Ethylestrenol - Orabolin Profile

Ethylestrenol/Orabolin Profile

Pharmaceutical Name: Ethylestrenol
Chemical structure: 19-Nor-17alpha-pregn-4-en-17-ol, 17alpha-ethly-estr-4-en-17b-ol
Molecular weight of base: 288.4722
Active Life: 12-16 hours
Anabolic/Androgenic Ratio: 200-400/20-400



Ethylestrenol is an oral steroid derived from nandrolone. It was first manufactured as an oral alternative to nandrolone decanoate, however as will be described, this intention was not necessarily fulfilled. Similar to other nandrolone derived steroids ethylestrenol offers mild anabolic properties with little in the way of androgenic side effects or benefits. For this reason it is often looked upon as an extremely mild steroid that will not provide major increases in muscle mass or strength, but will also not subject its users to severe side effects for the most part.

Ethylestrenol is similar in its chemical structure to the anabolic steroid norethandrolone/Nilevar. The primary difference between them is that while norethandrolone has a 3-keto group attached, ethylestrenol does not. This 3-keto group does seemingly make norethandrolone more anabolic then ethylestrenol as it is responsible for strengthening the ability of the compound to bond with the androgen receptor. In fact there is a limited amount of evidence that suggests that the anabolic effect that ethylestrenol does exhibit is actually produced when a 3-keto group is produced and the drug is essentially converted to norethandrolone in the system of the user (1). However more research on the subject needs to be conducted before this conversion could be proven to actually exist.

Since ethylestrenol is an oral steroid, to remain active after when administered by swallowing the compound, it has undergone 17 alpha alkylation. Like other oral steroids, while this procedure allows for some steroids to be taken orally it can also lead to hepatoxicity when used in large enough doses and/or for a long enough duration.

In essence ethylestrenol is a low risk anabolic steroid in terms of negative side effects. The trade off is that it will only deliver low to moderate gains in muscle mass and strength for users, even at large doses. Some users will find that this ratio of risk and reward is fine but for those that are looking for dramatic results, they will likely be left wanting for more.


Use/Dosing

Due to ethylestrenol being a 17 alpha alkylated steroid, the cycle duration for this steroid should be kept relatively short. Four to six weeks should be plenty of time to reap the benefits of the compound while also limiting any risk of significant hepatoxicity. Of course cycles lasting longer then six weeks are possible with ethylestrenol depending on how the individual user reacts to 17 alpha alkylated compounds, but if a user desires to run this or any other 17 alpha alkylated steroid he or she should have his or her liver values monitored consistently to negate any risk of liver toxicity.

In terms of doses required, twenty to fifty milligrams per day should be enough for the majority of male users to see good results from ethylestrenol. For females, doses ranging from anywhere from ten to twenty milligrams per day should be adequate to produce gains in muscle mass and strength. Of course like with all anabolic steroids users should use caution and start out using doses on the lower end of the range and increase as needed.

For dosing frequency, because the active life of the drug is approximately twelve to sixteen hours in length users should be fine to administer two evenly divided doses throughout the day. This should be adequate to have enough of the compound circulating in the system of the user to provide benefits over the course of twenty-four hours.

Due to ethylestrenol being derived from nandrolone, it suppresses the natural testosterone production of users rather rapidly and significantly. For this reason it is advisable that male users also run testosterone while administering ethylestrenol. Without exogenous testosterone being administered it is likely that the user will suffer from a diminished sex drive and possibly sexual dysfunction. With testosterone the risk of suffering such conditions should be minimized.


Risks/Side Effects

Due to the low androgenic and anabolic nature of the drug, ethylestrenol does not lead to many significant negative side effects in users. Indeed it actually has exhibited positive effects in users in terms of fighting off some diseases and generally raising the immune system (2). However this does not mean that the drug is absolutely risk free.

As noted with nearly all other 17 alpha alkylated steroids, hepatoxicity is a concern with ethylestrenol. Elevated liver values will undoubtedly occur while running this drug for any significant amount of time. However as indicated earlier, the burden placed on the liver should be minimal and not severe as long as doses remain moderate and the duration of the cycle is not overly extensive. Caution should also be used if taking two or more 17 alpha alkylated steroids concurrently.

Androgenic and estrogenic side effects should be nearly non-existant with ethylestrenol. Much like nandrolone decanoate and other nandrolone derived steroids, the low rate of aromatization will negate much of the possibility of estrogenic side effects developing in male users. However ethylestrenol can cause progesterone-like effects in some users. Commonly reported sides effects associated with nandrolone derived steroids such as ethylestrenol are symptoms like acne/oily skin, insomnia, diarrhea, and nausea. These of course are coupled with the common side effects most often associated with anabolic steroids including testicular atrophy, gynecomastia (including lactation in some cases), and sexual dysfunction.

The described negative side effects will likely be far less severe with ethylestrenol then most other nandrolone derived steroids simply due to the lower total amount of the steroid that can be ingested. However if these symptoms do develop several options exist to help combat them. These will be slightly different then those used for estrogenic side effects since nandrolone is a progestinic anabolic steroid (3, 4). Using compounds such as bromcriptine, cabergoline and/or vitamin b6 have all been shown and reported to help lower prolactin levels. The drug femera (letrozole) is also effective for use with nandrolone as it will regulate the progesterone and estrogen receptors in the body, therefore preventing some of the negative side effects associated with the compound.

Ethylestrenol has also been shown to have relatively mild effects on females in the limited research that exists (5). Virilizing symptoms did not appear to be a significant problem with this drug when doses were kept within a relatively moderate range. Only the usual side effects such as an irregular menstrual cycle (5, 6) were noted. It appears that ethylestrenol is a relatively safe compound for use by females.



References

1. Ward R, Lawson AM, Schackleton CLH. Metabolism of anabolic steroid drugs in man and the marmoset monkey (callithrix jacchus) - Nilevar and orabolin. J Steroid Biochem. 1977 (8): 1057-63.

2. Schuurs AH, Verheul HA, Schot LP. Experimental work with anabolics in autoimmunity models. Acta Endocrinol Suppl (Copenh). 1985;271:97-108.

3. Hochberg RB, Hoyte RM, Rosner W., E-17 alpha-(2-[125I]iodovinyl)-19-nortestosterone: the synthesis of a gamma-emitting ligand for the progesterone receptor., Endocrinology 1985 Dec;117(6):2550-2

4.Sattler FR, Schroeder ET, Dube MP, Jaque SV, Martinez C, Blanche PJ, Azen S, Krauss RM. Metabolic effects of nandrolone decanoate and resistance training in men with HIV. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Dec;283(6): E1214-22

5. Bolch OH Jr, Warren JC. Induction of premature menstruation with anabolic steroids. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1973 Sep 1;117(1):121-5.

6. Selye H, Tache Y, Szabo S. Interruption of pregnancy by various steroids. Fertil Steril. 1971 Nov;22(11):735-40.