Oxandrolone
Hormone Restoration
In plain English
Oxandrolone is a lab-made anabolic steroid taken by mouth that helps the body rebuild muscle and regain weight after serious illness, surgery, or major burns. It is FDA-approved to help people regain weight lost from certain conditions. Because it can affect the liver and cholesterol, a clinician monitors blood tests during use. It is a controlled substance.
The science
Oxandrolone is a 17-alpha-alkylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid that is resistant to hepatic breakdown and minimally aromatized. It is FDA-approved as adjunctive therapy to promote weight gain after weight loss following surgery, trauma, chronic infection, or with certain conditions. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in burn patients show reduced weight loss during the catabolic phase, increased lean body mass and weight regain, and shortened length of stay, without a significant mortality effect; transient transaminase elevation can occur, so liver enzyme monitoring is advised. As a 17-alkylated agent it lowers HDL cholesterol, can be hepatotoxic at higher/longer exposure, suppresses the HPG axis, and is virilizing; it is a Schedule III controlled substance. Compounded capsules/troches used for body-composition/anti-catabolic goals are off-label relative to the approved weight-gain indication.
References
- Ring et al., J Burn Care Res 2020 (systematic review/meta-analysis)
- Systematic review & meta-analysis, Front Med 2025