Metandienone
Metandienone (methandrostenolone) is a synthetic anabolic steroid taken by mouth that was once an approved medicine in the US. It is no longer approved in the UK, US or EU, and is known for its risk of liver injury.
Reference information, not medical advice. Enhanced Training Studio doesn't sell, supply or recommend any substance. Doses are left out on purpose: only a prescriber can set one. How this library is written.
What it is
Metandienone, also called methandienone or methandrostenolone, is a synthetic anabolic–androgenic steroid taken by mouth. It was once marketed as tablets in the US, but the FDA withdrew approval of generic tablets in the 1980s [1]. It is not among the anabolic steroids currently prescribed in the US [2]. It is a Schedule III controlled substance in the US and a Class C drug in the UK [3, 4].
How it works
Metandienone acts on the androgen receptor, like testosterone. Chemically it is a modified testosterone with a methyl group at carbon 17 (17α-alkylation) and an extra double bond [3]. The 17α-alkylated steroids are the group most often linked to liver injury, including cholestasis (a build-up of bile), peliosis hepatis (blood-filled cysts in the liver) and liver tumours [5].
Approved medical uses
None in people today.
In the US, metandienone tablets were once approved. In 1985 the FDA withdrew approval of generic methandrostenolone tablets, effective January 1986, after finding a lack of substantial evidence that the products had the effects they were claimed to have [1].
What the research shows
Most human evidence on metandienone is about harm: older studies in patients and case reports.
- Liver tests in treated patients. An older study followed liver tests in 30 patients given metandienone. About 27% developed raised liver enzymes (AST), which in some cases settled without stopping the drug [5].
- Serious liver case reports. LiverTox lists published cases of peliosis hepatis after long-term use, benign liver tumours (adenomas) in a young man after years of use, and a death from liver failure with severe jaundice [5].
- Non-medical use. A 2011 case report described a man who used metandienone for appearance reasons and developed severe cholestatic jaundice, acute pancreatitis and acute kidney injury. He recovered with supportive care [6].
- Heart. A 2015 case report described severe heart failure (cardiomyopathy) in a man using metandienone together with trenbolone and testosterone. Heart function improved after he stopped all steroids and received standard heart failure treatment [7].
- Wider evidence. Non-medical anabolic steroid use, usually of several drugs together at supraphysiological doses, is linked to an increased risk of death and to heart, mental health, hormonal, liver and kidney disorders [8].
Known risks and side effects
- Liver: raised liver enzymes, cholestatic jaundice, peliosis hepatis, liver adenomas, liver cancer and liver failure. Tumours tend to appear after years of use [5, 6].
- Kidneys and pancreas: acute kidney injury and acute pancreatitis have been reported [6].
- Heart and blood vessels: cardiomyopathy has been reported with steroid combinations including metandienone [7]; heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and deep vein thrombosis are reported with steroid misuse [9].
- Hormones and fertility in men: reduced sperm count, infertility, shrunken testicles, erectile dysfunction and breast development [9].
- Effects in women: facial and body hair growth, deepened voice, reduced breast size and enlargement of the clitoris [9].
- Mental health: aggression, mood swings and paranoia; dependence, with depression, anxiety and insomnia on stopping [9].
- Sport: metandienone is prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List [10].
Blood tests commonly monitored
There are no current official monitoring guidelines for metandienone, because it is no longer an approved medicine. In past clinical studies, liver tests were followed during treatment, and liver injury from 17α-alkylated steroids shows up as raised liver enzymes or cholestasis [5]. For testosterone, the closest approved medicine in this class, the Endocrine Society guideline recommends monitoring [11]:
- Testosterone level during treatment [11].
- Haematocrit (the proportion of red blood cells), with treatment withheld if it rises above 54% [11].
- PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in men, with urology referral for a confirmed rise [11].
Anyone who has used metandienone should talk to a doctor about appropriate tests.
If you and your doctor are monitoring treatment, Enhanced Training Studio keeps a private log on your phone: what you take and when, your blood test results over time, and how you feel. How tracking works.
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration. Bolar Pharmaceuticals Co., Inc.; Withdrawal of approval of abbreviated new drug applications for methandrostenolone tablets. Federal Register, vol. 50, 1985. Federal Register
- US Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division. Anabolic Steroids (drug and chemical information). DEA, 2025. DEA
- US Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 1308.13, Schedule III. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed 2026. LII
- Home Office. List of most commonly encountered drugs currently controlled under the misuse of drugs legislation. GOV.UK, 2025. GOV.UK
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Androgenic Steroids. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, NCBI Bookshelf, 2020. LiverTox
- Rosenfeld, Chang, Poulin, Kwan, Yoshida. Cholestatic jaundice, acute kidney injury and acute pancreatitis secondary to the recreational use of methandrostenolone: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2011. Journal of Medical Case Reports
- Han HC, Farouque O, Hare DL. Steroid-induced cardiomyopathy. Medical Journal of Australia, 2015. MJA
- Pope HG Jr, Wood RI, Rogol A, Nyberg F, Bowers L, Bhasin S. Adverse health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocrine Reviews, 2014. Endocrine Society
- NHS. Anabolic steroid misuse. NHS website, 2026. NHS
- World Anti-Doping Agency. World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026. WADA, 2025. WADA
- Bhasin S, Brito JP, Cunningham GR, et al. Testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2018. Endocrine Society
Related
Last reviewed 7 October 2026. General information, not medical advice. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].