All about post steroid cycle therapy

After ceasing steroid cycle body get in a situation where its natural testosterone production was repressed by androgens, and it need help to restore it. With no help, body turn into a catabolic state which cause loss of muscle mass gained during steroid cycle.
Namely for this purpose has been designed post cycle therapy, which include a range of preparations and sport supplements, able to minimize the side effects of steroid use and to restore the natural production of user hormones.

Post cycle therapy is considered even more important than steroid cycle itself. Adding muscle mass can be an easier task than maintaining it after steroid ceasing. This is the challenge, and post cycle therapy is the best tool for this. Most of bodybuilder loss a big percentage of muscle mass gained during steroid cycle, and this happens mainly because they ignore the importance of post cycle therapy.

Despite it called post cycle, there are medication that have to be taken during steroid cycle itself. Usually, it is introduced at the beginning of the cycle and continue to be taken 2, 3 weeks after steroid cycle end up.

These are the main goals of post cycle therapy:
-Prevent aromatization, which means no or minimal water retention side effect;
-Prevent the occurrence of gynecomastia (bitch tits);
-When taking steroid, testicles decreased significantly in volume. Post cycle medications prevent testicular atrophy and oligospermia;
-Restore the natural production of testosterone;
-Keeping the muscle mass gained during steroid cycle;

The most important to be taken during post cycle therapy are antiestrogens. These are all preparations for preventing first of all gynecomastia. Among most common drugs from this group are Clomid, Nolvadex and HCG.

Clomid (Clomiphene citrate ) is the most effective among antiestrogen drugs. It is perfect to obviate gynecomastia and restore natural testosterone production. It has almost no side effects, being considered a safe drug. One of most reported side effect is blurred vision, but it occurs only in case of exceeding recommended doses. It can be found on tabs or liquid version, and can be found is all market.

Clomid dosage
The most common dose of clomid is 300 mg for the first day. Beginning with the second and till 7th day the recommended dose is 100mg per day. Further clomid should be taken in a dose of 50 mg per day.There is no need to split up the clomid dose throughout the day, you can take it one time. Clomid have to be taken during all steroid cycle and 2, 3 weeks after it ceasing.

Nolvadex( (tamoxifen citrate) is  a nonsteroidal agent, and can be a great alternative for clomid. If you worry about clomid side effects, you can safely choose to use Nolvadex. It can be taken once a day, since have a relatively long life.
Mostly the administration rules are closed to Clomid: have to be taken during the all steroid cycle and few weeks after it ceasing.

Nolvadex dosage
It depended on steroid cycle type. For moderate steroid cycle, those for beginners steroid users, you can follow these doses:
-In the very first day take 100 mg of Nolvadex
-Next ten days take 60 mg daily
-Final ten days take 40 mg per day.

Dosage pictures is changed depending on the length of steroid cycle and the types of steroid used during it. If you choose to use more powerful steroid, or opt for a longer cycle than the dosage of nolvadex should be slightly increased.

For greater results there are bodybuilders who choose to stack Clomid with Nolvadex. This is a quite good idea, since it will prevent all side effects with greater success. But, be careful to dosage. Most common dosage of Nolvadex and Clomid used simultaneously look like this:
I day- 200 mg of Clomid and 40 mg of Nolvadex;
Next 20 days- 50 mg of clomid plus 20 mg of Nolvadex.

Along with Clomid and Nolvadex, HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin)  is another very popular medicine used in post cycle therapy for helping the body to restore natural testosterone production.  It is especially used during longer or heavier steroid cycles to prevent testicular atrophy, or rectify problems of atrophy if they already occurred.

HCG dosage
The best will be to use HCG in small doses, more frequently during a steroid cycle and after its ending. This will give you better results and minimum side effects. The most commonly used dose is about 500 IU and 1000 IU per day. Begin to take HVG after 2-3 weeks of steroid cycle, and completed it a week before Clomid and Nolvadex use. This have to be done in order to prevent inhibition of nolvadex and clomid therapy.

Do not go for higher doses, since you risk to increase oestrogen level, and this may cause the occurrence gynecomastia side effect. Keep in mind that 500 IU and 1000 IU per day of HCG will prevent testucles atrothy or rectify this is problem. And this is the maningola of HCG use.

Testosterone boosters are also included in post cycle therapy.  Their main goal is to help to restore hormonal balance. Most popular preparations from this category are: Tribulus terrestris, 6-OXO, ZMA, Forskolin and D-acid aspartic. The length of this testosterone booster cycle is no longer than 4 weeks, and have to be taken one to three times a day.

Hepatoprotectors are another category of medication taking during steroid cycles. These drugs have protects the liver form toxicity of many  anabolic steroid.  Usually they begin to be taken during the second week of cycle and continue 2, 3 weeks after its ending. Some of these medication are; Phospholipids (Essenciale), Alpha-lipoic acid, Arginine and Ornithine. The recommendation is to take them in combination for greater effects.

Omega 3 has also to be taken during post steroid cycle. Its role is to normalize cholesterol and protect the heart and blood vessels. It should to be taken during the whole steroid cycle and next 2 weeks.

Cortisol blockers supplements lowers cortisol level. Drugs from this group are are used to protect the muscles from damage after ceasing steroid cycle. Meantime they greatly burning fat and help you get shredded. Most common cortisol blockers drugs are: Clenbuterol,  Higher Power CortiShed, Muscle-Link Cort-Bloc, Goliath Labs Thermoloid, Cortislim, Cortiburn, Cortidrene and others.

This is how post therapy steroid cycle look and what it has to contain. It is up to you to choose what you will include, and what you will ignore but antiestrogens are a must. They will keep you away from the most common side effects of steroid use and will help your body to restore natural testosterone production.

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Post Cycle Therapy for Female Steroid Users?

Even men are the most popular users of steroids, women also tend to use them, especially those women who are professional bodybuilders. There are more men than women in this sport so almost every research is based on men�s organism. But consequences that steroids can produce in a female body are bigger and more significant that one�s appearing with men. But, women, just like men, use steroids to gain body mass and strength faster than they would get it without using steroids.

How are steroids used?

Steroids are not used constantly, there are periods of usage and periods of resting. Your doctor should decide how long periods will be and how high dose you will take. There are no universal rules because there are no two same persons. One cycle can be 6-12 weeks long and it considers that you take steroids every day during those weeks. After each cycle you must make a brake, so your body won�t get used to steroids.
Post cycle therapy is something that started to be usual practice just recently. It�s very important not to avoid it if you are using or planning to use anabolic steroids. PCT is used to help you preserve effects you gained during the steroid usage period. Steroids have big effect on our endocrine system and it�s important to help him recover from such a big shock. When you suddenly stop using steroids your body will be in some sort of shock. In medicine it�s called hormonal crash or post cycle crash. PCT is different for a man and a woman.

PCT for women

Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) for Female Steroid Users?There are so many post cycle therapies and so many people take it on their own, without knowing consequences they can have in the end. If you take PCT without consulting your doctor, you can make more damage than good to your organism.

With women it�s really important to determine their age and stage of life. Pre-menopausal females who have used anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) can gradually decrease amount they are taking as they come close to end of a cycle. Because steroids affect hormones, the best way that shows to a woman that her treatment is going well is her period return. Anabolic-androgenic steroids cause some kind of menopausal side-effects. It�s recommended to decrease AAS use until period appears. Also, women can do blood tests to see if her hormone levels are getting back to normal.

What PCT is not recommended for women?

Highly inadvisable post cycle treatment for women is SERM (selective estrogen receptor modulators) or ALS (aromatize inhibitors). These two kinds of treatments cause intense menopausal symptoms, so even very young women can face with that problem. They are literally pushing women into menopause. And menopause symptoms are really hard and strenuous even for women who naturally experience it. With men this is different, but women should avoid this kind of post cycle therapy.

SERM medications like Nolvadex and Anastrozole (Arimidex) sometimes are use in breast cancer curing, so they have really large and massive effect on female body. A woman shouldn�t expose herself to so strong medications if she doesn�t have to.

What PCT women can use?

HPGA and HPTA are highly recommended for post cycle therapy for women. HPTA is the hypothalamic pituitary testicular axis and affects brain and helps your endocrine system to control production of testosterone, the male hormone. How your body will react of this treatment depends on:

    individual characteristics;
    anabolic-androgen steroids that you used;
    how long your cycle lasted.

Today everybody can find different types of recommendations for post cycle therapy on the internet, but you shouldn�t listen to them all. Many of those treatments are written for male users and that not even indicated in the text. It�s important to see how wrong post cycle therapy can have harmful consequences in a female organism and go and consult a doctor before deciding to apply some therapy on yourself.

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