Primobolan (Metenolone)

If we could, we’d love to divide anabolic steroids into two categories.

There are the primary steroids, like Testosterone, Trenbolone and Nandrolone which are cut out for specific tasks. Follow the cycle to the T and you’d end up with very predictable results.

Then there are the ancillary steroids like Masteron & Primobolan which do little on their own. But when added to a stack can completely change the results you can expect.

Today we talk about Primobolan, one of the most underrated, yet famous anabolic steroids of all times.

That’s courtesy the big man, Arnold Schwarzenegger to an extent.

In an interview published in the late 1970s, Arnie accepted to using steroids. But he never categorically mentioned Primobolan.

Maybe because Primobolan and Dianabol were extremely popular oral steroids in that era, people automatically assumed that it had to be one of the two or both along with injectable steroids that Arnold used.

Nevertheless, Primo had found all the popularity that it needed. Who wouldn’t want to look like Arnie in his hey days?

If you are smitten by the Primo bug, then here’s all that you need to know about this steroid.

An overview of Primobolan

Primobolan or Methenolone is a DHT-derivative steroid that was released in 1962 by Squibb in both, oral and injectable forms.

However, both these versions were taken off the shelves in the United States within a year.

Somewhere around 1965, Schering, the German manufacturer acquired the patent and the rights from Squibb and relaunched the oral acetate version of the steroid under the brand name Primobolan.

And that’s the name that the drug has been synonymous with.

Primobolan is the only oral steroid that is non-17caa. This reduces the risk of liver toxicity to quite an extent. But the tradeoff is that the steroid has poor oral bioavailability. It will be weak as compared to most other anabolic steroids.

The injectable version with the longer, slow acting enanthate ester was later renamed Primobolan depot. This is very rarely found in UG labs these days.

Some people also acquire a raw powder form of Primobolan called Primobolan Ace and cook up their own recipes for injectable use, which is extremely risky.

If you wish to use Primo, just stick to the oral version. Although it is substantially weaker as compared to the injectable form.

The results with Primobolan

So, how does Primo slip into the scheme of things in a performance enhancement cycle?

Is it a weak Trenbolone as some dumbwit claims on internet forums these days?

Or is it a weaker form of Masteron?

Let’s find out.

The Cutting cycle:

Most athletes would like to add Primobolan to a cutting cycle because of its ability to promote fat loss and give you the muscle hardening effect. Also, it can prevent muscle loss and in fact, add a small amount of muscle while you are on it. Due to the weak muscle building capabilities, it is rarely added to a bulking cycle or to an off-season cycle.

Libido:

There are mixed reviews on Primobolan’s ability to boost libido. Some users claim that they feel as horny as they were during their teens. Others feel just a mild increase in libido. Either ways, if you are using steroids that can dent your libido, even the mild increase can help improve your mood and feeling of wellbeing.

Primobolan is often compared with Masteron in terms of its libido boosting properties. The caveat is that Mast can put hair shedding on nitrous for someone who’s prone to it. Primo rarely causes hair loss.

Endurance and strength:

There will be a moderate increase in strength along with faster recovery in men. Females on the other hand experience dramatic increases in strength and speed while they are on Primo.

Muscle hardening and fat loss:

Primobolan can make your muscles look harder and more defined, particularly the delts and the traps. So, a lot of seasoned pros add it to their stack as a pre-cycle steroid. This is probably where the comparison with Tren stems from. As Trenbolone can make your traps pop out like anything. However, the vascularity that one gets from Primo is nowhere close to what Tren can give you.

The side effects of Primobolan

Primobolan has been used to treat severe weight loss in young children. So, it’s a reasonably safe steroid at normal doses.

Even at performance enhancing doses, it carries the least possible risk of severe, toxic side effects. That’s because it does not aromatize nor does it bind to the progestin receptor.

All cases showed no harmful side effects, but one case developed husky voice after prolonged use and other two cases had gastro-intestinal disturbances due to excessive eating.

Hinyokika Kiyo. 1964 Apr;10:220-5.

Androgenic side effects:

Despite being a DHT-derived steroid, Primobolan will only cause androgenic side effects such has hair loss and acne if you are prone to it. This stands true for women athletes also who might experience virilization symptoms if they are overly sensitive to androgenic side effects. Most men and women are able to tolerate Primobolan pretty well with very little to no risk of androgenic side effects.

Cholesterol:

Primobolan can be hard on your cholesterol levels. It can reduce the levels of good cholesterol (HDL) while increasing bad cholesterol (LDL). So proper cholesterol management is recommended when you are using Primo.

Suppression:

Primobolan will suppress you up to 50% if you use it in a standalone cycle (not recommended). Ideally, a 50% suppression does not warrant a PCT protocol. But since Primo is always clubbed with more potent androgens, a PCT protocol will be necessary as multiple steroids will shut you down 100%, which can cause post-cycle depression when you come off the compounds.

Liver Toxicity:

Being the only non-17caa oral steroid, Primobolan does not cause any liver toxicity.

Primobolan dosage and cycles

The average performance enhancing dose of Primobolan (oral) is close to 150 mg/day for 6-8 weeks.

Since it is a non-hepatotoxic oral steroid, many seasoned steroid users might up that dose to even 200mg/day.

But you might discover that taking double to dose of Primo does not really get you double the results.

Why take a boatload of a steroid and up your risk of sides if you can get nearly the same results at half the dose?

Those using Primobolan depot on the other hand experience pretty good results with just 400mg/week.

Women can get pretty good results with just 50mg/week.

To sum it up

Despite the easy availability, Primobolan is one of the most expensive steroids in UG labs.

So, you’d have to shell out a pretty penny to complete an 8-week cycle with the drug.

No matter how tempted you are to go for the raw powder route, we do not recommend it one bit.