Trenbolone Side Effects

You won’t find anyone daring to argue that Trenbolone isn’t the most powerful steroid developed to date. It’s extreme anabolic and androgenic potency hold it high above the pack, but there’s more to Trenbolone than just big numbers.

It’s a steroid that is often misunderstood and when you don’t fully understand how a steroid works and what it can and can’t do, you’ll never be able to know if it’s one you should be using. I don’t blame people for not “getting” Trenbolone; it’s a pretty complex steroid and your decision to use it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The list of side effects of Trenbolone are longer than you’ll find with any other compound and below I cover every single aspect of the potential adverse effects of Trenbolone because it’s an absolute must that you’re aware of what you could be in for when using Tren.

Author’s Note: The following guide is based on my personal experience and does NOT promote the illegal use of steroids (PEDs).

What is Trenbolone (Tren)

Trenbolone is a slight modification of the well known Nandrolone hormone. You might already be familiar with Nandrolone in the form of the steroid Deca-Durabolin. Even though the changes to the chemical structure seem minimal, it results in some substantial differences between these two popular steroids.

Firstly we have the most obvious benefit of Trenbolone and that’s it huge anabolic and androgenic numbers: 500 for each compared to 100 for testosterone. A steroid that’s five times more powerful than testosterone has gotta come with some colossal effects on the body.

Tren is in a category called 19-nor compounds which comes with its own set of properties, but of greatest interest to us is the way this modification makes Trenbolone resistant to estrogen conversion.

Unfortunately it doesn’t mean Tren comes without estrogenic type side effects, as you will learn below, because the very fact that Trenbolone is a 19-nor compound means it is also a progestin and that comes with its own set of side effects.

This is one confusing area of concern that new Tren users can be naive to, and get quite a surprise when they start experiencing estrogenic effects which they thought were not possible with Trenbolone. Don’t let that happen to you because you will want to be prepared to combat whatever adverse effects rear their head once you start a Tren cycle.

What does Trenbolone do?

Trenbolone is a very powerful mass building steroid and it can build this muscle with virtually no water retention because Trenbolone does not convert to estrogen. You can expect your gains to be clean lean muscle with the bonus effects of hardening that Trenbolone provides.

It’s not just outright muscle gains that Tren is valued for; it’s huge strength gains feed into your muscle building efforts. It’s entirely possible to gain 10lbs to 15lbs in just 4 weeks on Tren. Extending a cycle to 8 weeks an see you adding an immense 25lbs. These sorts of numbers are difficult to obtain with almost any other steroid.

Cutting is a legitimate and common use of Trenbolone as well. Tren has an amazing ability to keep you in an anabolic state while dieting, so you continue to burn fat without becoming catabolic and losing muscle mass.

The very strong androgen receptor binding of Trenbolone can actually lead it to directly promote fat loss, giving you the double edged sword of actively losing fat and maintaining muscle with the one compound. Despite this, some users will still stack Trenbolone with other cutting steroids like Winstrol for an even more pronounced effect.

One of the less talked about benefits of Trenbolone could in fact be considered its greatest asset. The way that Tren improves nutrient efficiency is a benefit that comes to us from this steroid’s use to grow cattle. In the farming world they call this “feed efficiency“.

Tren simply helps you to get more out of what you’re eating. Your body gets more value from the calories you’re putting in, making more of it available for muscle growth. Of course, you’ll need to be eating right to benefit from this function of Trenbolone.

Something of critical importance that all potential Trenbolone users should know is this: you can get all of the benefits of this steroid at low doses. The very impressive physique improvements that Trenbolone delivers, and delivers quickly, do not require high doses. And as you’ll see below as I outline some of the very concerning side effects of this compound, you will most likely be wanting to keep your Tren dose as low as possible.

Side Effects Unique to Trenbolone

When we’re using most other anabolic steroids, there’s a pretty good idea of what sort of side effects you can expect. Most steroids share a similar side effect profile, but Trenbolone is a bit of an outlier.

It comes with a range of extra potential side effects that not many other steroids will cause, at least not to the extent that these adverse effects can present themselves with Tren. And a small number are virtually completely unique to Trenbolone.

If you had no idea about any of Trenbolone’s more unique side effects which are described below, you would likely be panicking at what you’re feeling. This is what you should know about some of Trenbolone’s more unique negative effects:

Excessive sweating (Increased perspiration)

Incidences of increased sweating are reported much more often with Trenbolone than with other steroids. The most likely reason for the excessive perspiration is due to the raised metabolic rate that Tren causes. You might notice that you’re sweating more at night while sleeping (which can in turn feed into one of Tren’s other notorious side effects described below).

So although this isn’t a serious side effect, it’s one that can be uncomfortable and annoying. In more severe cases, you might sweat so much you become dehydrated so keeping up water intake is essential.

Trensomnia (Insomnia/sleep-disturbance)

Disturbances to your sleep and even outright insomnia can be so bad with Trenbolone that they’ve even got their own nickname. “Trensomnia” is probably a result of Trenbolone’s impact on the nervous system which will play havoc with your body clock, along with causing anxiety which in itself can result in sleeping problems.

You might be lucky enough not to experience this side effects, but countless Tren users do and it can range from mild to moderate inability in falling or staying asleep, right up to severe insomnia where you’re barely getting any sleep at all.

In the worst cases, some guys will turn to medications or other sleeping aids to address this issue because if you’re not sleeping well, your results and performance are in jeopardy.

Tren-dick (Erectile dysfunction and libido issues)

Any suppressive steroid is going to cause low testosterone, but Trenbolone is well known to be one of then most suppressive of all. It’s not unusual for it to cause a complete shutdown of testosterone, with erectile dysfunction and libido problems being just two of many possible side effects of low testosterone.

Thankfully this particular side effect is easily avoided because it comes about as a result of your Tren dose being too high, and not enough exogenous testosterone being supplied to meet your needs. It’s simply essential that you’re including a form of testosterone in your Trenbolone which at the very least needs to be at a hormone replacement dosage.

Tren-cough

Exactly what causes Tren cough has been difficult to pinpoint, but the steroids activation of inflammatory and blood vessel narrowing prostaglandins is a likely cause at least in some part. When the smooth muscle of the lung’s bronchial wall vasoconstricted, the cough reaction can be triggered which essentially feels like an uncontrollable coughing fit.

The initial cause is thought to be when the oil based injectable solution inadvertently reaches tiny capillaries, allowing access to the bloodstream. While it’s easy to avoid large veins when injecting, avoiding tiny blood vessels that you can’t see is usually a matter of luck.

The cough usually starts right after injecting and can last from a few seconds up to several minutes. Some people will only feel a slight wheezing while for others it will be a full on cough or sensation of difficulty breathing.

Increased aggression and irritability

Steroids in general have a reputation for causing “roid rage”, but it’s not a major problem with most compounds. With Trenbolone it’s another story because this steroid can absolutely cause a dramatic shift in mood. The higher your dose, the more likely you are to have more severe aggression issues.

Exactly how this plays out in your life will greatly depend on your personality: some guys can channel it all into the gym without it spilling out into their personal life, but if you’re already someone who suffers a short fuse and general irritability, Tren is going to make it considerably more pronounced. You’ll then have to consider what impact this has on your work and personal relationships to decide whether Trenbolone is really worth using for you.

Progesterone and Prolactin related gynecomastia issues

Trenbolone is considered a progestin and this causes it to deliver some unwanted side effects related to progesterone. Additionally, Trenbolone causes an increase in prolactin levels. This combination gives us some of those very same side effects that are well known as estrogenic side effects when using other steroids. This includes gynecomastia and possibly bloating.

Most users will find that water retention isn’t such an issue, but gyno can certainly become severe with Trenbolone if you don’t control it. You can use the same anti-estrogen or aromatase inhibitors that are used with other steroids to combat this side effect as a result of progesterone. When it comes to increased prolactin, other drugs are available that reduce prolactin levels, and Trenbolone users would be well advised to consider use of an anti-prolactin medication.

Estrogenic Side Effects

Trenbolone is not an estrogenic steroid. There’s no estrogenic activity at all with this steroid. But the story doesn’t end there. Unfortunately this doesn’t mean you can get away without any estrogenic type side effects, because Trenbolone comes with powerful progesterone receptor affinity. This means gynecomastia can still develop, and in some cases it can develop quite severely.

For those not familiar with the inner workings of Trenbolone before using it, this can be quite a shock. When you aren’t prepared for gyno to develop, you run the risk of it getting out of control and it can be severe with Trenbolone. Having an anti-estrogens and aromatase inhibitor on hand is therefore vital for a Trenbolone cycle, just as you would with most other steroids.

Androgenic Side Effects

Trenbolone comes with a massive androgenic rating of 500. That’s five times the value of Testosterone. So we can expect the side effects to be significantly magnified compared to what you’d experience even at high doses of testosterone.

And you are almost certain to suffer with these androgenic side effects even when using Trenbolone at the lowest doses, that’s just how potent it is. But as with any androgenic side effects, each individual has their own experience. You could be one of the lucky ones who isn’t genetically predisposed and get away with minimal androgenic effects.

The two main areas of concern are an increase in acne and oily skin, and loss of head hair or male pattern baldness. Tren is a very strong androgen so if your genes say you are prone to acne or hair loss is in your future, it’s virtually certain you’ll be seeing these effects while on Tren. The acne will disappear once you stop, but the hair loss is permanent without some form of treatment.

Another possible androgenic side effect is prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), which is more likely after using Trenbolone for long periods of time or at high doses. If allowed to progress, BPH can bring about problems with your bladder, urinary tract or kidneys.

Hepatotoxic Side Effects

All steroids will cause stress to the liver and kidneys to some extent, and Trenbolone is no exception. But despite its immense power, Tren is not thought to present any greater risks to the liver and kidneys than other steroids. As always, if you have existing liver or kidney issues then Trenbolone use should be avoided altogether.

Those who are healthy and who stick to moderate doses and short cycles with suitable breaks in between will minimize risks to these vital organs. You should be aware that it’s common for urine color to become darker when using Trenbolone, and this is often mistaken for blood or a sign of kidney toxicity, but the most common reason is the normal oxidation of Trenbolone resulting in a dark rusty color.

HPTA and Endogenous Testosterone Production Side Effects

HPTA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis) shutdown is an almost certain side effect of Tren. It will shut down testosterone production quite severely and quickly.

Many other steroids will suppress testosterone to some degree, but Tren is well known for its harsh and efficient ability to virtually shut it down completely even if you’re only taking low doses. Including exogenous testosterone at 100mg to 200mg weekly in your Trenbolone cycle is absolutely essential to avoid symptoms of low testosterone.

Cardiovascular Side Effects

You might not hear a lot about the cardiovascular side effects of Trenbolone, but they certainly exist. What we mostly mean by these types of side effects are impacts on cholesterol and blood pressure.

Tren is proven to negatively impact cholesterol, and it’s just a matter of how severe this could be for you as an individual. Studies have shown that Trenbolone can definitely cause a lowering of HDL (good) cholesterol levels, while raising LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Trenbolone can also cause reduced cardio output in some users. This results in you having less capacity for endurance and intense cardio training. Asthmatics in particular can feel a concerning difficulty in breathing. This makes Trenbolone a steroid that is not particularly suited for endurance athletes.

Is Trenbolone Safe?

We can never say that any steroid is safe to use for bodybuilding or performance purposes. While a few other steroids have medical approval for use in humans at low doses, Trenbolone isn’t one of them. This means not only is Tren not deemed suitable for human use at what would be a very low dosage if used medically, we have no solid information about what higher doses and long term use does to the body.

All we have are anecdotes from users which, while helpful, is hardly scientific. All this means is you’re taking a gamble by buying Trenbolone. We know what most of the side effect risks are, it’s just a matter of how badly you as an individual will be affected. So Trenbolone can not be described as “safe”, because we’re talking about a substance that can put a lot of strain on your heart because of its negative impact on cholesterol, and this on its own is enough to take any notion of “safe” away from Trenbolone.

FAQs

Does Trenbolone cause hair loss?

Being a very powerful androgen, Trenbolone comes with some equally powerful androgenic side effects and possible hair loss (or male pattern baldness) is one of them. But you will only experience hair loss if you’re genetically predisposed to it. If you don’t have the baldness gene, Trenbolone is very unlikely to cause you to lose hair on your head.

Does Trenbolone raise cholesterol?

Trenbolone is likely to cause changes to cholesterol which will be negative. Tren can lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL) while raising levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). If you suffer from existing cholesterol issues you should avoid all use of Trenbolone.

Does Trenbolone cause gyno?

Even though Tren is resistant to aromatizing, it has another way of causing gyno progestin and this can cause even worse gyno than that caused by conversion to estrogen. So you will almost certainly be wanting to use an aromatase inhibitor when using Trenbolone.

What is the difference between Trenbolone and testosterone?

Trenbolone is vastly different to testosterone, not least because it’s five times as powerful anabolically and androgenically. Tren doesn’t convert to estrogen, while testosterone does. But Trenbolone comes with a whole other set of side effects that you will rarely or ever see with regular testosterone, so it’s a considerably more advanced and hardcore steroid to use.

Does Trenbolone affect the prostate?

Being a very strong androgen, Trenbolone has the ability to potentially heighten your risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This is an enlargement of the prostate gland that can cause difficulty urinating. Studies have shown that long term use of most anabolic steroids results in prostate enlargement. To reduce the risk, Trenbolone doses should be kept at a minimum and cycle length limited to as short as possible.

Final Thoughts

Trenbolone’s amazing benefits are very enticing to any bodybuilding or competitor. That’s why so many continue to use it despite the harsh side effects. For some guys, what Trenbolone delivers is worth any suffering that the negative effects might cause.

For the average guy the pay off is not always going to be worth it. Unless you’re the most hardcore competitor and want to get the edge above other competitors at any and all costs no matter what it does to your body, Trenbolone is a high risk proposition.