Bill Roberts provides a basic understanding of the diverse physiological actions of anabolic-androgenic steroids, so that you can develop informed plans for their use. The Anabolic Pharmacology column explains how anabolic steroids work, how they differ, why they have differing effects, and when and how much of what steroid should be used, and why.

1. Introduction to Anabolic Steroids

How do anabolic steroids differ, and why do they have differing effects? How do they work? When and how much of what steroid should be used, and why? It’s my goal to give you the understanding, when you read about steroids, to judge for yourself what is being said. When you understand how they work, then you can understand for yourself whether a given claim or idea is a good one or not. I will give you the background to have a good understanding of how these drugs work, so that you can develop informed plans for their use.

2. Androgen Receptor Regulation

One of the most common beliefs concerning anabolic-androgenic steroid usage is that the androgen receptor (AR) downregulates as a result of such usage. If it were just being stated as an abstruse hypothesis, with no practical implications, with no decisions being based on it, that might be of little importance. Unfortunately, this claim is used to support all kinds of arguments and bad advice concerning practical steroid usage. Thus, the error is no small one. We will look at this matter fairly closely in this article.

3. Anabolic Steroid Cycle Planning

Most are interested in having and understanding the answers to very simple questions, such as, "Which steroids should I use? How much of them should be used, and for how long? What other drugs are needed in combination with the steroids?" However there is no single correct answer for everyone. The first thing to be considered is, "What are the goals?" and "Are those goals reasonable or should they be changed?"  In this article, we will consider goals and how to achieve them.

4. Anti-Estrogens, Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids and Bodybuilding

Because of their ability to reduce risk of gynecomastia and enhance recovery of natural testosterone production after a cycle, use of antiestrogens such as Clomid and Cytadren has become popular in bodybuilding. Antiestrogens also can reduce bloating associated with anabolic steroid use, and may avoid health risks associated with elevated estrogen levels. There are two categories of antiestrogens: aromatase inhibitors and receptor blockers. Both shall be considered here.

5. Inhibition and Recovery of Natural Testosterone Production

One of the most significant side effects of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use is inhibition of natural testosterone production. Elevated hormone levels, in general, will cause inhibition of natural testosterone production. There is no way to entirely avoid the problem, but there are ways to minimize the problem and recover natural testosterone levels reasonably quickly after a cycle. In this article, we will look at the problem of inhibition, its causes, and the best solutions currently known.

6. Pharmacological Differences Between Anabolic Steroids

One rather key issue to usage of anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS) is how one chooses which to use, or which combination to use, and indeed, why combinations might be superior to comparable amounts of single steroids. The issue of combining AAS for most efficient muscle gain is one that has been entirely neglected in the medical literature, since acquisition of muscle is not considered of therapeutic necessity. General support for the principle of synergy can be found in some scientific studies.

7. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Esters

Injectable anabolic steroids are usually available as esters of the parent drugs. Often, a drug in its original form may lack certain properties that are desired: for example, good solubility in oil or fat. There may be a part of the molecule to which one may add an additional chemical group to give the new molecule desired properties, but in such a way that over time in the body, the modification will be removed, restoring the parent drug. If the modified molecule is itself not active, needing to be converted back to the parent drug, then this is a prodrug. Since esters of anabolic steroids are so often used in bodybuilding, in this article we will examine them closely.

8. Enzymatic Conversions and Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids

Anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS), when introduced into the body, do not necessarily remain unchanged. Enzymatic processes often convert them to different molecules. This is true of the prohormones as well: androstenedione will not necessarily remain as androstenedione, but some of it will be converted to testosterone. Although that example is well known, many other enzymatic conversions of steroids are less well-known in bodybuilding. We will be looking at these conversions in this article.