Trade Names: Winstrol, Winstrol-Depot

Chemical Names: Stanozolol

Routes: Oral and Intramuscular

Half-life: Oral: 8 hours / Injectable: 1 day

Stanozolol, commonly found under the name Winstrol (oral) and Winstrol Depot (intramuscular), was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962. Winstrol is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone, but with greater anabolic abilities and reduced androgenic properties. Winstrol is a widely available steroid and very popular amongst bodybuilders for its lean mass gains without added estrogenic side-effects like water-retention. Winstrol is available as both oral and injectable, where the injectable is most widely used in veterinary practices. The injectable is commonly found as a water-based suspension containing 50mg steroid per ml. Winstrol is one of those compounds which has a synergistic effect when the oral and injectable version are combined on the same cycle.

 Winstrol lowers Sex- Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) dramatically. Also see the Proviron profile for how it binds to SHBG instead. Using both of these compounds at the same time, will dramatically free up a huge amount of testosterone to actively cycle your bloodstream. The more free testosterone the better its activity will be. Winstrol is not aromatased by the body and thus no estrogenic side-effects will be experienced. Since water-retention is a side-effect of estrogenic activity Winstrol will produce a lean and defined look to the physique. This is particularly favorable to bodybuilders preparing for competitions.

Stanazolol is primarily an anabolic drug, but one can still experience androgenic side-effects like oily skin, acne, hair loss and facial/body hair growth. However the severity of these side-effects will be considerably less than what can expected from something like Anapolon for example. This drug is moderately safe for use by woman as long as the dosages are kept within reasonable ranges. Liver toxicity is a concern with Winstrol as the molecule was c17 alpha alkylated to help the compound from being deactivated by the liver. However using liver support supplements will greatly reduce the risk to liver damage. It has been suggested that Winstrol offer less toxicity than the equivalent dose of dianabol. It is important to note that even the injectable version of Winstrol is hepatotoxic. The oral dosage normally ranges from 20 to 50mg per day. The injectable is often used at 50 to 100mg taken every other day. 21 Gauge needles are recommended because the suspension might block the finer needles while the injection is taking place. The aqua-based injectables are notorious for causing injection pain and even abscesses. For this reason some users resort to drinking the suspension instead, the effects of doing this are exactly the same as taking tablets or capsules orally. Winstrol should be stacked with other steroids for best results.