Prostanozol
A stanozolol-related designer steroid sold widely in 'prohormone' supplements in the mid-2000s until regulators identified it. Structurally close to winstrol but lacking the C17 methyl group; human data are limited to anecdote and analytical seizures.
01 Overview
Prostanozol ([3,2-c]pyrazole androstane derivative) was marketed as a legal supplement ingredient before being named and controlled by US authorities in 2012. It shares the pyrazole ring of stanozolol but differs in substitution, and it was often mislabelled or sold under proprietary names.
No controlled human efficacy or safety studies exist. Understanding of its effects is extrapolated from its structural similarity to stanozolol and from user reports.
02 Mechanism
Androgen-receptor agonist with a fused pyrazole ring reducing aromatisation; acts like a mild, non-estrogenic anabolic in the stanozolol family.
03 Dosing
| Tier | Dose | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anecdotal | 20–50 mg/day | Oral | Supplement-era label ranges; not clinically validated. |
Ester comparison
| Ester | Half-life | Injection freq. | Testosterone by mass |
|---|
04 Effects
| Effect | Magnitude | Evidence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean / non-estrogenic gainsReported for dry strength gains without water retention, by analogy to stanozolol. | unquantified | Anecdotal | |
| Anabolic activityStructural analogues show moderate anabolic activity. | moderate in assay | Preclinical |
05 Side effects
| Effect | Severity | Frequency | Evidence | Countermeasures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPTA suppressionTestosterone suppression expected from any exogenous androgen. | Moderate | Expected | Anecdotal | |
| Adverse lipid changesNon-aromatising DHT-type androgens tend to lower HDL. | Moderate | Class-typical | Preclinical |