There are studies where it has been prescrbed to people with liver disease, not just hiv. My point was that it is not "quite" harsh. It can be mildly harsh yes, but it less so than other compounds we use.
"Oxandrolone has been extensively studied in children with growth disorders and adult men with alcoholic hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that is often accompanied by wasting. It has been shown very safe and effective for treating alcoholic hepatitis related wasting and it is believed that the metabolic problems associated with this condition are similar to those found in HIV-wasting."
another excerpt note the first sentence:
Oxandrolone, a synthetic analog of testosterone with minimal virilizing activity and liver toxicity, attenuates muscle wasting after severe trauma, malnutrition, or acquired immunodeficiency virus.9,10 In severely burned children treated during acute hospitalization, oxandrolone significantly improved net protein synthesis, lean body mass, bone mineral content, synthesis of the hepatic constitutive proteins such as albumin and prealbumin, and attenuated the acute phase reactive protein levels.11–13 The aim of this study was to determine whether oxandrolone, administered for 1 year after injury to severely burned children, would attenuate catabolism and growth arrest and whether these positive attributes would persist after the drug is discontinued.