Nandrolone Decanoate

Also known as: nandrolone, 19-nortestosterone, Deca-Durabolin (branded)

Hormone Restoration

In plain English

Nandrolone is a lab-made relative of testosterone that helps build and preserve muscle. Historically it has been used to counter muscle and weight loss in serious illnesses and in people on dialysis. It is given as an injection into muscle, usually every 1-2 weeks. It is a controlled anabolic steroid and requires careful medical supervision.

The science

Nandrolone decanoate is a 19-nortestosterone anabolic-androgenic steroid with a high anabolic-to-androgenic ratio; it is aromatized poorly and is a weak substrate for 5-alpha reductase, which changes its androgenic profile relative to testosterone. Randomized trials show increases in lean body mass in HIV-associated wasting (including superiority to placebo and comparable/greater effect than testosterone) and in maintenance hemodialysis patients, with associated functional gains. It suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and endogenous testosterone/spermatogenesis, can adversely affect lipids (lowers HDL), and carries hepatic and virilizing risks; it is a Schedule III controlled substance. Compounded nandrolone is used off-label for restoration/wasting indications and is not an FDA-approved compounded product.

References

• Randomized placebo-controlled trial, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005 (nandrolone in HIV-associated weight loss)
• Johansen et al., JAMA 1999 (nandrolone in dialysis, RCT)