Methandienone

ID: methandienone

Aliases: methandrostenolone, Dianabol, Dbol

Type: compound

Route/form: oral

Status: not_approved_or_legacy_discontinued

Evidence level: human RCT

Best data tier: human controlled/review

Support scope: human, review/regulatory

Source types: human_rct, human_trial, review, safety_review

Linked sources: 5

Broad outcomes: Fat loss / metabolic health, Gut / immune / inflammation, Hormones / fertility / sexual health, Muscle growth / performance / recovery, PEDs / AAS / thermogenics, Safety / regulatory

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• androgen receptor agonist
• 17-alpha-alkylated oral AAS
• nitrogen retention/anabolic effects

Optimization domains

• steroid
• muscle
• body composition
• exercise performance
• doping
• liver

Research basis

• Historical clinical and athletic-performance studies support that methandienone has real anabolic/ergogenic pharmacology.
• It belongs in the repository because it is a canonical oral AAS rather than a fringe-only compound.
• Class AAS reviews provide the modern safety frame that older efficacy studies lack.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• As an oral 17-alpha-alkylated AAS, hepatic, lipid, blood-pressure, suppression, and doping risks are central.
• Old athletic-performance studies do not reflect modern safety monitoring, product quality, or stacked-cycle practices.
• Apparent strength/weight gain must be interpreted against water/glycogen, endocrine suppression, and cardiovascular risk.

Risk flags

• oral 17aa aas
• hepatic risk
• lipid risk
• endocrine suppression
• cardiovascular risk
• doping

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. Clinical and metabolic effects of methyl-androstenediol and methandienone
   human_trial / pmc_methandienone_clinical_effects_1958
   Older clinical methandienone/metabolic source; historically relevant but not modern safety-quality evidence.
2. Effects of anabolic steroids on physical performance
   human_rct / sciencedirect_methandienone_strength_1976
   Older double-blind athletic-performance study involving methandienone; historical direct human evidence with dated methods.
3. Anabolic androgenic steroid-induced liver injury: an update
   safety_review / pubmed_aas_liver_effects_2018
   Class hepatic-risk review, especially relevant for 17-alpha-alkylated oral AAS such as oxymetholone, methandienone, stanozolol, and oxandrolone.
4. Anabolic-androgenic steroids: How do they work and what are the risks?
   review / pubmed_aas_risks_2023
   General AAS mechanism and risk review; used as class-level caution for nonmedical androgen/anabolic steroid entries.
5. Anabolic-androgenic steroids among recreational athletes and cardiovascular risk
   safety_review / pubmed_aas_recreational_athletes_cv_review_2025
   Recent cardiovascular-risk review focused on recreational athlete AAS use; class-level safety source for nonmedical androgen entries.