OptiPin
Anabolic steroids: honest compound profiles
A harm-reduction reference to the common anabolic-androgenic steroids. Most of what a compound does is predictable from a handful of structural facts — this hub explains how to read a profile, then links a per-compound page for each, and points at the bloodwork that catches problems early. It is educational, not medical advice, and not encouragement to use controlled substances.
How to read a compound profile
Every per-compound page below leads with the same profile, because these six facts predict most of the behaviour and side-effect management:
- • Base family — testosterone-based, DHT-derived, or 19-nor. Sets the overall character.
- • Aromatization — does it convert to estrogen? If yes (testosterone, dianabol), estrogen-side management (water retention, gyno) comes into play; if no (most DHT-derived and 19-nors), it doesn't drive those.
- • 17α-alkylated (oral) — methylation lets a compound survive the liver's first pass so it works orally, at the cost of liver strain. Orals are time-limited and liver markers get watched.
- • 19-nor — nandrolone and trenbolone act on the progesterone receptor, adding prolactin-type side effects that non-19-nors don't have.
- • Ester & half-life — sets injection frequency and, crucially, how long a compound lingers after a cycle (post-cycle timing runs off the slowest ester).
- • Suppression — how hard it shuts down natural testosterone, which drives the recovery/PCT plan.
Read against those, a compound stops being a name on a forum and becomes a known quantity. The cycle-structure guide covers how these fit into phases, and the bloodwork guide covers the labs.
Compound references
Honest, harm-reduction profiles for each — family, aromatization, oral/liver status, suppression, reported dosing, side effects, and the labs that catch them:
Testosterone itself and its esters are covered in the TRT pillar and the testosterone cypionate tracker; this hub focuses on the non-testosterone anabolics run in cycles.
The three things that carry a cycle
Whatever the compound, the same discipline applies, and it's the reason OptiPin exists: track what you can't reconstruct later (compounds, doses, dates), put bloodwork on the same timeline (baseline, mid-run, end, and a recovery panel — lipids, hematocrit, liver markers, and the hormone picture), and tag the phases so an off-week reads as an off-week, not a compound failing. The cycle-structure guide and restart/PCT guide go deeper.
Compounds, doses, phases & labs on one timeline
Multi-compound tracking, cycle-phase tagging, estimated clearance from each ester, and a phase-aware bloodwork checklist — private, on-device.
Download on the App StoreFAQ
What determines how an anabolic steroid behaves?
A few structural facts: base family (testosterone / DHT-derived / 19-nor), whether it aromatizes to estrogen, whether it's 17α-alkylated (oral, liver-straining), whether it's a 19-nor (progestin activity), its ester (half-life / injection frequency), and how strongly it suppresses natural testosterone. Each maps to a specific side effect and a specific management step — which is what the per-compound pages lay out.
Which steroids need an aromatase inhibitor?
Only aromatizing ones — mainly testosterone and (heavily) dianabol. DHT-derived compounds (masteron, primobolan, anavar, winstrol, proviron) and 19-nors (trenbolone) don't aromatize, so an AI isn't relevant for them; estrogen management on a stack is about the aromatizing compound. Over-suppressing estrogen has its own harms, so an AI is a clinical decision.
Are all oral steroids liver-toxic?
The 17α-alkylated orals (dianabol, anadrol, winstrol, superdrol, halotestin, anavar, turinabol) are hepatotoxic — the alkylation lets them survive the liver's first pass. Users limit duration, avoid stacking hepatic loads (including alcohol), and monitor liver markers. Non-alkylated injectables don't carry this specific oral toxicity, though they have other risks.
Do anabolic steroids suppress natural testosterone?
Yes — essentially all suppress the HPTA, most strongly or totally. That's why a recovery plan (PCT) and post-cycle bloodwork matter, and why the come-down can be rough. Restart timing runs off the slowest-clearing ester in the stack. See the restart guide.
Related
Cycle structure & tracking · PCT / restart · Bloodwork to monitor · TRT pillar · Tracking a multi-compound protocol · Peptides