by Christian Thibaudeau
What to Take If You Take Anabolics
If you choose to use, then be smart about it and take these supplements to reduce your chances of needing an extra-large casket before your time.
Everyone should use health-boosting supplements. Before considering any supplement that helps you build more muscle, first take care of any nutritional deficiencies that affect your overall health. It only makes sense. But health-boosting supplements are even more important for "enhanced" lifters. After all, dying early really hampers future muscle growth.
The Dark Side
Many enhanced lifters say that steroids and growth hormone are safe when used intelligently. But any foreign substance that changes your physiology has potentially harmful effects. The ironic problem with "intelligent" drug use? The problems sneak up on you and arise more subtly, leading to long-term issues that could've been prevented.
Unless you get frequent blood work done, you don't know how your blood lipids are, how your cholesterol is, or the amount of liver and kidney stress you're experiencing. Most users don't even measure their blood pressure. These things don't always have obvious symptoms. That's why high blood pressure is called "the silent killer."
Pretty much all oral PEDs will mess up your lipid profile and cholesterol. And most oral steroids really put a strain on your liver. Heck, even an oral that seems safer, like Anavar, increases kidney stress, which is much worse than liver stress.
All steroids that cause water retention – Dianabol, Anadrol, testosterone, nandrolone, etc. – increase blood pressure. This is also true of several SARMs, peptides, and growth hormone. Anything that increases water retention increases blood pressure. Uncontrolled blood pressure is the most dangerous thing for steroid users.
Most steroids also thicken the blood. This is especially true of Equipoise and Anadrol, but testosterone in "bodybuilding" amounts also does it. Thicker blood increases blood pressure too, but it also makes the heart work a lot harder to push the blood through the system. This can lead to left ventricle hypertrophy, another cause of heart problems.
This isn't a scare tactic. But if you decide to go the enhanced route, instead of investing your money in supplements that trigger more muscle growth (you'll already get a maximum amount of growth from the anabolics), invest in supplements that help your health.
What Should the Enhanced User Take?
1. Fish Oil
Fish oil reduces blood pressure, decreases blood thickening, reduces inflammation, and generally improves cardiovascular health. It increases HDL/good cholesterol, decreases LDL/bad cholesterol, reduces the risk of blood clots, and improves blood flow.
Now, most steroid users are men, and all men have a higher risk of heart disease than women. The problem? Most omega-3 fatty acid supplements are unintentionally made for women: they have more EPA than DHA. Men have lower amounts of DHA despite eating the same amount of fatty acids as women. (Natural biosynthesis of DHA is a lot higher in women.) In a nutshell, men need more DHA than EPA.
All men, and especially enhanced men, should take three capsules of Flameout DHA-Rich Fish Oil (Buy at Amazon) daily. Flameout contains five times more DHA than EPA.
2. Micellar Curcumin
Curcumin, especially in the micellar form, reduces inflammation and can inhibit and even reverse left ventricle hypertrophy. Curcumin is arguably the most effective natural inflammation fighter and heart-health supplement.
The problem? Most turmeric/curcumin supplements aren't very biolavailable: your body can't absorb enough to reap all the health benefits. So be sure to use Micellar Curcumin (Buy at Amazon) which delivers 95 times more active curcumin into the bloodstream than piperine formulas.
3. Resveratrol
Resveratrol can increase HDL/good cholesterol, prevent damage to the blood vessels, and minimize negative estrogen effects. It also promotes cardiovascular health and exhibits prostate and liver protectant effects. Take two softgels every day using a high-absorption delivery system. Rez-V (Buy at Amazon) is the top choice.
4. Nattokinase
These natural enzymes appear to dissolve blood clots and plaque by breaking down the fibrin component. It may also lower blood pressure. Take 6,000 FU of nattokinase a day. That’s three capsules using this brand of Nattokinase (Buy at Amazon).
The Worst Supplements to Use
If you're enhanced, the worst thing for you to use is stimulants. Think about it. Your blood pressure might be elevated, your blood might be thicker, and you're taking a product that spikes blood pressure even more and increases heart rate. That's a recipe for long-term disaster.
T Nation earns from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. Read more about our policy.