Are SARMs Safe? How To Minimize The Risks Of Using SARMs
Table of Contents
SARMs are not illegal. Let’s get that one right out of the way at the start here. But are SARMs safe? Well, that’s another question entirely, and one that we are going to answer in detail right now.
The thing is, SARMs can be safe, and certainly safer than anabolic steroids or prohormones, both of which are banned and dangerous to use for a variety of reasons.
But SARMs can also be quite dangerous, if you buy them blind, don’t really know what you’re looking for, and don’t know how to use them properly.
So let’s take a look at everything you need to know, from what are SARMs and how do they differ, through to discussing the safety of SARMs from all angles here. How safe they are in terms of chemical construction, their safety compared to anabolic steroids, how to use them safely, and also how to buy SARMs with the best guarantee of purity.
The History Of SARMs And Safety
To get a clue as to how safe SARMs are, you have to look at the history of SARMs to see where they’ve come from. SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) are research chemicals. Not a single chemical in the group classed as SARMs has ever been through full human trials and licensed for use for any purpose on humans.
SARMs are research chemicals that have been through preclinical trials, animal studies, and in some cases very limited human studies for specific purposes.
So what you’ve got with SARMs, is mostly chemicals that have been constructed because they could have a use in building muscle, retaining muscle, cutting fat, building energy, regulating the body clock, and other helpful things that can help illnesses, but have been shelved without going to market for a variety of reasons.
That should tell you that SARMs are to be approached with caution. Even the original SARMs like Ostarine and Andarine, although having been around 20 years, have never been through full human trials for any purpose. So you have to understand that when you are buying SARMs, you are not buying a finished product, and that can come with inherent and unknown side effects.
How Safe Are SARMs Compared To Anabolic Steroids And Prohormones?
Let’s be honest, there’s not a person on earth it doesn’t know that anabolic steroids are dangerous. They were never designed humans; they have mostly created the purposes of bulking up animals for various purposes.
They were hijacked by the equestrian industry, and then by the bodybuilding industry as well.
Prohormones are very similar to anabolic steroids. The only real difference is that they have to be turned into what’s required by processing in the body (metabolized), rather than being what’s needed on consumption as with anabolic steroids, this slows down and lowers the potency. They are still not safe, and just like anabolic steroids are completely banned in most countries.
SARMs are a completely different animal though. They aren’t as powerful as anabolic steroids or prohormones, that’s a simple fact. Even RAD-140 Testolone and YK-11 (which is actually closer to an anabolic steroid than a SARM) are far less potent.
Also, SARMs have been proven to be an agonist of the androgen receptor in muscle and bone tissue with great specificity, unlike anabolic steroids which are an agonist of androgen receptors around the body, leading to prostate problems, and significant issues with estrogen overload.
So compared to anabolic steroids and prohormones, despite the lack of research and clinical trials, SARMs, based on structure, limited trials, and 20 years of anecdotal bodybuilding evidence, are far safer to use.
Are Some SARMs Are Safer Than Others?
It’s really tough to tell you if some SARMs are safer than others. A lot of it will depend on the quality, which is vital, and also the dose you are taking them out. Also the length of time you’re taking SARMs for can matter as well.
Generally, though, the milder and older SARMs are better known. They have a little more research, and far more anecdotal data online. For example, Ostarine has been in use for nearly 20 years by the bodybuilding community, and you’re just not seeing people saying they are getting side effects or long-term illnesses that are being linked to using it.
Generally, SARMs are well tolerated it seems, and hundreds of thousands of people around the world take them, and there’s no explosion of problems that would be picked up by medical people and investigated
If you’re looking to get started with SARMs and you want to use the safest and least experimental, then these are the ones you should target:
- Ostarine MK-2866
- Ligandrol LGD-4033
- Andarine S-4
- Testolone RAD-140
All of those are actual SARMs, that target the androgen receptors and have similar effects at different levels. They have been in use for many years, and what they do, and any side effects around testosterone drop, are well documented.
That’s not to say other SARMs aren’t safe, it’s just that in the research chemicals classed as SARMs, but that actually don’t work on the androgen receptors, the mechanisms of action are far less understood.
Cardarine GW-501516, YK-11, Ibutamoren, SR-9009 Stenabolic fall into that category. They are used by tons of people around the world, and they can produce significant results in terms of energy increases, muscle development, and fat burning. But it’s important to understand they aren’t actually SARMs in the sense that they are not androgenic.
S-23 is something to be looked at differently. Although it’s classed as a SARM, chemically many people suggest it’s closer to an anabolic steroid, both in structure, and how it works in the body. It activates the androgen receptor, but more generally than other SARMs. It’s very potent, but that can bring an increased risk of side effects more aligned with anabolic steroids than other SARMs.
So mostly, are SARMs safe? Yes, they are. However, with the knowledge you have just been given, you can weight your risk slightly in your favor, alongside insensible dosage and cycle length.
Here Are The Main Things You Can Do To Keep Yourself Safe While Using SARMs
When it comes to using SARMs to aid your bodybuilding efforts, they definitely can increase your muscle gains, fat cutting, and endurance levels dramatically above what you can ever achieve naturally.
So they are worth using, as long as you are sensible about it. What I’m going to do here now is talk you through how you can keep yourself safe as possible while using SARMs, by using the following key tips:
- The first thing you need to do is always buy 100% pure SARMs. I’ll talk you through this more in the last section, but purity is vital for several key reasons.
- The length of the cycle is important. A typical SARMs cycle is up to 12 weeks, but for the stronger SARMs, it should be around 10 weeks or less. Many beginners should start with an eight week cycle. Don’t be crazy and go straight into a 12-week cycle stacking several SARMs at high doses.
- The amount of SARMs you stack can make a huge difference. You may think that you are taking low doses of 10 or 20 mg, but when you stack several SARMs, you’re actually taking 50 or 60 mg of different SARMs per day, which is a very high dose.
- The types of SARMs you stack is also vital. If you’re bulking, use one bulking SARM with supports. So you could use RAD-140 with Cardarine and Andarine for example. That will bulk you up, give you more energy, and help you to cut fat as well. But because Cardarine isn’t actually working on the androgen receptors, it minimizes the testosterone drop. Don’t overload the SARMs that bulk you up because it can cause muscle and tissue damage alongside other side effects.
- Make sure you pay attention to your body. Note your health when you begin the cycle, and be aware of any changes in your body or mind. If you’re going to do it seriously, you might want to get a testosterone test before and after your first cycle, to see how much your testosterone level drops.
- Make sure you have PCT supplements to hand if you are using androgenic SARMs. Even if it’s your first cycle and you are only using their massively mildly androgenic Ostarine, have Nolvadex to hand. If you’re using higher doses of SARMs, or more androgenic SARMs single you’re in a stack, then I would have Nolvadex and Clomid to hand just in case.
On top of those top tips for keeping SARMs safe, I’d also tell you to be brave.
If you are feeling unwell, or you’re not reaching the gains or goals you have set yourself, don’t increase the dose, and if you’re not well, lower the dose. If you’re feeling ill or have a testosterone drop, don’t be afraid to drop the dose all end the cycle early and go into PCT.
Just as if you do tons of lifting that your form is poor, if you do tons of SARMs that you don’t look after yourself and use them correctly, then you’ll damage yourself and not get the gains you are hoping for.
Are SARMs Legal?
SARMs legality around the world is quite a complex topic, so I’m just going to talk about legality in the USA here. Right now in the USA, SARMs are legal to sell and buy. But they are not legal to sell for human consumption knowingly. So that means they can’t be advertised as having human health benefits either.
In terms of you as a consumer, it’s not illegal to buy them or take them, that’s your own personal choice.
However, that could change in the future as the SARMs control act is going through Congress. But it’s stalled for the past two years, and with the coronavirus crisis, it looks likely it will stall for a lengthy period of time, and may even be shelved because of other priorities.
How To Minimize The Chances Of Buying SARMs That Are Dangerous Or Poor Quality
When it comes to buying SARMs, you are literally in a chemical minefield
One study that purchased 44 different SARMs from various companies around the world, analyze and chemically and found only 50% of them actually contain SARMs.
Worse than that, 39% contained another unapproved drug, nearly 10% didn’t contain an active substance at all, and 60% contained a different level of concentration to that stated. The scariest thing is that not only did nearly 40% contain unapproved drugs, but most of those unapproved drugs were banned substances including anabolic steroids!
So what you’re looking for when it comes to looking for SARMs are safe is to buy them from companies in the USA that have a track record anecdotally online for sending SARMs that produce good results without side effects, and offer guarantees.
These are guarantees you are looking for from a SARMs seller:
- The SARMs they sell must be independently third-party lab tested. That lab will test the purity of each batch, and issue a purity report. Those reports are published on the product pages, or at least somewhere on the website. You’ll then be able to see the current and historical purity of the SARMs they sell.
- The company should have a 100% moneyback guarantee, and anecdotally online there should be evidence that it is being honored.
To give you a head start here, these other SARMs sellers that I’ve found to have those purity guarantees:
Those three sellers will allow you to get started with SARMs that are safe in sublingual liquid, raw powder, and capsule form.
So even if you are a beginner and wondering what are SARMs anyway, at least you’ll know that those three sellers have the purity guarantees, the format choices, and the overall price and quality to get you started.
