oxandrolone

Oxandrolone is an androgen and synthetic anabolic steroid (AAS) medication to help promote weight gain in various situations, to help offset protein catabolism caused by long-term corticosteroid therapy, to support recovery from severe burns, to treat bone pain associated with osteoporosis, to aid in the development of girls with Turner syndrome, and for other indications. It is taken by mouth. It was sold under the brand names Oxandrin and Anavar, among others.

The drug is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid, hence is an agonist of the androgen receptor (AR), the biological target of androgens such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Side effects of oxandrolone include severe cases of peliosis hepatis, sometimes associated with liver failure and intra-abdominal hemorrhage; liver tumors, sometimes fatal; and blood lipid changes associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis. Additional warnings include the risks associated with cholestatic hepatitis, hypercalcemia in patients with breast cancer, and increased risk for the development of prostatic hypertrophy and prostatic carcinoma in older patients. It has strong anabolic effects and weak androgenic effects, which gave it a mild side effect profile in that regard and made it especially suitable for use in women. Milder side effects in women were increased sexual desire, symptoms of hyperandrogenism such as acne, and symptoms of masculinization such as increased hair growth and voice changes.