Equipoise (Boldenone) – description of the drug and its side effects
Equipoise is the brand name for the anabolic steroid Boldenone. It is an oil-based injectable with added ester Undecylenate. The added ether helps to increase the half-life and release rate. The substance is a derivative of Testosterone with symmetrical anabolic strength, but with a reduced androgenic effect. Equipoise is a drug used in veterinary medicine. But it has gained popularity among bodybuilders and athletes as a form of Testosterone, a derivative with less estrogenic and androgenic activity. They like to compare Equipoise with Nandrolone (Deca-Durabolin), however, this is not the best comparison, since Nandrolone has different properties and a completely different class of compound (19-nor or progestin). However, many consider Equipoise and Nandrolone to be interchangeable drugs, including in anabolic steroid cycles.
Description and history of the drug
Equipoise was developed in 1949, before Dianabol (Methandrostenolone), making it technically the very first synthetic Testosterone derivative. In addition, Dianabol itself is actually Equipoise (Boldenone). The difference is in the chemical structure where the methyl group is attached to the 17-beta hydroxyl (also known as C17-alpha alkylation). This structure makes the substance orally bioavailable. In general, Dianabol could be considered an oral form of Equipoise, but the methylation of the 17th carbon atom changed the properties of the compound so much that it began to be attributed to completely different anabolic steroid analogues and was called Methandrostenolone (Dianabol). If we look at the images of the chemical structure of Equipoise and Dianabol, we can see that they have the same structure except for the methyl group attached to the 17th carbon element of the Dianabol structure. Otherwise, it is quite clear that these two anabolic steroids are practically the same.
Equipoise, developed in 1949, went on sale only in the 1960s under the brand name Parenabol. All this time, Ciba has been creating and testing various modifications of Equipoise, trying to attach esters to it, and thereby increase its half-life and release rate. The final decision was the release of Undecylenate Boldenone, with the attached ester of the same name. After that, from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, various studies and experiments were carried out with Parenabol in order to use it as an anabolic steroid that stimulates and preserves muscle mass, used for the treatment of osteoporosis and diseases accompanied by wasting and weight loss. By the end of the 1970s, Parenabol was used in an extremely narrow area, and this was the reason for the withdrawal of the drug from production.
Subsequently, one of the companies will receive patents for this anabolic steroid and re-release Boldenone under the name Equipoise. It is now a veterinary anabolic steroid primarily used in horses and less frequently in other animals. Equipoise is well known as a drug for increasing muscle strength. Like all anabolic steroids, it stimulates the appetite, but unlike the others, it does so to a much greater (superlative) degree. Manufacturers and sellers of Equipoise have changed over time, but Equipoise is still available in both the US and global markets under a variety of trade names and brands.
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Drug properties
Since Equipoise is derived from Testosterone, this endows it with many symmetrical properties. First, it has exactly the same degree of anabolic power (index 100). Secondly, Equipoise is an aromatizable anabolic steroid and, through interaction in the body with the aromatase enzyme, can be converted into estrogen. Modification with a double bond between carbon atoms 1 and 2 reduces its ability to aromatize and, as a result, provides a lower estrogenic activity of Equipoise in the body.
All this means is that Equipoise converts to estrogen, but in much smaller amounts than its parent hormone, Testosterone. This positive property does not exclude the manifestation of estrogenic side effects, which should be taken into account when taking the drug. Thus, do not expect that Equipoise will not retain water in the body. It will just happen to a relatively lesser extent. Of course, everything is individual, and depends on the sensitivity of the body to the drug. But, in moderate doses, Equipoise should not cause water retention in the body or any other negative manifestations. At the same time, the risk of side effects will increase as the dose of the drug is increased, since an increase in the concentration of Equipoise in the body will symmetrically increase the rate of aromatization into estrogens.
It is important to understand that the drug will not give rapid muscle growth, the process will be much slower compared to other anabolic steroids, but long-term results and the absence of side effects when used correctly are the obvious advantages of Equipoise.
Side effects
As previously mentioned, Equipoise exhibits less estrogenic activity in the body than Testosterone. Equipoise aromatizes in the body at about half the rate of aromatization that Testosterone exhibits. This means that the associated side effects with Equipoise should be significantly less than with Testosterone. But here it is important to remember that the estrogenic activity of Equipoise will be slightly higher than that of Nandrolone (Deca). Of course, if you increase the dose, then the aromatization (and, as a result, the estrogenic effect) will increase proportionally. In such cases, antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitors will be needed to help prevent the manifestation of negative factors. Estrogenic side effects can include: water retention, increased blood pressure (due to water retention), increased body fat percentage (body fat gain), and the potential development of gynecomastia.
Equipoise is non-toxic, does not affect the liver, and is associated with the same degree of risk of cardiovascular disease and suppression of endogenous testosterone production as most anabolic steroids.
Courses and application
Equipoise courses, in combination with Testosterone in its various modifications, as a rule, are aimed at gaining muscle mass. Usually, Testosterone Enanthate or Testosterone Cypionate are used – forms with esters corresponding to the long half-life of Equipoise. These are long cycles compared to other compounds, mainly due to the half-life, which provides a slow release of the main active substance, and, as a result, requires more time to show a visible effect.
The Equipoise course for beginners is usually used in combination with Testosterone Enanthate (or Cypionate), which helps to ensure a significant increase in muscle mass in the long term. Intermediate Equipoise cycles may additionally include the use of an oral compound such as Dianabol (Methandrostenolone). The amount of Testosterone Enanthate (or Cypionate) in this case may be reduced in order to simply maintain normal physiological function. Dianabol is added from 1 to 4 weeks, and the total duration of the cycle is 12 weeks.
Since the half-life of Equipoise is 14 days, splitting the weekly dose into two even doses is ideal.
