Black Market Testosterone

by RaverDyke, Trans-Health.com

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Counterfeit androgens are a huge and profitable business for many unscrupulous people.

Do not buy testosterone from the black market, especially from body builders. They will probably rip you off, and there's absolutely no telling what you will get, if it will contain what it says, or even if it is sanitary or sterile. Counterfeit androgens are a huge and profitable business for many unscrupulous people. What they give you might be dangerous, I'm not kidding.

Below I describe four androgens and a few other drugs that might be of interest to F.T.M. guys. Remember that 250mg of one testosterone ester is not the same as 250mg of another testosterone ester, nor is it the same as 250mg of another androgen. I won't make specific dosage recommendations: that's up to your physician.

Testosterone

Testosterone is the F.T.M.s androgen of choice for a variety of reasons. It has excellent androgenic and anabolic properties, and is the substance that is produced naturally within your body. It does have a 5αR metabolite and an aromatase metabolite, so one should consider adding an anti-estrogenic agent if one is supplementing with supraphysiological doses of the drug. If you are prone to hair loss and/or male pattern baldness, you should also consider a 5αR inhibitor. Physicians specializing in hair loss can usually help you find an appropriate one. There are several different testosterone drugs, including testosterone cypionate (Depo-testosterone), testosterone enanthate (Testoviron/Delatestryl), testosterone propionate and testosterone decanoate. Testosterone cypionate and testosterone enanthate are the most common testosterone esters used by F.T.M.s. One possibility that F.T.M.s should consider is a drug called Sustanon 250, which is an injectable drug containing 250mg of four different testosterone esters. It might not be available in your country. Organon is reputable manufacturer of Sustanon 250, but there's a whole bunch of fake Sustanon out there. Buy it from a reputable pharmacy. Omnadren 250 is a drug similar to Sustanon 250, but with one different ester that reduces the overall half life by a few days. Omnadren is also faked quite frequently.

Nandrolone

At first glance nandrolone might seem to be a weird substance. It resembles both an androgen and an estrogen, but it has reasonably high anabolic effects. It is known to be a progestin, which might cause some undesirable effects in an F.T.M. guy. Nevertheless, it is a reasonable choice, especially for guys who are concerned about hair loss or specifically about gaining muscle size. By far the most common nandrolone drug is the injectable Deca Durabolin, or nandrolone decanoate. This is without a doubt the most commonly counterfeited androgen, so definitely don't buy it off of the street.

Trenbolone

I think this androgen rocks. It seems to cause the fewest negative side effects and the maximum positive effects. Pound for pound it seems to be almost three times as effective as testosterone. It has no metabolic pathway to estrogens, and seems to have reasonably little negative effect on hair loss. Unfortunately it is very hard to get in most countries. One possibility is the drug Parabolan (trenbolone cyclohexylmethylcarbonate), an oil-based injectable. There are some agricultural drugs containing trenbolone, but ... well, they're not made for human use. Same drug, possibly fewer quality controls during the manufacturing process. And if you buy this on the black market (assuming that what you buy even contains trenbolone, and that's quite an assumption to make) you're probably buying something that someone whipped up in his basement after extracting trenbolone acetate from cattle implants. Most of these people know and care very little about making the drug safe. But Good Gravy, if you can find trenbolone then you should definitely ask your doctor for a prescription.

Methenolone

This is a weaker androgen, but a reasonable choice for F.T.M. guys because it does not metabolize to an estrogen. It might increase the rate of hair loss, but seems to be less aggressive in this regard than testosterone. Primobolan Depot (methenolone enanthate) is the most common injectable preparation of methenolone. Primobolan is expensive.

Other Androgens

There are quite a few oral androgens that I'm just not going to mention. Suffice to say that you should stay away from them if you can find injectables. If you are seeing a physician, just have him prescribe an injectable and show you how to inject it (or have him inject it for you).

Clomiphene

Clomiphene seems to be a very effective anti-estrogenic compound. It is not an androgen. It is most commonly used in the treatment of breast cancer. It is an oral drug, but as it is not an oral androgen it does not have hepatotoxic effects. The most common drug preparation of clomiphene is called Clomid (clomiphene citrate). It is widely available around the world.

Aminoglutethimide

This is a drug that inhibits the action of aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens. At higher dosages, through another mechanism, it can inhibit the production of cortisol. This might sound good (cortisol is catabolic) but you need normal cortisol levels to be healthy. If you're going to take aminoglutethimide, don't take a lot of it, and have your cortisol levels checked regularly. The brand name for it is Cytadren. There are better anti-estrogenic choices such as tamoxifen and clomiphene, so really, don't bother with it.

Anastrozole

This compound works like aminoglutethimide in that it blocks the aromatization of androgens to estrogens, but it does not seem to have the same effects on cortisol. Its brand name is Arimidex. It is expensive but effective. I still think tamoxifen and clomiphene are better choices for anti-estrogens.

Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is quite similar to clomphene. Most readily available under the brand name Nolvadex, and like clomiphene it blocks estrogen receptors in some tissues and activates them in others. (However, this activation in reality blocks the estrogenic effects anyway, so no worries.)

To summarize, keep all of this in mind the next time you talk to your physician:

• They can probably double, triple or even quadruple your dosage of testosterone with great results and few negative effects, especially for periods of a few weeks or months.
• There are drugs available that reduce estrogenic effects. You should consider them, especially if you are using testosterone.
• There are other androgens available besides testosterone.
• You should have your lipid, testosterone, estrogen and liver levels, as well as your blood pressure, checked regularly.

Glossary

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