Equipoise: safety concerns
The injectable testosterone-derived AAS Boldenone (aka Equipoise or EQ) has always been regarded as a safe, mild and newbie-friendly AAS. But is it really?
I personally do not think it is, so in this post we will be taking a look at the unique risks that come with EQ so you can decide for yourself!
Besides the generic side-effects of EQ that it shares with other AAS (HPTA shut-down, dyslipidemia, etc…), Boldenone has 3 specific properties that make it uniquely risky.
Firstly, it causes a dramatic increase in Red Blood Cell count. Secondly, it is significantly nephrotoxic. Thirdly, it has an unexpected effect on estrogen levels.
Let’s look at these properties one by one.
RBC COUNT INCREASE
Virtually all AAS increase red blood cell count. Equipoise, however, does it to a completely different level.
One of the popular benefits of this drug is an improvement in physical endurance. RBCs are responsible for transporting oxygen through the body, so increased RBC count leads to increased oxygen delivery, which improves performance significantly.
However, increased RBC count also leads to increased blood viscosity. In other words, Equipoise thickens the blood and increases blood pressure significantly, increasing the chances of heart disease in the long run.
Again, all AAS do this to some degree, but Equipoise does it to a much greater extent, meaning that monitoring blood pressure (and taking ancillaries to keep it down if necessary) and donating blood after a cycle (to decrease RBC and blood viscosity) are absolute MUST-DOs for Equipoise users.
NEPHROTOXICITY
Studies on animals, studies on AAS users and numerous anecdotal reports have all shown that Equipoise is significantly nephrotoxic (kidney toxic).
The exact cause is not known, but I theorize that it has to do with the dramatic increase in RBC and blood pressure (which is known to be a leading cause of kidney damage) that this AAS can cause.
The kidneys are extremely fragile and lack the self-regenerating properties the liver has. Therefore, nephrotoxicity (kidney damage) is much more dangerous than hepatotoxicity (liver damage).
If you are using Equipoise, be sure to stay hydrated at all times & supplement with NAC to keep your kidneys working properly.
EFFECT ON ESTROGEN
Equipoise has always been believed to be an estrogenic AAS. Why? Well, because Dr. William Llewellyn’s famous book “ANABOLICS” claims that EQ converts to Estradiol at 50% the rate of Testosterone.
The reality, however, is that there is absolutely 0 scientific evidence to back those claims up, and plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest the opposite.
This misconception has led tens of thousands of people to use Equipoise (which is already anti-estrogenic) in conjunction with an aromatase inhibitor (because people think they need it to keep EQ from aromatizing).
The result? Crashed estrogen, low libido, sexual dysfunction, dry joints, lack of energy, dry skin, etc…
It is worth noting that some animal studies did show an increase in estradiol levels during Equipoise use, but the tests they used could not distinguish between estrone and actual estradiol, meaning that they were providing an artificially inflated estradiol result.
What this means, however, is that Equipoise may convert to an estrone-like metabolite which does not appear to be very active (because no one reports estrogenic side-effects on Equipoise, quite the opposite in fact).
This would explain why Equipoise often causes symptoms of low estradiol, and why using a Testosterone base with it that can provide sufficient estradiol conversion is important.
