The fucking kidney problem, a friend asked this question.
Frankly, I’m not a doctor, but it’s true that this topic is a bit tricky.
It feels like giving false hope for no reason, but this time, I need to talk straight.
But what you need to know is that these androgen bastards don’t just destroy your kidneys solely due to blood pressure issues.
Androgen itself is a nephrotoxic substance.
Testosterone?
Of course, it’s included.
Equipoise, Trenbolone?
Needless to say.
This is the core of today’s discussion.
I’m going to lay it all bare from what I know.
Research?
There are three main types.
Animal experiments, human case studies, and most importantly, the study of 10 Anabolic Steroid (AES) users.
To my knowledge, no animal experiments have directly addressed Trenbolone’s nephrotoxicity, but Boldenone (Equipoise) and Nandrolone (Deca) have been confirmed to be nephrotoxic.
But there’s no comparative data on which one is more fucked up.
Personal experience?
Trenbolone is overwhelmingly more nephrotoxic than any other drug.
I’m almost certain of this.
The funny thing is, from animal experiment results, if you remove the ovaries of female rodents to crush their estrogen levels, their kidney health deteriorates.
If you inject Testosterone into them?
It gets even worse.
Conversely, if you castrate male rodents to remove Testosterone, their kidney health improves.
What does that mean?
It’s evidence that Testosterone itself is shit for the kidneys.
Why is it toxic?
There are androgen receptors embedded in the kidneys.
These receptors respond to the androgens you fucking inject, increasing cytokines like TGF-β1, which is the thing that causes kidney cell apoptosis.
On top of that, it causes fibrosis, simply put, it creates scars in the kidneys.
Look up that paper.
It’s explained brilliantly.
What they found in that study where doctors examined 10 AES users is that these guys are prone to a disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
Simply put, it’s scarring on the kidney filters.
Why?
Due to oxidative stress.
When the kidneys are overloaded, they try to cope by enlarging (hypertrophy), and in this process, crucial parts like podocytes become detached, eventually leading to scarring.
You can think of it as a process similar to the liver getting fucked up by fibrosis.
The causes of this Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) are complex.
1. Size
Especially the more lean mass you have.
It’s the same principle as obese people being prone to kidney problems.
When your body gets bigger, the filtration demand on the kidneys increases, leading to hypertrophy, and eventually, scarring occurs.
2. High-Protein Diet
Shoving down 500g of protein a day, the method recommended by coaches like Milos Sarcev, forces the kidneys into overload filtering out this protein waste (nitrogenous waste).
3. Blood Pressure
Of course, blood pressure is also a problem.
Six out of the ten subjects in that study had hypertension, but renal artery sclerosis wasn’t severe.
This suggests that blood pressure isn’t the only cause.
But what’s more frightening is the phenomenon where blood pressure skyrockets to 400mmHg temporarily during exercise.
Doctors believe that even for a very brief moment, this can permanently damage the renal endothelium.
4. Direct Nephrotoxicity of Androgens
However, what nephrologists are most concerned about is that androgens themselves act as a direct toxin to the kidneys.
In the end, your size, the amount of protein you eat, your blood pressure, and androgens all combine to destroy your kidneys.
So, if you quit the drugs, does kidney function return?
Some doctors believe that once it’s damaged, it’s irreversible.
The kidneys are not an organ that regenerates well like the liver.
But looking at actual cases, there are bodybuilders who were on the verge of dialysis, but after quitting drugs, reducing protein intake, and stopping training, their Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and Creatinine levels improved, allowing them to avoid a kidney transplant.
The reports say “returned to baseline,” but no one knows if that’s truly a perfect recovery.
Does Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) help?
PCT is for reviving testicular function; it has nothing to do with the kidneys.
On the contrary, when your body starts producing Testosterone again, it can be an additional burden on the kidneys.
The joke “You might as well get castrated” exists for a reason.
This is no laughing matter.
It’s a life-destroying problem.
Kidney issues are a silent killer.
If you weigh a lot and eat a fuckton of protein, it’s hard to judge from blood test results alone whether your kidneys are going to shit.
By the time you feel something is wrong, it’s often already too late.
One bodybuilder received a kidney transplant from his sister, started training again, fucked up that kidney too, and is now on dialysis.
At that point, you transition to being a coach or find another path; your bodybuilding life is over.
Some guys ask if there are any herbs or supplements that can save the kidneys, like Astragalus?
That just slightly reduces oxidative stress in the kidneys; it’s not a cure.
To my knowledge, there’s no magic to revive a damaged kidney.
Here’s the conclusion.
Androgens are clearly nephrotoxic substances in themselves.
From Testosterone to all the other chemicals you use, the bigger you get, the more protein you eat, the more you blow up your body in the off-season, the faster your kidneys get destroyed.
The same goes for your blood pressure spiking during training.
So, which drug is worse?
Precisely, no one knows.
But with strong suspicion, Trenbolone seems to be far more vicious.
Remember, in this game, your kidneys are not disposable.
Once they’re gone, they don’t come back.
Reference Materials
1. Development of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis after anabolic steroid abuse
(Development of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis after Anabolic Steroid Abuse)
Case studies of bodybuilders who developed FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis) in their kidneys after blasting AAS.
It’s exactly that disease where your kidney filters get fucked up, as you call it.
Trying to build a huge body with drugs and destroying your kidneys in the process – this paper proves it.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19917783/
2. Renal and testicular toxicity of boldenone in adult male rabbits
(Renal and Testicular Toxicity of Boldenone in Adult Male Rabbits)
This is an animal experiment result showing that Boldenone (Equipoise) is no slouch either.
When injected into rabbits, toxicity to the kidneys and testes appeared immediately.
Proof that the idea Equipoise is mild is bullshit.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22074921/
There are plenty of other related materials, but just looking at these two should give you an idea.
You have to take care of your own body; no one will do it for you.
