Nandrolone 50mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules
Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone or 19-norandrostenolone, is a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) derived from testosterone.
Minimal controls; includes benzodiazepines and anabolic steroids
Legal requirements and restrictions
Anabolic steroids and related substances. Possession for personal use is not an offence, but supply is controlled.
Legal requirements
- Prescriptions valid for 28 days
- No controlled drugs register required
- No safe custody requirements
- Import/export restrictions apply
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Nandrolone
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Nandrolone
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1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
2 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
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SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing all 29 studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 3 · Randomised trials: 1 · 2020–2026
Showing all 29 studies, sorted by most relevant.
F. Patanè, A. Liberto, Andreana Nicoletta Maria Maglitto, et al.
Medicina, 2020
- Nandrolone
- Anabolic Agents
- Nandrolone Decanoate
Background and Objectives: Androgens play a significant role in the development of male reproductive organs. The clinical use of synthetic testosterone derivatives, such as nandrolone, is focused on maximizing the anabolic effects and minimizing the androgenic ones. Class II anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), including nandrolone, are rapidly becoming a widespread group of drugs used both clinically and illicitly. The illicit use of AAS is diffused among adolescent and bodybuilders because of their anabolic proprieties and their capacity to increase tolerance to exercise. This systematic review aims to focus on side effects related to illicit AAS abuse, evaluating the scientific literature in order to underline the most frequent side effects on AAS abusers’ bodies. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of the scientific literature was performed using the PubMed database and the keywords “nandrolone decanoate”. The inclusion criteria for articles or abstracts were English language and the presence of the following words: “abuse” or “adverse effects”. After applying the exclusion and inclusion criteria, from a total of 766 articles, only 148 were considered eligible for the study. Results: The most reported adverse effects (found in more than 5% of the studies) were endocrine effects (18 studies, 42%), such as virilization, gynecomastia, hormonal disorders, dyslipidemia, genital alterations, and infertility; cardiovascular dysfunctions (six studies, 14%) such as vascular damage, coagulation disorders, and arteriosus hypertension; skin disorders (five studies, 12%) such as pricking, acne, and skin spots; psychiatric and mood disorders (four studies, 9%) such as aggressiveness, sleep disorders and anxiety; musculoskeletal disorders (two studies, 5%), excretory disorders (two studies, 5%), and gastrointestinal disorders (two studies, 5%). Conclusions: Based on the result of our study, the most common adverse effects secondary to the abuse of nandrolone decanoate (ND) involve the endocrine, cardiovascular, skin, and psychiatric systems. These data could prove useful to healthcare professionals in both sports and clinical settings.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Nicola Di Fazio, Gianpietro Volonnino, Michele Treglia, et al.
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 2025
The abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is associated with numerous adverse cardiovascular effects, including ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, and sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is a term that identifies a sudden death occurred due to cardiac conditions, congenital or acquired, particularly among young athletes and bodybuilders. This systematic review examines cases of AAS-related deaths, with a particular focus on autoptic, histopathological, immunohistochemical, and toxicological findings that highlight cardiac remodeling and myocardial damage. Numerous fatal cases were analyzed, primarily involving young men with a history of AAS abuse. Autopsy examinations revealed significant cardiac abnormalities such as left ventricular hypertrophy, coronary thrombosis, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Histopathological analyses showed focal myocardial necrosis, myocardial fiber disarray, and interstitial fibrosis, while immunohistochemical studies confirmed the presence of markers such as troponin T, fibronectin, and the C5b-9 complement complex, indicating inflammation, fibrosis, and necrosis. Toxicological analyses frequently detected testosterone, stanozolol, trenbolone, and nandrolone in blood, urine, and hair samples, confirming prolonged use of these substances. The results suggest that AAS-induced hypertrophy and fibrosis contribute to the pathogenesis of fatal arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, even in the absence of pre-existing coronary artery disease. This review highlights the importance of integrating histopathological, immunohistochemical, and toxicological analyses with autopsy findings in forensic investigations to accurately identify AAS-related deaths and develop prevention strategies to reduce the abuse of these substances, particularly among young athletes and bodybuilders.
Abstract licence: CC BY
M. Anstey, Ed Litton, Maryam Habibi, et al.
PLOS ONE, 2025
- Nandrolone
- Critical Care
- Intensive Care Units
BACKGROUND: Intensive care patients can experience significant long-term impairment in mobility and function caused by their critical illness. A potential contributory factor apart from critical illness polymyoneuropathy is the low levels of anabolic hormones in these patients. Testosterone levels in critically ill patients are extremely low, even in the latter recovery phase. A potential solution to critical illness myopathy may be to provide anabolic support in addition to standard care (early physiotherapy) to further improve gains in strength. RESEARCH QUESTION: This project aims to test whether a synthetic testosterone (nandrolone) improves muscle strength in ICU survivors compared to placebo. METHODS: GAINS 2.0 is a multicentre, randomised, double blinded placebo-controlled trial which will allocate ICU patients in a 1:1 ratio to nandrolone compared to placebo which commenced recruitment in July 2023. Adult patients admitted to the ICU, receiving nutrition for a minimum of 24 hours with an ICU stay of at least 5 days, or patients with significant weakness as result of their ICU stay (such that they are unable to mobilise independently) will be eligible to participate. Sample size will be 54 patients. Patients will be randomised to receive nandrolone 100mg (males) / 50mg(females) weekly for 3 weeks in addition to standard care. The co-primary outcomes are the time to walking with one person assisting (Intensive Care Mobility scale = 8 or more, in days from randomisation), change in muscle strength measured by the Medical Research Council (MRC) muscle strength sum score from enrolment to hospital discharge and number of days out of hospital up to day 90 post-discharge. Secondary outcomes are grip strength measured by hand-held dynamometry. SF-36 scores (quality of life and functional domains), and days to return to work, for those working pre-ICU, will be collected via a 3-month phone follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A previous pilot feasibility trial showed that nandrolone is safe and feasible. We hypothesize nandrolone will improve muscle strength and physical functioning at hospital discharge and at follow-up. The results of this trial may have significant interest to clinicians and patients considering the large and increasing number of patients surviving intensive care but with physical impairment. This trial may have significant implications on lowering hospital costs and daily adjusted life years. TRIAL REGISTRY: anzctr.org.au; No.: ACTRN12623000729628 URL: anzctr.org.au.
Abstract licence: CC BY
B. Mosallanejad, S. Gooraninejad, Annahita Rezaee, et al.
Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 2021
BACKGROUND: Stanozolol and Nandrolone decanoate are the most commonly used hormones in canine medi-cine. They are mainly administered to strengthen the muscle, gain weight, treatment of anemia and stimulate the appetite. One of the effects of hormones is to enhance the erythropoietin production and eventually an increase in the number of RBCs. OBJECTIVES: Prolonged usage of hormones may be relevant to the liver and renal disorders; therefore, the pre-sent survey was aimed to evaluate the effects of stanozolol and nandrolone decanoate on liver and kidney indices, erythropoietin and testosterone serum concentrations and hematocrit changes in healthy dogs. METHODS: Sixteen dogs were randomly categorized in two groups of A (stanozolol) and B (nandrolone decano-ate). Each group was divided into two subgroups (A1, A2 and B1, B2). The second testicle was removed on day 28 in the first subgroups (A1 and B1), and day 42 in the second subgroups (A2 and B2). The first testicle was removed at time zero. Stanozolol (50 mg per dog) was administered to all dogs of group A as IM once a week for six weeks. Group B was similar to group A with the difference that nandrolone decanoate was injected (1 mg/kg) instead of stanozolol. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 3, 14, 28 and 42. RESULTS: Erythropoietin and testosterone concentrations were virtually increased in both groups A (p <0.05) and B (p <0.05). The effect of stanozolol on erythropoietin (subgroup A1) (11.35±1.31 ng/mL) was significantly higher than nandrolone decanoate (subgroup B1) (8.02±0.55 ng/mL) (p <0.05); nevertheless, the changes in testosterone levels, was not significant between groups A and B (p >0.05). The liver enzymes of ALP, ALT and AST were increased more significantly in group A than group B (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Erythropoietin and testosterone levels were virtually increased in both groups A and B; how-ever, stanozolol had more significant effect than nandrolone decanoate in increment of erythropoietin; nevertheless, it had more side effects on liver indices. It is suggested that nandrolone decanoate to be administered for the thera-peutic goals.
Abstract licence: CC BY-SA
Asami Miyamoto, Masanori Ota, Mitsuhiko Sato, et al.
Drug testing and analysis, 2024
- Doping in Sports
- Nandrolone
- Testosterone
D. Hassan, S. Ghaleb, A. Zaki, et al.
BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology, 2023
- Nandrolone
- Silymarin
- Trigonella
BACKGROUND: Anabolic steroids (AS) are commonly abused by body builders and athletes aiming to increase their strength and muscle mass but unfortunately, the long-term use of AS may lead to serious side effects. Nandrolone Decanoate is one of the Class II anabolic androgenic steroids which quickly spread globally and used clinically and illicitly. Our research was directed to assess the toxic effects of anabolic steroids on cardiac and skeletal muscles in male albino rats and to evaluate the potential ameliorative effects of fenugreek seeds extract and silymarin. METHODS: Our research was done on 120 male albino rats that were allocated into 6 groups; group I: Served as a control group, group II: Received the anabolic steroid Nandrolone Decanoate, group III: Received silymarin orally, group IV: Received fenugreek seeds extract orally, group (V): Received the anabolic steroid Nandrolone Decanoate and silymarin and group (VI): Received the anabolic steroid Nandrolone Decanoate and fenugreek seeds extract. By the end of the study, rats were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis and autopsy samples for histopathological examination. RESULTS: The anabolic steroids toxic effects on rats showed a significant decrease in serum High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) level and increase in cholesterol, triglycerides, and Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) levels. There was a significant elevation in cardiac troponin I level. As regards to histopathological examination of the cardiac and skeletal muscles, the study showed marked degenerative changes and necrosis. Both silymarin and fenugreek seeds extract provided a protective effect on the biochemical and histopathological changes. The antioxidant effects of silymarin and fenugreek seeds extract were evaluated on the heart, skeletal muscles and showed that, the tissue levels of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase and reduced glutathione (GSH) decreased in AS treated rats compared to the control group. On the other hand, the tissue Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were elevated. CONCLUSIONS: Anabolic steroids have a toxic effect on the cardiac and skeletal muscles of albino rats with improvement by treatment with fenugreek seeds extract and silymarin.
Abstract licence: CC BY
S. Zelleroth, F. Stam, E. Nylander, et al.
Hormones and behavior, 2024
- Memory Disorders
- Nandrolone
- Testosterone
Long-term use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in supratherapeutic doses is associated with severe adverse effects, including physical, mental, and behavioral alterations. When used for recreational purposes several AAS are often combined, and in scientific studies of the physiological impact of AAS either a single compound or a cocktail of several steroids is often used. Because of this, steroid-specific effects have been difficult to define and are not fully elucidated. The present study used male Wistar rats to evaluate potential somatic and behavioral effects of three different AAS; the decanoate esters of nandrolone, testosterone, and trenbolone. The rats were exposed to 15 mg/kg of nandrolone decanoate, testosterone decanoate, or trenbolone decanoate every third day for 24 days. Body weight gain and organ weights (thymus, liver, kidney, testis, and heart) were measured together with the corticosterone plasma levels. Behavioral effects were studied in the novel object recognition-test (NOR-test) and the multivariate concentric square field-test (MCSF-test). The results conclude that nandrolone decanoate, but neither testosterone decanoate nor trenbolone decanoate, caused impaired recognition memory in the NOR-test, indicating an altered cognitive function. The behavioral profile and stress hormone level of the rats were not affected by the AAS treatments. Furthermore, the study revealed diverse AAS-induced somatic effects i.e., reduced body weight development and changes in organ weights. Of the three AAS included in the study, nandrolone decanoate was identified to cause the most prominent impact on the male rat, as it affected body weight development, the weights of multiple organs, and caused an impaired memory function.
Abstract licence: CC BY
A. Shirpoor, R. Naderi
Steroids, 2024
- Nandrolone Decanoate
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- NF-kappa B
A. Domingos, Fernando A. C. Seara, D. F. Oliveira, et al.
Steroids, 2023
- Nandrolone
- Myocardial Reperfusion Injury
- Antioxidants
M. Polet, P. Van Eenoo, L. Brooker, et al.
Drug testing and analysis, 2024
- Carbon Isotopes
- Doping in Sports
- Nandrolone
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Investigational
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
Not available
Mechanism
Not available
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
1 target
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 194 interactions
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:19022849
Transcription factor activity is modulated by bound coactivator and corepressor proteins like ZBTB7A that recruits NCOR1 and NCOR2 to the androgen response elements/ARE on target genes, negatively regulating androgen receptor signaling and androgen-induced cell proliferation .
PMID:20812024
Transcription activation is also down-regulated by NR0B2. Activated, but not phosphorylated, by HIPK3 and ZIPK/DAPK3
ATC S01XA11
ATC A14AB01
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Nandrolone
Additional database identifiers
ChemSpider
9520
BindingDB
50080092
PDB
6VW
ZINC
ZINC000003814379
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:644
GenAtlas
AR
GeneCards
AR
GenBank Gene Database
M20132
GenBank Protein Database
178628
Guide to Pharmacology
628
UniProt Accession
ANDR_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q421709), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.