Of all the various anabolic steroids available oral steroids are some of the most popular, due largely impart to their generally fast acting nature. With most oral steroids the individual will see extremely fast results, especially when we compare the speed of results with their injectable counterparts. With most oral steroids, once taken they almost immediately find their way into the blood stream; as we understand, injectable steroids typically do not possess this trait due to the esters attached; the various ester attached to an injectable steroid will by in-large determine the speed in-which the active drug enters the blood stream.
Oral steroids also provide another popular benefit among anabolic steroid users surrounding the half-lives most of the carry. Oral steroids generally have a very short half-life often making them a more suitable choice for a tested athlete. With the short half-life of the drug(s) it will be detectable for a far shorter period of time. For example, the following commonly used oral steroids possess the following half-lives and detection times:
- Dianabol (Methandrostenolone) Half-Life – 5hrs Detection Time – 5wks
- Anadrol (Oxymetholone) Half-Life – 8hrs Detection Time – 8wks
- Winstrol (Stanozolol) Half-Life – 9hrs Detection Time – 3wks
- Anavar (Oxandrolone) Half-Life – 9hrs Detection Time – 3wks
- Halotestin (Fluoxymesterone) Half-Life – 9.5hrs Detection Time – 8wks
As you can see, the half-lives and detection times of these oral steroids is often much shorter than many injectable steroids. Many injectable steroids possess half-lives of 5 to even 15 days depending on the injectable at hand and detection times that can span from a few months to a year or more.
It is not uncommon for an anabolic steroid user to see results in a matter of a few days from oral steroids such as Dianabol or Anadrol but keep in mind these steroids can be harsh on our system. Most oral steroids are c-17 alpha-alkylated thereby causing stress to the liver. This c-17 alpha-alkylated trait is in place to allow the steroid to survive the first pass of the liver, thereby making them usable by the body. Although this process is necessary for many oral steroids in-terms of their function, due to the stressful nature created you are advised to limit the amount of use. Most oral steroids should be limited to 6 week periods as a rule of thumb. There are exceptions but six weeks is a good standard rule. Some oral steroid users will find 4 weeks to be their maximum duration, especially when we consider steroids such as Anadrol and Halotestin. Both of the after-mentioned steroids are very potent, very powerful and can be very harsh for the user in a number of ways. Many Anadrol users will experience pumps so great they become unbearable, especially in the lower-back region. Many Halotestin users will find this oral steroid to increase aggression so much that for some it is beyond reason. Couple these facts with their liver toxicity and you can easily understand why short durations are advised.
There is no question, oral steroids have their place but as a general rule they should not be your primary anabolic steroid of use. Injectable steroids and there are many to choose from should in most cases form the foundation of any anabolic steroid cycle. More importantly and more specifically, most male anabolic steroid users will find greater success and a smoother ride if the foundation of their cycle is built around injectable testosterone. This is not to say you cannot run a cycle without injectable testosterone but your results will be far greater if you do.
