Oxandrolone

Oxandrolone is an anabolic steroid, a testosterone analog with ten times the anabolic activity but one-tenth of the androgenic activity of testosterone. Research into its use in burn injury for preventing loss or restoring muscle mass has been going on since the mid-1990s. Demling found that patients in the rehabilitation phase on an exercise programme, oxan- drolone and a high protein diet gained more body weight than those on an exercise programme and normal or high protein diet. Oxandrolone was effective in older adults, over 60 years, as well as in younger adults. This is important in light of the difficulties older adults face due to loss of lean body mass.

In 2000 Demling used oxandrolone (20 mg/ day) in the acute phase on burn injury, beginning when patients reached a minimum of 75% of their energy and protein requirements. Twenty patients were studied in a double-blind randomised controlled trial. Patients on oxandrolone had an improved net nitrogen balance, decreased weight loss, faster healing of donor sites and a shorter length of stay.