ANDRIOL
Substance: testosterone undecanoate
Andriol is a revolutionary steroid because,
besides methyltestosterone, it is the only effective oral testosterone
com-pound. Testosterone itself, if taken orally, is ineffective since it
is reabsorbed through the portal vein (1) and immediately deactivated by
the liver. The substance testosterone undecanoate contained in Andriol,
however, is reabsorbed from the intestine through the lym-phatic system,
thus bypassing the liver and becoming effective. The liver function is
not affected by this. 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 femi-nization symptoms such as gynecomastia
or increased body fat. Andriol's non-aromatizing quality consists of the
fact that the body's own hormone production is only affected after a
long-term administration of very high dosages. Andriol should be the
perfect steroid; however, this is not the case.
The disadvantage of Andriol is that it only 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 capsules, therefore, are effective
for only a few hours so that 6-7 capsules, that is 240-280 mg (mini-mum),
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's 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 re-sults. 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. The Andriol/ Oxandrolone stack
gives athletes who do not yet have much experi-ence with steroids a
fairly large strength increase and also often substantial muscle growth.
Andriol is quickly eliminated by the body it should also be considered
for use before competitions requir-ing 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
overstimulation, and, in women, the well-known virilization symptoms.
Andriol should be stored in a cool place (6 - 15º C), preferably in the
refrigerator. Since the capsules are extremely sensitive to heat they
can easily melt into an undefinable shape if left in direct sunlight, e.g.
in a car.