Masteron (Drostanolone): Enanthate and Propionate Explained
Drostanolone began as a breast cancer treatment. It is now known for a hard, dry look in lean people. Here is what it does and what it costs your scalp and cholesterol.
SteroidsCanada.org editorial teamUpdated · 3 min read
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Drostanolone, sold historically as Masteron and Drolban, was approved in the 1970s to treat advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It acted partly by opposing estrogen. That history explains why it is known today for a drier, harder look rather than for size.
What drostanolone is
Drostanolone is dihydrotestosterone with a methyl group added at the second carbon. The change makes it more resistant to breakdown in muscle, so it acts as an anabolic steroid rather than a purely androgenic one. Like other DHT derivatives, it cannot be converted to estrogen.
The old cancer regimen used drostanolone propionate at 100 mg three times a week for women with metastatic breast cancer. There has never been an approved use for men.
Enanthate and propionate
Propionate
- The original medical form
- Injections every second or third day
- Clears within days
Enanthate
- Released over about a week
- Fewer injections
- Side effects take longer to fade
Why it is used
People who use drostanolone usually do so when they are already lean. With little water retention and a strong androgenic effect, muscles can look fuller and more defined. On anyone carrying more body fat, the difference is hard to see, which is why it is rarely the first compound anyone tries.
Side effects
- Hair loss: it acts on scalp follicles like DHT. Finasteride does not block it, because drostanolone is already a DHT derivative.
- Cholesterol: HDL falls, sometimes markedly.
- Suppression: natural testosterone and sperm production stop.
- Prostate and skin: acne and prostate enlargement are possible.
- Low estrogen effects: used without a source of estrogen, joint aches and low libido are common.
A short history
Drostanolone propionate was developed by Syntex in the late 1950s and sold from the 1970s as Masteron and Drolban for advanced breast cancer, where it slowed some tumours by opposing estrogen. As anti-estrogen drugs such as tamoxifen and later aromatase inhibitors proved more effective with fewer masculinising effects, it fell out of use. The enanthate version was never a medical product; it was introduced by underground manufacturers to reduce the number of injections.
Who should avoid drostanolone
- Men with a family history of early baldness who want to keep their hair
- Anyone with low HDL, high LDL or a family history of heart disease
- Men with prostate enlargement or prostate cancer
- Women, given its strong masculinising effect at physique amounts
- Men trying to conceive, and anyone under 21
Hair loss, in more detail
Male-pattern hair loss is driven by androgens acting on scalp follicles in people with a genetic sensitivity. Finasteride and dutasteride slow it by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Drostanolone is already a DHT derivative, so those drugs do not reduce its effect on the scalp. If keeping your hair matters to you, this is one of the compounds most likely to work against it.
Low estrogen when used alone
Because drostanolone cannot become estrogen and also opposes it, using it without testosterone can leave estradiol very low. That shows up as achy joints, poor sleep, low libido and flat mood. Estrogen also protects bone and supports healthy cholesterol, so very low levels are not a goal in themselves.
After stopping
Propionate clears within days; enanthate in two to three weeks. Natural testosterone production then has to recover, typically over weeks to months. A lipid panel taken six to eight weeks after the last injection shows whether HDL has bounced back.
Bloodwork
Lipid panel, complete blood count, liver enzymes, total testosterone, estradiol, PSA for men over 40 and home blood pressure, before and after use.
Legal status
Drostanolone is a Schedule IV anabolic steroid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Possession for personal use is not an offence under the Act; selling, importing and exporting without authorisation are. It is not marketed as a medicine in Canada and is banned in sport.
Product pages: Genetix Pharma Masteron Enanthate, Zionova Masteron Propionate and Genetix Pharma Masteron Propionate.
Products in this guide
Each product page carries the chemistry, label strength, risks and references.
Questions
Does Masteron burn fat?
No compound melts fat directly. Drostanolone's visual effect comes from muscle hardness and lower water retention, which only shows when body fat is already low.
Is enanthate or propionate better?
Same compound, different ester. Propionate clears in a few days and needs frequent injections; enanthate lasts about a week.
Will Masteron make my hair fall out?
It can speed up male-pattern hair loss in men who are genetically prone, because it acts like DHT on the scalp.
Can women use Masteron?
It was originally a women's cancer drug, but at physique-oriented amounts it causes masculinising effects that can be permanent.
Sources
General information, not medical advice. Written for adults in Canada. Anabolic steroids are Schedule IV under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Talk to a licensed healthcare provider and get bloodwork before using any compound.
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