Theres hiv research showing the opposite, nandrolone increasing nk function or t cell numbers etc. I think alot is hear say when we hear that steroids low immunity as many drs cant distinguish the difference between anabolic steroids and cortical steroids and just bundle them all together.
I have seen those studies, and noticed that viral load in nandrolone treated groups went up, same with testosterone groups, even though they had better immune markers in other areas. I am fairly certain androgens lower some arm of immunity, but it is a complex topic. I think the higher nk cells etc is because in context of treating wasting, having the trade off of more muscle mass is worth the downside of somewhat suppressed immunity. So I mean, whatever level of increased viral load the patient gets, is made less of a downside because their other immune markers as a result of gaining weight and training, etc went up. Not to mention these were just 12-16 week studies, in the long run they might have gotten even healthier. So it is too simplistic to say anabolics lower or raise immunity, it depends who you are treating. As far as I know, deca is not really used for that purpose widely anymore, it is replaced with Serostim rHGH, which I imagine does all the positives with less negative. I believe deca is not even officially produced by a brand name pharmaceutical company anymore, if that tells you anything about how much it is used therapeutically in modern medicine.
Fwiw, there are case studies showing proliferation of some types of infection in people on anabolics for bodybuilding. If i recall correctly, th1 is suppressed and th2 is supported, but dont quote me on that. I remember one about a kid who got really bad fungal sinus infection, and nandrolone basically "hid" the infection from his immune system, presumably because nandrolone aka deca induces il-10 cytokine, which tells the inflammation process to cool down. There were a couple more case studies examining similar situations. I read one about winstrol as well.
If anabolics give you the energy and results in muscle, and that increased activity and wellness, (and the pain relief from nandrolone specifically) offsets their negatives, and the user does a good job of making sure their infection issues are under reasonable control, then of course it is a benefit. But the topic is complex, one needs to be able to approach it with care and good info. Cycle length and dose also matters. There are some complicated inverse effects on neurotransmitters and cytokines depending on length of use that i doubt many people have a clear handle on.
Some steroids are better for therapeutic use than others, for example trenbolone I cant imagine would help a CFSer because it harms sleep structure, this I know anecdotally, but it is very effective in building muscle and abolishing fatigue through the increased motivation. Dianabol is liver toxic but it makes most people feel very good, quickly puts on weight. Deca/nandrolone is a noted anti inflammatory but damages heart and blood vessels many times more than just plain testosterone, and testosterone is a good all around hormone and safest in replacement doses long term but can cause androgenic issues in higher doses and usually requires other health harming drugs to control. If a sufferer can harness these to better their lifestyle and achieve better treatment outcomes than without, they should be free to use them responsibly, but for someone in a more unwell condition, anything beyond TRT is probably a bad idea, for the obvious reason I believe you should be physically well enough to do some regimented training to offset the negative health effects (which you can minimize, but never really avoid totally) and make it a valid trade off. Otherwise it is just recreational drug abuse and will leave you worse off.
Im on 70mg test a week right now, but i plan to do a few cycles of nandrolone soon, i think the increased muscle mass and wellness will help in long run, but i want to be sure to get my dysbiosis and whatever infection issues i may have under control first. I dont want to risk getting unhealthier on a cycle.
I think anabolic steroids can definately help. They helped me retain most muscle mass during long periods of relative inactivity and unwellness. My goal is to use them as health tools now, rather than as shortcuts or things of abuse. In any case, i will post details here and do my best to get comprehensive immune and other labwork done so other users here can benefit from informed decisions.
