People often associate the word “drugs” with something bad. However, when it comes to Longevity or Anti-aging drugs, there is a positive attitude growing surrounding the use of these life enhancing compounds. Today, regular people are living longer, professional athletes are competing well into their 40’s, whereas 50 years ago this was not the case. Since Steroids have been regularly used over the last century, what’s changed over the recent decades that’s led to people living healthier, longer lives?
The concept of utilizing a number of certain drugs for the purpose of extending life and enhancing the quality of life by countering the natural aging process is relatively new. Somatopause, the gradual decline of certain hormones within the body directly correlates with the increase of biological age. As one ages and the natural production of Testosterone, Estrogen, IGF-1, and Growth Hormone decreases, quality of life also decreases as the natural aging process leads to a decrease in lean muscle tissue, an increase of stored body fat, increased LDL and cholesterol, decreased metabolism, etc. By supplementing with exogenous forms of these hormones, one can hypothetically fight the biological aging process.
The Natural Aging Process
As humans age, there are a number of physiological and mental changes that occur within the body. After adolescence when a person is finished developing and growing into an adult, a gradual decline in hormonal production begins, which substantially impacts every cell of the body and mental health, until death.
Generally, during the mid to late 20s, you will begin to experience the gradual decline of the production of important hormones like Testosterone and Estrogen, which can lead to increased body fat storage, depression, muscular atrophy, and sexual dysfunction. The decrease of Growth Hormone and IGF-1 levels within the body also has an adverse impact on metabolism, skin quality, hair health, mental health, as well as muscle retention. The process of natural aging used to be considered inevitable, but with advancements in modern medicine, there is now a growing industry for promising new modalities, drugs, medical procedures, etc., that are being developed to counter, and even reverse natural aging process.
How Anti-aging Drugs Work
The idea of an Anti-aging drug protocol is to use exogenous hormone administration to bring decreased natural hormone levels from where they currently are, back up to optimal levels. Replacing lacking endogenous hormone production with exogenous hormone administration has been a common, and steadily growing medical practice for years, the most common being Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).
Administered exogenous hormones act similarly to their endogenous counterparts, yielding similar effects. There is a growing number of supplements and drugs that are commonly being used for their Longevity promoting qualities now, that have different mechanisms of action, working via different pathways to help slow down/stop/reverse the natural aging process. The goal going forward is to allow humans to live significantly longer, or indefinitely.
Popular Longevity Drugs
Testosterone (TESTOGEN, CYPOGEN, PROPOGEN, SUSTAGEN, T-400)
The most commonly used hormone for Anti-aging is Testosterone. As men age, Endogenous Testosterone production begins to decrease. This generally begins after the age of 20, and getting TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy), or HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) can mitigate natural low levels of Test. HRT will include using an exogenous form of Testosterone such as a single-ester Testosterone, or a multi-ester Testosterone blend to replace the lacking Testosterone. TRT and HRT can immensely improve quality of life, aid in fat loss, muscle gain, combat depression, enhance libido and sex life.
Possible Dosage:
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Protocol: Men @ 100-150+ mg/week based on the recommendations of your doctor.
Human Growth Hormone (OXYTROP)
Human Growth Hormone is the most commonly used Peptide for Anti-aging purposes by both men and women. Growth Hormone levels naturally decrease in humans as we age. The reduction in Somatotropic signaling in the body can lead to a number of adverse side effects such as the increase of storing body fat, muscle tissue atrophy, decreased metabolism and the decline of skin health. Aditionally, low Growth Hormone levels can even lead to sexual dysfunction, greater sensitivity to heat and cold, and promote depression.
Following a reasonable HRT dosage of HGH can resolve these problems if low Growth Hormone levels are the underlying cause. An increase of GH will also aid with maintaining/building muscle tissue, and burning stored fat via lipolysis. Like with all PEDs, there becomes a level of diminishing returns, where increasing GH levels to supraphysiological levels eventually brings more adverse side effects than the positive ones.
Possible Dosage:
- Men: 1-4 IU/day
- Women: 0.5-2 IU/day
IBUTAMOREN (MK-677)
The use of Human Growth Hormone has been rising dramatically over the last few decades. Prolonged exogenous HGH use brings about the drawback of having Endogenous production of GH downregulated. Commonly referred to as a SARM, MK-677 is technically a Ghrelin mimetic (not a Growth Hormone Secretagogue, but is similar). Growth Hormone Secretagogues stimulate the increase of natural Growth Hormone pulses, increasing total GH production.
In the hypothalamus, MK-677 will bind to Ghrelin receptors (Growth hormone secretagogue receptors) and stimulates the release of GHRH (Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone). Next, it will increase the signaling of GHRH in the Pituitary gland. It will also inhibit the amount of Somatostatin (Growth Hormone-Inhibiting Hormone, or GHIH). MK-677 use can result in an increase of Endogenous Growth Hormone production by 1.8 times that of natural levels.
Possible Dosage:
- Men/Women: 15-30 mg/day
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin)
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a popular peptide primarily used as part of a PCT protocol. It is used on cycle by some steroid users, primarily for superficial reasons of retaining testicle size and seminal volume while running steroids that would otherwise suppress natural production. Clinically, HCG is used to treat men suffering from hypogonadism (low testosterone), and can be included in a HRT protocol.
We know that having low Testosterone as a man can lead to a number of debilitating conditions like; depression, weight/fat gain, muscle loss, libido problems, mental health issues and a decreased quality of life. HCG causes the release of both LH and FSH which signal the testes to produce Testosterone and Sperm via the Leydig cells. This also increases Intratesticular testosterone (ITT), which plays a key role in spermatogenesis.
Posible Dosage:
- PCT Protocol for Men: 5,000-10,000 IU/total, evenly split daily, or every other day, for 10 days – after all Steroids/SARMs are cleared from the body (one day after cessation of oral SARM/Steroid ingestion, 4-7 days after short ester Steroid cessation, and 10-21 days after long ester Steroid cessation).
- HRT/Low Testosterone Protocol: 500-1,000 IU/three times per week for 3-4 weeks, followed by 500-1,000 IU twice per week for maintenance.
- On Cycle Protocol: 250-500 mcg/week, split evenly into two separate weekly administrations.
BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound)
BPC-157 is a miracle healing peptide that is a synthetic form of Body Protection Compound, a naturally occurring peptide synthesized within the stomach. As with other hormones, as we age our bodies synthesize less and less of it. BPC is a fifteen amino acid peptide that helps heal injured connective tissue and more. It has been shown to significantly improve mobility, strength, and flexibility of joint/connective tissue.
Clinical studies have shown its efficacy in accelerating injury recovery similarly to TB-500. It also has numerous benefits for digestive health and is commonly used by those suffering from GI conditions such as gastric ulcers, cramping, Crohn’s, Leaky Gut and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Site-specific administration is recommended to heal injuries, and oral consumption can benefit digestive and mental health conditions. Often BPC is stacked with TB-500 and/or Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to significantly expedite the recovery time of healing an injury. All peptides require reconstitution by administering Bacteriostatic Water into the bottle prior to use.
Possible Dosage:
- Men/Women: 200-400 mcg/day (injected directly into injured tissue, or orally consumed for gut health)
TB-500 (Thymosin Beta-4 variation)
TB-500 is a synthetic variation of Thymosin Beta-4, a naturally occurring peptide secreted by the thymus gland during adolescence until the gland begins to atrophy and completely decay, ceasing the production of this amazing hormone. The primary function of TB-500 is the upregulation of actin, an element within the contractile filaments of muscle tissue responsible for muscle contraction. It also positively affects almost all tissues and cell types within the body, promoting healing, growth, migration, and cell proliferation.
TB-500 creates new blood vessel pathways to further promote healing and reduce inflammation from training or injury. Its molecular structure and low molecular weight make it very versatile and systemic in nature; it will independently travel throughout the body and target damaged tissue to heal without being directly injected into the injured body part. TB-500 can reduce oxidative damage to the heart and central nervous system. Functioning similarly to human growth hormone (HGH), it plays a role in repairing, protecting, regenerating, and remodeling injured bodily tissues. All peptides require reconstitution by administering Bacteriostatic Water into the bottle prior to use.
Possible Dosage:
- Men/Women: Loading phase (4-5 weeks) @ 5-10 mg/week (administer twice per week). Maintenance phase @ 2-5 mg/week (or 7.66 mcg/kg of bodyweight).
TB-500 & BPC-157 blend
The blend of TB-500 and BPC-157 combines all the benefits of both miracle healing peptides in one convenient bottle. Thymosin Beta-4 is a variation of the naturally occurring peptide produced by the thymus gland that has amazing healing properties. BPC-157 is a synthetic form of the Body Protection Compound, a naturally occurring peptide synthesized within the stomach that also carries multiple healing benefits. This blend of the two most promising healing peptides is used to expedite the healing process for a multitude of muscle and joint injuries, along with other issues.
Possible Dosage:
- Longevity Protocol: Men/Women @ 400-800 mcg/day
To Use or Not to Use Longevity Drugs
As with all medication/drugs there will be benefits and risks associated with usage. The pros of using Anti-aging drugs are quite extensive as their effects will carry over into every aspect of your life. By increasing the levels of certain hormones that naturally decline with age, one can expect a myriad of positive effects such as; the increased ability to lose fat, enhance muscular hypertrophy, improve sexual function, improve mental health and quality of life. The multitude of benefits can slightly differ between men and women, and person by person, but the general outcome is the same. Living longer and healthier.
With so many benefits the choice to experiment with these compounds seems like a no brainer. However, there can always be adverse side effects related to any type of drug use. Other than individual genetic based adverse effects, one of the biggest problems from using Anti-aging drugs is that using them too early in life can downregulate the natural production of the related hormones in the body, and leave you reliant on exogenous administration indefinitely.
Doctors now manage Hormone Replacement Therapy, so it’s best to find a competent doctor that specializes in this field and follow their recommendations. Do your own research before taking anyone’s advice, even a doctors, as their advice is generally subjective and a second opinion can bring completely different opinions.
There is no cookie cutter Longevity protocol, there are dozens of PEDs available, and what works for someone, may cause havoc for the next person. Responsible drug use over time will show you which PEDs work best for you and what dosages can be safely managed. Ideally you want to use the least possible amount of a compound that allows you to reach your goals, with the least amount of adverse effects.
Ensuring you have pharmaceutical grade Steroids/SARMs/Peptides from a doctor or a reputable underground lab (UGL) such as Oxygen Pharm is essential as most UGLs in North America produce low quality compounds that are typically underdosed by 20-80% of the advertised potency, and/or are completely counterfeit compounds that can render nothing other than adverse side effects. Responsible PED use should allow one to achieve their goals and maintain their health and quality of life.
