Hydroxytest, Banned as an Oral Steroid for Sale

Hydroxytestosterone is an anabolic steroid very similar in structure to testosterone, the primary male hormone. More specifically, it is testosterone with an added 4-hydroxyl group which alters the activity of the steroid dramatically.

This steroid was first developed by the pharmaceutical giant G.D & Searle. The methods for the synthesis of this compound were patented in 1956 to protect the rights of the steroid being used elsewhere.

This steroid was never developed into a commercial prescription medication and lay lost in medical books for the foreseeable future.

In 2004, hydroxytestosterone emerged from obscurity and made it to an over-the-counter nutritional supplement in the United States. The only reason that made this legal was the fact that the steroid was naturally occurring and, due to it not having being developed into a medicine, it was forgotten by the law makers when the law controlling anabolic steroids was written.

By late 2004, Congress passed an amendment to the original Anabolic Steroid Control Act which added a number of over-the-counter supplements to the list. Of controlled drug, hydroxytestosterone being one. Residual stock was pulled from the shelves and production ceased marking the end of this steroid for sale as an OTC product.

The main problem with this compound was the fact that it is not intrinsically very orally active. It was sold as an oral steroid, but the preferred method for delivery would have been via injection. This was not viable as a supplement and so the oral version was launched commercially. Some users experimented by making their own injections by using raw hydroxytestosterone powder.

When compared with its structural parent, testosterone, hydroxytestosterone displays roughly 65% of the anabolic potency of testosterone propionate , with only 25% of the androgenicity. This makes hydroxytestosterone  a fairly anabolic agent displaying far greater anabolic tendencies than androgenic.

Reports from consumers regarding the side effects were positive. Many only reported mild androgenic side effects which were tolerable. Testosterone suppression is always a concern when using synthetic hormones, so shrinkage of the testes can appear.

This steroid does not aromatise in the body and as such, estrogenic effects are not likely, even in higher doses. This makes hydroxytestosterone an ideal steroid for cutting phases as there is minimal water or fat retention whilst producing gains in strength and lean muscle.

This former OTC nutritional supplement is no longer classed as a legal steroid and is treated the same as any other anabolic steroid by sporting bodies and in criminal proceedings. Using a steroid like this nowadays in competitive sports can land you is serious trouble, even a prison sentence.