Lower numbers = closer to natural. Higher numbers = more enhanced.
Why this rating?
RAD-140 was designed to selectively bind to androgen receptors in muscle and bone tissue, producing lean mass and strength gains. While effective, it causes significant testosterone suppression requiring PCT, confirming substantial hormonal impact. As one of the more potent SARMs, it provides clear performance enhancement but results are generally less dramatic than injectable steroids. Rated 6 as it sits between mild supplements and full steroids.
Overview
Designed to provide the benefits of testosterone in muscle and bone without prostatic effects. One of the most potent SARMs available, providing significant lean mass and strength gains.
Important Warnings
- •Not approved for human use: grey-market products are frequently mislabelled, underdosed, or spiked with actual steroids
- •SARM hair loss is androgen-receptor-mediated. Finasteride/dutasteride will NOT prevent it
- •Suppression is real and dose-dependent (shown in primate studies): treat like a hormonal cycle, get bloodwork, and run proper PCT
- •Multiple published case reports of drug-induced liver injury associated with RAD-140, including severe cholestatic injury requiring hospitalization
- •Published case reports of acute myocarditis/myopericarditis in young users, in one case after a single first dose. Seek immediate medical care for chest pain, palpitations, or shortness of breath
- •Long-term human safety data do not exist
Purpose & Use Cases
Lean Mass Gains
Provides significant increases in lean muscle mass comparable to some steroids.
Strength Increases
Dramatic strength gains, often noticeable within the first two weeks.
Recomposition
Effective for building muscle while losing fat simultaneously.
Benefits
- Significant lean mass gains
- Dramatic strength increases
- No water retention
- No estrogen conversion
- Oral administration (no injections)
- Shorter recovery than traditional steroids
Good to Know
SARMs still cause hair loss: and finasteride will not save you
A common myth is that SARMs are "hair-safe" because they do not convert to DHT. But male-pattern loss is ultimately androgen-receptor activation at the follicle, and RAD-140 activates that receptor directly. Because there is no 5-alpha-reductase step involved, finasteride and dutasteride are useless here. A topical androgen-receptor antagonist (e.g. RU58841) is the only mechanistically relevant option, and even that is unproven for SARMs.
"Selective" does not mean "no suppression". This is real PCT territory
RAD-140 is often marketed as mild, but it is a genuinely suppressive androgen: in intact male monkeys it cut testosterone roughly in half, into the ~200-300 ng/dL range, and its only published human trial was in breast-cancer patients rather than healthy men. Treat it like a hormonal cycle: get bloodwork and run a proper SERM PCT (enclomiphene or tamoxifen). Skipping PCT after a suppressive SARM is the most common way people end up with prolonged low testosterone.
Are the gains permanent? Muscle memory vs. what you actually keep
Training under any androgen adds myonuclei that persist for a long time (the basis of "muscle memory"), so re-gaining lost size later is easier. But much of the on-cycle scale weight is water/glycogen and is lost when you stop, and holding true muscle depends on recovering natural testosterone via PCT. The raised "natural ceiling" from myonuclei is real but modest. Do not expect to keep peak-cycle mass indefinitely.
A research chemical, not a supplement
RAD-140 is not approved for human use, is not quality-controlled, and grey-market products are frequently underdosed, overdosed, or mislabelled (sometimes containing actual steroids). Long-term human safety data do not exist, and case reports of drug-induced liver injury have been published.
Dosage Guidelines
| Experience Level | Dosage Range |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 10 – 10 mg/day |
| Intermediate | 10 – 15 mg/day |
| Advanced | 15 – 20 mg/day |
Due to long half-life, once daily dosing is sufficient. For reference, the Phase 1 clinical trial in breast-cancer patients dose-escalated up to 100mg/day under medical supervision to find a maximum tolerated dose. Non-medical/black-market use is typically far lower (roughly 5-30mg/day per available reports) because long-term safety at higher doses is unstudied.
Measured at 44.7 hours in a Phase 1 clinical trial.
Side Effects
Severe Suppression
very commonRAD-140 causes significant testosterone suppression, often worse than other SARMs.
PCT with Enclomiphene or Nolvadex required.
Hair Shedding
commonTemporary hair shedding during cycle.
Usually reverses after cycle. RU58841 may help.
Liver Strain / Drug-Induced Liver Injury
uncommonBeyond mild enzyme elevation, multiple published case reports describe clinically significant, sometimes cholestatic, drug-induced liver injury from RAD-140, including jaundice, severely elevated bilirubin, and pruritus requiring hospitalization or corticosteroid treatment. Onset has been reported within as little as 5 weeks of use. True population incidence is unknown since these are case reports, not a controlled trial.
Get baseline and periodic liver panels. Stop immediately and seek medical care if jaundice, dark urine, itching, or abdominal pain develop. NAC or TUDCA supplementation is commonly used but is not a substitute for stopping the compound.
Aggression/Irritability
uncommonSome users report increased aggression.
Monitor mood; reduce dose if needed.
Cardiac Inflammation (Myocarditis/Myopericarditis)
rarePublished case reports describe acute myocarditis and myopericarditis in young, otherwise healthy RAD-140 users, in one case after just the first dose. These are rare but serious, life-threatening events; the true incidence is unknown.
Seek immediate medical attention for chest pain, palpitations, or shortness of breath during use, and discontinue immediately.
General Mitigation Strategies
PCT with Enclomiphene or Nolvadex is typically required. Liver support recommended. Monitor bloodwork for hormone and liver panels, and stop immediately with medical follow-up if signs of liver injury (jaundice, dark urine, abdominal pain) or cardiac symptoms (chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath) appear.
Support Supplements
Ancillary supplements commonly run alongside RAD-140 to manage side effects, support the target tissue, or fill nutrient demands it creates.
Lipid support (omega-3 + citrus bergamot)
KeyOral androgens including RAD-140 lower HDL and can raise LDL. Omega-3 helps triglycerides; citrus bergamot lowers LDL via statin-like flavonoids.
- Dose
- Omega-3 2-4 g/day; citrus bergamot 500-1,000 mg/day
- Timing
- With meals
- When
- More important the longer/higher the cycle: check a full lipid panel before and during.
Liver support (TUDCA)
RAD-140 has produced transient liver-enzyme elevations, and case reports of drug-induced liver injury exist. TUDCA supports bile flow and hepatocyte health.
- Dose
- 250-500 mg/day
- Timing
- With food
- When
- Sensible on any oral androgen cycle; not a substitute for stopping if enzymes climb sharply or jaundice appears.
Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
PCT with Enclomiphene (12.5-25mg daily) or Nolvadex (20/20/10/10mg) for 4 weeks is recommended.
How It Works
RAD-140 selectively binds to androgen receptors in muscle and bone tissue with high affinity (Ki ≈ 7 nM vs. the androgen receptor, compared with ~29 nM for testosterone and ~10 nM for DHT). It was designed to have tissue-selective anabolic effects while acting as a partial agonist/antagonist on the prostate and other androgenic tissues.
Hormonal & Androgenic Profile
~90:1 in preclinical assays (highly muscle-selective vs testosterone's 1:1), but selectivity on paper does not mean side-effect-free in humans.
Does not aromatize to estrogen, no AI needed for RAD-140 itself. If a testosterone base is run alongside, manage estrogen from the testosterone, not from RAD-140.
RAD-140 is not a substrate for 5-alpha-reductase, so finasteride/dutasteride do nothing for RAD-induced shedding. SARM hair loss is driven by direct androgen-receptor activation at the follicle, not DHT conversion. There is no DHT step to block.
Lowers HDL and can raise LDL like other oral androgens; no aromatization means no estrogenic water retention or blood-pressure rise, but lipid strain is real. Separately, published case reports describe acute myocarditis/myopericarditis in young users, a rare but serious signal distinct from the lipid effects. Monitor lipids and be alert to chest pain or palpitations.
Fundamentals
Reference on the practices relevant to RAD-140: how they are done and where they go wrong. Not a recommendation to use it.
Legal Status
Sold in the USA as a research chemical, not for human consumption.
Legal status varies by country and changes over time. This is a general summary, not legal advice.
WADA Status
RAD140 (Testolone) is explicitly listed as a prohibited SARM under S1.2 Other Anabolic Agents.
References
- PMC - SARMs: Current Knowledge and Clinical Applications
- Frontiers in Endocrinology - SARMs: A Critical Appraisal (2025)
- Androgenetic alopecia & DHT - StatPearls
- LoRusso et al. - First-in-Human Phase 1 Study of RAD140 in ER+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer, Clinical Breast Cancer (2022)
- Perananthan & George - Severe Liver Injury Following Use of RAD-140 for Body Building, Australian Prescriber (2024)
- Padappayil et al. - Acute Myocarditis From the Use of SARM RAD-140 (Testolone), Cureus (2022)