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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Clomid in Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to properly use the Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) drugs Nolvadex, Clomid and HCG correctly.

Why Bodybuilders Use Clomid
Clomid is a generic name for Clomiphene Citrate and is a synthetic oestrogen. It is prescribed medically to aid ovulation in low fertility females. Another generic name is Serophene.

Most anabolic steroids, especially the androgens, cause inhibition of the body's own testosterone production. When a bodybuilder comes off a steroid cycle, natural testosterone production is zero and the levels of the steroids taken in the blood are diminishing. This leaves the ratios of catabolic : anabolic hormones in the blood high, hence the body is in a state of catabolism, and, as a result, much of the muscle tissue that was gained on the cycle is now going to be lost.

Clomid stimulates the hypothalamus to, in turn stimulant the anterior pituitary gland (aka hypophysis) to release gonadotrophic hormones. The gonadotrophic hormones are follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH - aka interstitial cell stimulating hormone (ICSH)). FSH stimulates the testes to produce more testosterone, and LH stimulates them to secrete more testosterone. This feedback mechanism is known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-testes axis (HPTA), and results in an increase of the body's own testosterone production and blood levels rise, to, in part, compensate for the diminishing levels of exogenous steroids. This is vital to minimise post cycle muscle losses.

Not all steroids do cause shut down of the feedback mechanism. Everyone is different and you must also take into account how long you have been using a certain steroid and at what dose in order to determine if you need Clomid or not.

Clomid also works as an anti-oestrogen. As it's a weak synthetic oestrogen, it binds to oestrogen receptors on cells blocking them to oestrogen in the blood. This minimises the negative effects like gynecomastia and water retention that may be a result of oestrogen that has aromatised from testosterone.

It's effect as an anti-oestrogen are quite weak though, and it should not be relied upon if you are going to be using androgenic steroids that aromatise at a rapid rate, or if you are pre-disposed to gynecomastia. Arimidex and Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) are far more effective anti-oestrogens.

Important note: Clomid does not, as is often thought, stimulate the release of natural testosterone, but rather works at reducing the oestrogenic inhibition caused by the steroid cycle. It does this in a similar manner to the way it and Nolvadex block oestrogen receptors in nipples to combat gyno development, i.e. by blocking the oestrogen receptors in the hypothalamus and pituitary thus reducing the inhibition from the elevated oestrogen. This allows LH levels to return to normal, or even above normal levels, and in turn, natural testosterone levels to also normalise.

Inhibition of the HPTA is caused by either elevated androgen, oestrogen or progesterone levels. On cessation of the steroid cycle, androgen levels begin to fall and Clomid dosing is normally commenced according to the half-life of the longest acting drug in the system (see below).

This may also explain the reason individuals often find post-deca recovery more difficult, as the progesterone presence is untouched by the Clomid. We know that Clomid and Nolvadex (being very similar chemically) are both ineffective with regard to reducing progesterone related gyno, so it is reasonable to assume that Clomid has little effect against progesterone levels.

Clomid During A Cycle
When we use anabolic steroids, the level of androgens in the body rises causing the androgen receptors to become more highly activated, and through the HPTA, a signal tells our testes to stop producing testosterone. During a cycle the body has far higher than normal levels of androgens and, as long as this level is high enough, Clomid will not help to keep natural testosterone production up. It will be almost all but completely shut off, in theory.

Some heavy androgen users, however, do advocate a small burst of Clomid mid-cycle, though it must be hard for them to say if it really of any benefit, due to the amount of gear they are using. Therefore, the only purpose of Clomid during a cycle is as an anti-estrogen.

When To Take Clomid
The correct time to commence Clomid depends on the type and cycle of steroids you have been using. Different steroids have different half-lifes (indicates the time a substance diminishes in blood), and Clomid administration should be taken accordingly.

As we have seen above, Clomid taken when androgen levels in our blood are still high will be a waste. It is crucial to wait for androgen levels to fall before implementing our Clomid therapy. However, if taken too late we could possibly lose gains.

The list below determines when you should start Clomid. Select from the list any steroids you've used in your cycle and whichever one has the latest starting point is the time to commence Clomid. For example, if Dianabol, Sustanon and Winstrol were cycled, the time for administering Clomid should be 3 weeks post cycle, as Sustanon remains active in the body for the longest period of time.
Steroid                              Time after                                         Length of
                                          last administration                           Clomid Cycle
                                                                                                   Anadrol50/Anapolan50:    8 - 12 hours                                       3 weeks
Deca durabolan:                3 weeks                                             4 weeks
Dianabol:                           4 - 8 hours                                         3 weeks
Equipoise:                          17 - 21 days                                       3 weeks
Finajet/Trenbolone:           3 days                                                3 weeks
Primabolan depot:             10 - 14 days                                       2 weeks
Sustanon:                           3 weeks                                             3 weeks
Testosterone Cypionate:    2 weeks                                             3 weeks
Testosterone Enanthate     2 weeks                                             3 weeks
Testosterone Propionate:   3 days                                               3 weeks
Testosterone Suspension:   4 - 8 hours                                        2-3 weeks
Winstrol                              8 - 12 hours                                      2-3 weeks

How To Take Clomid
Clomid has a long half-life (possibly 5 days), so there is no need to split up doses throughout the day. If Sustanon has been used and Clomid is commenced 3 weeks after the last injection, I would estimate that androgen levels are low enough to start sending the correct signals. If androgen levels are still a little high, we need to start at a high enough amount that will work or help, even if androgen levels are still a little high. Try 300mg on day 1; then use 100mg for the next 10 days; followed by 50mg for 10 days.

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