Does Anavar make you lose weight? Not in the way the question usually implies. Anavar (oxandrolone) is an anabolic steroid that was approved to help people gain weight after illness, surgery, or injury. In some studies, it increased lean body mass and reduced body fat, which can change body composition, but it is not a weight-loss drug, and those effects come with significant risks.
This article explains what oxandrolone is, what research shows about its effects on fat and muscle, its risks, and why it is no longer an approved medicine in the United States.
What is Anavar?
Anavar is a brand name for oxandrolone, an oral anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It was approved in the United States in 1964. Its approved uses included promoting weight gain after weight loss caused by surgery, chronic infection, or severe trauma, and helping to offset muscle breakdown caused by long-term corticosteroid treatment.
Like most oral anabolic steroids, oxandrolone is chemically modified through 17-alpha-alkylation so that it survives processing by the liver. Our guide to the types of steroids explains how oxandrolone compares with other compounds.
Does Anavar make you lose weight or gain weight?
Oxandrolone’s medical purpose was weight gain, mainly by increasing lean tissue such as muscle. In people who are already lean or who are not losing weight due to illness, it does not reliably reduce body weight.
What oxandrolone can do is change body composition, meaning the balance between lean mass and fat. A person could gain lean mass and lose some fat while their overall body weight stays similar or even rises. This is why “losing weight” and “changing body composition” should not be confused.
What does research show about Anavar and body fat?
Some controlled studies have found reductions in fat mass with oxandrolone. In a study of healthy older men, 12 weeks of oxandrolone reduced total, abdominal, and visceral fat and increased lean body mass compared with placebo. However, the same study also found substantial reductions in HDL cholesterol, which partly offset any potential metabolic benefit (Schroeder et al., 2004).
These effects were seen in specific populations under medical supervision, and they disappeared or reversed when treatment stopped in many studies. They do not show that oxandrolone is a safe or effective way to lose weight.
Claims that oxandrolone significantly raises metabolic rate or “burns fat” directly are not well supported by human research.
Why is Anavar described as “mild”?
Oxandrolone is often described as a mild steroid because it is considered less androgenic than many other anabolic steroids and causes less fluid retention. “Mild” is a relative description, not an absence of risk. Like other anabolic steroids, oxandrolone suppresses the body’s natural testosterone production, and in women it can cause masculinizing effects, some of which may be permanent.
What are the risks of Anavar?
Liver effects
As a 17-alpha-alkylated oral steroid, oxandrolone can affect the liver. Its prescribing information carried warnings about peliosis hepatis (blood-filled cysts in the liver), liver tumors, and changes in blood lipids. Our article on whether steroids damage the liver explains these risks.
Cholesterol changes
Oxandrolone can sharply lower HDL cholesterol, a change associated with higher cardiovascular risk. Our article on how steroids affect cholesterol levels covers the evidence.
Hormonal suppression
Oxandrolone suppresses the hormonal signals that drive natural testosterone production. After use stops, recovery can take months or longer.
Effects in women
In women, oxandrolone can cause voice deepening, increased body and facial hair, menstrual disruption, and clitoral enlargement. Some of these changes, particularly voice changes, may be permanent.
Is Anavar still approved?
No. In June 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew approval of all oxandrolone tablets. It later determined that oxandrolone had been withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness (FDA, 2023). Oxandrolone is therefore no longer an approved medicine in the United States.
Oxandrolone remains a Schedule III controlled substance, and it is prohibited at all times in competitive sport.
What actually works for weight and fat loss?
For most people, sustainable fat loss comes from a modest, consistent calorie deficit, adequate protein intake, resistance training to preserve muscle, and regular physical activity. For people with obesity or related health conditions, doctors can discuss approved medical treatments where appropriate.
Resistance training is particularly important during fat loss, because it helps preserve muscle mass, which is one of the main reasons people turn to anabolic steroids in the first place.
The bottom line
Does Anavar make you lose weight? Not reliably. Oxandrolone was approved to help people gain weight, mainly as lean mass, and while some studies have found reductions in body fat, these came with substantial drops in HDL cholesterol and other risks. It is not a weight-loss drug.
Oxandrolone can affect the liver, lower HDL cholesterol, suppress natural testosterone, and cause permanent masculinizing effects in women. Its FDA approval was withdrawn in 2023. Anyone looking to lose fat should focus on proven approaches and speak with a qualified healthcare professional about their options.
References
Food and Drug Administration. Determination that Oxandrin (oxandrolone) tablets, 2.5 milligrams and 10 milligrams, were withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. Federal Register. 2023;88 FR 62799.
Schroeder ET, Zheng L, Ong MD, et al. Effects of androgen therapy on adipose tissue and metabolism in older men. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2004;89(10):4863–4872.
