ResearchSafe

Oxandrolone 20 mg daily and unexpected HDL drop – anyone else see it?

Posted by casey613 in Safety & Side Effects - 5 points, 4 comments.

I started on oxandrolone 20 mg split 10 mg twice a day after a long off‑season to help rebuild lean mass and keep my appetite in check, and over the last eight weeks I’ve been doing routine bloodwork. My HDL fell from 55 mg/dL at the start of the cycle to 48 mg/dL now, while LDL and triglycerides stayed flat. I didn’t notice any dramatic changes '|nutritional pattern|', I’m on a low‑carb diet and taking minoxidil topically for hair loss. I had mild upper‑abdominal discomfort a couple of times but my AST and ALT have never gone above the upper limit of normal, and the panel showed no other liver enzyme rise.

Comments

  • runner_aaron: I saw something similar when I tried a light cycle a while back, tbh. My HDL took a dive even though I thought my diet was spot on. It seemed like it happened regardless of how clean I ate. That abdominal discomfort is a bit weird though. For me, some light organ stress always felt like a dull ache before the bloods actually showed anything. Are you taking any fish oil or omega 3s to help with the lipids? I found that helped a bit in my own experience, but it could just be placebo. You should d
  • casey613: I’m not on fish oil yet, but I’ll start a 1‑gram daily dose to see if it nudges HDL back up; my low‑carb regime is still tight, so I’ll also bring it up with the GP to rule out any GI irritation.
  • coastal_chemist: Yeah, HDL drops on oxy are a known oddity, mine dipped too, even when I thought my diet was solid. For the stomachache, maybe it’s the low-carb syncing with the Oxy? I’ve had similar gut quirks when stressing my metabolism. Did you add omega-3s or cut back on anything else? Not a doc, but if it’s gnawing, maybe adjust one variable at a time.
  • casey613: Thanks, I haven’t added omega‑3s yet and I’m still on the low‑carb plan, so the gut buzz could be a metabolic sync issue like you mentioned. I’m thinking of dropping a 1‑gram fish‑oil capsule per day and maybe squeezing in a small carb snack post‑workout to see if the abdominal discomfortాల్స improves. Have you noticed any particular carb timing that helped your gut when the Oxy hit?

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