What are Prohormones?

They’ve been around for a while, you’ve probably known someone who has divulged, probably took them yourself but do you know what they actually are? 

Whether or not you were around in the days of Superdrol and DMZ we’ll take a look into their history, present and not bore your face off with too much scientific jargon. 

Sooo, let’s break it down, Dench City sty-le

Disclaimer: Obviously this isn’t medical advice. Dench City has written this article for educational purposes. Make sure you run some form of cycle support if you want to try any of these compounds. WTF is a prohormone? 

They are also known as anabolic steroid precursors. They are substances that break down and convert into the body as anabolic steroids. So let’s just call a spade a spade, these are really anabolic steroids. 

A Lil’ History

It essentially started off with a chemist named Patrick Arnold, who was responsible for creating the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, also known as THG [3]. 

This was a compound developed in secret in hopes that it would be undetectable in sporting events. He would then go on to create the well-known prohormone 1-AD, which forever altered the market, laying the path for all subsequent prohormones.

Compounds

Let’s take a look at some popular compounds that you’ve probably heard of.

Superdrol

Most of us will know Superdrol also known as Methasterone. This was synthesized waaaay back in 1956 by a company in order to find anti-tumour properties. Upon development the anti-tumour properties were satisfied but along with this, they found it to have a potent oral anabolic agent exhibiting weak androgenic activity [2]. In 2009 it was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) but has resurfaced many times within the supplement industry. 

If we take a look around at some forums and people’s experience, Superdrol is associated with no-bloat gains, increased strength and usually ran around 20mg for a comfortable dosage, any more and people have reported back pumps, high blood pressure and loss of appetite [4]. 

DMZ 

It was iForce Nutrition that introduced Dymethazine to the market in 2009. Competitive Edge Labs quickly followed with the launch of D-Zine, their official clone. Both of these prohormones have been phased out, but new Dymethazine prohormone clones are still available. It has an unusual chemical structure and is thought to work as a prodrug for Superdrol [6].

It’s reported to have a Superdrol-like effect with lesser sides and big gains ~10lbs plus. Best to run a 3-4 week cycle around in increments of 15mg, 20mg – 30mg. 

When it comes to sides, the risk of liver damage is less than with Superdrol – and it’s thought to be overall less harsh on the body [7].

M1T

Know as Methyl-1-testosterone, in medical studies, it was demonstrated that M1T is a potent androgenic and anabolic steroid after oral administration [8]. It’s also a close friend to the slightly controversial yet beloved by some, Dihydroboldenone or DHB for short. It’s rather an interesting compound, it’s thought to be a fusion of Primo, Winstrol and Tren. Ok, I know you’re like hold up a minute but bear with me. So, it seems to have the basic structure of Primo (see images below), the bioavailability of Winstrol and the high potency of a strong steroid like Tren. 

It’s popular amongst bodybuilders on an offseason as it has the ability for rapid weight gain, muscle size and strength.

The sides are as to be expected, liver toxicity if run for a long time and the obvious, natural testosterone suppression. 

What’s important to note is that M1T is a c17-alpha alkylated compound (I know, I know science jargon) now what this means is that this alteration allows for high concentrations to enter the bloodstream and is not deactivated by the liver, hence the potential for toxicity 

[9] <- amazing book, it basically writes this content for me 😉.

Before I forget, dosages are recommended around 5mg – 20mg and only run for 2-4 weeks. 
 

Conclusion 

So we’ve had a bit of history, looked at some compounds and now time for a wrap-up. 

Just like many other very different compounds that flew under the radar, 4-MMC, Phenibut, Etilzolam, the list goes on, prohormones have found themselves to be another clever way these chemists can further their legal research and just so happen to get around the law (albeit for a short time). That doesn’t mean these compounds don’t prove to be useful and practical. 

I think on the other hand you have to be careful, the prohormones we’ve looked at seem safe enough to run and can yield great results, but some can be very harsh on the body. Overall, It’s really not difficult just do your research, and if you’ve made it this far, well done this can count towards said research. 

Dan @ Dench City

References 

[1] – “Steroid Precursors | Hormone Health Network.” www.hormone.org, www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/steroid-and-hormone-abuse/steroid-precursors. 

[2] – Ringold, H. J., et al. “Steroids. CV.1 2-Methyl and 2-Hydroxymethylene-Androstane Derivatives.” Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 81, no. 2, Jan. 1959, pp. 427–432, 10.1021/ja01511a040. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022. 

[3] – “Patrick Arnold.” Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/5120539. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.

[4] – Various forum threads and sites – https://www.tmuscle.co.uk/, https://forums.musculardevelopment.com/, https://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/, https://newprohormones.com/ 

[5] – “The Dymethazine (D-Zine) Prohormone Profile Guide.” Newprohormones.com, 2013, https://newprohormones.com/the-dymethazine-d-zine-prohormone-profile/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.

[6] – “Mebolazine.” Wikipedia, 2 Jan. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebolazine. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.

[7] – “Forgotten Steroid Dymethazine Turns up in Designer Supplement.” www.ergo-Log.com, www.ergo-log.com/dymethazine.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.

[8] – Parr, M.K., Blatt, C., Zierau, O., Hess, C., Gütschow, M., Fusshöller, G., Opfermann, G., Schänzer, W. and Diel, P. (2011). Endocrine characterization of the designer steroid methyl-1-testosterone: investigations on tissue-specific anabolic-androgenic potency, side effects, and metabolism. Endocrinology, [online] 152(12), pp.4718–4728. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21990312/ [Accessed 11 Jan. 2022].

[9] – ANABOLICS, 11th Ed. by William Llewellyn – Page 344-346