Masteron, or Drostanolone Propionate, is a unique and exotic androgenic steroid that has an interesting history and can be applied in different ways. Its first uses were as an anti-estrogen, but nowadays it is used to help improve athletic performance and muscle gain.
If you’re going to be using any compound that influences your hormonal health, then it’s important to learn as much about it as you possibly can. In this article, we’re going to tell you more about the chemical structure and function of Masteron, as well as inform you about any potential side effects that may occur from using it.
If at the end of the article, you don’t feel like Masteron is a good fit for you, we will also include some alternative choices that can provide similar improvements.
What is Masteron?
Masteron, which was first developed under the brand name Masteril, was initially used as an anti-estrogen product. Its original prescribed use was to help improve breast cancer and was used in conjunction with other drugs that had an impact on breast cancer antiestrogen ncbl.
Nowadays, far fewer people are using Masteron to help them manage breast cancer. Instead, the drug has become popular among athletes and bodybuilders because of the way that it influences the hormonal systems in the body.
Because of its nature as an anti-estrogen, one might imagine some of the characteristics of Masteron. The compound is derived from dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and doesn’t convert to estrogen in the body – a process which is known as aromatization. Free testosterone – that is, testosterone that is readily available for the body to use – can be aromatized into estrogen.
Masteron is believed to influence estrogen by inhibiting some of the enzymes the lead to its aromatization, or possibly through direct interaction with estrogen.
If Masteron is, indeed, a compound that inhibits the aromatase enzyme, it could be useful for helping to maintain optimal levels of free testosterone in the body. It could also be useful for preventing the aromatization of other compounds or steroids that are known to convert into estrogen.
Introduction
Masteron-Drostanolone is one of the best cosmetic anabolic steroids in existence thanks to its strong Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) structure. Those who compete, model, or just want to look hard and ripped will choose to use it as part of their cycles.
It isn’t a masteron steroid good steroid for those who want to add tons of mass or get very strong in a short amount of time. On paper, it has one of the lowest androgenic numbers (4X less androgenic than Testosterone) and that is reflected in its real-world effects.
Read also about Halotestin cycle benefits
History of use
Masteron (Drostanolone) was brought to market around 1972 by Syntex Pharmaceuticals, the same company that brought Anadrol to market just a few years earlier. The medical objective was to help control breast cancer in females using its mild anti-estrogen properties. As the years went on companies have depended on SERM’s like Nolvadex for this purpose since they have much lower side effects, and Masteron has fallen out of favor in the medical community1.
Even though it was around in the golden era, it never got in the hands of many bodybuilders to their dismay. In those days before the internet, people depended on word of mouth and gurus to guide them so information was extremely outdated. Had they known about Masteron in that time period it would have been likely the #1 steroid to use.
Over the years it has grown in popularity and over the past 30 years, it has become a staple to use in a contest prep cycle to give the bodybuilder hard muscles on stage.
Structure
DHT is a sex hormone that will metabolize in small amounts in the body from Testosterone. Drostanolone is as pure a DHT (dihydrotestosterone) derivative as you will find out there thanks to the addition of a carbon 2 position methyl group. To make matters even sweeter, Masteron is even more anabolic than straight DHT that would be produced in the body.
Because it is a pure DHT derivative, this means it cannot aromatize into estrogen in the body. It will have some anti-estrogen properties as well.
Finally, it is great at binding to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which will increase the ratio of “free testosterone” in the body. Free testosterone is unbound in the body and is what connects testosterone receptors within the body’s cells.
Bodybuilding advantages
Masteron added to an existing cycle will make the other steroids more powerful. It also can help alleviate some estrogen and progesterone issues. There is some thought also that stacking it with nandrolone will offset any sexual side effects since those steroids increase DHN (dihydro nandrolone) in the body and Drostanolone increases DHT. Consider it a great balancer of hormones.
Just like all steroids, it will work to increase protein synthesis and red blood cell count, but it will do it mildly. This is why using it by itself won’t do much of anything for you. However, what it will do whether you use it solo or in a stack is harden you up. It does this very well thanks to the way it is structured as we talked about earlier. Expect very hard muscles (my massage therapist once told me she had never massaged anyway with harder muscles while I was on it), more vascularity, and a dry aesthetic look.
Finally, it serves a purpose in competitive sports because you can use it without fear of increasing your total body weight and being kicked out of your weight class.
Half-life
The Propionate ester has a short half-life of under 3 days. The longer Enanthate version is 10-12 days.
Detection times
The detection time is listed at 3 months for the Enanthate ester and 4 weeks for the propionate ester. There have been many fighters and boxers who have been busted for it since they can use it without fear of missing their weight class.
Side effects
Masteron is indeed a mild steroid that is low when it comes to side effects. However, it is important to remember it still is a very strong hormone and should be respected. If you abuse it at high dosages or for an extended amount of time the chances of problems will increase substantially. Here are the main side effects:
- Suppression: It will cause your pituitary glands to become suppressed just like any other exogenous hormone.
- DHT: Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) side effects can manifest itself by harming your prostate, straining your lipids, and by frying head hair follicles.
- Dry joints and nerve pain: Although not as bad as Winstrol, you still can get dry joint problems on Masteron-Drostanolone. Also, the harder muscles can cause nerves to become pinched which can flare up existing injuries like herniated discs.
Drostanolone side effects
As with any compound, it’s important to be aware of any potential drawbacks of Drostanolone before you take it. While Masteron might not have as many side effects as some of the more hardcore steroids that you can find, there are a number of risks associated with the compound that should be taken into consideration before deciding whether or not to use it.
That said, because Masteron does not aromatize, and because it provides anti-estrogenic properties, it reduces the instance of many of the side effects associated with other anabolic steroids that people might use. Things like gynecomastia, water retention, and significant blood pressure increase are far less likely to occur when you’re using Masteron.
Some issues can still arise with extended or long-term use, though.
- Hair loss, especially with people who are prone to male pattern baldness
- Loss of emotional control, primarily seen as aggression
- Acne, especially if you have experienced an increase in acne with the use of other steroids or androgens
- Testosterone suppression. Such as is the case with many steroids, excessive use of Masteron will suppress your body’s ability to naturally produce testosterone. It can take weeks or months after you stop using it to naturally begin producing testosterone again.
- Injection infections. If you aren’t aware of how to properly inject a drug, then you could run the risk of infection. Making sure that your needles are sterile is incredibly important. Try to get your Masteron injected by a professional.
It is difficult to say exactly how anyone will respond to a supplement like Masteron. However, due to its nature as an anti-estrogen, the side effects are much less serious and significant than you might experience with something like Trenbolone. Masteron is also less likely to cause things like roid gut.
Dosages in bodybuilding and stacking
Masteron is one of those anabolic steroids that should be stacked to take the most advantage of it. The standard dosage is going to be 300-600mgs per week depending on your goals. If you are using the shorter ester Propionate then inject every 1-3 days, with the longer Enanthate ester you can inject 1-2X per week.
Bodybuilding:
Those who are competing love it because they can continue running it up to the day of competition without having to worry about any harm to their physique such as bloat. It is a great cosmetic drug.
Use in a cycle:
Using it in conjunction with harsher compounds is a good way to ‘add something’ without adding estrogenic risk to the cycle. It also binds very well to SHBG so it will enhance your cycle overall and make the other steroids work even better.
Modelling:
Those who are models or trying to look good for shoots or photographs will use the lower end of the dosage range to harden up their muscles and add vascularity.
4 biggest myths about Masteron
- You can use Masteron as your anti-estrogen: This is only going to be the case in specific situations if you are using a small amount of aromatizing compounds. In the vast majority of cases in cycles, depending on it as your sole anti-estrogen is not a wise choice.
- Drostanolone needs to be run at high dosages: This misconception is understandable because people may use it and not get the results they expect. Remember it isn’t designed to put on globs of mass, it is a hardener used to complement a cycle.
- Mast won’t give me side effects: It will not add estrogenic side effects to your cycle but it will open you up to DHT side effects.
- Masteron will cut me up if I am too fat: Nope it won’t if your body fat is over 12% you will not enjoy the hardening and cosmetic benefits.
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Benefits of using Masteron for bodybuilding
There are a number of benefits that you might experience if you decide to start using Masteron for your workouts. These are some of the most popular and sought-after benefits of Masteron.
- Muscle hardening and growth. One of the most noticeable effects of Masteron is the way that it improves the hardness of your muscles. This is ideal for bodybuilders and athletes who are interested in developing a better physique. It is also known for making people appear more ‘filled out’ by increasing muscle density.That said, Masteron is not known to be as powerful in this regard as some of the more powerful steroids such as Trenbolone.
- Many report that Masteron helps to improve energy levels when they’re at the gym or when they’re at home. It also helps to speed up metabolism and can boost the amount of energy that your cells produce.
- It helps with cutting. If you’re hoping to shed pounds and have a more pronounced physique then Masteron might be a great steroid for you. In fact, many people report that it’s more effective for helping to shed extra pounds than it is for actually bulking up.
There aren’t as many benefits attributed to Masteron as there are to some of the other, stronger steroids out there. Fortunately, this also means that Masteron has fewer side effects than some other steroids that you might use
Masteron Dosage
There are two main forms of Masteron that are used in most cases, as we have discussed. The dosages for each of these compounds will be slightly different.
- Drostanolone propionate is usually dosed in smaller amounts, anywhere from 50-150mg/ml. This version has a faster half-life, meaning the body uses it, processes it and excretes it quicker. Because of this, you’ll have to make sure that you do another injection at least once every two days.
- Drostanolone enanthate is the slower-acting version. Because of its slower action, users generally take slightly higher doses of 200 mg/ml.
Masteron Cycles
If you’re going to be using a substance like Masteron, it’s important to participate in a ‘cycle.’ A cycle is a term that’s used to describe the intermittent usage of a substance with breaks in between. This helps to prevent the development of tolerance and dependence.
If you become tolerant to a drug, then your body will require more of it to experience the same effects. If you continue to use it, dependence can set in, meaning that your body would require the drug to produce testosterone. Cycling helps to prevent this.
It’s also important – perhaps even more so – to be aware of any other drugs that you are using with Masteron. Other steroids can be much more potent and should be cycled more thoroughly so that your body does not become dependent on them.
Here are some basic Masteron cycles:
- A beginner’s cycle. For a beginner Masteron cycle, you should inject Masteron propionate no more than every other day. Masteron enanthate should be injected twice a week. You should shoot for a total weekly amount of no more than 300mg on a weekly basis if you’re using Masteron propionate, and somewhere between 400 and 600 mg if you’re using Masteron enanthate. You should avoid using either for more than a month at a time.
- An intermediate cycle. If you’re using Masteron propionate at an intermediate level, you should still try to inject it only every other day, and enanthate twice a week. Users of Masteron propionate should shoot for about 500 mg for a weekly maximum, and enanthate users should use between 400 mg and 600 mg. Again, try to avoid using it for more than a month.
Alternative options
Even though Masteron might be a bit less destructive than some other steroids on the market, it’s not without its risks and problems. If you think that Masteron is a little bit too intense for you, then there are other alternatives that can help.
Conversely, if you think that Masteron is not strong enough for your needs, or if you’re looking for a better steroid for weight loss, you may find improved benefits from some of the following.
- Pine pollen. Arguably the best natural androgen is pine pollen. Pine pollen contains natural free testosterone that can be absorbed directly into your bloodstream, providing androgenic benefits without a serious risk of side effects unless you use an incredible amount. Pine pollen can be found on the internet or purchased locally if you live in a region where pine pollen grows.
Conclusion
Masteron isn’t as strong as some other steroids, but it can provide a number of similar effects without being as drastic in terms of side effects. Hopefully this article has helped you understand a bit more about this interesting compound so you can decide whether or not to include it in your list of bodybuilding supplements.
