Methenolone
Primobolan (enanthate, injectable) / Primobolan Depot; methenolone acetate (oral)
Evidence grade 2 of 5, Thin. Read how the Atlas grades evidence.
The written rationale for this grade is still being prepared.
- FDA
- No current US approval; available/approved in some countries historically for wasting/anemia (Schedule III in US)
- WADA
- Prohibited at all times (S1 Anabolic Agents).
Reference only. Not medical advice.
This is something to take to a clinician. The Atlas can tell you what is known about methenolone in general. It cannot tell you what is happening in your body, and the difference matters most for exactly the symptoms that bring people to this page.
Methenolone is a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derivative available historically as the injectable enanthate (Primobolan Depot) and an oral acetate form. Unlike most oral steroids it is not 17-alpha-alkylated (the oral uses 1-methylation), so it is comparatively less hepatotoxic, a reason for its 'mild' reputation. It had limited medical use abroad for wasting, anemia and convalescence. It does not aromatize. Its reputation as a 'safe' steroid is overstated: it still suppresses the HPTA, harms lipids, and is one of the most counterfeited AAS, so real-world products are frequently underdosed or mislabeled.
The 'mild' DHT-derivative with an outsized reputation and a heavily counterfeited supply.
What people take it for
These are the reasons people give for taking it. They are not effects it has been shown to have.
- Wasting/anemia/convalescence (historical, foreign)
- Used in some countries for catabolic states, anemia, and recovery; never broadly FDA-approved in the US.
How it is supposed to work
Methenolone binds the androgen receptor to support protein synthesis and erythropoiesis. As a DHT-derivative it does not aromatize, avoiding estrogenic effects, and its oral form resists hepatic breakdown via 1-methylation rather than 17-alpha-alkylation, which is why it is less hepatotoxic than typical orals.
5-alpha-DHT skeleton with a 1-methyl group and a 1,2 double bond; the oral form's 1-methylation (not 17aa) underlies its relatively lower liver burden.
'Mild' is relative, and the supply is suspect
Lower hepatotoxicity does not make methenolone benign: it suppresses the axis, depresses HDL, and carries the cardiovascular risks of the class. Because Primobolan commands premium prices, it is among the most counterfeited steroids, users frequently receive underdosed or entirely different compounds, so even self-reported 'mildness' may reflect adulteration.
Safety in detail
This intervention involves significant physiological effects and requires evaluation and monitoring by a qualified physician. Self-administration without medical oversight carries documented health risks.
- HPTA suppression despite 'mild' reputation.
- Adverse lipid changes (HDL suppression).
- Androgenic effects possible (DHT-derivative): hair loss, virilization in women.
- Pervasive counterfeiting, underdosing, mislabeling, contamination.
- Cardiovascular risk shared with the class.
Replacement is not the same as a cycle
Historical medical dosing was supervised; physique use is supraphysiological. 'Mild' refers to hepatotoxicity, not overall safety. No dosing guidance is provided here.
What it does to fertility
Suppresses LH/FSH and spermatogenesis; subfertility during use with variable recovery afterward.
What has to be monitored
The bloodwork this needs, and the reason it belongs with a clinician rather than a website.
- Lipid panel
- Hematocrit
- LH/FSH, testosterone
- Liver function
- Blood pressure
What people get wrong
Often said'Primobolan is so mild it is practically safe'
ActuallyLower hepatotoxicity and no aromatization do not eliminate HPTA suppression, lipid harm or cardiovascular risk; and heavy counterfeiting means the actual product is often not what is labeled.
Who profits, and who pushes back
Nobody is named here yet, because we have not done that work on this entry. Read that as unfinished. Somebody almost certainly sells this, and somebody almost certainly disputes it. Assume both until we have checked.
How we got here
Methenolone was introduced in the 1960s (Schering). The injectable Primobolan Depot and oral Primobolan acetate saw modest medical use abroad and acquired a reputation for tolerability that fueled long-running illicit demand and pervasive counterfeiting.
- 1960sMethenolone introduced (Schering)
- 20th c.Limited foreign medical use for wasting/anemia
- PresentIllicit physique use; among the most counterfeited AAS
At a glance
- Class
- DHT-derivative (methenolone)
- Forms
- Enanthate (injectable), acetate (oral, non-17aa)
- Aromatization
- None
- Hepatotoxicity
- Lower than 17aa orals (oral is 1-methylated)
What this entry does not yet cover
What follows is unfinished work on our side, not a finding about Methenolone. A short entry is not a safe entry.
- Cost and market. We have not documented what it sells for or who sells it.
- Supply chain. We have not mapped where it is made.
- Who uses it. We have not documented the user groups.
- What could change. No forward-looking summary yet.
- How it compares. We have not set it against the alternatives.
- Children and teenagers. We have not checked what is known about younger people.
- What can go wrong. We have not written the risk line for this one. Read the safety section below rather than treating its absence as reassurance.
- Where we land. We have not taken a position on this yet.
Sources
The studies below are named and described, but not linked. You cannot open them from here and check our reading against them, which means this page is our summary of the literature rather than a document you can verify. Weigh it accordingly until the links exist.
The studies that matter
Foreign clinical/registration literature on methenolone for wasting and anemia20th c.
Documents limited therapeutic role; robust modern human safety trials are lacking.
Pope et al., Endocrine Society Scientific Statement2014
Class-level harm context.