
Nandrolone DecanoateBenefits, Dosage & Interactions
Also known as: Deca-Durabolin
Nandrolone decanoate is a synthetic anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) derived from testosterone. It is known by its common brand name, Deca-Durabolin. Research on Nandrolone Decanoate focuses on bone and joint health and muscle and strength. Nandrolone Decanoate is administered by injection rather than orally.
How much Nandrolone Decanoate do people take?
100 mg weekly in the hemodialysis trial; 100-150 mg every 2 weeks in the HIV weight-loss trial. Route reported: Intramuscular. Frequency reported: Weekly to every 2 weeks in those trials. These are amounts documented in the cited studies and labels for Nandrolone Decanoate — they are reported for reference, not a recommendation. Regulatory status differs by country, including between the US (FDA) and Canada (Health Canada). Confirm any amount with a licensed clinician before you take it.
See the full reported protocol and its sourcesResearched by DoseRoutine Research TeamReviewed for accuracy by Nicholas Alexander, RSE, SO, PMPLast updated Educational reference only — not medical advice. Always confirm dosing and safety decisions with a licensed clinician.
2 human randomized trials and regulatory approval on file.
What published protocols report
Ranges documented in the literature, shown for reference. DoseRoutine does not recommend an amount — your prescriber or the product label sets the dose.
Reported for Nandrolone Decanoate in the cited sources. Published ranges are not dosing advice.
Mixing Nandrolone Decanoate: bacteriostatic water and syringe units
The vial arrives as dry powder. How much water you add sets the strength, and the strength sets the mark you draw to on the syringe. The table assumes a 5 mg vial and a 250 mcg example draw on a U-100 insulin syringe, where 100 units is one millilitre. If your vial is a different size, scale it — the arithmetic is the same.
| Bacteriostatic water added | Resulting strength | 250 mcg draws to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 5 mg/mL | 5 units |
| 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 10 units |
| 3 mL | 1.67 mg/mL | 15 units |
Units, not millilitres. Insulin syringes are marked in units, and mixing up mcg and mg on a peptide label is the single most common error people report. Check the label twice. Run your own vial through the calculator.
Storage and stability
- Before mixing
- Sealed and still as a dry powder, Nandrolone Decanoate vials are normally kept in the fridge at 2–8 °C, out of light. Short spells at room temperature during shipping are the norm for lyophilized peptides and are not, on their own, a sign the vial is spoiled.
- After mixing
- Once bacteriostatic water goes in, the vial belongs in the fridge and is generally treated as good for about 28 days — that is how long the benzyl alcohol in bacteriostatic water is relied on to hold back bacterial growth. Plain sterile water has no preservative, so a vial mixed with it is a single-session vial. Never freeze a reconstituted vial.
- When to throw it out
- A properly mixed vial is clear. Cloudiness, floating strands, a color change or powder that will not go into solution after gentle swirling all mean the vial should be discarded rather than used. Shaking a peptide vial hard is the usual cause — swirl it, or run the water down the inside wall of the vial instead of onto the powder.
Handling and shelf-life figures describe general practice for lyophilized peptides. They are not a dose and not medical advice — your prescriber or the product label sets the amount.
Nandrolone Decanoate compared with similar compounds
| Attribute | Testosterone enanthate | Nandrolone decanoate | Oxandrolone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Injectable androgen ester | 19-nortestosterone ester | Oral 17-alpha-alkylated androgen |
| Route | Intramuscular | Intramuscular | Oral |
| Half-life | 4-5 days | 6-12 days | ~9 hours |
| Evidence grade | Strong | Moderate | Moderate |
| Oral stability | Not orally used | Not orally used | Orally active |
| Typical published cycle | Ongoing while prescribed | 12 weeks to 6 months in the wasting trials | Weeks to months in the burn trials |
| Main studied use | Male hypogonadism | Wasting in dialysis and HIV | Lean mass after severe burns |
References & evidence
Documents the Nandrolone Decanoate entry is written from. Each number matches an inline marker above.
- [1]Effects of resistance exercise training and nandrolone decanoate on body composition and muscle function among patients who receive hemodialysis: a randomized, controlled trialJohansen KL, Painter PL, Sakkas GK, et al. · Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2006 · Peer-reviewed · PMID 16825332
- [2]Effect of nandrolone decanoate therapy on weight and lean body mass in HIV-infected women with weight loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trialMulligan K, Zackin R, Clark RA, et al. · Archives of Internal Medicine · 2005 · Peer-reviewed · PMID 15767536
References & Evidence
Sources on this page that document Nandrolone Decanoate dosing, timing and safety.
- [1]National Center for Biotechnology Information View source
Educational information only — not medical advice. Dose ranges vary by person, indication and prescriber.
What is Nandrolone Decanoate studied for?
What is Nandrolone Decanoate?Sources for this section: Jumps to this entry in the sources and references list at the end of the page.
What does the research say about Nandrolone Decanoate?
Tap a section to expand.
Source for this section: Sources for How does Nandrolone Decanoate work?: Jumps to this entry in the sources and references list at the end of the page.
Source for this section: Sources for When should you take Nandrolone Decanoate?: Jumps to this entry in the sources and references list at the end of the page.
Put it into practice
Reading about Nandrolone Decanoate is the first step — DoseRoutine helps you act on it. These free tools turn what you just learned into a routine.
What interacts with Nandrolone Decanoate?
| Interacts with | Severity | Type | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any peptide + hormone | Note | Category ruleConfidence: theoretical | Injectable peptides plus hormones can have overlapping or compounding effects that aren't always well characterized.Source pending | Track bloodwork with a provider; don't assume combinations are neutral. |
Frequently asked questions about Nandrolone Decanoate
Which studies looked at Nandrolone Decanoate?
Peer-reviewed research indexed in PubMed. Each entry links to the original record.
- 1.Nandrolone Decanoate: Use, Abuse and Side Effects(opens PubMed in a new tab)Medicina (Kaunas) · 2020 · PMID 33187340 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33187340/
- 2.Nandrolone decanoate: pharmacological properties and therapeutic use in osteoporosis(opens PubMed in a new tab)Clin Rheumatol · 1995 · PMID 8846659 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8846659/
- 3.The impact of nandrolone decanoate on the central nervous system(opens PubMed in a new tab)Curr Neuropharmacol · 2015 · PMID 26074747 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26074747/
Sources cited on this page
Specific documents referenced by the numbered markers above. Each number matches the marker in the text.
- PubChem CID 9677(opens in a new tab)National Center for Biotechnology Information · pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/9677
Verify at
Publisher search links for Nandrolone Decanoate. These are places to check the information — they are not citations, so they are not numbered.
- Cochrane Library(publisher search, opens in a new tab)Cochrane · publisher search
- DrugBank(publisher search, opens in a new tab)DrugBank Online · publisher search
- Examine.com(publisher search, opens in a new tab)Examine.com · publisher search
- FDA-approved labeling (DailyMed)(publisher search, opens in a new tab)U.S. Food and Drug Administration · publisher search
- Mayo Clinic(publisher search, opens in a new tab)Mayo Clinic · publisher search
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements(publisher search, opens in a new tab)National Institutes of Health · publisher search
- PubMed literature search(publisher search, opens in a new tab)National Library of Medicine · publisher search
- Wikipedia entry(publisher search, opens in a new tab)Wikipedia · publisher search
DoseRoutine compiles summaries from publicly available scientific and regulatory references. Always verify important decisions with a licensed clinician. How we source and review this information.
What is the short answer on Nandrolone Decanoate?
Plain-text summary, safe to quote verbatim:
Nandrolone decanoate is a synthetic anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) derived from testosterone. It is known by its common brand name, Deca-Durabolin. Research on Nandrolone Decanoate focuses on bone and joint health and muscle and strength. Nandrolone Decanoate is administered by injection rather than orally.
Nandrolone Decanoate cheat sheet
DoseRoutine cheat sheet · Hormone
Nandrolone Decanoate
Nandrolone decanoate is a synthetic anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) derived from testosterone. It is known by its common brand name, Deca-Durabolin.
Evidence
Strong
2 human randomized trials and regulatory approval on file.
Studied range
100 mg weekly in the hemodialysis trial; 100-150 mg every 2 weeks in the HIV weight-loss trial
Route
Intramuscular
Frequency studied
Weekly to every 2 weeks in those trials
Half-life
~144 h
Storage
Room temperature, protected from light
Key references
- Effects of resistance exercise training and nandrolone decanoate on body composition and muscle function among patients who receive hemodialysis: a randomized, controlled trial (2006)
- Effect of nandrolone decanoate therapy on weight and lean body mass in HIV-infected women with weight loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial (2005)
Studied ranges, not dosing advice. Not medical advice — talk to a clinician. doseroutine.com/library/nandrolone-decanoate
Cite this page
Using this in an article, AI answer, or research note? Please attribute:
DoseRoutine. (2026). Nandrolone Decanoate — Overview, Benefits & Side Effects. Retrieved from https://doseroutine.com/library/nandrolone-decanoate
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Which goals is Nandrolone Decanoate used for?
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