 100 mg/ml.

One rumor on the black market is that the smell of Parabolan is supposed to fill a room, but genuine Parabolan only has a distinct smell at close range.

Boldenone Undecylenate

Current brand names and companies

� Boldone (France), 25 mg/ml, 10-ml vial
� Drive (Australia), 25 mg/ml with 30 mg of methandriol dipropionate/ml
� Equipoise (Squibb: US and Mexico), 45 mg/ml (discontinued in Canada)
� Equipoise (Solvay), 50 mg/ml (now has the rights in Canada)
� Ganabol (Laboratorios VM, Columbia), 25 mg/ml
� Pace (Jurox Labs, Australia), 25 mg/ml with 30 mg of methandriol dipropionate/ml
� Sybolin (Australia), 25 mg/ml
� Vebonol (Ciba-Geigy: Germany, Switzerland, and Australia), 25 mg/ml

Historical perspective

Ciba developed Equipoise in 1949 for the veterinary industry in treating cattle, horses, and dogs. Yet athletes have also rated it highly. In the US, it was popular in the late '70s and early '80s. Nowadays, its use is restricted mainly to German speaking countries and Australia.

Dosage

Used mainly by bodybuilders in dosages ranging from 100 to 500 mg a week. Some individuals make good gains on a 25 mg every other day, while most people require at least 50 mg a day. Most athletes report that five weeks of taking the drug is necessary before enjoying its true benefits. Underground steroid gurus say it works well only in the presence of high levels of androgens. Because of the low-mg dosage, it requires frequent injections. Female bodybuilders use dosages ranging from 50 to 100 mg per week, since higher dosages are associated with the usual virilization side effects.

Beneficial effects

In the sixth edition of this book, I erroneously stated it has a similar action to Dianabol, but further research indicates that even though it positively affects nitrogen balance, it does not result in striking increases in mass or strength. However, it has a reputation of offering long-lasting, high-quality gains in muscle mass. Athletes claim its main positive effect is perceived enhanced recovery rates.

� Minimal water retention and aromatization potential.
� Good appetite stimulant.
� Increases red bloodcell count.
� Very low liver toxicity potential.
� Minimal, if any, hair loss.

Negative side effects

� Very severe acne, particularly on the upper back and shoulders.
� Potential steroid psychosis.
� Some brands have poor quality-control standards, and some users have suffered mild fever and flu-like symptoms; however, these symptoms disappear within a few days after discontinuing administration.
� It is slightly more androgenic than nandrolone decanoate but doesn't cause the water retention associated with the nandrolones.
� Along with Nilevar (norethandronolone), boldenone is associated with a high incidence of muscle strains.

Drugs commonly stacked with boldenone

In European bodybuilding circles, it is combined with the injectable steroid stanolozol because this pre-contest stack results in significant muscle hardness. The same stack used in positive calorie balance produces appreciable strength and high-quality muscle mass gains.

Within the steroid underground, some claim that a cycle high in androgens (e.g. Sustanon 250, Anadrol 50) or a concomitant androgen uptake drug is necessary. Athletes using it alone have reported minimal effects, but it seems to potentiate the effects of androgens.

Rating


Mass
**

Strength
**

Contest preparation
****

Safety
**




Bootlegs and counterfeits

This is one of the most-often counterfeited drugs since a bottle can sell for as much as $400 on the black market. Not a bad profit for repackaged sesame oil which will cost the counterfeiter about $2. The best way to spot these counterfeits is the easily removable cap. The most copied form is the old Equipoise made by Squibb in Canada which contains a weak concentration of a form of nandrolone or one of the testosterone esters.

posted May 20, 2000 07:59 AM            

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KANE