Anavar Side Effects & Ways To Mitigate Them

Anavar without a doubt, is one of the most popular anabolic steroids within the bodybuilding circles because of its ability to help gain pounds of lean and high-quality muscle while cutting down on excess body fat (both subcutaneous and visceral).

This is a steroid that is quite well-known for its strength-enhancing effects and is commonly used by strongmen and powerlifters. As a matter of fact, this is a steroid that often finds its way onto many powerlifters’ pre-competition stacks.

Furthermore, it is a steroid that is used by both men and women:

• Male bodybuilders take it to get leaner, stronger and bigger bodies
• Women bodybuilders also take it for strength and lean muscle gains (in low to moderate dosages, Anavar does not cause virilization in women. This is why it is widely used by women and is often called the girl steroid.)
• Both men and women may take it for cutting cycles too.

Common Anavar Side Effects

This article takes you through some of the common Anavar side effects and ways to combat them.

Even though Anavar is often considered a mild steroid, it is not free of side effects. As a matter of fact, when it is taken in high dosages or for a lengthy cycle, adverse reactions may occur.

Cholesterol

Typically, oral anabolic steroids are known to have devastating effects on cholesterol in your body since they are likely to stimulate hepatic lipase in the liver.

However, Anavar does not increase LDL cholesterol levels excessively. This is why it is often considered a more cardiovascular-friendly oral steroid.

As far as adverse effects on your cardiovascular system are concerned, it is only Testerone and Deca Durabolin that are known to be less toxic. (Compare Anavar and Deca Durabolin here)

Having said that, you are likely to notice an increase in your blood pressure when on an Anavar cycle. However, this should settle down once you are off-cycle. However, this increased strain on your heart is likely to increase the risk of myocardial infarction.

Thus, people who already have a history of high blood pressure or those that are genetically predisposed to cardiac disease must avoid having Anavar or any other anabolic steroid.

On the other hand, bodybuilders with healthy lipid profiles are unlikely to fave any issues while taking Anavar for a short cycle.

Furthermore, in order to minimize cardiotoxicity, it is best to perform regular cardio exercises. Not just this, it is also important to change your diet so that it is rich in unsaturated fats and low in saturated fats. At the same time, it is also important to cut down on your sodium intake.

Liver Toxicity

Anavar is usually taken orally. What it means is that it has to pass through the liver. Thus, it is likely to increase both AST and ALT liver enzymes.

However, Anavar is mild in nature and it is not just your liver that processes it but kidneys too. In other words, the load is shared by your liver and the kidneys. Thus, hepatic stress is likely to be less or manageable.

Still, most bodybuilders cycling Anavar try to supplement it with a TUDCA supplement with a dosage of 500mg/day in order to mitigate the hepatic stress.

However, I would like to point out that while on an Anavar cycle, you must avoid having alcohol or other hepatic medications in order to prevent further liver inflammation.

Moreover, if you are suffering from a liver condition or if your liver is already inflamed or injured, you must avoid taking Anavar.

More often than not, the liver stress caused by Anavar is manageable by most users since the liver is an organ that is highly resilient. ALT and AST enzymes usually fall back to the normal range once you come off Anavar.

Testosterone Suppression

Both men and women produce testosterone. Even though men produce it in much larger quantities as compared to women, a drop in testosterone levels also affects women when it comes to their sex drive, energy and overall well-being.

Even though Anavar is one of the least suppressive anabolic steroids, it is still likely to suppress testosterone to a certain degree that it gets noticeable.

As a result of the suppression of exogenous testosterone, both men and women are likely to experience temporary sexual dysfunction, poor libido, lethargy and also depression post-cycle.

As compared to other hard anabolics such as Trenbolone, Anavar does not cause severe or complete shut down of testosterone in your body. Therefore, the recovery period is also likely to be shorter usually lasting a few weeks. In other words, your body should get back to producing testosterone normally within a few weeks of coming off Anavar.

Most users or bodybuilders do not experience noticeable side effects post-Anavar cycle and thus, they may not even require post-cycle therapy.

However, if you want to restore your testosterone production quickly, then you may take Nolvadex or Clomid as PCT.

Excessive Pumps

One of the most important benefits of Anavar is that it can help you get awesome pumps both in and out of the gym.

Having said that, it can cause such fuller pumps that can they be uncomfortable to the point of being outright painful especially when working out.

It is important to note that such fuller pumps in the lower back can be excruciatingly painful and they are quite common when doing deadlifts on Anavar. In such a case, you need to be cautious and stick to short breaks in between sets.

Such fuller pumps usually occur because of increased glycogen storage in your body and thus one solution could be to cut down on your carbohydrate intake so as to reduce excessive fluid retention.

Alternatively, you can also take a diuretic. However, this is something that I would not recommend since it will put extra strain on your kidneys and may increase the risk of renal disorder.

Kidney Toxicity

Anavar is different from other oral anabolics in the sense that your kidneys too process it apart from the liver.

While this is likely to reduce hepatic stress, it is likely to increase renal inflammation.

Thus, when Anavar is consumed in a larger dose or for a longer period of time (more than 8 weeks), it may lead to acute kidney injury.

To be on the safe side, it is recommended that you must get your serum creatinine levels checked before, during and after an Anavar cycle. In other words, constant monitoring is important to ensure the proper health of your kidneys while on Anavar.

It is important to note that the more careful you are of your cardiovascular health, the healthier your kidneys are likely to be. This is because high blood pressure is proven to damage blood vessels in the kidneys making nephron tubules die. These are kidney cells that are important for filtering water out of your body. Thus, you need to take better care of your cardiovascular health by exercising regularly and reducing sodium intake.

Virilization

Even though Anavar is one of the few steroids that is considered safe for women, it can still cause virilization with high dosages (more than 10mg/day) or when taken for a long cycle (more than 5 weeks).

In such a case, some of the effects of virilization that a woman may experience could include deepening of the voice, breast shrinkage, clitoral enlargement, hair growth on the body, etc. It may also disturb the normal menstrual cycle.

The best way to avoid this from happening is to have Anavar is a small dosage and for a shorter cycle.

Legal Alternative

One of the best ways to experience all the benefits of Anavar without fearing any side effects is with the help of a legal Anavar alternative such as ACut from Brutal Force. This is a legal steroid that is made with all-natural ingredients in a CGMP-certified lab in the UK and the US and can help you get all the benefits of Anavar without side effects or PCT!

ACut can be used by both men and women and can help you gain lean and high-quality muscle mass. It is just as effective for increasing strength as it is for cutting.

It not only burns subcutaneous fat in your body but also helps melt away visceral fat. It can help reveal obscure muscle mass and also enhance vascularity. It is excellent for shaping up your abs too.

It may work slower than the real Anavar but it is safe and you do not even need a post cycle therapy since it does not contain any synthetic hormone in it.

Conclusion

Anavar is considered the safest steroid within bodybuilding circles. However, when its use is abused (taken in high dosages and for longer cycles), it can lead to adverse side effects. The best way to avoid the side effects and experience all the benefits is by having a legal Anavar alternative such as ACut from Brutal Force which has been getting awesome user reviews.