The question here shouldn’t be ‘do SARMs increase blood pressure’ but by how much does every individual SARM increase it?
Read this article to learn the truth about SARMs and blood pressure.
We’ll start this write-up with a short introduction about blood lipids, talk about SARMs and their effects on blood pressure and end it with three tips to manage blood pressure.
Yes, it is true that SARMs can increase blood pressure, due to the fact that they affect blood lipids in a negative way.
The “culprit” in this story is HDL cholesterol, also known as our good cholesterol, which basically acts as a blood pressure stabilizer in our body.
SARMs mediate blood lipids, including HDL cholesterol which leads to blood pressure changes in your body; most often, hypertension.
Not all SARMs are made equally and so you will have some that have quite an effect on blood pressure and others that don’t really increase it much.
The most potent SARMs decrease the amount of good cholesterol in the body, leading to a dramatic increase in blood pressure.
This effect can last a few months sometimes and is not immediately rectified by discontinuing the SARM in question.
My personal suggestion is to get a blood lipid test done before and after your SARMs cycle, just to be sure everything is alright.
Please note that some people don’t even experience an increase in blood pressure when on SARMs.
The above is the reason some people believe SARMs don’t affect blood pressure but as a rule of thumb, SARMs do seem to cause hypertension.
Expected Blood Pressure Increase On SARMs
We’ll now proceed to list the most popular SARMs and reveal by how much they increase blood pressure on average.
1. Ostarine
Over 1000 people have used Ostarine in clinical settings, including children, and the researchers have concluded that this SARM has minimal effects on blood pressure.
Don’t get me wrong, Ostarine will probably increase your blood pressure by around 5 to 10 mmHg in an eight week cycle.
Despite that, this increase is negligible and it shouldn’t worry you one bit, unless you have preexisting blood pressure problems.
For the average person, Ostarine is completely safe and you won’t have to worry about its effects on blood pressure.
2. Ligandrol
Ligandrol is a notch above Ostarine, it’s a great SARM for bulking and putting on strength.
However, its effects on blood pressure are inconsistent and vary on a case by case basis.
It’s very likely you won’t have to worry about more than a 10 mmHg increase while on Ligandrol.
Researchers looked at low doses of Ligandrol (up to 3mgs per day) and found no connection between this SARM and increased blood pressure.
Still, there have been reports of increases up to 20 mmHg; ensure that you’re doing a lipid panel test before and after your cycle.
3. RAD140
Surprisingly, RAD140 increases blood pressure a bit more than Ligandrol, despite many believing them to be similar compounds.
RAD140 can increase blood pressure by up to 25 mmHg, which is enough to warrant caution.
The problem here is that no human studies have been performed with RAD140, making it extremely difficult to take an educated guess.
From my experience, it increased blood pressure by 15 mmHg, which isn’t that much but still enough to be a cause for concern.
The best thing you can do is to get a lipid panel done before and after your RAD140 cycle.
4. Andarine
I often like to call Andarine the failed version of Ostarine because it has side effects you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
Andarine and Ostarine are quite similar when it comes to blood pressure increase; they do raise it somewhat but the effects are generally considered negligible.
The one “abandoned” study where people had vision issues didn’t even mention blood pressure increase anywhere.
This means that you can expect around a 5 to 10 mmHg increase while on Andarine.
However, I suggest you drop Andarine for the far better SARM, Ostarine.
5. YK11
Now we’re heading into big boy territory; YK11 will surely increase your blood pressure anywhere from 10 to 30 mmHg.
There are outliers who don’t experience a blood pressure increase from YK11 but it’s quite rare.
If you thought a lipid panel was not needed for the first four SARMs I’ve presented, this is where things change.
You absolutely have to measure your lipids before and after your YK11 cycle.
The reason why YK11 is so hard on your lipids is because it’s partly a steroid, which gives it an extra kick.
My advice is to be careful and monitor your blood work closely.
6. S23
By far the strongest SARM on this list; increases of up to 40 mmHg have been noted while on a S23 cycle.
S23 is so potent that it rendered rats sterile in an experiment done by researchers.
Just consider that before opting for this compound.
If you have preexisting blood pressure problems, I wholeheartedly recommend you go for something milder, like Ostarine.
You can’t play around with S23 or it will end up biting you, so please be careful and as always, monitor your blood lipids.
How To Mitigate Blood Pressure Increase On SARMs
I will now proceed to present three of the most popular remedies for high blood pressure while on SARMs.
I’ve done everything on this list except for Tadalafil and it has helped me out tremendously.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Cardarine
Cardarine is a compound that helps decrease blood pressure by acting as a blood pressure stabilizer in the liver.
It does so via the breakdown of LDL (bad) cholesterol and other fatty acids in the liver, which inadvertently increases the amount of HDL (good) cholesterol.
Since LDL and HDL cholesterol are antagonists to each other, you end up with a healthy liver and good lipids.
Read my full Cardarine review to learn everything you need to know about this compound.
If you don’t have time and just want to add Cardarine to your stack, 10mgs per day for no longer than eight weeks should do the trick.
2. Tadalafil
Tadalafil (also known as Cialis) is a medication most often used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It works by increasing nitric oxide levels which leads to more blood flow.
Not just that but nitric oxide also lowers blood pressure in the body and that’s exactly why I recommend you add it to your regimen.
I haven’t personally tried this out but from what other senior bodybuilders have told me, it’s a win-win situation.
You lower blood pressure and increase libido all at once, the latter becomes especially important as you approach testosterone suppression.
You can get Tadalafil from one of my best sources, Spectre Labs.
Just ensure that you’re using the coupon code ‘sarmguide’ during checkout for 20% off.
That’s the biggest possible discount you can get from this vendor!
3. Environmental and Dietary Changes
Your diet has to be on point while on SARMs in order to prevent further murking your blood lipids.
A diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, low on fat and adding a bit more carbs to the fray should be sufficient.
Regarding your environment, you don’t have to make any drastic changes such as moving places.
Just ensure that you’re exposed to sunlight at least 20 to 30 minutes per day.
It doesn’t seem like much but sunlight exposure helps with nitric oxide production, which once again, lowers blood pressure.
Conclusion
SARMs, as all other androgens, increase blood pressure.
In my opinion, the safest option is Ostarine; I have done it a few times and it has never given me a cause for concern.
You can get Ostarine and the other SARMs and compounds I’ve mentioned in this article by visiting my list of recommended companies.
