combating worst sides of aas, shitty lipid profiles

DangerousGrounds

New member
Worst side of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) use and how to counter
Why is it that users don't realize that the worst side of steroid use is a VERY shitty lipid profile. Well I think it's because one cannot SEE a shitty lipid profile and you don't feel bad with it.

I would venture to say that it is universal with men that are taking even half decent doses of gear.

Total cholesterol usually doesn't go up that much with roids, although it can climb, and triglycerides sometimes go down but usually stay about the same. What makes steroid use so scarry is the TERRIBLE affect it have on hdl. Hdl(good cholesterol) really takes a dive. Hdl to total cholesterol ratio's are OFTEN as bad as 15 or 20 to 1 and that is very significant indeed. The last time I had my lipid profile checked my doc had a COW!! I don't know if I will ever do test and tren again for a long eight week cycle.
People with a low hdl have a significantly higher risk for heart disease.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that heart disease doesn't happen in a few years in old or middle age. It is most often though to be the result of a slow build up of aterial plaque over many many years and perhaps starting in childhood!

So with all this in mind it makes sence to limit androgen use as much as possible and to take plenty of time off between cycles.

SUGGESTIONS
Bill Llewellyn suggests moderate doses of non 17aa mild aromatizing androgens like EQ and perhaps a liitle nandrolone. Low doses of test are not that bad either. Seems that a little estrogen may be helpful here. Nothing hammers my hdl more than tren and we know it is the most powerful androgen and doesn't aromatize.
Bill also suggests the use of an estrogen blocker throughout the cycle , such as clomid or nolva. He reports that Nolva has helped his hdl. There are a couple studies that suggest that nolva can be helpful for men with heart disease but these men are not on AAS. Nolva has not helped me BTW but perhaps it's worth a try.

Short two week cycles may be an option for some as even if the lipid profile is hammered the short time would reduce risks associated with this change.
I have posted a good deal on two weekers over at Elite. They can work IF done properly. Huge gains cannot be expected of course but decent gains can be made.

DRUG THERAPY.
Niacin increases hdl more than any drug. Lipidor and the like are better at reducing ldl.
Niacin needs to be taken in high dose in order to be effective. 1500mg to 3000 mg per day. Do NOT use the old time released niacins as they are very hard on the liver. Even regular niacin can have some impact so be sure to be followed by your doc.
I take non fluch niacin at about 1800mg per day and it does seem to help. BEWARE..the flush from regular niacin is UNREAL but some poeple actually grow to enjoy it he he he . Start slow and build up.

FOODS
Omega 3 and 6 oils help so get some flax seed and grind it up in a coffee grinder and throw it into your protein drinks...a few table spoons is good. Flax is a great source of Omega three's. You can also buy flax oil or combo oils like Udo's select oil.

Salmon Tuna Macheral and Sarines are pretty good sources of Omegas three, especially sardines..so start making your Grampa's sardines sandwiches.

Avoid saturated fat like the plague(land animal fat and egg yolks)
Okay some is okay but be careful as a high saturated fat diet WILL mess with your lipid profile.

Limit cholesterol a little, although saturated fat is FAR WORSE...just don't be eating a half dozen egg yolks per day.

Avoid trans fats. Trans fatty acids are man made fats and are found in large doses in PARTIALLY hydrogenated oils(margerine).
Another way of saying partially hydrogenated is "Vegetable oil shortening."
Avoid all store bought oils except extra virgin olive oil. All oils, except for cold pressed olive oil, have been super heated to over 400 degree's and as a result their chemical composition changes and they become toxic as hell and really mess with your lipid profile!
Butter is a neutral fat and is far better than margerine or corn oil etc, even though its saturated.

NEVER fry with any oil above 250 degree's ..get an electric frying pan. The safest oils to fry with are olive oil and butter. NEVER EVER fry with oils high in Omega 3 or 6 as they become very unstable.

Buy the book "Fats that Heal Fats that Kill" by Udo Erasmus. EXTREMELY EXCELLENT BOOK!

CARDIO
Do 30 minutes of cardio at a decent intensity three time per week as this help increase hdl.
 
This is an extremely detailed report on sides. Very much appreciated. Could you give your reference material for this knowledge.
 
Very good information. I think that essential fatty acids should be consumed in supplement form by all steroid users for their benefical effects on the heart plus many other benefits.

NN
 
This is no shit

Drink moderate amounts of alcohol daily and your lipid profiles will
look great. By moderate I mean 2 to 3 beers max a night. If your using oil injects, the liver stress will be much lower. When the studys came out, I already knew the correlation long ago. George Burns over 100 yrs always had a pair of whiskeys every day. A 110n yr old woman who every day has 2 whiskey and rolls one of here own cigarettes. Dont be an alch but moderate but regular consumption of small amounts of alchohol daily are beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Im gad to see what Ive long believed be published.
 
WHat about the use of garlic, I can't remeber if the studies were on here, or the "old mz" but I remeber seeeing some beneificla studies on it for keeping hdl in check. I am still looking for them, hopefull will find them soon.
 
StoneColdNTO said:
I use Flush Free Niacin to control my cholesterol level.

Niacin has been shown to stress the liver, not the greatest to add in if you are using any oral imo.
 
Darko said:
Niacin has been shown to stress the liver, not the greatest to add in if you are using any oral imo.

I never heard of that before, so I went searching and quickly came up with this, thanks for pointing that out.

Niacin Safety Issues

The side effects of niacin are well known. The most common and bothersome side effect is the skin flushing that typically occurs 20 to 30 minutes after taking the niacin. Other occasional side effects of niacin include gastric irritation, nausea, and liver damage. In an attempt to combat the acute reaction of skin flushing, several manufacturers began marketing "sustained-released," "timed-released," or "slow-released" niacin products. These formulations allow the body to absorb the niacin gradually, thereby reducing the flushing reaction. However, although these forms of niacin reduce skin flushing, they are actually more toxic to the liver. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) strongly recommended that sustained-release niacin be restricted from use because of the high percentage (78 percent) of patient withdrawal because of side effects; 52 percent of the patients taking the sustained-release niacin developed liver damage, while none of the patients taking immediate-release niacin developed liver damage.

Again, inositol hexaniacinate is the safest form of niacin currently available. Both short- and long-term studies show it is virtually free of side effects other than an occasional person experiencing mild gastric upset or mold skin irritation.

Because niacin can impair glucose tolerance, is should probably not be used in diabetics unless they are under close observation. Niacin should not be used in patients with pre-existing liver disease or elevation in liver enzymes; gout; or peptic ulcers.

Regardless of the form of niacin being used, periodic checking (minimum every 3 months) of cholesterol and liver function tests are indicated when high-dose(i.e., 2 to 6 grams per day) niacin, inositol hexaniacinate, or niacinamide therapy is being used.
 
Glad you are aware now bro, this is why i am looking into garlic.
There is quite a bit on it over at elite, loks to be very effective.
 
Darko said:
Glad you are aware now bro, this is why i am looking into garlic.
There is quite a bit on it over at elite, loks to be very effective.

What really pisses me off about this is the fact my doctor was the one that told me to get on it !! :mad:
 
My dad an old Italian man always told me how good garlic was for me 30yrs ago.
All that he said later came out with proof of its great effects on body and immune system.
 
StoneColdNTO said:
I use Flush Free Niacin to control my cholesterol level.


Your doc should have warned you to monitor your liver function.


J Comput Assist Tomogr 1999 Mar-Apr;23(2):314-7 Related Articles, Links


Effects of niacin therapy that simulate neoplasia: hepatic steatosis with concurrent hepatic dysfunction.

Kristensen T, Olcott EW.

Department of Radiology, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94304, USA.

Niacin, a widely used antihyperlipidemic agent, can produce hepatic steatosis and clinical hepatic abnormalities that together simulate the presentation of hepatobiliary neoplasia. We describe a patient initially suspected of having hepatobiliary neoplasia for whom imaging studies played a pivotal role in reaching the correct diagnosis of niacin-induced hepatotoxicity. Radiologists should become knowledgeable of these niacin-related effects, add niacin effects to the differential diagnosis of hepatic steatosis, and understand the value of correlative imaging in distinguishing these effects from hepatobiliary neoplasia.


South Med J 1994 Jan;87(1):30-2 Related Articles, Links


Niacin-induced hepatotoxicity: unusual presentations.

Coppola A, Brady PG, Nord HJ.

Department of Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa.

We report four cases of niacin-induced hepatotoxicity. All four patients were using sustained-release niacin preparations. When they stopped taking niacin, symptoms and laboratory abnormalities resolved. Two of the patients had focal fatty infiltration of the liver on imaging studies, a presentation of niacin hepatotoxicity not previously described. One patient had a coagulopathy even though aminotransferase levels were only mildly elevated. We recommend that patients using sustained-release preparations of niacin have periodic monitoring of liver enzymes and that the preparation be discontinued if any abnormalities develop.


Am J Med 1992 Jan;92(1):77-81 Related Articles, Links


Hepatic toxicity of unmodified and time-release preparations of niacin.

Rader JI, Calvert RJ, Hathcock JN.

Division of Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC 20204.

Niacin (nicotinic acid) is used frequently in the treatment of hypercholesteremia. It is available in both unmodified and time-release preparations. The latter were developed in attempts to minimize the skin-flushing reaction that affects virtually all users and may limit acceptance. Adverse effects on the liver from both unmodified and time-release preparations have been recognized for many years. We reviewed the literature on the hepatic toxicity of both types of niacin preparations. Adverse reactions in six patients resulted from the exclusive use of unmodified niacin and in two patients from the exclusive use of time-release preparations. In 10 additional patients, adverse reactions developed after an abrupt change from unmodified to time-release preparations. Many of these patients were ingesting time-release niacin at doses well above the usual therapeutic doses currently recommended. Signs of liver toxicity developed in less than 7 days in four of these 10 patients. In doses that achieve equivalent reductions in serum lipids, hepatic toxicity occurred more frequently with time-release preparations than with unmodified preparations. An awareness of toxicity associated with ingestion of high doses of time-release niacin preparations is important because of their widespread availability and the potential for self-prescribed, unmonitored use.




Am J Cardiol 2002 Mar 15;89(6):672-8 Related Articles, Links


Long-term safety and efficacy of a once-daily niacin/lovastatin formulation for patients with dyslipidemia.

Kashyap ML, McGovern ME, Berra K, Guyton JR, Kwiterovich PO, Harper WL, Toth PD, Favrot LK, Kerzner B, Nash SD, Bays HE, Simmons PD.

Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Long Beach, California 90822, USA. moti.kashyap@med.va.gov

Combination therapy is increasingly recommended for patients with multiple lipid disorders, especially those at high risk for coronary events. We investigated the long-term safety and effectiveness of a new drug formulation containing once-daily extended-release niacin and lovastatin. A total of 814 men and women (mean age 59 years) with dyslipidemia were enrolled in a 52-week multicenter, open-label study. We used 4 escalating doses (niacin/lovastatin in milligrams): 500/10 for the first month, 1,000/20 for the second, 1,500/30 for the third, and 2,000/40 for the fourth month through week 52. Dose-dependent effects were observed for all major lipid parameters. At week 16, mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were reduced by 47% and 41%, respectively; mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was increased by 30% (all p <0.001). LDL/HDL cholesterol and total/HDL cholesterol ratios were also decreased by 58% and 48%, respectively. These effects persisted through week 52, except for the mean increase in HDL cholesterol, which had increased to 41% at 1 year. Lipoprotein (a) and C-reactive protein also decreased in a dose-related manner (by 25% and 24%, respectively, on 2,000/40 mg; p <0.01 vs baseline). Treatment was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse event was flushing, which caused 10% of patients to withdraw. Other adverse events included gastrointestinal upset, pruritus, rash, and headache. Drug-induced myopathy did not occur in any patient. The incidence of elevated liver enzymes to >3 times the upper limit of normal was 0.5%. Once-daily niacin/lovastatin exhibits substantial effects on multiple lipid risk factors and represents a significant new treatment option in the management of dyslipidemia.

Am J Cardiol 2000 Dec 21;86(12A):35L-40L Related Articles, Links


The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of agents proven to raise high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Piepho RW.

School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 64110-2499, USA.

Bile acid sequestrants, fibric acid derivatives (fibrates), hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors ("statins"), and niacin are able to increase HDL-C serum concentrations to varying degrees. Bile acid sequestrants are the least effective, whereas niacin is the most powerful agent for increasing HDL-C levels. Because of 2 alternate metabolic pathways of niacin breakdown, flushing or hepatotoxicity can occur in patients taking niacin. These effects can be mediated in a carefully designed formulation of niacin that releases the drug at a predictable rate. Niacin has few drug interactions and is a relatively inexpensive means of increasing HDL-C. A combination formulation that combines niacin plus a statin has shown promise in ongoing clinical trials.



Am J Cardiol 2000 May 1;85(9):1100-5 Related Articles, Links


Multiple-dose efficacy and safety of an extended-release form of niacin in the management of hyperlipidemia.

Goldberg A, Alagona P Jr, Capuzzi DM, Guyton J, Morgan JM, Rodgers J, Sachson R, Samuel P.

Lipid Research Clinic, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.

This multicenter trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of escalating doses of Niaspan (niacin extended-release tablets) and placebo (administered once-a-day at bedtime) in patients with primary hyperlipidemia on the percent change from baseline in levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. Extended-release niacin was initiated at a dose of 375 mg/day, raised to 500 mg/day, and further increased in 500-mg increments at 4-week intervals to a maximum of 3,000 mg/day. A total of 131 patients (n = 87, extended-release niacin; n = 44, placebo) were treated for 25 weeks with study medication after a 6-week diet lead-in/drug washout phase and 2-week baseline LDL cholesterol stability phase. Significant decreases from baseline in levels of LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B became apparent with the 500-mg/day dose and were consistent at all subsequent doses (p < or =0. 05), reaching 21% and 20%, respectively, at the 3,000-mg/day dose. Significant increases from baseline in levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol became apparent with the 500-mg/day dose and were consistent at all subsequent doses (p < or = 0.05), reaching 30% at the 3,000-mg dose. Significant decreases from baseline in triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) occurred at the 1,000-mg dose and were apparent at all subsequent doses (p < or =0.05), reaching 44% and 26%, respectively, at the 3,000-mg dose. The most common adverse events were flushing and gastrointestinal disturbance. Transaminase increases were relatively small, and the proportion of patients who developed liver function abnormalities on extended-release niacin was not significantly different from placebo. Thus, extended-release niacin was generally well tolerated and demonstrated a dose-related ability to alter favorably most elements of the lipid profile.
 
Solution ?

1: Med Hypotheses 2000 Sep;55(3):189-94 Related Articles, Links


Co-administration of equimolar doses of betaine may alleviate the hepatotoxic risk associated with niacin therapy.

McCarty MF.

Pantox Laboratories, San Diego, California 92109, USA.

High-dose niacin has versatile and substantial efficacy for the treatment of hyperlipidemias, but its utility is compromised by various side effects, the most serious of which is liver damage. It is proposed that this hepatotoxicity reflects the high demand for methyl groups imposed by niacin catabolism, leading to a reduction in hepatic levels of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Depletion of the hepatic SAM pool has likewise been shown to mediate, at least in part, the hepatotoxic effects of ethanol, methotrexate, and niacinamide. If niacin does indeed decrease SAM, a likely consequence would be a counterproductive elevation of plasma homocysteine. Conceivably, methyl group deficiency, by altering membrane properties of skeletal muscle, also contributes to niacin-induced insulin resistance. Concurrent betaine supplementation - preferably administered as a complex with equimolar amounts of niacin - may represent the most cost-effective way to prevent niacin-mediated depletion of SAM and thus avoid hepatotoxicity (and possibly other adverse effects) while controlling homocysteine. Betaine also merits evaluation as an adjuvant to methotrexate and niacinamide therapies.
 
StoneColdNTO said:
I use Flush Free Niacin to control my cholesterol level.
give this man a prize niacin is the only thing proven to raise good cholesterol , and the flushfree is much kinder to your liver btw the prize is a kiss from almighty :D
 
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