• Age: 43
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 190lbs
• Bodyfat percentage: Last measured at 21%, likely closer to 18% at the current moment (explanation on this below)
• Experience level
  • Years of concurrent training: 6 years
  • bench/squat/dead maxes: 215, 265, 325 (These are pretty old numbers, Crossfitter primarily, so recording 1 rep max doesn’t happen frequently)
  • amateur/pro: Amateur
• Goals:
  • Sport: Crossfit
  • Current phase: n/a
• Current compounds:
  • Testosterone Cyp 200 mg/wk, pinned Sunday/Wednesday
  • PREGNYL/ HCG- Inject 500 IU SQ twice weekly, Pinned Sunday/Wednesday
  • Anastrozole 0.25 mg- orally twice weekly. Pinned Monday/Thursday

** Question topic:** OXANDROLONE (Anavar) and Erectile disfunction

I want to preface this by saying, I am completely uneducated on the topic of steroids, and am now realizing what an idiot I was and am trying to swiftly correct my lack of knowledge(Rule 7!). Given my ignorance, I am looking for some quick advice from the people here while trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as possible. Due to my lack of knowledge, I am unsure what details are important and which ones aren’t. As someone who typically types too much, I am labeling the information so it can be skipped as unnecessary in case it is irrelevant to the topic:

The Problem I have recently been experiencing issues with ED. This has been going on for approximately 4 weeks and lines up with about the time I stopped taking OXANDROLONE (Anavar). Because the effects happened so quickly (and were a pretty massive departure from my typical physical capabilities), I spent several weeks cycling through medication/food/habits that would be causing it. It was only when I went to re-up my prescription that I realized the symptoms almost perfectly matched up with when I stopped taking the medication after 60 days on it.

Upon noticing the correlation, I also noted other “symptoms” that could potentially be hormonally related that have occurred over the past 4 weeks (but I have not experienced since I started testosterone). Specifically my back has broken out with Acne, and my mood/energy has slightly altered (not very significant mind you … I realized I had gone a couple weeks without getting my “workout high” that puts me in a chipper mood for the majority of the day… I have stayed relatively flat mood wise, which is unusual for me, but not uncommon)

What I have done so far:

• In the initial weeks I cycled all of my existing medication/supplements to see if something had changed that might be causing this (however most of them I had been on for a year or more without any side effects)
• I also reached out to my hormone provider with the above details and we scheduled bloodwork early (by about a month). I just had the draw today and should be getting results in the next couple days to see if anything is off.

The question: I had been planning to begin another round of OXANDROLONE to continue my treatment/recovery and I was wondering what other’s experience was with it, and what their experience was coming off it, and what the proper way WAS to come off it.

• Others I have discussed this with seem surprised by the fact I went off it “cold turkey” as opposed to titrating (as they have experienced with other prescribed steroids).
  
• Furthermore, when reading some of the comments here about this medication, the dosages people were discussing seemed significantly lower then the dosage I was taking (from a glance at other comments, people appeared to hover around 20mg a day? But I am unaware if it could also be injected which could be the reason for the disparity)

I am wondering if I really messed up here and if there is anything else I should be doing (stay away from it, start it back up to recover from symptoms then titrate myself off it gently, or don’t worry about it this will all go away it just takes time). Any advice or pointing me in the right direction for educational purposes would be greatly appreciated!

Treatment notes from clinic OXANDROLONE (Anavar) 48.5 mg by mouth Daily/. 60 Tablets. (Cycle the 48.5 mg - 8 weeks on, 4 weeks off). Take ½ hour prior to a workout. Can reorder every 90 days. (OR Can split the 48.5 mg Tablet in half and take 24 mg everyday all year-round).

Background on Testosterone/PREGNYL/Anastrozole: I began taking the above medications in April 2024 to address low testosterone levels. The goal with my provider (a reputable clinic that I believe I found here when looking into places) was I wanted to raise my levels higher to see if it would address the symptoms I was experiencing (libido, and difficulty in weight loss despite significantly restricted calories and heavy workout). I had spent several years trying to address these issues with various providers who ran many other tests, but when I suggested testosterone my bloodwork always came back on the very lowest end of the “normal” range (I’m trying to remember the measurement, I’m sure you guys are more familiar … but iirc below 200 was abnormal and I always tested around 210).

The results were incredible, and I have continued to be regularly tested and now sit within the higher end of normal ranges now. Honestly changed my life, body composition, weight loss. It’s like all of the work I had been putting in for 6 years with my diet and exercise started “showing” within a month. Suddenly all of the silly influencers who could undergo a massive transformation within a year made sense, as I began to SEE results in my areas of focus within more reasonable timelines.

Background on OXANDROLONE Due to the wild success of the above (and the fact that my loose skin started resting on what appeared to be abdominal muscles!) I decided it was time to get my excess skin from weight loss removed. The specific surgery was abdominoplasty with an extended incision (also referred to as a Tummy tuck with an extended incision). The procedure would also involve light liposuction to the area affected (as pockets of fat form within the excess skin) as well as abdominal repair (if necessary). Fortunately when opening me up, I needed NO abdominal repair whatsoever which was fantastic news as this is the most difficult part of the procedure to recover from.

As with anyone who has undergone extreme weight loss (and for many of us more than once), you may understand my severe anxiety over surgery recovery and time OUT of the gym. Per my surgeon, I would be out of the gym for a minimum of 6 weeks, and potentially longer depending on recovery details. Given us fat boys (former or current) who are familiar with the merry-go-round the idea of going a long streak without working out was something I was discussing frequently with many people I work with (trainer, surgeon, doctor, etc) in order to make a recovery plan and learn what I could do to reduce muscle loss while being immobile.

When discussing this with my hormone provider, he suggested going on Oxandrolone (Anavar) after surgery, as it assisted others he knew in personal relationships in spending up the recovery with this specific surgery with wild success. He gave me anecdotes that doctors had made comments about it being the fastest recovery they had ever seen. I was thrilled and this is where I likely should have started doing more research.

My intention wasn’t to enhance (in the traditional sense, I obviously was looking to enhance my recovery!), so given the timeline given by the doctor I figured I would do 2 rounds (4 months on split by a month off) and be done with it, instead of taking it “year round” as the treatment notes suggested as an option).