Anadrol

Oxymetholone, marketed most widely under the brand name Anadrol, is an orally active anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS). Chemically it is a 17-alpha-alkylated derivative of dihydrotestosterone bearing a 2-hydroxymethylene group, a structure that survives passage through the liver well enough to allow oral dosing and that gives the drug strong anabolic activity with comparatively weaker androgenic activity ^[1].

The compound was first described in a 1959 report from the pharmaceutical company Syntex and reached the market in the early 1960s under names including Anadrol, Anapolon, and Adroyd. Over the following decades most regulatory approvals were withdrawn as other options appeared, and in the United States the surviving approved indication is the treatment of certain anemias ^[1].

Medically, oxymetholone is used to raise red cell counts in anemias caused by deficient marrow production, and it has been studied for wasting associated with chronic illness. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in people with HIV-associated wasting found that oxymetholone produced significant gains in body weight and body cell mass, though elevations in liver enzymes were common, underscoring the drug's characteristic toxicity ^[3].

Outside of medicine, oxymetholone is used without prescription by some bodybuilders and strength athletes to promote rapid gains in mass. Reported adverse effects include fluid retention, headache, nausea, and, in women, virilizing changes such as deepening of the voice and increased body hair. The 17-alpha-alkyl structure that permits oral use also makes the drug hepatotoxic; long-term use has been linked to cholestatic jaundice, blood-filled liver cysts (peliosis hepatis), and liver tumors, so periodic monitoring of liver function is advised during medical use ^[1][2].

Legally, oxymetholone is a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States and is similarly restricted in Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries; it is also prohibited in competitive sport by anti-doping authorities ^[2].

Anadrol (oxymetholone) is one of the harshest oral anabolic steroids; as a c17-alpha-alkylated compound it is markedly hepatotoxic, with documented cases of elevated liver enzymes, cholestasis, peliosis hepatis, and hepatic tumors on prolonged or high-dose use. It severely and rapidly degrades the lipid profile, sharply lowering HDL and raising LDL, and commonly causes significant water retention and blood pressure elevation that strain the cardiovascular system.

It strongly suppresses natural testosterone production, making post-cycle recovery essential, and despite not aromatizing it frequently triggers estrogenic-type effects including gynecomastia through direct estrogen-receptor activity. Additional reported effects include headaches, nausea, appetite changes, and mood disturbance. Its FDA-approved medical use for anemia is closely monitored precisely because of these liver and cardiovascular hazards; it is contraindicated in liver disease and prostate or breast cancer.

Anadrol is the brand name for oxymetholone, an oral anabolic-androgenic steroid first described in a 1959 paper by scientists at Syntex. It was introduced for medical use around 1961, marketed as Anapolon by Syntex and Imperial Chemical Industries in the UK, as Adroyd by Parke-Davis, and as Anadrol by Syntex in the United States by 1962; it also carried the development codes CI-406 and NSC-26198. The drug was approved chiefly for anemia and a range of catabolic and wasting states, including geriatric debilitation and pre- and postoperative preservation of lean mass. Though largely displaced by newer anemia treatments, oxymetholone retains niche clinical use and is one of the strongest oral steroids in bodybuilding, where it is commonly diverted through the grey market.