Steroids in tablets

Pros of steroids in tablets (oral steroids)

Comfortable

Oral steroids are very convenient to take. Just swallow the tablet with water and you're done. You also don't have to worry about the liver breaking down the substance and rendering it ineffective, as the most popular oral steroids are c17-alpha alkylated; this means that a large percentage of the compound will survive liver metabolism.

Quick results

Oral steroids, on average, have a shorter half-life than injectables, so they start working faster, delivering results within a few days. For example, testosterone undecanoate has a peak serum testosterone level 5 hours after ingestion. Consequently, oral preparations require more frequent doses in order to maintain high levels of exogenous testosterone in the body.

Shorter detection time

The detection time of oral steroids is usually shorter than that of injectables, so if you are trying to avoid drug testing and want all the compounds to leave your body as quickly as possible, oral preparations are more suitable.

However, there are exceptions to this rule: injectable steroids such as testosterone suspension have a detection time of only 1-2 days.

Cons of Oral Steroids

Bad for the heart

Oral steroids are generally worse for the heart because they lower HDL cholesterol more than injectables. HDL is a measure of good cholesterol, which when high can lower blood pressure and when low can raise it.

Many oral medications stimulate hepatic lipase, an enzyme present in the liver that lowers HDL cholesterol levels.

Thus, if your main goal is to protect the heart while taking steroids and maintain normal blood pressure, then injectable steroids (especially testosterone) are the best choice.

Liver toxicity

Oral medications are also hepatotoxic, meaning they put a strain on the liver, as evidenced by increased levels of the liver enzymes ALT and AST. Some bodybuilders don't worry too much about this side effect as the liver often regenerates after a cycle and has powerful self-healing properties.

However, there are exceptions to this rule: some oral drugs do not cause a significant load on the liver, such as Anavar or Testosterone Undecanoate.

biological value

The bioavailability of oral steroids can be significantly lower compared to injectable steroids if used incorrectly.

For example, oral steroids should not be taken with dietary fat, as many pills are fat soluble. Thus, most oral steroids should be taken without food for maximum benefit.

The only exception is testosterone undecanoate, which should be taken with a high-fat meal.