Considered by many to be the first "anabolic steroid" (since methandrostenolone is a testosterone derivate testosterone pre-dates methandienone obviously) methandrostenolone was developed in the 1960s as an athletic aid for increasing muscular size and strength. An American doctor named John Zieglersynthesized dianabol as an answer to Soviet bloc athletes using testosterone for performance enhancement. In creating dianabol, Ziegler was hoping to provide a compound with all the strength building attributes of testosterone with one of the side effects. Even though in practice, methandrostenolone is neither as powerful as testosterone or completely side effect free, Ziegler's early ambition gave the world a very powerful and useful anabolic agent while opening the door for the development of othersuch compounds.

Methandrostenolone is often compared to oxymetholone (Anadrol) when describing this compounds ability to make dramatic changes in appearance and strength. Methandrostenolone is a very popular oral steroid used by both beginners and veterans alike. By itself methandrostenolone can produce noticeable results but used in conjunction with other steroids, as a part of a stack, is where this product really shines. It is not uncommon to have users report employing methandienone to "kick-start" a cycle of injectable steroids in order to see results quickly. Reported to have a synergistic effect on whatever compound(s) it isstacked with, methandrostenolone can really be used at any point in a cycle. However, as an alkylated compound, users often keep the administration of methandrostenolone to under eight weeks in order to limitpotential liver problems.

In doses of 50 mg/day or less (typical doses range from 25-50 mgs/day for men although as high as 100mgs/day is reported) there does not appear to be significant disruption of the HPTA orhypothalamic/pituitary/testicular axis. Methandrostenolone use by women, even in low doses, can result insignificant virilization and is therefore not usually recommended.

Side effects for methandrostenolone are certainly dose related with the frequency of occurrence and severityincreasing correspondingly. Bloating, gynecomastia, acne, hair-loss, and elevated liver enzymes are allpossible side effects along with disruption of the HPTA and HDL/LDL issues. Once again, keeping the dose to a maximum of 50 mg/day for 6-8 weeks should limit the extent of side-effects experienced from this compound.

Methandrostenolone is produced by many reputable pharmaceutical companies such as Geneza Pharmaceuticals (GP Methan), Sciroxx (Methanodex), Axiolabs (Methanoplex), British Dispensary (Anabol), Body Research (Danabol), British Dragon (Methanabol).