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An Anavar cycle is a course of oxandrolone, an oral anabolic steroid best known for cutting: holding on to muscle and adding strength while body fat comes down. Men commonly report running 20 to 50mg a day for 6 to 8 weeks, and women 5 to 10mg a day for 4 to 6 weeks. Oxandrolone does not convert to estrogen, so it causes no estrogen-driven water retention or gynecomastia. But it still shuts down natural testosterone, it lowers HDL cholesterol, and as a 17-alpha-alkylated oral steroid it carries real liver risks.
This Anavar review covers how cycles are commonly run, realistic results, the side effects documented in medicine, and what the research says about recovery. Nothing here is a recommendation to use it. Oxandrolone is a controlled substance, it is no longer FDA-approved, and much of what is sold as Anavar is not what the label says.
Key Takeaways
- Anavar (oxandrolone) is an oral, DHT-derived steroid used mainly for cutting. It has not been FDA-approved since 2023, and its reputation as a “safe” steroid oversells it.
- Commonly reported doses are 20-50mg a day for men over 6-8 weeks and 5-10mg a day for women over 4-6 weeks. These figures come from user practice, not clinical trials.
- Like other 17-alpha-alkylated oral steroids, it lowers HDL cholesterol and can raise liver enzymes. Its US label carried a boxed warning for liver cysts, liver tumors and blood lipid changes.
- It suppresses natural testosterone even when used alone. In a 2023 study of 641 men who had stopped anabolic steroids, only 48% had fully recovered their hormone levels.
- Virilization in women is not always reversible: a deeper voice and clitoral enlargement can be permanent, and the risk rises with dose and cycle length.
What Is Anavar (Oxandrolone)?
Anavar is the original brand name for oxandrolone, a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). G.D. Searle brought it to market in 1964. Doctors used it to help patients regain weight after extensive surgery, severe trauma or chronic infection, and to offset muscle loss from long-term corticosteroid treatment. It was later studied in severe burns, HIV-related wasting and Turner syndrome.
Searle stopped making Anavar in 1989, and the drug was scarce for several years afterwards. It returned in 1995 as Oxandrin, and generic tablets followed. In 2023 the FDA withdrew approval of oxandrolone, so there is no approved oxandrolone product in the US today. Cycle guides that call Anavar one of the few FDA-approved steroids are out of date.
How Anavar Works
Oxandrolone binds to the androgen receptor like other anabolic steroids. In muscle, that raises protein synthesis and helps the body hold on to nitrogen, which matters most when calories are low. This is the main reason people run an Anavar cycle during a cut.
Chemically, it is DHT with two changes. An oxygen atom replaces a carbon in the steroid’s A-ring, and a methyl group at the 17-alpha position lets it survive the first pass through the liver when swallowed. That 17-alpha-alkylation is also what makes oral steroids harder on the liver and on cholesterol.
Because it is DHT-derived, oxandrolone is not converted to estrogen by the aromatase enzyme, and it is not a substrate for 5-alpha reductase. Its commonly cited anabolic rating is 322-630 and its androgenic rating 24, against 100 for both in testosterone. These animal-assay ratings explain its “mild” reputation but predict side effects in people poorly. Its half-life is about 10 hours in younger adults and longer in older people, which is why users commonly split the daily dose in two.
Claims that Anavar “slashes cortisol” or melts stubborn fat on its own are not supported by good evidence.
Anavar Cycle Protocols: What Users Report
The tables below show how Anavar cycles are commonly run, based on user reports. They are not clinical doses and they are not recommendations. Higher doses raise cost and side effects, especially on cholesterol and the liver.
Commonly Reported Anavar-Only Cycle (6-8 Weeks)
| Weeks | Anavar (Oral) | How It Is Usually Taken |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | 20-30mg/day | Split into two doses |
| 7-8 (optional) | 30-40mg/day | Split into two doses |
Anavar-only cycles are popular with first-timers who want to avoid injections. The trade-off is suppression: with nothing replacing the testosterone it lowers, men commonly report low libido, flat mood and fatigue late in the cycle.
Commonly Reported Anavar and Testosterone Cycle (10 Weeks)
| Weeks | Anavar (Oral) | Testosterone Enanthate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-8 | 40-50mg/day | 300-500mg/week |
| 9-10 | None | 300-500mg/week |
Adding testosterone covers the suppression and is how most experienced users run Anavar. It also brings testosterone’s own side effects, including water retention and a risk of gynecomastia. Our test and Anavar cycle guide covers this stack in more detail.
Reported Anavar Dosage by Experience
| Group | Daily Dose | Reported Cycle Length |
|---|---|---|
| Men, first cycle | 20-30mg/day | 6 weeks |
| Men, intermediate | 40-50mg/day | 6-8 weeks |
| Men, advanced | 60-80mg/day | 6-8 weeks |
| Women | 5-10mg/day | 4-6 weeks |
For contrast, the US label gave an adult dose of 2.5 to 20mg a day, split into two to four doses, usually for courses of 2 to 4 weeks. Reported advanced bodybuilding doses run several times higher than the top of that range.
Anavar Results: What to Expect
Anavar is not a mass builder. Its results are modest, and they depend heavily on the diet and training behind them.
What the Clinical Studies Show
In a 12-week trial in men aged 60 and over, 20mg of oxandrolone a day added about 3kg of lean body mass and reduced body fat compared with placebo. In severe burns, where the body breaks muscle down at a high rate, oxandrolone has improved lean mass and shortened recovery in clinical trials. Neither group is a young lifter on a diet, but both show its main effect: keeping lean tissue.
Realistic Anavar Cycle Results
- Strength: Often the first change users notice, commonly within the first two to three weeks.
- Muscle preservation: The main reason it is used. In a calorie deficit, it helps hold on to lean tissue.
- Fat loss: Body fat comes down over a 6-8 week cycle when the diet supports it. Anavar is not a fat burner on its own.
- Harder, drier look: With no estrogen-driven water retention, muscle looks more defined as body fat drops.
- Modest lean gain: A few pounds on a first cycle, far less than with testosterone or Dianabol.
What Anavar Will Not Do
- Build large amounts of muscle on its own
- Replace a calorie deficit for fat loss
- Keep its results after the cycle without consistent training, diet and hormonal recovery
Users report visible changes after 3-4 weeks and the full effect by weeks 6-8 (user reports, not trials). Claims such as “1% body fat lost per week” or “20lbs in 8 weeks” have no basis in research.
Anavar Side Effects
Anavar’s side effects are milder than those of most anabolic steroids. Milder is not the same as safe: its US label carried a boxed warning, the FDA’s strongest kind.
Cholesterol and Heart Risk
This is the side effect most users underestimate. Oral, 17-alpha-alkylated steroids hit HDL (“good”) cholesterol harder than most injectables, and clinical studies of oxandrolone show HDL falling while it is taken. The label warned that anabolic steroids lower HDL and sometimes raise LDL, changes linked to a higher risk of atherosclerosis.
Lipid changes usually reverse after a cycle. A 2017 American Heart Association scientific statement links anabolic steroid use to heart muscle damage, worse lipids and faster artery disease.
Liver Strain
Anavar is often called liver-friendly. A relatively large share of each dose leaves the body unchanged in urine, and it is generally considered less harsh than Anadrol (oxymetholone). It is still 17-alpha-alkylated. Its label warned of peliosis hepatis (blood-filled liver cysts that can rupture or lead to liver failure) and liver tumors, sometimes malignant, with anabolic steroid treatment.
Those are rare. Raised liver enzymes are more common, and cholestatic jaundice is listed among its side effects. The risk grows with dose and cycle length, and alcohol adds to the load.
Testosterone Suppression
The idea that Anavar does not shut you down is wrong. Oxandrolone suppresses LH and FSH, the pituitary signals that tell the testes to make testosterone and sperm, so natural testosterone falls while it is taken. Suppression is usually described as milder than with nandrolone or trenbolone, but it grows with dose and cycle length.
Hair Loss and Acne
Oxandrolone is itself a DHT derivative. It does not raise DHT levels, but it acts on the same androgen receptors in the scalp and skin, so it can speed up male pattern hair loss in men who are prone to it and can trigger acne, though less often than more androgenic steroids. Finasteride does not reduce the effect, because oxandrolone does not go through 5-alpha reductase.
Virilization in Women
Women can develop a deeper voice, facial and body hair, acne, clitoral enlargement and menstrual changes. The label told doctors to stop treatment at the first sign of mild virilization to prevent irreversible changes (see the section on women below).
Other Reported Effects
- Interaction with blood thinners: Oxandrolone can sharply increase the effect of warfarin and similar anticoagulants, raising the risk of bleeding.
- Fluid retention: Listed on the label, mainly a concern with heart, kidney or liver disease.
- Libido, sleep and mood: Changes in libido, insomnia and mood are listed among androgen side effects.
What it does not cause: Oxandrolone does not aromatize, so it causes no estrogenic gynecomastia or estrogen-driven bloating. Any gyno risk in a stack comes from the testosterone.
Anavar PCT: What the Research Shows
Post-cycle therapy (PCT) means taking drugs such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex) or clomiphene (Clomid) after a cycle to restart the body’s own testosterone production. Neither drug is approved for this use. Older guides said an Anavar-only cycle needs no PCT. Many men do recover on their own after a short, low-dose cycle, but recovery is not guaranteed.
What Users Typically Run
Oxandrolone clears the body within a couple of days, so users commonly report starting PCT one to three days after the last dose of an Anavar-only cycle. With testosterone enanthate in the stack, it is usually started about two weeks after the last injection. Common protocols:
| PCT Drug | Commonly Reported Protocol | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) | 40mg/day weeks 1-2, 20mg/day weeks 3-4 | 4 weeks |
| Clomiphene (Clomid) | 50mg/day weeks 1-2, 25mg/day weeks 3-4 | 4 weeks |
SERMs & AIs
Overview
- Form: Oral Capsules
- Dosage: 25-40 mg daily for PCT or for gyno flare-ups
- Typical Cycle: 4-6 weeks
- Cost: $81.95
- Stacking Options: Higher testosterone doses or post-cycle recovery
Pros
- Large mortality benefit in ER-positive breast cancer; five years of adjuvant treatment cuts recurrence roughly by half and breast cancer mortality by about a third, with the effect persisting well past the treatment period
- Works in premenopausal and postmenopausal women alike, unlike aromatase inhibitors, which makes it the default for younger patients
- Bone-protective in postmenopausal women, since it acts as a partial estrogen agonist in bone — the reverse of anastrozole's main liability
Cons
- Endometrial hyperplasia and a two-to-three-fold increase in endometrial cancer risk in postmenopausal women, requiring investigation of any abnormal bleeding
- Elevated risk of venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism, particularly around surgery or immobility
- Hot flashes, vasomotor symptoms and mood effects are common; CYP2D6 status and strong inhibitors such as certain SSRIs can reduce conversion to the active metabolite
SERMs & AIs
Overview
- Form: Oral capsules (25 mg each, 60 capsules)
- Researched Dosage: 25 mg to 50 mg daily for PCT
- Typical Cycle: 4-6 weeks
- Cost: $69.95
- Stacking Options: Tamoxifen, HCG, Enclomiphene
Pros
- A SERM that blocks estrogen at the hypothalamus, prompting the body to make more LH, FSH and its own testosterone.
- Studies in men with low testosterone found it raised testosterone while preserving sperm production, unlike TRT.
- It is oral, inexpensive and has been in medical use since 1967, so its effects are well documented.
Cons
- About a third of each dose is zuclomiphene, a long-lasting isomer linked to mood swings, irritability and low mood.
- Blurred vision, floaters and light sensitivity have been reported; visual symptoms are a reason to stop.
- It is FDA-approved only for female infertility, so use in men is off-label, and this product is sold for research use only.
What the Evidence Says
The best recent data comes from a 2023 study of 641 men seen at a UK clinic after stopping anabolic steroids. Only 48% had fully recovered their reproductive hormones (LH, FSH and testosterone back in the normal range). PCT was linked to faster short-term recovery, but men who had used more compounds were less likely to recover. The authors did not endorse PCT.
A mild compound does not guarantee a full recovery, and blood work before and after is the only way to know where recovery stands. Our guide to PCT for testosterone covers recovery in more depth.
Anavar for Women
Anavar has long been called the “girl steroid” because it is one of the few anabolic steroids women commonly use. Its risk of masculinizing effects is lower than that of most steroids, not absent.
Commonly Reported Female Doses
Women most often report 5-10mg a day for 4 to 6 weeks, usually without other steroids. Reports of virilization rise sharply above that range and with longer cycles. Older advice to push female doses to 20mg a day carries a much higher risk.
Virilization Signs
- Deepening of the voice
- Facial or body hair growth
- Clitoral enlargement
- Acne
- Menstrual changes
Contrary to many older articles, these changes do not always go away once Anavar is stopped: voice deepening and clitoral enlargement may be permanent. Counterfeits add to the risk, since a tablet sold as Anavar that contains a stronger androgen could cause the very effects a woman chose Anavar to avoid. Our guide to Anavar for women covers this in more depth.
Anavar vs Winstrol
Anavar is most often compared with Winstrol (stanozolol), the other popular oral cutting steroid. Both are 17-alpha-alkylated, neither aromatizes, and both suppress testosterone and lower HDL cholesterol.
| Anavar | Winstrol | |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | Oral only | Oral or injectable |
| Main use | Cutting, strength, recomposition | Cutting, contest prep |
| Effect on HDL cholesterol | Lowers HDL | Lowers HDL sharply, even at clinical doses |
| Joint discomfort | Rarely reported | Commonly reported |
| Virilization risk in women | Present, usually reported as lower | Present, usually reported as higher |
| Cost | High | Lower |
Users generally find Anavar easier to tolerate. Our Anavar vs Winstrol comparison covers the differences in more detail.
Legality, Drug Testing and Fakes
United States: Oxandrolone is a Schedule III controlled substance. With FDA approval withdrawn in 2023, there is no approved US product. Possessing it without a prescription is a federal offense, and selling it carries heavier penalties.
Elsewhere: Rules vary. In the UK, anabolic steroids are Class C drugs. Possession for personal use is not an offense, but supply, and importing by post or courier, are illegal.
Sport: Oxandrolone is on the WADA Prohibited List at all times, in and out of competition.
Counterfeit Risk
Oxandrolone is expensive to produce, so Anavar is one of the most often faked or underdosed steroids. A 2022 meta-analysis pooled 19 studies covering 5,413 black-market steroid samples. On average, 36% were counterfeit (wrong or missing active ingredient) and another 37% were substandard (wrong dose or contaminated). A tablet sold as Anavar may contain a cheaper, harsher oral steroid instead.
Supplements sold as “legal Anavar” contain no oxandrolone, and there is no good evidence that they reproduce its effects.
The Bottom Line
Anavar is often called the mildest of the common oral steroids, but mild is relative: it still suppresses testosterone, lowers HDL cholesterol, strains the liver and is one of the most often faked compounds on the black market.
- Commonly reported cycles run 20-50mg a day for men and 5-10mg for women over 4-8 weeks, and the results (strength and lean tissue kept in a cut) depend on diet and training.
- Its label carried a boxed warning for liver and lipid risks, women can develop permanent virilization, and almost everything sold as Anavar now comes from unregulated sources.
- Roughly half of the men in the largest recent study had not fully recovered their hormones after stopping steroids.
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