Lipid panel shifts on low-dose Anavar, how low can HDL go safely?

Posted by wes_cycles in Safety & Side Effects - 5 points, 6 comments.

Started oxandrolone about 6 weeks ago for a short cut, 20 mg split twice daily, and my bloodwork from last week has me a bit concerned about the lipid side. HDL dropped from 52 to 38 mg/dL, LDL crept up from 98 to 116, and triglycerides are flat around 70. Fasting glucose and liver enzymes looked clean, ALT 22, AST 19, so the liver numbers are fine for now.

I have tracked HRV and sleep on my watch too, and my morning recovery scores are basically unchanged, so functionally nothing has shifted there. It is just the lipid picture that has me paying attention.

For those who have run Anavar longer term at similar ranges, what kind of HDL nadirs did you see, and how fast did it bounce back after stopping? Did anything in particular help recovery, fish oil dosing, duration off before rechecking, etc. Trying to figure out if 38 is something to ride out for another few weeks or if I should pull the pin now. Bloodwork is from a private panel, no doctor involved yet so will probably loop one in if it keeps sliding.

Comments

• optimizer612: HDL below 40 is where I start paying real attention, you are not in the danger zone yet but it can drop fast on orals. In my own experience running oxandrolone at similar doses, HDL bottomed around 32 after about 8 weeks and was back to 44 roughly 6 weeks after stopping, so recovery can be slower than people expect. High dose fish oil (around 4 g combined EPA and DHA daily) and cutting saturated fat seemed to slow the slide a little, but honestly nothing fully prevents it on a 17aa oral. I wo
• dana_d: That 32 to 44 recovery over 6 weeks tracks with what I have seen anecdotally... The HDL bounce back is not quick at all, even after stopping. The 17aa effect on HDL is brutal, no? Retest in 2 weeks is sensible advice. If it is still trending down, not worth pushing further for a cut. Cardiovascular fitness does not protect you from lipid shifts, that I learned the hard way 🙋
• weekendnate: Yeah that tracks with what I have seen on my own bloodwork too, the HDL drop is fast but the rebound really does take longer than you would think. My last run I added 4g fish oil and watched the curve flatten a bit around week 6, still fell another 4 points before I stopped though. Curious what your total cholesterol is doing, mine ran high the whole time and I am wondering if that matters more than HDL alone.
• wes_cycles: Yeah total chol ran 168 at baseline and is sitting at 182 now, so not a huge move but it did tick up. Triglycerides flat as I mentioned, which I guess is the only saving grace. I hear you on fish oil, I am already doing 2g but might bump it to your range and see if it helps. How long did you leave it before retesting post-cycle? I am trying to plan when to recheck without wasting a draw.
• wes_cycles: Yeah honestly the 17aa thing is what worries me more than the cut itself, since liver looked clean but lipids clearly took the hit. Good to hear your rebound was in that range though, gives me a realistic expectation instead of assuming 2 weeks off fixes everything. Going to give it 4 weeks post cycle before retesting and see where it lands. Did you do anything specific to nudge it back up or just time?
• wes_cycles: Yeah your 32 nadirs match the trajectory i was worried about, thats basically what im projecting if i stay on another 3-4 weeks. The slower recovery is what caught my eye, 6 weeks post to claw back 12 points is not nothing. Fish oil im already at 3g combined, might bump to 4g like you said and cut the saturated down a bit, diet is clean but theres room there. I think im going to set a hard line at 35 and stop, no point gambling for another few kilos when the HDL is the trade off.

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