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Research compound — not a dietary supplement
Methasterone (Superdrol) is a research compound, not a regulated dietary supplement. It is sold for research or off-label use. The evidence below is largely preclinical (animal and in-vitro) or early-stage, so no evidence score is assigned. This page is provided for transparency and education — it is not a recommendation to use. Consult a qualified healthcare provider, and be aware that purity, dosing, and legal status vary by jurisdiction.
What the evidence says
Most Methasterone (Superdrol) studies are mechanism or observational rather than RCTs that measure a clinical effect — keep findings provisional.
Most evidence is from mixed-quality studies published 2006–2020.
Based on 6 studies
Confidence
LowBy outcome
Methasterone (Superdrol) has an evidence score of 3/10 — emerging evidence based on 6 indexed studies. A 17α-methylated ORAL anabolic-androgenic steroid — methyldrostanolone — that was sold from around 2005 as the illicitly-marketed designer 'prohormone' supplement Superdrol before being banned and scheduled. It has NO legitimate human therapeutic use, NO human efficacy trials, and is a DEA Schedule III controlled substance (placed there under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014). The honest description of its human evidence base is a string of CASE REPORTS of severe drug-induced liver injury — cholestatic hepatitis and jaundice, sometimes with renal failure — in young men who took Superdrol, alongside forensic/analytical detection and a few animal and in-vitro pharmacology studies. The 17α-methyl group that lets it survive oral dosing is exactly what makes it hepatotoxic. Documented harms are severe: cholestatic liver injury that can WORSEN after stopping, severe HDL/lipid suppression, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, renal injury (including bile-cast nephropathy secondary to liver failure) and hypertension. It is NOT a dietary supplement, NOT a longevity drug, and there is no benefit this library endorses — informational, harm-reduction entry only. Representative study: PMID 18187367.
Yohimbine
Mostly mechanism / observationalThe purified alkaloid (not crude yohimbe bark) — an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist with modest evidence for erectile dysfunction and fasted fat loss, but real anxiety and cardiovascular risks and notoriously mislabeled supplement potency.
Ephedrine
Mostly mechanism / observationalLast reviewed June 2026 · evidence from 6 studies · how we score
This information is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.
Methasterone (methyldrostanolone) — a 17α-methylated ORAL anabolic-androgenic steroid sold illicitly as the designer 'prohormone' supplement Superdrol; DEA Schedule III controlled substance with NO legitimate human therapeutic use and NO human efficacy trials
A 17α-methylated ORAL anabolic-androgenic steroid — methyldrostanolone — that was sold from around 2005 as the illicitly-marketed designer 'prohormone' supplement Superdrol before being banned and scheduled. It has NO legitimate human therapeutic use, NO human efficacy trials, and is a DEA Schedule III controlled substance (placed there under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014). The honest description of its human evidence base is a string of CASE REPORTS of severe drug-induced liver injury — cholestatic hepatitis and jaundice, sometimes with renal failure — in young men who took Superdrol, alongside forensic/analytical detection and a few animal and in-vitro pharmacology studies. The 17α-methyl group that lets it survive oral dosing is exactly what makes it hepatotoxic. Documented harms are severe: cholestatic liver injury that can WORSEN after stopping, severe HDL/lipid suppression, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, renal injury (including bile-cast nephropathy secondary to liver failure) and hypertension. It is NOT a dietary supplement, NOT a longevity drug, and there is no benefit this library endorses — informational, harm-reduction entry only.
Methasterone (methyldrostanolone), sold illicitly as the designer 'prohormone' supplement Superdrol, is a 17α-methylated ORAL anabolic-androgenic steroid with NO legitimate human therapeutic use, NO human efficacy trials, and DEA Schedule III controlled-substance status (scheduled under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014). Its real human evidence base is a series of CASE REPORTS of severe drug-induced liver injury — cholestatic jaundice that can worsen after stopping (Shah 2008), severe cholestasis with renal failure (Nasr 2009), and cholestatic jaundice with IgA nephropathy (Jasiurkowski 2006) — plus the broader RUCAM-assessed anabolic-steroid hepatotoxicity picture of bland canalicular cholestasis with frequent kidney injury (Abeles 2020). The remaining literature is forensic/pharmacologic metabolite characterization for anti-doping detection (Lootens 2011, Gauthier 2009), not benefit. There is no human use to weigh in its favor, so the score sits low — reflecting a human record dominated by severe hepatotoxicity, not a supported benefit.
Methasterone (methyldrostanolone; chemically 2α,17α-dimethyl-5α-androstan-3-one-17β-ol) is a 17α-methylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) — structurally the methylated relative of drostanolone (Masteron). It has no history as an approved medicine.
Instead, from roughly 2005 it was sold over the counter as the designer 'pro-steroid'/'prohormone' supplement Superdrol, marketed to bodybuilders as a legal muscle-builder, until regulators identified it as an unlisted anabolic steroid, products were pulled, and in the United States it was placed on DEA Schedule III under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014.
Possession or distribution without authorization is now a federal crime, and it is prohibited in sport. There are NO human efficacy trials and no legitimate therapeutic indication — the entire premise of its use was an illicitly-marketed supplement, not a medicine.
The honest characterization of its evidence base is that the real human literature is CASE REPORTS of severe drug-induced liver injury.
The defining mechanism is the 17α-methyl group: alkylation at the 17 position slows first-pass hepatic metabolism so the steroid survives oral dosing, and that same modification is what makes 17α-alkylated steroids classically and severely hepatotoxic, producing a characteristic bland intrahepatic (canalicular) cholestasis.
Jasiurkowski 2006 reported cholestatic jaundice with IgA nephropathy in a young man using Superdrol — hepatic AND renal injury from an over-the-counter 'muscle-building' agent.
Shah 2008 described a clinicopathologic series of five cases of methasteron-associated cholestatic liver injury and warned that liver failure can WORSEN after presentation, particularly within the first two weeks after stopping — a dangerous, counterintuitive course.
Nasr 2009 documented severe cholestasis with renal failure on Superdrol and reviewed the literature, capturing the liver-plus-kidney pattern (bile-cast nephropathy can follow severe cholestasis).
Abeles 2020 added RUCAM-scored anabolic-steroid liver-injury cases with bland canalicular cholestasis, very high peak bilirubin and frequent associated kidney injury — the broader designer-steroid hepatotoxicity picture into which Superdrol fits.
The remaining literature is pharmacologic/forensic rather than clinical: Lootens 2011 characterized methasterone's metabolites in a chimeric (humanized-liver) mouse model for doping-detection purposes, and Gauthier 2009 identified 17-methyldrostanolone (and drostanolone) metabolites produced by human hepatocytes for the same anti-doping reason.
None of this shows a human benefit; it shows how to detect the drug and how it is metabolized, on top of a clinical record dominated by serious liver injury.
Beyond the documented liver and kidney harm, methasterone carries the class harms of oral 17α-alkylated AAS: severe suppression of HDL cholesterol and an adverse lipid shift, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis with lowered endogenous testosterone, hypertension, and virilization in women.
The score reflects this squarely: an illicitly-marketed designer oral steroid with no approved human use and no efficacy trials, whose human evidence base is severe hepatotoxic case reports — a strongly cautionary entry with no benefit this library endorses.
Methasterone (methyldrostanolone) is a synthetic androgen — the 17α-methylated relative of drostanolone — that binds and activates the androgen receptor, driving the anabolic (protein-building) signalling that was the basis of its illicit marketing as a muscle-building 'prohormone'. As an exogenous androgen it also suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, lowering endogenous luteinizing hormone, FSH and testosterone.
The 17α-methyl group slows first-pass hepatic metabolism so the steroid survives oral dosing — but 17α-alkylation is exactly what makes oral AAS classically and severely hepatotoxic. Methasterone produces a characteristic bland intrahepatic (canalicular) cholestasis: bile flow stalls, bilirubin rises steeply, jaundice and pruritus follow, and the injury can worsen even after the drug is stopped.
Like other oral 17α-alkylated AAS, methasterone severely suppresses HDL cholesterol and shifts lipids adversely, and it suppresses the gonadal axis. Severe cholestatic liver injury can precipitate renal injury — bile-cast nephropathy and acute kidney injury — so the liver and kidney harm travel together, the dominant signal in methasterone's human evidence base.
How Methasterone (Superdrol) works — from molecular targets to health outcomes. Click an edge to see supporting research.This visualization is in beta — pathways are being refined and expanded.
Tap node to isolate • Pinch to zoom • Tap edge for research
There is no legitimate human dose. Methasterone is a 17α-methylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid, an illicitly-marketed designer supplement (Superdrol) and a DEA Schedule III controlled substance with no approved human use and no human efficacy trials; this library does NOT provide a human dosing protocol of any kind. For context only, the Superdrol products that produced the documented liver-injury case reports were typically taken at roughly 10-20 mg per day orally for several weeks — a dose range associated with severe hepatotoxicity, not a recommendation. Any non-medical use is illegal without authorization, unmonitored, and dangerous.
Can be taken without food
| Form | Type |
|---|---|
| 💊None endorsed — methasterone has no legitimate human form. It was sold illicitly as oral 'Superdrol' tablets/capsules and is now a Schedule III controlled substance | Recommended |
There is no legitimate over-the-counter, supplement or human-prescription form. Products that appear under names like 'Superdrol' are illegal to possess without authorization and frequently counterfeit or mislabeled.
Minimum: 2 weeks
Optimal: 4 weeks
Cycling: Not required
Note: No human timing is endorsed. Methasterone is an oral 17α-alkylated designer steroid and controlled substance with no approved human use, severe documented hepatotoxicity, renal injury, lipid suppression and HPTA suppression. This library does not schedule its use.
Dose-response data unavailable. The current published research for Methasterone (Superdrol) does not provide sufficient dose-specific outcome data to generate reliable dose-response curves.
Refer to the Dosage & Timing section above for recommended dose ranges based on available evidence.
There is no approved human use, no human efficacy trial, and no demonstrated human benefit for methasterone. It was an illicitly-marketed designer supplement (Superdrol), not a medicine; everything in the human literature is case reports of harm plus forensic detection work. Any 'benefit' attributed to it in bodybuilding is anecdotal and was sold under misleading labeling.
The defining human harm: case reports of severe cholestatic hepatitis with jaundice and pruritus in young men using Superdrol, with liver failure that can WORSEN after stopping the drug. Driven by the 17α-methyl group that lets the steroid survive oral dosing. Liver injury can be life-threatening.
Case reports document renal failure and IgA nephropathy accompanying the cholestatic liver injury; severe cholestasis can precipitate bile-cast nephropathy and acute kidney injury. The kidney harm tends to track the severity of the liver injury.
As a potent oral 17α-alkylated androgen, methasterone severely suppresses HDL cholesterol and shifts lipids adversely — a recognised class effect that raises cardiovascular risk and is unmonitored in non-medical use.
Exogenous androgen suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, lowering endogenous testosterone, LH and FSH. Recovery after non-medical use is variable and unmonitored.
Methasterone is androgen-receptor-active and was marketed for muscle gain — the basis of its illicit use. But there is no human efficacy trial demonstrating safe or effective muscle gain, and the documented cost is severe liver and kidney injury and lipid harm. The 'benefit' is unverified; the harm is documented.
Avoid — an illicitly-marketed oral designer steroid with no human evidence of benefit, a documented record of severe cholestatic liver injury and renal failure, severe lipid suppression, and illegal to use without authorization. Not a supplement.
Avoid absolutely — methasterone causes severe cholestatic hepatotoxicity that can worsen after stopping; using it on an already compromised liver risks fulminant injury.
Avoid — androgenic; virilizing effects can be permanent.
Avoid entirely — androgenic with fetal-virilization risk.
Methasterone is severely hepatotoxic on its own, causing cholestatic liver injury that can worsen after stopping; combining it with alcohol, acetaminophen or other hepatotoxic agents compounds an already serious and unmonitored liver risk.
Anabolic steroids as a class can potentiate warfarin and raise bleeding risk; methasterone's interactions are uncharacterised in supervised human use, so any concurrent use would be unmonitored and unpredictable — and on a background of liver injury, coagulation may already be deranged.
Tip: Case reports document severe cholestatic hepatitis with jaundice, pruritus and very high bilirubin in young Superdrol users, with liver failure that can WORSEN after stopping. There is no safe self-monitoring framework for non-medical use; jaundice, dark urine, pale stools or right-upper-quadrant pain demand urgent medical care.
Tip: Renal failure and IgA nephropathy have accompanied the cholestatic liver injury; severe cholestasis can precipitate bile-cast nephropathy. Reduced urine output or swelling alongside jaundice is a medical emergency.
Tip: As a potent oral 17α-alkylated androgen, methasterone severely lowers HDL and worsens lipids, raising cardiovascular risk. Unmonitored in non-medical use.
Tip: Exogenous androgen suppresses LH, FSH and endogenous testosterone; recovery after non-medical use is variable and unmonitored.
The commonly studied dose of Methasterone (Superdrol) is There is no legitimate human dose. Methasterone is a 17α-methylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid, an illicitly-marketed designer supplement (Superdrol) and a DEA Schedule III controlled substance with no approved human use and no human efficacy trials; this library does NOT provide a human dosing protocol of any kind. For context only, the Superdrol products that produced the documented liver-injury case reports were typically taken at roughly 10-20 mg per day orally for several weeks — a dose range associated with severe hepatotoxicity, not a recommendation. Any non-medical use is illegal without authorization, unmonitored, and dangerous.. Individual needs vary — start at the lower end of the range and adjust based on how you respond.
Timing is flexible for Methasterone (Superdrol) — consistent daily use matters more than the time of day. Methasterone is an oral 17α-methylated steroid; there is no endorsed human administration protocol.
Methasterone (Superdrol) should be used with caution — talk to a healthcare provider before taking it. The most commonly reported side effects are severe cholestatic liver injury, renal injury / acute kidney injury, severe HDL / lipid suppression. Use caution if any of these apply to you: Any human use — a 17α-methylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid, an illicitly-marketed designer supplement (Superdrol) and a DEA Schedule III controlled substance with no approved human use and no human efficacy trials; possession/use without authorization is illegal, and it is not a dietary supplement; Anyone with liver disease or abnormal liver function — methasterone causes severe cholestatic liver injury and is profoundly hepatotoxic; Anyone seeking it for body composition, performance or anti-aging — there is no human evidence of benefit and a documented record of severe liver and kidney injury.
A sympathomimetic stimulant — the 'E' in the ECA (ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin) fat-loss stack. Ephedrine plus caffeine genuinely produces MODEST fat loss in 6-month RCTs (~0.9 kg/month more than placebo, ~3 kg over a controlled diet trial). But that is the whole upside: ephedra alkaloids were BANNED from US dietary supplements in 2004 after the FDA tied them to cardiovascular and psychiatric harms and deaths (the JAMA meta-analysis found a 2.2–3.6× increase in psychiatric/autonomic/GI symptoms and palpitations). Pharmaceutical ephedrine survives only as a restricted behind-the-counter decongestant/vasopressor. NOT a dietary supplement, NOT a longevity drug — a gated harm-reduction entry.
Stacking androgenic agents compounds HPTA suppression, the severe HDL/lipid suppression and the liver burden; the combined harm is additive and entirely uncharacterised in non-medical use.
Methasterone severely suppresses HDL and shifts lipids adversely while also being hepatotoxic; layering statins (themselves metabolized hepatically) onto a steroid-injured liver is an unmonitored, unpredictable combination.
Tip: Oral AAS use is associated with raised blood pressure; on a background of lipid and liver harm this adds cardiovascular risk. Unmonitored in non-medical use.
Tip: As an androgen, methasterone can cause deepened voice, hirsutism and other virilizing changes that may be irreversible in women. Avoid entirely.