Stanozolol

Winstrol is stanozolol, an oral or injectable anabolic-androgenic steroid. People seek it for strength and a harder, drier look.

tier B · androgens · HDL -33% after 6 weeks of oral stanozolol in an 11-man crossover

verdict

A harder, drier look is plausible, but not proven. Stanozolol does not aromatize, and one four-month trial found no drug-related fluid retention. It also found no anabolic effect, and appearance was not rated. That does not establish dehydration or a guaranteed look.

what it is

Stanozolol is the 17-alpha-methyl, 5-alpha-reduced, pyrazole-fused anabolic-androgenic steroid commonly called Winstrol. Historical human tablets and FDA-listed veterinary aqueous suspension contain the same unesterified parent drug, not different oral and injectable esters.

what it does

In controlled oral-human work, stanozolol increased hepatic lipase before HDL and HDL2 fell. A separate crossover measured hepatic lipase up 123 percent, HDL down 33 percent, HDL2 down 71 percent, apolipoprotein A-I down 40 percent, and LDL up 29 percent.

origin

FDA withdrew the human Winstrol 2 mg tablet NDA in 2010 because it was no longer marketed. The notice does not state a safety or effectiveness determination. FDA withdrew the separate human Winsteroid 2 mg tablet NDA in 2024 after repeated failures to submit annual reports. Current FDA records separately list approved veterinary Winstrol-V tablets, sterile suspension, and chewable tablets.

does it work

A four-month double-blind oral trial in disabled older adults found no anabolic effect, although activity increased. A separate 21-man study found no significant strength or body-composition advantage over placebo during endurance training.

key facts

• molecular formula: C21H32N2O
• molecular weight: 328.50 g/mol
• amino acids: n/a (steroidal small molecule, not a peptide)
• half-life: no validated human terminal half-life; horse intramuscular suspension apparent terminal half-life 82.1 hours
• type: 17-alpha-methyl, 5-alpha-reduced pyrazole-fused anabolic-androgenic steroid; oral tablet or intramuscular aqueous suspension, not an ester
• CAS: 10418-03-8
• -33% HDL in controlled oral trial
• +29% LDL in the same trial
• -55% testosterone in a 14-day oral study
• 82.1 h horse IM suspension, not human PK

frequently asked questions

Why do some users report joint pain?

Joint discomfort is a community report with mixed experiences. A human fibroblast experiment found a laboratory effect on growth-factor-stimulated DNA synthesis, but it did not measure joint pain, incidence, or a clinical mechanism in users.

related peptides

• Oxandrolone: another non-aromatizing 17-alpha-alkylated oral with human outcome data
• Methandienone: another oral 17-alpha-alkylated androgen with an old performance trial
• testosterone: the injectable comparator in the lipid crossover

reptides grades the research record and cites the literature behind every call. research reference only; not medical advice.