STUDresearch · Non-peptide
LGD-4033
Also known as
Ligandrol · VK5211 · VK-5211 · LGD · LGD4033 · LGD 4033 · Anabolicum · LGD4033 (Ligandrol)
Community talk. May be wrong. Not medical advice. Not a protocol. Not for human or animal use.
Non-peptide
Some talk
Systemic
Oral
SARMs (adjacent discourse)
Systemic oral SARM — whole-body androgen-receptor signaling with tissue-selective framing (muscle/bone favored over prostate in preclinical models).
What people say
LGD-4033, also called ligandrol or VK5211, is an investigational oral nonsteroidal SARM. It has short controlled human studies but is not approved for medical or physique use, and gray-market products may not match study drug.
Doses people talk about
These are separate descriptive accounts, not a progression. Products were unverified, and the longer log added MK-677 in week 6.
How it may feel
There is no reliable acute buzz. A 3 mg/day author stopped after 11 days despite strength gains because of multiple symptoms; another 5-to-10 mg/day log described subtle early change, later PRs, a libido rise then fall, sluggishness and suppressive bloodwork.
Brief community account3 mg orally per day
Eleven-day report with strength/recovery claims, multiple adverse symptoms and day-10 laboratory changes; several medications confounded attribution.
Longer same-author course5 mg/day in weeks 1–5, then 10 mg/day in weeks 6–9
Strength felt subtle until week 5 and PRs were reported later; interruptions and MK-677 from week 6 confounded the course.
Controlled Phase 1 comparison0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 mg orally per day
Healthy men received one of these amounts for 21 days under controlled study conditions.
Half-life & effect duration
- Half-life in the body
- OralAbout 24–36 hours
- Felt duration people report
- One accountMixed benefit and adverse effects by day 11
- Longer accountSubtle strength until week 5, then personal records alongside libido changes and sluggishness
Cycles people discuss
Community use commonly spans six to ten weeks, while controlled comparison windows were 21 days in healthy men and 12 weeks after hip fracture at much lower daily amounts. These are not exposure-equivalent.
Timing
Trial and community discussions usually describe one oral dose per day rather than repeated daily doses. The retained notes do not establish a preferred morning, evening or meal slot; the short low-dose trial does not validate higher gray-market schedules.
Stacks
MK-677 and other SARMs recur in preserved LGD stack discussions. Combined use makes strength, appetite, hormone and adverse-effect changes difficult to attribute to a single compound.
Watch for
HPTA / testosterone suppression (trial): Dose-dependent drop in total testosterone and SHBG; free T and FSH clearer at 1.0 mg in the 21-day study; LH stable in that short trial. Recovery occurred over follow-up weeks after low-dose short exposure.
Tap a line to jump into the full notes. Research only — may be wrong.
Timing context & sources
Half-life in the body
A controlled Phase 1 study in healthy men reported a 24–36 hour terminal half-life for oral LGD-4033.
Seventy-six men age 21–50 received placebo or 0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 mg daily for 21 days; exposure was dose proportional and plasma concentrations accumulated roughly threefold by day 21.
Short, low-dose study with controlled study drug. It does not certify gray-market products or the kinetics and safety of community 3–10+ mg multi-week exposures.
- Safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects of LGD-4033 in healthy young men (opens in a new tab)Randomized placebo-controlled Phase 1 study in 76 healthy men age 21–50 receiving 0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg oral LGD-4033 daily for 21 days; terminal half-life 24–36 hours and roughly threefold accumulation by day 21 were reported.Short, low-dose selected-population study using controlled study drug. It does not establish safety or kinetics for gray-market 3–10+ mg multi-week use; direct PMC access presented a browser-check screen, so indexed article text and tables were reviewed.
Felt duration people report
The inspected reports do not establish one onset or persistence window for subjective LGD-4033 effects.
One 3 mg/day author reported mixed benefit and adverse effects by day 11 and stopped; a different 5-to-10 mg/day author described subtle strength until week 5, later PRs, libido changes and sluggishness.
Anonymous unverified products, multiple medications in the brief account, interruptions and later MK-677 co-use in the longer account, plus no blinded timing assessment.
- Reddit r/SARMs — My brief experience with LGD-4033 3 mg (opens in a new tab)Author described 3 mg/day for 11 days with improved strength/recovery but nausea, abdominal discomfort, night sweats, dehydration, flat mood and worse aerobic performance; day-10 labs included lower testosterone and higher ALT/AST, and the author stopped.Anonymous short gray-market report with multiple concurrent medications, unverified product and baseline variability; day-10 labs and symptoms cannot establish single-agent causality.
- Reddit r/SARMs — LGD first cycle report (opens in a new tab)Same-author course: 5 mg/day in weeks 1–5, 10 mg/day in weeks 6–9 with interruptions across about 10 weeks; subtle strength until week 5, PRs in weeks 7–9, libido rise around weeks 3–4 then decline, sluggishness and suppressive bloodwork. MK-677 began in week 6.Anonymous gray-market report with interruptions, diet/training changes, MK-677 co-use after week 5, unverified compound and self-selected reporting. It cannot isolate LGD-4033 or establish prevalence.
What people say
- Fullness / size (forums): Multi-week logs commonly claim fuller, denser look and scale weight up; training surplus and water confound almost always present. forum
- Strength PRs (forums): Faster progress on squat/bench/deadlift vs baseline is a frequent log claim at community 5–10 mg bands. forum
- “Dry” / quality-mass typology: Often framed as drier or cleaner than “wet” oral AAS (e.g., dbol lore comparisons) — typology and photos, not imaging RCTs. forum
- Vs ostarine ranking: Community ranks LGD more potent per milligram for mass/strength and more HPTA-suppressing; Phase 1 LBM at 1 mg/3 weeks compared favorably to enobosarm LBM at higher dose/longer duration in different populations — cross-study comparison only. forum
- Vs RAD-140 talk: Both in “strong oral SARM” tier; preference splits by dryness, aggression, joint feel, and side profile lore rather than head-to-head RCTs. forum
- Recomp talk: Muscle-hold on deficit plus fat-loss phases discussed; diet almost always co-credited; trial fat mass was flat at 21 days in healthy young men. forum
- Stack confounds: Gains often credited jointly with MK-677, RAD-140, surplus calories, or PCT recovery — isolation is unreliable. forum
- Lean mass (Basaria Phase 1): Dose-dependent LBM increase over 21 days at 0.1–1.0 mg/day; ~1.2 kg lean mass often cited at 1 mg/day after 3 weeks; fat mass did not change significantly in that short window. trial
- Lean mass (VK5211 Phase 2, hip fracture): Placebo-adjusted LBM increases of ~4.8% (0.5 mg), ~7.2% (1 mg), and ~9.1% (2 mg) after 12 weeks; proportions achieving ≥2 kg LBM gain rose with dose (e.g., high-80% range at 2 mg vs low-teens% on placebo in reported summaries). trial
- Composition (Phase 2): Dose-dependent fat-mass decreases (placebo-adjusted roughly ~2–6% class figures, significant at highest dose in company reports) coupled with body-weight increases — recomp-like signal in a clinical recovery population, not gym self-reports. trial
- Strength / power (Phase 1): Stair-climb power and strength trended dose-dependently upward but were not statistically significant in the 21-day study. trial
- Functional walk (Phase 2 exploratory): 6-minute walk distance improved dose-dependently vs placebo (~20+ m at highest dose in Viking presentations); endpoint not powered for significance. trial
- Case report stack signal (Cardaci 2022): One 25-year-old male on LGD-4033 10 mg + MK-677 15 mg daily × 5 weeks showed body mass +6.0%, total LBM +3.1%, appendicular LBM +4.3%, but also total fat mass +15.4% and large adverse biomarker shifts (see sides) — single n=1, confounded by co-administration. trial
- Clinical interest backdrop: Muscle atrophy, hip-fracture recovery, historical cachexia/hypogonadism/osteoporosis programs discontinued or not approved — developmental context, not recreational bulk proof. trial
Doses people talk about
- Beginner community band: ~2.5–5 mg once daily for first runs is a widely repeated start range. forum
- Standard / modal community band: ~5–10 mg once daily for multi-week physique cycles — the band most often cited in recreational-use reviews and forum cycle reviews. forum
- “Intermediate” chart language: ~10 mg/day commonly listed as intermediate after a 5 mg start. forum
- Upper discussion band: 10–15+ mg/day in aggressive or stacked logs; more suppression, lipid, and side-effect talk. forum
- High-outlier logs: Occasional reports and video/forum summaries of recreational use up to ~20–30 mg/day — far above multi-dose trial doses (e.g., 5–30× the 1 mg Phase 1 arm); safety and incremental benefit unknown. forum
- Women’s chart talk (vendor/forum): Lower bands such as ~1–5 mg/day or ~2.5–5 mg for shorter cycles appear in guides; virilization risk is poorly characterized for SARMs class and masculinization anecdotes exist — not a studied female physique protocol. forum
- Timing: Once daily (morning or consistent daily time) dominates because of the long half-life narrative; split dosing is uncommon. forum
- With / without food: Not a major trial emphasis; community usually prioritizes consistency over meal timing. forum
- Capsule vs liquid: Capsules/tablets simplify counting; liquids allow finer titration but increase dosing-error risk. forum
- Uncertainty: Labeled mg may not equal delivered compound; many products purported to be LGD-4033 contain none, wrong substance, or wrong dose — structural gray-market risk. forum
- Single-dose clinical exposure: Ascending single oral doses from 0.1 mg up to 22 mg reported in first-in-human Phase 1 abstract data. trial
- Dose vs trial honesty: Recreational 5–10 mg/day for 6–10 weeks is not the same exposure as 0.1–1 mg × 21 days or 0.5–2 mg × 12 weeks clinical arms. trial
- Framing: Ranges below are community, vendor-chart, and published-trial figures for research literacy only — not prescriptions, not safety-validated athletic protocols, not medical advice. forum
- Trial multi-dose oral (healthy men): 0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg once daily × 21 days (Basaria 2013). trial
- Trial multi-dose oral (hip-fracture Phase 2 / VK5211): 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg once daily × 12 weeks. trial
How it may feel
- First 11 days at 3 mg/day: One author reported better strength and recovery but nausea, abdominal discomfort, night sweats, dehydration, flatter mood and worse aerobic performance, then stopped. forum
- Weeks 1–5 at 5 mg/day in another log: Strength felt subtle until about week 5; after moving to 10 mg/day, the author reported PRs in weeks 7–9. forum
- Libido and confounding in that log: Libido rose around weeks 3–4 and later fell with sluggishness and suppressive bloodwork; MK-677 began in week 6, weakening later attribution. forum
- Weeks 6–8: Typical “peak” of a physique-style cycle; suppression, HDL drop, and “am I flat / low libido?” talk ramps up. forum
- Weeks 8–12: Longer aggressive runs appear in logs and vendor charts; cumulative suppression and lipid concern dominate risk talk more than new novelty gains. forum
- Early stop in the 3 mg/day report: The author stopped on day 11 after nausea, abdominal discomfort, night sweats, dehydration and flat mood; day-10 ALT/AST rose and total testosterone fell from the reported baseline, but multiple medications confounded causality. forum
- PCT window (community practice): SERM-based PCT weeks discussed as recovery support; subjective recovery timing varies widely and is not a clinical standard for LGD. forum
- Weeks 2–3: Aligns with the only multi-dose healthy-men LBM measurement window (21 days); clinical lean-mass signal was already measurable here at ≤1 mg. trial
Cycles people discuss
- Typical community length: 6–8 weeks is the most common physique-cycle window. forum
- Extended chart length: 8–10 or 8–12 weeks appears in intermediate/aggressive guides and vendor-style write-ups. forum
- Shorter intros: ~4-week “feel it out” runs appear for first exposures or product authenticity tests. forum
- PCT talk (heavy community practice): Post-cycle SERMs in forum language — tamoxifen (Nolvadex) and/or clomiphene (Clomid) protocols of several weeks are widely discussed after multi-week LGD runs; this is research-chem culture, not an FDA-labeled LGD regimen. forum
- PCT necessity debate: Many logs treat PCT as default after ≥5–10 mg multi-week runs; some low-dose short runs debate “bloodwork first”; clinical hormones recovered after short low-dose exposure without SERM PCT in the trial setting. forum
- On-cycle SERM “bridge” minority talk: Low-dose tamoxifen through cycle sometimes proposed in dual-SARM threads — contested and not evidence-based standard. forum
- Time off rule of thumb: Off-cycle length ≥ on-cycle length is a frequent heuristic; evidence is anecdotal. forum
- Re-runs: Seasonal bulk/cut restarts common; multi-year repeated gray-market safety data are not established. forum
- When people run it: Surplus bulk or recomp blocks more often than pure deep cuts; stacked with GW-501516 when cutting is the goal. forum
- Clinical durations for comparison: 21 days (healthy-men multi-dose Phase 1) and 12 weeks (hip-fracture Phase 2) — different goals and doses than bulk logs. trial
- Bloodwork checkpoints discussed: Pre, mid (~week 4), end-of-cycle, and post-PCT panels (total/free T, LH/FSH, SHBG, estradiol, lipid panel, AST/ALT, CBC as personal risk framing). forum
- Exit flags discussed in communities: Crushing libido/energy, sharp lipid deterioration, rising liver enzymes/jaundice symptoms, or stalled gains with heavy suppression — stop-and-reassess lore, not medical algorithms. forum
Timing
- After stop (community): Subjective recovery often multi-week with or without PCT; deeper suppression expected after higher-dose longer runs than in Basaria 2013. forum
- Elimination half-life: ~24–36 hours (often ~31 h in single-dose Phase 1 abstract reporting); supports once-daily oral dosing. trial
- Accumulation: Linear / dose-proportional PK across 0.1–1 mg/day; plasma levels roughly ~3-fold higher at day 21 vs day 1 with repeated dosing. trial
- Day-21 exposure examples (Phase 1): Mean AUC on day 21 reported ~19 ng·day/mL at 0.1 mg, ~85 at 0.3 mg, and ~238 at 1.0 mg. trial
- Once-daily logic: Long half-life + accumulation is why trial and community practice default to one daily oral dose rather than multi-times-daily. trial
- Hormone effects (Phase 1): Dose-dependent suppression of total testosterone and SHBG; free testosterone and FSH significantly suppressed at 1.0 mg; LH and PSA not meaningfully changed in that study; markers trended back over weeks after stop. trial
- Lipids (Phase 1): HDL cholesterol and triglycerides fell on treatment; total and LDL cholesterol generally not significantly changed in that short study; lipids returned toward baseline after discontinuation in the clinical window. trial
- Prostate signal (short trials): PSA not increased at studied clinical doses — short duration and select populations; not long-term prostate safety proof. trial
- Liver enzymes (controlled trials): AST/ALT not significantly altered at Phase 1 doses; case reports of DILI still exist in recreational settings (see sides). trial
- Detection / anti-doping: WADA-prohibited SARM; parent plus multiple hydroxylated and other metabolites monitored in urine; long-term dihydroxylated metabolites (e.g., M5b class) are used as detection markers. trial
- Detection window talk: Varies by dose, duration, method, and metabolite; literature and anti-doping resources describe multi-day to multi-week urine detection after use (including metabolite persistence on the order of many days to longer after repeated microdoses in controlled excretion work); hair analysis can extend historical exposure windows. Exact “clearance day” claims for athletes are unreliable without lab context. trial
- After stop (clinical): Hormone and lipid markers recovered over follow-up weeks after short low-dose exposure. trial
More on what it is
- Why people search it: Framed as a “harder” or more anabolic oral SARM than ostarine for lean mass and strength; one of the most-discussed recreational SARMs alongside ostarine, RAD-140, and andarine. forum
- Research lens: Forum mg charts commonly run 5–10× (or more) the multi-dose trial daily doses; match lean-mass and “well tolerated” claims to named study doses/durations, not to gray-market bulk logs. forum
- What it is: Oral nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals and later advanced by Viking Therapeutics as VK5211. Black-market / research-chem names: Ligandrol, Anabolicum. Not FDA-approved for any medical or physique use. trial
- Chemistry class: Pyrrolidinyl-benzonitrile / quinoline-related nonsteroidal SARM (distinct from arylpropionamide SARMs like ostarine/andarine). Molecular weight ~338 g/mol; highly lipophilic. Sometimes confused with related Ligand codes (LGD-2226, LGD-2941, LGD-3303) — different molecules. trial
- Mechanism (simplified): High-affinity androgen receptor (AR) agonist (reported Ki ~0.9 nM); aims for anabolic effects in muscle and bone with partial agonist / weaker prostate and sebaceous-gland activity in animal models — the classic SARM tissue-selectivity story. animal
- Preclinical selectivity snapshot: In castrated rats at high doses, levator ani mass could exceed intact controls while prostate only partially restored — used as marketing/preclinical evidence of muscle-over-prostate bias; not proof of “side-effect free” human use. animal
- Evidence anchor (Phase 1): Basaria et al. 2013 — 76 healthy men (21–50 y), placebo or 0.1 / 0.3 / 1.0 mg oral daily × 21 days; lean mass rose dose-dependently; strength/stair-climb trended up without reaching significance; hormones and lipids recovered over ~5 weeks post-stop. trial
- Evidence anchor (Phase 2 / VK5211): 12-week randomized trial in ~108 older adults recovering from hip fracture surgery — oral 0.5 / 1.0 / 2.0 mg daily vs placebo; placebo-adjusted lean body mass (less head) +4.8% / +7.2% / +9.1%; appendicular lean mass and some 6-minute-walk signals also reported; not a recreational bulk study. trial
- Single-dose Phase 1 note: Ascending single oral doses up to 22 mg in healthy men reported well tolerated with no SAEs in company/abstract data; half-life supported once-daily dosing — still not multi-month multi-mg gym-protocol safety. trial
- What it is not: Not a steroid ester, not testosterone, not a peptide, not approved hypogonadism or osteoporosis therapy, not a dietary supplement (FDA has warned sellers marketing it as such). trial
Stacks
- LGD + MK-677 (Ibutamoren): Extremely common bulk stack — LGD for AR-driven mass/strength, MK-677 for appetite, sleep, and GH-axis recovery lore. Cardaci 2022 documented combined 10 mg LGD + 15 mg MK-677 × 5 weeks with LBM and fat-mass both up plus adverse lipids/liver/hormones — n=1 evidence of real biomarker cost. forum
- LGD + RAD-140: Aggressive dual-SARM “strength + size” stack; forums warn of compounded suppression and harder PCT. No quality head-to-head RCT. forum
- LGD + ostarine (MK-2866): Milder partner or bridge in some recomp/beginner multi-SARM guides; still multi-agent risk. forum
- LGD + cardarine (GW-501516): Endurance / cut / recomp stacks; GW is a PPARδ agonist with its own separate long-term risk discourse (including animal cancer findings at high exposure in development history). forum
- LGD + andarine (S-4): Older “hardening / vascularity” pairings (e.g., short S-4 blocks with LGD) appear in recreational SARM literature summaries. forum
- LGD + YK-11: Niche “myostatin / hardness” stack talk; YK-11 has thinner human data and its own risk profile. forum
- PCT as “stack piece”: Planned tamoxifen and/or clomiphene after the run is often listed alongside on-cycle agents in cycle templates. forum
- Support compounds discussed: Fish oil / lipid support, liver-support supplements, AI only if estrogen symptoms (controversial on SARM-only), and sleep/diet non-negotiables — efficacy of OTC “support” is unevenly evidenced. forum
- Avoid-stack warnings in communities: Other hepatotoxic orals, heavy alcohol, and unsupervised multi-SARM megastacks called out as risk multipliers after DILI case reports. forum
- LGD vs test base debate: Some advanced forums argue real testosterone (TRT/blast) as a base instead of SARM-only; others stay SARM-only for needle aversion — cultural split, not medical guidance. forum
Storage notes
- No mix instructions here: STUDresearch does not list reconstitution, diluent volumes, or syringe unit charts. People reconstitute many different ways and vial labels differ — that content creates more confusion than clarity. forum
- Storage (general talk only): Unopened research products are usually kept cool, dry, and away from light per the seller label. Anything after first use is product-specific — follow the label, not a universal forum SOP. forum
Watch for
- Suppression at community doses: Recreational 5–10+ mg multi-week runs are widely described as more suppressing than clinical ≤1–2 mg windows; bloodwork logs often show large total/free T declines. forum
- Libido / sexual function / energy: Lower libido, softer erections, anhedonia, or fatigue on-cycle or after stop when suppressed — among the most common forum complaints. forum
- Virilization / women: Class potential for masculinizing effects is poorly characterized clinically; anecdotal masculinization reports with black-market SARMs exist — extra caution in female discussion. forum
- Hair / acne / voice: Mixed anecdote band; some users report androgenic-type hair shedding or skin changes, others none — less systematic than AAS literature. anecdote
- Mood / aggression / sleep: Variable; some report irritability or flat mood with suppression; not a consistent trial signal at low doses. forum
- Source / contamination: Gray-market products may be mislabeled, under/overdosed, or adulterated with other PEDs — identity risk compounds clinical risk. forum
- Unapproved-drug status: SARMs are not FDA-approved for human use and are not legal dietary-supplement ingredients. This card maps forum talk only — not a sourcing guide, not a safety claim, and not a promise of results. trial
- HPTA / testosterone suppression (trial): Dose-dependent drop in total testosterone and SHBG; free T and FSH clearer at 1.0 mg in the 21-day study; LH stable in that short trial. Recovery occurred over follow-up weeks after low-dose short exposure. trial
- Cardaci co-admin snapshot: On 10 mg LGD + 15 mg MK-677 × 5 weeks: free testosterone −85.7%, total testosterone −62.3%, SHBG −79.6%; FSH below reference on- and post-cycle in that subject. trial
- HDL / lipids (trial): HDL and triglycerides decreased on LGD in Phase 1; adverse HDL:LDL ratio theoretically raises cardiovascular concern. trial
- HDL / lipids (case + community): Cardaci stack showed HDL −36.4%, LDL +40%, triglycerides +39%; forum bloodwork threads frequently flag worsened panels on SARM cycles. trial
- Liver injury (case reports): Multiple published DILI cases linked to recreational LGD (alone or stacked) — hepatocellular and cholestatic patterns, sometimes after cessation; one reported severe cholestatic hepatitis/fibrosis after declared 10 mg/day ligandrol. Controlled Phase 1 did not show enzyme rises. trial
- Liver enzymes (stacked case): Cardaci report AST +95.8% and ALT +205% on-cycle with LGD+MK-677 — returned toward baseline post-cycle in that subject. trial
- Headache / dry mouth: Most common nonspecific AEs in early clinical summaries. trial
- PSA / prostate (short data): No significant PSA rise in Phase 1; long-term prostate outcomes at high recreational doses uncharacterized. trial
- Bone note (case): Cardaci observed transient BMC/BMD decreases on-cycle that largely recovered post-cycle — unexpected direction vs SARM bone-anabolic preclinical story; single case, needs caution not overgeneralization. trial
- Cardio class warning: FDA consumer warnings on bodybuilding SARMs cite liver toxicity, lipid harm, and potential increased risk of heart attack and stroke. trial
- Sport bans: WADA prohibited (anabolic agents / SARMs); high-profile positives across multiple sports; supplement contamination and even intimate-contact transfer defenses have appeared in cases — athletes face multi-year career risk. trial
- Not risk-free framing: “Well tolerated” at ≤1 mg × 21 days or ≤2 mg × 12 weeks in selected trials does not prove multi-month multi-mg stack safety, hepatotoxicity freedom, or cardiovascular neutrality. trial
- Research-only posture: Not approved for human consumption or physique use; educational/research framing only. trial
Evidence mix
Mixed trial + community tags
Full: every bullet (trial + community). Use Scan for a faster bro-science read.