SARMs
Testolone (RAD-140)
Also called RAD-140 · RAD
RAD-140 appeals to lifters chasing stronger lifts, noticeable pumps and a muscular look without injections. Experience reports also describe disrupted sleep, hair shedding and blood-pressure concerns. Testolone is not testosterone, and its human cancer research does not establish a safe bodybuilding substitute.
Dosage & duration
One adult self-report · oral RAD-140
Beyond the gym
Strength goals and the evidence gap
What draws lifters in
-
Size and stronger lifts
Before-and-after reports cannot separate RAD from food, training and other drugs.
What human research studied
-
Advanced breast cancer
The first human trial studied 22 postmenopausal patients and found frequent liver-test abnormalities.
Testolone is not testosterone This unapproved SARM has not been established as a safe TRT or bodybuilding substitute.
Why people look at RAD-140
Strength and visible size are the main attractions. People compare RAD with LGD or oral steroids, and some describe extra training drive or a harder look. Others consider the results disappointing for the trade-off. These reports are useful for understanding expectations, not ranking the drugs by effectiveness.
Look beyond the before-and-after photo
An August 2026 update described stronger lifts and good pumps alongside worse sleep and raised blood pressure. Other people report hair shedding or losing some of the fuller look after stopping. Several accounts include major diet changes, creatine or other drugs. Their scale gain is not a measurement of muscle produced by RAD alone.
Is it a safer form of testosterone?
No such benefit has been established. The similar-sounding name has led to confusion, and older discussions even speculate about TRT replacement or hair protection. RAD-140 is a different, unapproved SARM. It should not be treated as testosterone replacement or as protection against another drug’s side effects.
What the human study actually tells us
The published first-in-human trial involved 22 postmenopausal women with heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer. Liver-test abnormalities were frequent. It did not test muscle gain, strength or hormone recovery in healthy lifters. Its oncology doses do not establish a safe lower-dose gym course, and a planned recovery drug cannot guarantee an uncomplicated outcome.
Model details: Testolone (RAD-140) · relative timing
Compare timing and buildup for this compound. The values are not blood concentrations or a measure of strength.
Shows a relative timing scenario; absolute blood concentrations are not calibrated.
Timing assumptions and sources
Limited oncology-study terminal estimate;6 hwasnot universal Tmax.
One 1 mg input peaks at 1 relative unit after a single dose. Other amounts scale proportionally; overlapping doses add when accumulation is on. Different compounds use separate relative scales.
- Timing half-life used
- 44.7 hours
- Absorption half-life assumed
- 11.175 hours
- Reference amount for the relative scale
- 1 mg
- Absorption half-life is assumed to be one quarter of the slower timescale (11.175 h); it is not a measured absorption parameter.
- A single 1-unit input has a peak of 1 relative unit; scaling and repeated-dose addition are mathematical assumptions. This normalization is independent of the example dose.
- No adequate single Bateman kernel from one patient terminal rate and multiple peaks.
- 10 mg extrapolation cannot be presented as measured healthy male PK.
- Doping microdose urine concentrations are not blood Cmax.
- Lo Russo et al 2022 first-in-human RAD 140
22 postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer;50/100/150 mg,100 mg PK expansion.
- Public mirror of Lo Russo original preproof
100 mgsingle:Cmax 447 ng/mL, AUC 0–24=7044, AUClast 32981; latepeaks; h 44.7 reliable in one patient.
testolone-relative-timing-2026-10 · version 1
Safety and interaction notes Read the limitations and discuss clinical questions with a professional
- Aromatizes
- No
Liver-test abnormalities were frequent in the small advanced-breast-cancer trial. Those results do not quantify risk or establish safe physique use.
Common questions
Is Testolone the same as testosterone?
No. RAD-140 is an investigational SARM with a different clinical research program. The name does not make it a replacement for testosterone or prescribed TRT.
Will RAD-140 protect my hair?
That claim appears in older community speculation, but it is not an established human benefit. Some people report hair shedding. Neither set of anecdotes can predict what will happen to an individual.
Does better strength mean a cycle is going well?
A performance change does not rule out adverse effects. Some people report stronger lifts alongside sleep or blood-pressure problems, and the human trial identified liver-test abnormalities in its specific cancer population.
Sources Labels, studies and notes behind this guide
Catalog evidence: Other human research. This describes the type of evidence, not a clinical review of every claim.
Summary and fact source checks: 2026-10-10, 2026-10-07. This records source checking, not medical review of the whole page.
Notes on the quick facts
- Why people seek it
- Before-and-after accounts do not isolate the drug from training, food and other compounds.
- Human research
- Its dose and risk context should not be transferred to bodybuilding.
- Main trade-off
- An unapproved SARM is not a low-risk substitute for testosterone.
- 1. LoRusso et al. — first-in-human RAD140 trial
Primary abstract via Europe PMC: 22 heavily pretreated postmenopausal metastatic-breast-cancer patients; 50–150 mg/day groups, frequent liver-test abnormalities. Not healthy male performance evidence.
- 2. FDA — SARMs are unapproved drugs
Full FDA warning read 2026-10-10. Class warning includes liver injury, sexual dysfunction and infertility; it does not estimate the risk of each individual SARM.
- 3. FDA — SARMs warning
Unapproved status and risk concerns particularly relevant to young users.
- 4. Lo Russo et al 2022 first-in-human RAD 140
22 postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer;50/100/150 mg,100 mg PK expansion.
- 5. Public mirror of Lo Russo original preproof
100 mgsingle:Cmax 447 ng/mL, AUC 0–24=7044, AUClast 32981; latepeaks; h 44.7 reliable in one patient.
Keep reading
Related compounds and examples
Related compounds
Ostarine (MK-2866 / Enobosarm)
Ostarine appeals to lifters who want to keep muscle while cutting or add modest size without injections. Reported experiences range from worthwhile strength and physique changes to disappointment. Its reputation as a mild SARM does not mean it avoids hormone, cholesterol or liver risks.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
Ligandrol attracts lifters looking for fuller muscles, size and strength without injections. The question that keeps coming up is how much of that fuller look remains after stopping. Human research found a lean-mass increase, alongside hormone and cholesterol changes; individual transformation reports cannot predict the result for another person.
Andarine (S4)
Andarine is sought for a harder, more defined look and strength during a cut, rather than dramatic weight gain. Users compare it with Anavar or Ostarine, but those comparisons are anecdotal. Yellow or green vision and difficulty seeing in low light are a distinctive concern in reports, not a harmless sign that the product is working.