Mesterolone

Mesterolone is an orally applicable androgen, and DHT derivative. It is sold under the brand name Proviron, by Schering. In the late 70's and early 80's it was used with some success in controlled studies of men suffering from various forms of depression.

In one randomized, double-blind 4-week trial, 38 dysthymic men were administered 75mg daily. Itil & Colleagues reported an improvement of symptoms which included anxiety, lack of drive and desire. Next, they administered a high dose (450mg/day) or placebo in a 6-week randomized trial of 52 men with a mean age of 40 years, suffering from dysthymia, unipolar and bipolar depression. Both the mesterolone and placebo groups improved significantly and there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. In this series of studies mesterolone lead to a significant decrease in LH and testosterone levels. This is probably as a result of the extremely high dose used. In another, 100mg mesterolone cipionate was administered twice monthly. With regards to plasma T levels, there was no difference between the treated vs untreated group, and baseline LH levels were minimally affected.

Mesterolone is a relatively weak androgen and rarely used for replacement therapies.