Disclaimer: I’ve not used AAS, although I have used Tribex
and Androsol. Recently, I’ve become fascinated by the
psychological effects of AAS. People have stated that
varying AAS drugs effect them in varying ways (mentally).
For example, some people say nandrolone makes them,
sluggish and weepy, others say trenbolone makes them feel
angry. Some say T, makes them feel great, others say it
makes them irritable. Some say winstrol gives them more
energy; some say they notice no mental effects from
primobolan. Some people say that certain AAS can reduce
the amount of sleep they need. Personally, Tribex makes me
feel (mentally) great, but Androsol makes me feel
(mentally) irritable. Obviously dosage plays a role here
too. So I am looking for feedback of peoples experiences of
the psychological effects of various AAS substances. If you
want to comment on how a given AAS effected you sex drive,
that’s ok too, but that is not my main focus of this
message. I’m mostly interested in how synthetic AAS compare
psychologically to plain T. Also, I think this general
topic could make for a fascinating artivle for T-mag.
I think that you are getting the right info more or less. I think that deca made me a bitch. fina or tremblone mad me almost kill my roomate 3 or 4 times. primo I had no real side affects besides it killed my sex drive. test mad me angry.and winny I did not really notice anything.
iI believe what you want are physiological effects and psychological ones. Energy/sluggishness and sex drive changes are physiological effects. Anger/“feeling mentally great” would be your psychological effects. Just a thought.
That’s a good point you brought up about the psychological effects of different compounds. Event the slightest little bit of T makes me feel weird as hell…get anxiety really bad, hard to sleep, can’t concentrate, get short-winded, and this is even off a very miniscule dosage like a couple of Androderm patches per day…Weird I know, but also I get very very good strength and muscle results off even that pathetic of a dose. Even tribex, the first time I took it effected me a little strongly for abou the first 3 days…I thought for even tribex or a very low dose t to be so sensitive to my system i must have a low T level so i went and got it tested and it was actually quite high. So I guess I must just have very clean, open receptors for it or something. I guess people have a large variability in their response to a certain level…this is why it kind’ve irks me when I hear people giving advice telling 21 yr old 150 lb guys who have never touched a thing in their life to start off their cycle by doing a gram per week of testosterone.
Scott, you are right: energy and sex drive are more
physiological aspects, and as I mentioned in my origional
post, those are not what I’m most interested in. I
should have made that more clear by not even mentioning
the energy/sex drive thing, and just focused on the
psychological effects. EG, angry, happy, sad, etc…
Also, I forgot to mention: if anyone knows of any formal
research studying the effects of AAS on brain function, or
where I could find such information, please let me know. I
would be very interested in getting any such research
papers. Thanks.
I'm currently doing a search on Medline/PubMed for references to the psychologcial effects of AAS and the effects of AAS on brain function. I'll post what I find here. If anyone else comes up with anything, post it here. So far this is all I've found, (and this isn't anything new):
"Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000 Feb;57(2):133-40; discussion 155-6
Effects of supraphysiologic doses of testosterone on mood
and aggression in normal men: a randomized controlled
trial.
Pope HG Jr, Kouri EM, Hudson JI
Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont,
MA 02178, USA. pope@mclean.harvard.edu
BACKGROUND: Field studies of illicit anabolic-androgenic
steroid users suggest that some develop manic or aggressive
reactions to these drugs-a potential public health problem.
However, controlled laboratory evaluations of these effects
remain limited. METHODS: In a randomized, placebo
controlled, crossover trial, we administered testosterone
cypionate for 6 weeks in doses rising to 600 mg/wk and
placebo for 6 weeks, separated by 6 weeks of no treatment,
to 56 men aged 20 to 50 years. Psychiatric outcome measures
included the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Point
Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (a computerized
provocation test of aggression), the Aggression
Questionnaire of Buss and Perry, the Symptom
Checklist-90-R, daily diaries of manic and depressive
symptoms, and similar weekly diaries completed by a
“significant other” who knew the participant well. RESULTS:
Testosterone treatment significantly increased manic scores
on the YMRS (P = .002), manic scores on daily diaries (P =
.003), visual analog ratings of liking the drug effect (P
= .008), and aggressive responses on the Point Subtraction
Aggression Paradigm (P = .03). Drug response was highly
variable: of 50 participants who received 600 mg/wk of
testosterone cypionate, 42 (84%) exhibited minimal
psychiatric effects (maximum YMRS score, <10), 6 (12%)
became mildly hypomanic (YMRS score, 10-19), and 2 (4%)
became markedly hypomanic (YMRS score, > or =20). The 8
“responders” and 42 “nonresponders” did not differ
significantly on baseline demographic, psychological,
laboratory, or physiological measures. CONCLUSIONS:
Testosterone administration, 600 mg/wk increased ratings of
manic symptoms in normal men. This effect, however, was not
uniform across individuals; most showed little
psychological change, whereas a few developed prominent
effects. The mechanism of these variable reactions
remains unclear."
Here is another study on test cyp. This one is interesting
because it observes an (abritrary) threshold of 500mg/week
as the amount needed to exert psychological effects.
"Biol Psychiatry 1999 Feb 1;45(3):254-60 Related Articles, Books
Psychosexual effects of three doses of
testosterone cycling in normal men.
Yates WR, Perry PJ, MacIndoe J, Holman T,
Ellingrod V
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oklahoma
College of Medicine, Tulsa 74129-1077, USA.
BACKGROUND: Testosterone is receiving increased
attention for contraceptive and therapeutic
indications. The potential psychosexual side
effects of testosterone therapy and withdrawal are
unclear. METHODS: Healthy men between the ages
of 21 and 40 years were recruited via
advertisement for a randomized, controlled,
double-blind study of acute and withdrawal effects
of three doses of testosterone. Two weeks of
placebo injections were followed by one of three
randomized weekly doses of testosterone cypionate
(100 mg, 250 mg, or 500 mg) for the next 14 weeks.
Twelve weeks of placebo injections followed during
the withdrawal phase of the study. Psychosexual
effects were monitored throughout the study.
RESULTS: All doses of testosterone demonstrated
only minimal effects on measures of mood and
behavior during acute and withdrawal phases for
all study completers. There were no effects on
psychosexual function. There was no evidence of a
dose-dependent effect on any measure. One
noncompleter on 500 mg of testosterone developed a
brief syndrome with symptoms similar to an
agitated and irritable mania. CONCLUSIONS: Doses
of testosterone up to five times physiologic
replacement dose appear to have minimal risk of
adverse psychosexual effects in the majority of
normal men; however, beginning at around 500 mg
per week of testosterone cypionate, a minority of
normal men may experience significant adverse
psychological effects. Because illicit anabolic
steroid users may use larger doses of multiple
drugs under less restrictive conditions, our study
may significantly underestimate the psychological
effect of steroid use in the community."
Here is a study done on rats that may or may not have any
relevance to humans. The results indicate that deca
increases endorphin levels in rat brains and that this
effect on opiod/endorphin receptors might cause it to be
psychologically addictive. If it has the same effect
throughout the body that may be why your joints feel so
good on it.
"Neurosci Res 1997 Feb;27(2):185-9
Anabolic androgenic steroids increase beta-endorphin levels in the ventral tegmental area in the male rat brain.
Johansson P, Ray A, Zhou Q, Huang W, Karlsson K, Nyberg F
Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Biological Research on Drug Dependence, Uppsala, Sweden.
The levels of beta-endorphin and Met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe (MEAP) immunoreactivity in various brain regions (including amygdala, cortex, hippocampus, hypothalmus, nucleus accumbens, pituitary and ventral tegmental area) were studied in male rats subjected to daily intramuscular injections during 14 days of high doses (5 and 15 mg/kg) of the anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS), nandrolone decanoate. At the nandrolone dose of 15 mg/kg a significant (about 20-fold) increase in beta-endorphin levels in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was observed. The steroid did not significantly affect the concentration of the peptide at any dose in other brain areas examined. The levels of MEAP remained unaltered in all studied regions. A slight increase in serum concentrations of both peptides was also found but this elevation was not statistically significant. The observed increase in beta-endorphin in VTA was suggested to be involved in a mechanism by which the steroid may influence the reward system in the brain. An opioid mediated stimulation of the reward system following injection of AAS supports a previous hypothesis that AAS may induce psychological dependence."
The following study was also done on rats, so it too may
or may not be applicable to humans. But this study is
awsome. It indicates that stanozolol and test cyp. can
bind to the benzodiazepine receptors (benzodiazepines
are used as tranquilizers) in the brain, blocking their
action. This could be why people feel more energetic,
irritable and have trouble sleeping while using these.
Kelly, this could also explain why you experience anxiety
when using supps that increase T. This study also goes on
to state that deca and methyltest had no effect of the
benzodiazepine receptors.
You know, you guys should be paying me to do this research. :-)
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1996 Aug;58(5-6):551-5
Direct interactions of androgenic/anabolic steroids with the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor in rat brain: implications for the psychological and physiological manifestations of androgenic/anabolic steroid abuse.
Masonis AE, McCarthy MP
Department of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, U.S.A.
The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) is a mitochondrial protein involved in regulating steroid synthesis and transport. We report here the effects of androgenic/anabolic steroids (AAS) on the binding of the PBR-specific ligand [3H] PK11195 to male rat brain cortical synaptoneurosomes. Two synthetic AAS, stanozolol and 17beta-testosterone cypionate (17beta-cyp), significantly inhibited 1 nM [3H] PK11195 binding at concentrations greater than 5 and 25 microM, respectively. Stanozolol was the most effective inhibitor, reducing [3H] PK11195 binding by up to 75%, compared to only 40% inhibition by 17beta-cyp, at 50 microM AAS concentration. Two other AAS, 17alpha-methyltestosterone and nortestosterone decanoate, were incapable of inhibiting [3H] PK11195 binding at concentrations up to 50 microM. On the basis of Scatchard/Rosenthal analysis, [3H] PK11195 binds to two classes of binding sites, and the inhibition of [3H] PK11195 binding by stanozolol appears to be allosteric, primarily reducing binding to the higher affinity [3H] PK11195 binding site. These results, in combination with earlier studies indicating the direct effects of AAS on the function of additional central nervous system receptor complexes, suggest that the behavioral and psychological effects of AAS result from the interactions of AAS with multiple regulatory systems in the brain.
Here are the results of a double blind JAMA study that
specifically looked at the psychological effects of
methyltest on prior non-AAS users. What I want to know is
how I can get in on some of these studies. 
"JAMA 1993 Jun 2;269(21):2760-4
Neuropsychiatric effects of anabolic steroids in male normal volunteers.
Su TP, Pagliaro M, Schmidt PJ, Pickar D, Wolkowitz O, Rubinow DR
Section on Behavioral Endocrinology, National Institute of Mental Health/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the acute effects of anabolic steroids on mood and behavior in male normal volunteers. DESIGN--A 2-week, double-blind (subject and rater), fixed-order, placebo-controlled crossover trial of methyltestosterone. SETTING--An inpatient research unit at the National Institutes of Health. SUBJECTS--A volunteer sample of 20 men who were medication free, free of medical and psychiatric illness, not involved in athletic training, and had no prior history of anabolic steroid use. INTERVENTION--A sequential trial for 3 days each of the following four drug conditions: placebo baseline, low-dose methyltestosterone (40 mg/d), high-dose methyltestosterone (240 mg/d), and placebo withdrawal.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Mood and behavioral ratings were completed during each drug condition and included both subjective and objective measures. RESULTS--Significant (P < .05) albeit subtle increases in symptom scores were observed during high-dose methyltestosterone administration compared with baseline in positive mood (euphoria, energy, and sexual arousal), negative mood (irritability, mood swings, violent feelings, and hostility), and cognitive impairment (distractibility, forgetfulness, and confusion). An acute manic episode was observed in one of the 20 subjects, representing a 5% incidence, even under these conservative conditions. An additional subject became hypomanic. Baseline characteristics including family psychiatric history or previous drug abuse did not predict symptom changes. CONCLUSION--This is the first placebo-controlled prospective study demonstrating the adverse and activating mood and behavioral effects of anabolic steroids."
The following study indicates that T, nandrolone, Dbol
and Anadrol may elevate dopamine levels in the brain. And
as users of Power Drive know, dopamine is an important
neurotransmitter for concentration and athletic performance
"Br J Pharmacol 1999 Mar;126(6):1301-6
Increased dopaminergic and 5-hydroxytryptaminergic activities in male rat brain following long-term treatment with anabolic androgenic steroids.
Thiblin I, Finn A, Ross SB, Stenfors C
Department of Forensic Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
1. The effects of treating groups of rats with four different anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) (testosterone, nandrolone, methandrostenolone, and oxymetholone) on 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) neurones in different brain regions were examined. The AAS was injected six times with 1 week's interval and the rats were sacrificed 2 days after the final injection. 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), DA and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured. The effect on DA and 5-HT synthesis rate was analysed as the accumulation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-alanine (DOPA) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), respectively, after inhibition of the amino acid decarboxylase with NSD-1015 (3-hydroxy-benzylhydrazine dihydrochloride). Additionally, the monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was analysed in the hypothalamus. 2. The DOPAC + HVA/DA ratio was increased in the striatum in all treatment groups. However, the synthesis rate of DA was significantly increased only in the methandrostenolone treated group. 3. The 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio was increased in all treatment groups in the hippocampus, in the frontal cortex in the methandrostenolone-treated animals and in the hypothalamus in the testosterone- and oxymetholone-treated rats, while the 5-HT synthesis rate was not affected by the AAS-treatments. 4. The MAO-A activity was increased in the oxymetholone-treated rats while the other treatment groups were unaffected. The MAO-B activity was not changed. 5. The results indicate that relatively high doses of AAS increase dopaminergic and 5-hydroxytryptaminergic metabolism in male rat brain, probably due to enhanced turnover in these monaminergic systems."
Since I’m the only person who’s posted to this thread, I’m
going to assume that no one else gives a shit about this
topic. If so, I’m just gonna let it go. If you guys have
an interest, give me some feedback, and preferably some
first hand subjective psychological experiences from this
stuff.
BTW, I haven't been able to find any studies/references to the psychological effects of trenbolone or methenolone. All the studuies seem to use T, deca, stan, Dbol, anadrol or methyltest. Mostly T and deca. Haven't found any of the others yet.
Kelly…in defense of Brock or whomever you say “irks you, when someone tells a 150lb 21 year old to do a gram or more”
Hey, I can say first hand that, if I had a chance to do my “first cycle” over again, I would have done things totally different. I tried Anadrol-50 when I was in my thirties, it was the first time I had done anything. I took 2 daily, until I ran out ten days later (they were given to me). Anyway, I gained ten pounds in those ten days. I looked and felt superhuman. Too bad I didn’t know what an ideal cycle was or how to keep my gains. Can you imagine what I could have done, had I been given the proper advice. That is what those guys are doing, giving advice to someone, not asking for your permission to do so. Don’t be so quick to “judge”. Its folks like Brock, Brian, Bill and the late Dan, who help us all not screw up. They give advice based on what is asked. Its much better to get this information, than it is to just guess or take the advice of the local dealer. No matter what you think…Your first cycle is always your best cycle. Don’t piss it away. As far as psychological effects, well I always tell guys to be prepared for it. When I started to lose it, I realized it was the drug. This usually settled me back to reality. Heck, even Tribex effects you, so what’s the difference.
Bodz I am not being so quick to judge. As someone who has and had respected, researched, read, and listened to all those people you talk about most of what they say I agree with. However I do think you have to take the individual differences into consideration too and can’t just assume everyone is going to respond the same way. I only made that statement after much thought…So now tell me…would you recommend a close 20 yr. old personal friend of yours to start off with a gram per week of T??