The side effects associated
with Equipoise® are generally mild. The structure of boldenone
does allow it to convert into estrogen, but it does not have an
extremely high affinity to do so. To try and quantify this we
can look toward aromatization studies, which suggest that its
rate of estrogen conversion should be roughly half that of testosterone75.
The tendency to develop a noticeable amount of water retention
with this drug would therefore be slightly higher than that with
Deca-Durabolin® (with an estimated 20% conversion), but much
less than what would be expected with a stronger agent such as
Testosterone. While one does still have a chance of encountering
an estrogen related side effect as such when using this substance,
it is not a common problem when taken at a moderate dosage level.
Gynecomastia might theoretically become a concern, but is usually
only heard of with very sensitive individuals or (again) those
venturing high in dosage. Should estrogenic effects become troublesome,
the addition of Nolvadex® and/or Proviron® should of course
make the cycle more tolerable. An anti-aromatase such as Cytadren®
or Arimidex® would be stronger options, however probably not
indicated with a mild drug as such.
Equipoise® can also produce distinct androgenic side effects.
Incidences of oily skin, acne, increased aggression and hair loss
are likewise all possible with this compound, although will typically
be related to the use of higher doses. Women in fact find this
drug quite comfortable, virilization symptoms usually unseen when
taken at low doses. Boldenone does reduce to a more potent androgen
(dihydroboldenone) via the Salpha reductase enzyme (which produces
DHT from testosterone), however its affinity for this interaction
in the human body is low to nonexistent76. We therefore cannot
consider the reductase inhibitor Proscar® to be of much use
with Equipoise®, as it would be blocking what is at best an
insignificant path of metabolism for the steroid. And although
this drug is relatively mild, it may still have a depressive effect
on endogenous testosterone levels. A combination of HCG and Clomid®/Nolvadex®
may likewise be needed at the conclusion of each cycle to avoid
a "crash", particularly when running long in duration.
Although it stays active for a much longer time, Equipoise®
is injected at least once per week by athletes. It is most commonly
used at a dosage of 200-400mg (4-8 ml, 50mg version) per week
for men, 50-75 mg per week for women. Should a 25mg version be
the only product available, the injection volume can become quite
uncomfortable. The dosage schedule can be further divided, perhaps
injections given every other day to reduce discomfort. One should
also take caution to rotate injection sites regularly, so as to
avoid irritation or infection. Should too large an oil volume
be injected into one site, an abscess may form that requires surgical
draining. To avoid such a problem, athletes will usually limit
each injection to 3ml and reuse each site no more than once per
week, preferably every other week. With Equipoise® this may
require using not only the gluteus, but also the outer thighs
for an injection site. Of course all problems associated with
25mg and 50mg dosed products are eliminated with the newer 100mg
and 200mg/ml_ versions of this steroid, which clearly give the
user much more dosage freedom and injection comfort.
Not a rapid mass builder, instead Equipoise® will be looked
at to provide a slow but steady gain of strength and quality muscle
mass. The most positive effects of this drug are seen when it
is used for longer cycles, usually lasting more than 8-10 weeks
in duration. The muscle gained should not be the smooth bulk seen
with androgens, but very defined and solid. Since water bloat
is not contributing greatly to the diameter of the muscle, much
of the size gained on a cycle of Equipoise® can be retained
after the drug has been discontinued. It is interesting to note
that structurally Equipoise® and the classic bulking drug
Dianabol are almost identical. In the case of Equipoise® the
compound uses a 17beta ester (undecylenate), while Dianabol is
17 alpha alkylated. Aside from this the molecules are the same.
Of course they act quite differently in the body, which goes to
show the 17-methylation 3ffects more than just the oral efficacy
of a steroid.
As discussed earlier, Equipoise® is a very versatile compound.
We can create a number of drug combinations with it depending
on the desired result. For mass, one may want to stack it with
Anadrol 50®(oxymetholone) or an njectable testosterone such
as Sustanon 250. The result should be an incredible gain of muscle
size and strength, without the same intensity of side effects
if using the androgen (at a higher dose) alone. During a cutting
phase, muscle hardness and density can be greatly improved when
combining Equipoise® with a non-aromatizable steroid such
as trenbolone acetate, Proviron® (mesterolone; 1-methyl DHT),
Halotestin® (fluoxymesterone), or Mnstrol® (stanozolol).
For some however, even the low buildup of estrogen associated
with this compound is jnough to relegate its use to bulking cycles
only.
Equipoise® is not an ideal steroid for the drug tested athlete.
This drug has the tendency to produce detectable netabolites in
the urine months after use, a worry most commonly associated with
Deca-Durabolin®. This is due o the high oil solubility of
long chain esterified injectable steroids, a property which enables
the drug to remain deposited in fatty tissues for extended periods
of time. While this will reliably slow the release of steroid
into the jlood stream, it also allows small residual amounts to
remain present in the body far after the initial injection. The
elease of stubborn stores of hormone would no doubt also be enhanced
around contest time, a period when the ithlete drastically attempts
to mobilize unwanted body fat. If enough were used in the off-season,
the athlete may ictually fail a drug screen for boldenone although
many months may have past since the drug was last injected.
Setting to black market availability, counterfeit bottles of
the veterinary injectable are quite common in the U.S. \gain,
knowing which preparation to buy can save you a lot of hassle.
For starters, the most common fakes are still of the brand name
Equipoise®, which used to be produced by Solvay in the U.S.
and Canada. This steroid is low produced by the Fort Dodge Company,
so avoid all products bearing the Solvay name. The Fort Dodge
products are sold readily in Mexico, and afterwards smuggled back
into the U.S. in high volume, so expect to see Equipoise on the
black market quite frequently. Legitimate vials are made of clear
glass, and carry a label with a ;hiny metallic surface on the
under side.
Animal Power has just introduced a new Equipoise clone to the
Mexican veterinary drug market. It is called Bold !00, and it
contains 200 mg/mL of steroid in a 10ml vial. This company uses
a detailed hologram sticker to deter counterfeiting (see Security
Stickers).
Vnabolic BD from SYD Group in Mexico is another popular product,
and comes in a dosage of 200mg/mL. This is a reputable company,
with top quality products. Definitely recommended. Be sure to
look for a security hologram sticker bearing the SYD Group logo,
which will assure a safe purchase.
Pet’s Pharma in Mexico also released a boldenone undecylenate
product. It is called Boldenona 200, and carries 100mg/ml of steroid
in a 10ml vial. This product should come with a security sticker.
Though not holographic, it is a specific type of red and blue
metallic inks (see Security Stickers). At this time fakes of the
Pet's Pharma do not appear to be a big problem.
lltragan 50 and Ultragan 100 from Denkall are very reputable
Mexican products. These come in 10 and 50ml vials, and provide
a nice increase from the old 50mg products the market used to
be stuck with. They have yet to upgrade to a higher dose, however,
although the product remains popular. Be sure to look for the
Denkall security hologram sticker on each box and vial. Note that
fake QV clones have been found using a plain silver sticker instead
of a real hologram. Be sure to examine it closely, and shift it
in the light to see the prism (rainbow) effect.
Quality Vet's Bold QV 200 is also popular in Mexico. This is
a 200mg/mL version, and comes packaged in a 10ml vial. Like the
previous companies, QV products carry security hologram stickers
to deter counterfeiting. Provided you locate this when shopping,
you should be making a safe purchase.
Denkall purchased the rights to the Mexican brand name product
Maxigan from Inpel recently. This item was made in the low dose
of 50mg/mL, and came in 10ml and 50ml vials. However, Denkall
has since discontinued the product. It makes you wonder if they
lucked onto a bankruptcy sale and got the remaining lot for a
steal, or perhaps just wanted to buy and dump the brand to take
over its market share. For whatever reason, this low dose Equipoise
clone is gone, and will probably not be sorely missed. Since the
release of 100mg/mL and 200mg/mL versions, companies with 50mg/mL
products are finding that they move very slowly. You may find
old vials of Maxigan in circulation, but probably not for much
longer.
Equi-gan from Tornel (10ml and 50ml vials) is still found on
the black market, but not as abundantly as it used to. This probably
has to do with the dose, which remains at the low concentration
of 50mg/mL. The 100mg/mL and 200mg/mL far outsell the 50's these
days. I have not tested the Tornel boldenone product yet, but
did notice about 20% under dosing in their testosterone enanthate
in a recent test. This means that the already low dose may actually
be a little lower still. You may want to factor an under-dosing
like this in when calculating the cost.
Ttokkyo, by all indications, is no longer in business, but you
may find their Boldenon 200 still floating around Mexico. Be warned,
counterfeit manufacturers have been able to get security hologram
stickers bearing the Ttokkyo logo. Therefore, these alone are
no longer indicative of a safe purchase, so be careful when shopping.
The Thai company British Dragon makes a boldenone undecylenate
injectable called Boldabol. It contains 200mg/mL of steroid in
a 10ml vial. This is a reputable brand, with consistently good
feedback. In recent tests the dosing on this product has been
slightly off. I believe this is due to recent and persistent manufacturing
issues with raw material in China. This means that most of the
veterinary steroid makers using Chinese raw material (probably
all) are noticing dosing issues this year. The BD product is still
fairly dosed, and a very good buy. Reportedly the company has
decided to switch to different compounds altogether (tentatively
a boldenone acetate/propionate mix), instead of passing along
the inconsistencies to consumers. Note that the current packaging
will not carry a hologram sticker. BD has replaced it with a red
metallic foil inlay on the vial label, which reads BD and displays
the company logo. Also, make sure your tops read "TEAR"
and "FLIP UP". There is a large scale counterfeiting
operation that uses tops that read only "FLIP OFF".
BD has plans to revamp their packaging again this year, so we
may see a new packaging style come to market, again using holograms.
Ganabol, produced in a number of South American countries, is
still a popular brand found in the States as well though. Seen
in two strengths (25mg/mL and 50mg/mL) and in five sizes (10,
50, 100, 250 and 500ml). The manufacturer recently gave the product
a cosmetic overhaul. The new Ganabol is a lot more modern looking.
Too bad the company was not able to modernize the dosage.
The Legacy brand name product from Tecnoquimicas in Argentia
seems to be reaching to U.S. as of late, at least in small volume.
This product carries 50mg/mL of steroid in a 50ml vial. At this
time the Legacy product is very low on the radar, and probably
can be trusted when located.
The brand name Boldenona 50 from Gen-Far is also popular in South
America, and occasionally smuggled into the United States. This
is another low dose (50mg/mL) preparation. Like Ganabol, it comes
in a variety of vial sizes. Counterfeits of this brand do not
appear to be a big issue at this time, making this product a fairly
trustworthy item when located on the black market.
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