Ask Dave Palumbo #2 (The Truth According to Palumbo)

Nothing in this article is intended to take the place of advice from a licensed health professional. Consult a physician before taking any medication.

Steroids and Acne

Dear Dave,

Whenever I take steroids I break out all over my body. Any suggestions? Are there certain steroids that I should avoid ?

Nathan

Most anabolics will cause oversecretion of the sebaceous glands.   Try Primobolan, Winstrol, or Anavar for less acne. In my opinion, I would take the prescription drug Accutane (40-80mg per day) for about 2-3 months straight. It will permanently wipe out all your "breakouts" Its the cure that dermatologists dont want you to know about.

DNP and Pro Bodybuilders

Dave,

What are your thoughts about the drug DNP? Are all the Pros using it to get ripped?

Dan

Dan, my thoughts on DNP are simple-- DO NOT USE IT!!!

DNP is an industrial poison (not the kind of thing you want to ingest on a regular basis). DNP will cause more harm than good. I do not know one Pro BB who uses it so obviously its unnecessary.

Teslac and Arimidex

Dave, can you explain the differences between the drugs Teslac and Arimidex.

BOB

Teslac (testolactone) is an older and much weaker drug than Arimidex (they used to make 250mg Teslac but they stopped because they saw a greater profit margin by selling the 50mg pills). Arimidex is much stronger (Mg for MG) than Teslac. 1mg of Arimidex will completely neutralize 96% of the estrogen production (that comes from testosterone aromatization) in 48 hours (thats amazing!); whereas, at least 1000mg of Teslac (i.e. 20 pills per day) must be taken to achieve similar results. The problem is that Arimidex is too powerful (a certain amount of estrogen is necessary for adequate muscle growth and sex drive) ; therefore, only use it every 2nd to every 3rd day (1mg).

No Orals or Veterinarian Steroids!

Hi Dave,

I met you at the MET-Rx booth at the Mr. Olympia in Madison Square Garden. You gave me an autographed photo, thanks, I´m coming out of an anotesten/nortesten cycle with pretty good results. I will take a few weeks off and then start a roid cycle for 12 weeks. I´m thinking of buying Primobolan Depot and Deca Durobolin. Can you give me some pointers on dosage, how to avoid side effects and other stuff?  I´m not willing to take orals or veterinary drugs. Your expert advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Josh

If I were you, I would stick with 300mg Primobolan per week combined with 50mg Winstrol Depot 3 times per week.  I would also add in 2-3 clenbuterol per day to stay lean and hard.  If you notice your drive (sex drive) decreasing, it could be from the exclusively anabolic (non androgenic) cycle you are using. In that case, throw in 100mg Testosterone Propionate every 3rd day.

Good luck!

Ephedrine versus Clenbuterol

What is your personal opinion on the long term effects of ephedrine and clenbuterol? What do you consider abuse or unsafe amounts? I was on and off ( mostly on ) the ECA stack for about 4 years. I have been off for 3 months. How long should I wait before I can start again for the upcoming bodybuilding season?

Thanks for your time.

Brian

Clenbuterol is a much better fat burner (at 2-4 pills per day)-- too bad it's illegal! Clenbuterol also acts anticatabolically thus aiding in putting on muscle (a phenomenon especially noticeable in women). You must remain on the Clen for at least 6 months straight for the muscle building effect to become apparent(at 2-5 tablets). I truly believe that Clen's fat burning effect stops after about 4-8 weeks due to the decrease in the active thyroid hormone (T3). That is, Clen decreases T4 (inactive thyroid) conversion to T3 (active thyroid); therefore, you may want to include Cytomel or Triacana tabs in your Clen cycles (if fat burning is your priority).

Synthol versus MCT Oil

Dave,

How frequently can synthol be used before a bolus of oil is accumulated in any part of the body? What's the difference between mct and synthol?

Synthol should be injected (2-4cc's) into each head of say the biceps, triceps, or calves every other day for 3-5 weeks-- then a maximal bolus will be built up. Maintainance shots of 2-3cc's in each muscle head should be made to maintain the newly gained size.

Do not use MCT oil or you will be very sorry (pay for the Synthosizze brand of synthol).  Try explaining to the emergency room doctor why you injected salad oil into your arm!

Growth Hormone and Insulin

Thanks for your great articles and comments. I have approximately 1000 IU's of Nutropin, possibly more. What is the best way to take it? My questions are how much a day, for how long a time. What anabolics should I take with it?  Should I take thyroid like cytomel? Is there an insulin that i can get without a perscription? Thanks for all your help. I love your "Death before Dishonor" poster in Peak magazine.

Jim

Thanks for the compliments!

Since you seem to have plenty of GH, take 2IU in morning-- and 2IU after your workout.  Combine with approximately 6IU Humulin-R in morning (HUMULIN-R does not require a prescription) and 4IU of Humulin-R eight hours later.

Cytomel should be unnecessary for a bulking cycle-- get a Thyroid Function Test (TFT) taken to be sure. Also, stack with heavy androgens (eg. 1000mg/week of Sustanon, 300mg/week Ganabol)

Timing of IGF-1

Dave, I want to know when the best time to take IGF-1 is. Also, what substance should the IGF-1 powder be mixed with?

Jay

IGF-1 should be injected subcutaneously (SC)-- immediately after you work out.

The best way to mix it would be with:

1) Bacteriostatic water (to prevent bacteria growth).

2) Acid Water (i.e. 10mM HCl) to prevent the IGF-1 molecules from sticking to the glass and thus losing product.

NOTE: There is no need to use Human Serum Albumin (HSA) like some people suggest. The pamphlet mearly states that in "serum-less" environments (i.e. petri dishes), HSA is needed for the IGF-1 to bind to. In humans, our blood has plenty of Albumen already present.

Low Testosterone Levels

Dave, to make a long story short, I naturally have low testosterone levels for a 32 year old man. I had my test levels checked BEFORE my very first cycle (of Deca and oral Winstrol--low doses), the level was 260 ng (normal range is 300-1000 ng/ml). About six weeks post--cycle, I had my testosterone checked again, it was 53! My physician was concerned and prescribed me HCG (he also mentioned that if this did not work, then I am a good candidate for permanent androgen replacement therapy). Well after taking HCG my test levels are still low, and my testicles have actually shrunk! My doctor is willing to start me on the Anroderm patch. I wanted to know your opinon about this, because I know that once I start this regimen, there is no going back. Do yo have any suggestions at all? Would a weekly injection of Deca, or Test Enanthate be better. I want to keep the side effects to a minimum.

The cycle of Deca and Winstrol should not have turned off your testosterone that severely (they do not affect the hypothalamic-pituitary axis that much. What I think happened was that they slightly suppressed your natural levels (which are low anyway) and after 6 weeks your test levels had not yet reached their natural levels.

Then your doctor gave you HCG which boosted test. production (temporarily) and that high test level further supressed your hypothalamus and pituitary gland (don't forget that HCG mimics LH-- it does not stimulate the pituitary or hypothalamus).

Therefore, when you came off the HCG, your test level was even lower than while on your cycle.

You have to either wait a little longer for your testicles to start cranking out test. or you could try taking CLOMID which works by stimulating the pituitary to release LH and FSH-- however, you may still run into the same problem once you come off the CLOMID. Give it a try.

Safe Steroids

Dear Mr. Palumbo,

I am 32 years old and have begun training again after 2 years off. I would like to now if there is a anabolic that is "light" enough to put on, and keep a couple of pounds/strenth without all of the side effects (i.e. acne, hair loss, rage, water retention). I am a working professional and the instant size changes would not be good for my career, if you now what I mean. I am 150 lbs and 5' 4".

Mark

Try cycling anabolics such as Deca Durabolin (400mg per week), Primobolan depot (200mg per week), Oxandrin (six 2.5mg pills per day), Winstrol (50mg every other day), or primobolan acetate tabs (50mg per day).

Obviously, you would only want to use two of the compounds at a time (for six week mini-cycles) then you switch to another two compounds.

Bulking Cycle, GH, and Cytomel

I'm about to start a bulking cycle with D-bol, Test and Deca. I was also planning to use GH @ 4 IU every other day, to hopefully ward off some fat gain as I plan to eat big. Anyway, I've heard that GH interacts or depletes you of T3 or that there is some connection that appears important. Do I need to be concerned? Do I need to supplement with Cytomel ? If so for how long and at what dose?? Also, do I start Cytomel when I start GH, or do I wait several weeks.??  I appreciate you helping to make all this more clear. BTW, this is my 2nd "bulking cycle--I did one a year ago, followed by a cutting cycle and then my first competition---I'm 44 and weigh 203 lbs at 5"9 in @ 10% BF.

Thanks again,

Howard

GH, in some individuals, decreases active thyroid levels (T3 levels) while increasing inactive thyroid (T4) levels. Therefore, empirically, it appears that GH inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3 (active thyroid) in the body. On the contrary, in some individuals, GH can actually increase active thyroid levels (T3) so the only way to discern whether you have a problem is to get a TFT (thyroid function test) done at your doctor's office. When T3 levels are low, the rate of protein synthesis decreases (whether on GH or not) and muscle building decreases so that thyroid maintainance is extremely important to bodybuilders. Do not get all paranoid, however, it usually takes a long time to suppress T3 levels.

Also, take your GH at 2IU every day rather than 4IU every other day.