Winstrol
Also known as: Stanozolol, Winny, Stanz, Winnie, Winstrol Depot
Lower numbers = closer to natural. Higher numbers = more enhanced.
Why this rating?
Winstrol's notoriety in sports doping (Ben Johnson's 1988 Olympic disqualification) demonstrates its significant performance-enhancing effects. A clinical study (Clinical Endocrinology, 1984, PMID 6430603) found 10mg/day for just 14 days cut serum testosterone by 55% in healthy men, and separate studies show it decreases HDL cholesterol by roughly 33-53% depending on dose/duration (JAMA 1989, PMID 2915439; PubMed 6813637). While it produces less dramatic mass gains than bulking steroids, its strength and speed enhancement without weight gain make it a clear performance enhancer used by track athletes and combat sports competitors.
Overview
A DHT-derived anabolic steroid famous for its use in competitive sports (notably causing Ben Johnson to lose his 1988 Olympic gold medal). Known for producing a dry, hard, vascular look without water retention. Available in both oral and injectable forms, though the injectable is an aqueous suspension, not oil-based.
Important Warnings
- •Extremely harsh on joints - avoid if you have joint issues or are injury-prone
- •One of the worst steroids for lipid/cholesterol profiles
- •Do not combine with other hepatotoxic compounds at full doses
- •Injectable version is painful (water-based suspension, not oil)
- •Significantly increased risk of tendon injuries
- •The injectable form is NOT less liver toxic than oral
- •Finasteride/dutasteride do NOT protect the hairline. Winstrol is a DHT-derivative
Purpose & Use Cases
Cutting & Contest Prep
Produces a hard, dry, vascular look ideal for bodybuilding competitions and photoshoots.
Athletic Performance
Increases speed, power, and strength without significant weight gain - popular among track athletes and combat sports.
Strength Without Size
Provides strength gains while staying in weight classes, useful for powerlifting and wrestling.
SHBG Reduction
Dramatically lowers SHBG, making other steroids in a stack more bioavailable and effective.
Benefits
- No water retention - produces dry, hard, defined look
- Increased vascularity
- Strength gains without significant mass increase
- Significantly lowers SHBG, enhancing free testosterone and stacked compounds
- Available in both oral and injectable forms
- Does not aromatize to estrogen
- No progestogenic activity
Good to Know
Dry joints and tendon risk are the signature problem
Winstrol reduces synovial fluid, leaving joints painful, stiff and clicking, while strength climbs faster than tendons can adapt, a real setup for tears. Stacking with Nandrolone/NPP for joint lubrication and progressing weights slowly are the usual counters; do not ego lift on it.
A DHT-derivative: finasteride does nothing, and it is harsh on hair
Winstrol is already a DHT derivative, so there is no testosterone-to-DHT conversion for finasteride/dutasteride to block. It is one of the harder compounds on the hairline for predisposed users, with no effective pharmaceutical mitigation.
Brutal on cholesterol: worst-in-class HDL crash
Even low doses tank HDL (33-53%) and raise LDL, with the LDL/HDL ratio able to nearly triple. This lipid damage, not estrogen, is Winstrol's defining cardiovascular risk, monitor a full panel and keep cycles short.
The injectable is NOT less liver-toxic
Winstrol Depot is the same 17aa molecule in a water suspension; it still passes through the liver, so it carries the same hepatotoxicity as the oral (and the injection is notoriously painful). Muscle memory still applies, retained gains keep your natural ceiling higher afterward.
Dosage Guidelines
| Gender | Dosage Range |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 25 – 50 mg/day |
| Intermediate | 50 – 75 mg/day |
| Advanced | 75 – 100 mg/day |
| Male | 25 – 100 mg/day |
| Female | 5 – 10 mg/day |
These are community/performance-derived ranges (bodybuilding-forum and physique-coaching consensus), not clinical doses. The discontinued clinical HAE dose was far lower (around 2mg 2-3x/day). Injectable version (Winstrol Depot) is the same compound suspended in water, not oil. Women should not exceed 10mg/day due to virilization risk. Often used as a "finisher" in the last 6-8 weeks of a cycle.
Side Effects
Joint Pain (Dry Joints)
very commonSignificantly dries out joints by reducing synovial fluid, causing pain, stiffness, clicking, and increased injury risk. This is the most notorious side effect.
Stack with compounds that provide joint lubrication (Nandrolone/Deca, NPP). Use joint supplements (glucosamine, fish oil). Do not use if you have existing joint issues.
Hepatotoxicity
very commonLiver toxic as a C17-alpha alkylated oral steroid, LiverTox (NIH) groups it with danazol and oxymetholone as most prone to prolonged cholestatic injury among AAS. Case reports describe severe cholestatic jaundice with bilirubin over 44 mg/dL, and in one case peaking above 56 mg/dL.
Use TUDCA/NAC for liver support. Limit cycle length to 6-8 weeks. Avoid alcohol. Regular liver function monitoring.
Severe Lipid Dysfunction
very commonOne of the harshest steroids on cholesterol. Studies show HDL falling roughly 33% (6mg/day for 6 weeks, JAMA 1989) to 53% (6-week study in postmenopausal women, PubMed 6813637; dose not specified in the abstract), with LDL rising roughly 21-29% across the two studies. The HDL2 subfraction (most cardioprotective) drops 71-85% across these studies. LDL/HDL ratio can increase from roughly 2.5 to 6.8.
Limit cycle length, include regular cardio, fish oil supplementation, consider niacin. Get lipids checked mid-cycle.
Hair Loss
commonAccelerates male pattern baldness in predisposed individuals. Finasteride is NOT effective for DHT derivatives.
Avoid if prone to hair loss. No effective pharmaceutical mitigation for DHT-derived compounds.
Tendon Damage Risk
uncommonIncreases muscle strength faster than tendons can adapt. Combined with dry joints, significantly increases risk of tendon tears and ruptures.
Progress weights slowly. Consider collagen supplementation. Do not ego lift.
Testosterone Suppression
very commonA 14-day course of 10mg/day reduced serum testosterone by 55% in healthy men, alongside falling SHBG (Clinical Endocrinology, 1984, PMID 6430603).
Always run with testosterone base. Proper PCT required.
Virilization (Women)
commonVoice deepening, clitoral enlargement, facial hair - some effects are irreversible.
Women should use 5-10mg/day maximum and discontinue at first sign of virilization.
General Mitigation Strategies
TUDCA for liver protection. Fish oil and cardio for lipid health. Consider stacking with Nandrolone (Deca/NPP) for joint relief. Keep cycles short (6-8 weeks maximum). Regular bloodwork to monitor liver enzymes and lipids. The injectable form is equally hepatotoxic as it passes through the liver.
Support Supplements
Ancillary supplements commonly run alongside Winstrol to manage side effects, support the target tissue, or fill nutrient demands it creates.
Liver support (TUDCA + NAC)
KeyWinstrol is 17-alpha-alkylated and hepatotoxic, and the injectable is NOT spared, since it still passes through the liver. TUDCA supports bile flow; NAC replenishes hepatic glutathione.
- Dose
- TUDCA 500-1,000mg/day; NAC 600-1,200mg/day
- Timing
- Throughout the cycle
Lipid support (omega-3 + citrus bergamot)
KeyWinstrol is one of the harshest steroids on cholesterol. HDL can fall 33-53%. Omega-3 helps triglycerides; citrus bergamot lowers LDL via statin-like flavonoids. Support only; the lipid hit is severe.
- Dose
- Omega-3 4 g/day; citrus bergamot 1,000 mg/day
- Timing
- With meals
Joint support (collagen + fish oil)
Winstrol dries out joints by reducing synovial fluid, causing pain and raising tendon-injury risk. Collagen (with vitamin C) and fish oil offer modest support; the bigger lever is not ego-lifting on it.
- Dose
- Collagen 10-15g/day; fish oil 2-4g/day
- Timing
- Collagen ~30-60 min pre-training
- When
- Mechanistically plausible support, not a full fix. The dryness is inherent to the compound.
Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
Standard PCT with Nolvadex or Clomid. Based on Winstrol's own short half-life alone, PCT could begin roughly 1-2 days after the last oral dose or 4-5 days after the last injection, but Winstrol is almost always stacked with a longer-estered injectable (e.g. testosterone), in which case PCT timing is dictated by that compound's ester instead.
How It Works
Stanozolol binds to androgen receptors and activates transcription of genes for protein synthesis. It has a unique ability to significantly lower SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin), freeing up more testosterone and making other stacked steroids more effective. Does not aromatize to estrogen. Already 5-alpha-reduced so not potentiated in androgenic tissues. Also binds to progesterone receptor and estrogen receptor alpha in certain tissues.
Hormonal & Androgenic Profile
320:30 (stanozolol): strongly anabolic, low androgenic on paper
Does not aromatize, no AI needed and no estrogenic bloat. It also lowers SHBG sharply, raising the free fraction of testosterone and stacked compounds.
A DHT-derivative: already past 5-alpha-reductase, so finasteride/dutasteride are useless. Its androgenic hair effect cannot be softened with a 5-AR inhibitor.
One of the worst steroids for lipids: HDL down 33-53%, LDL up, and the cardioprotective HDL2 subfraction hit hardest. Dry and non-estrogenic, but the lipid damage is severe.
Fundamentals
Reference on the practices relevant to Winstrol: how they are done and where they go wrong. Not a recommendation to use it.
Common Stacks
- Winstrol + Testosterone - Basic cutting stack with test base
- Winstrol + Test + Masteron - Competition prep stack for maximum hardness
- Winstrol + Test + Anavar - Dry cutting stack (watch liver with two orals)
- Winstrol + Test + NPP - Strength with joint support to counteract dryness
Detection Times
Oral detectable for 10+ days with standard testing, up to 28 days with long-term metabolite testing (17-epistanozolol-N-glucuronide). Injectable detectable up to 8+ weeks. Famously caused Ben Johnson to lose his 1988 Olympic gold medal.
Legal Status
Schedule III controlled substance (USA). The FDA-approved Winstrol brand was withdrawn from the US market years ago and stanozolol is no longer used in modern hereditary-angioedema practice (largely superseded by danazol and newer therapies). There is no legitimate US pharmaceutical source left, so all product in circulation is imported/UGL.
Legal status varies by country and changes over time. This is a general summary, not legal advice.
WADA Status
Stanozolol (Winstrol) is explicitly prohibited. Famously caused Ben Johnson to be stripped of his 1988 Olympic gold medal.
References
- DrugBank - Stanozolol
- Small et al. - Alteration of Hormone Levels in Normal Males Given the Anabolic Steroid Stanozolol (Clinical Endocrinology, 1984)
- Thompson et al. - Contrasting Effects of Testosterone and Stanozolol on Serum Lipoprotein Levels (JAMA, 1989)
- PubMed - Reduction in HDL by Stanozolol
- PMC - Severe Intrahepatic Cholestasis Case Report
- LiverTox (NIH) - Anabolic Androgenic Steroids
- USADA - What is Stanozolol