How to Come off Steroids ; Nolvadex, Clomid and HCG in Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
Post Cycle Therapy
A post cycle therapy plan or “PCT”, it’s a phrase that’s often thrown around inappropriately on many steroid message boards. In many cases, people expect way too much out of post cycle therapy, and others won’t give it a chance based on a lack of understanding. With this in mind, we want to explain the purpose of post cycle therapy, what you can actually expect and the best way to implement it. Further, we want to discuss when it should be implemented; in some cases, a PCT plan will be followed when it shouldn’t have been; don’t worry, this will all make sense.
What is a PCT Plan?
When we supplement with anabolic androgenic steroids, our natural hormone levels are altered. Most anabolic steroids suppress our natural testosterone production to one degree or another, and if we’re not careful our estrogen and progesterone levels can increase beyond a healthy range. Of course, estrogen and progesterone can both be controlled while on cycle with proper supplementation practices, but the testosterone suppression will remain. Then we reach the point where our cycle has come to an end; we have discontinued the use of all anabolicsteroids, and as a result something must be done. When we discontinue our steroid use, ourtestosterone levels are still in a suppressed state, and it’s often recommended you stimulate natural production and let your body normalize. While testosterone stimulation is the primary purpose, the normalization factor of a post cycle therapy plan is greatly important. Of course, as eluded to early on, sometimes implementing a PCT isn’t the best idea, and will delve into that shortly.
What to Expect
The primary purpose of post cycle therapy is to stimulate your natural production of testosterone and shorten or enhance the total recovery process. Understand this here and now; there is no post cycle therapy plan on earth that can return your natural testosterone levels back to where they were prior to anabolic steroid use. Further, if you supplemented with anabolic steroids improperly and caused severe damage to your HPTA there’s no PCT plan that will help you. In any case, assuming your cycle was of a responsible nature, a post cycle therapy phase will by design stimulate your pituitary to release more Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) which will in-turn stimulate the testicles to produce more testosterone.
Without such a PCT plan, it could easily take a year or more for your natural levels to recover, and this is not only stressful to the body, it can lead to numerous low testosteronesymptoms; not to mention it is extremely unhealthy. Conversely, when you implement your post cycle therapy treatment, you will significantly cut down your total recovery time, but there’s something more important. While your natural levels will not be fully recovered, you will have ensured your body has enough testosterone for proper health and function while your levels continue to naturally rise. Sure, you can forgo such a plan if you like, but you’ll only be causing more stress to your body over the long haul, and limiting stress is in part how we define successful performance enhancement; after all, if you’re stressing your body post cycle, this means your steroid use has not be as successful as it could have been.
When to Implement a PCT Plan
It should go without saying; the time to implement post cycle therapy is when all anabolic steroid use has come to an end; this is a given; however, it’s not quite that black and white. If you’re going to be off-cycle for only a short period of time, a PCT plan can be counterproductive and cause even more stress to the body. Remember what we said above; limiting stress is extremely important. If you’re only going to be off-cycle for a short period of time, there’s no reason to stimulate your natural production when you’re going to immediately shut it down again; talk about a shock the body does not appreciate. For this reason, a post cycle therapy period should only be implemented when we’re going to be off-cycle for an extended period of time; meaning, no anabolic androgenic steroids will be present in our system. Of course, the next order of business is to define an extended period of time, and twelve weeks is a good place to start. If you’re going to be off-cycle less than 12 weeks, while you will lose some of your gains they will come back shortly once you go back on-cycle. Conversely, if you’re going to be off-cycle longer than 12 weeks, it’s time for a PCT plan for the reasons discussed above. It must be noted; this time frame of “off-cycle” does not include the PCT period; off means off everything.
Post Cycle Therapy Options
Now that you understand what a post cycle therapy plan is and when and why you should implement it, you need to understand how to implement it and the options you have. How you cycled your anabolic steroids will play a role, but regardless of your steroid use your PCT plan will always include a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM), and Tamoxifen Citrate(Nolvadex) and Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid) will always be your best options. Recall what we discussed above in-regards to LH and FSH stimulation; it will be the SERM you use that causes such an action. It really doesn’t matter which SERM you choose, both can get the job done equally as well; simply pick one.
Beyond SERM use, which is essential, we have a few additional options; primarily Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). hCG is an extremely powerful peptide hormone that can be used to prime the body for the SERM therapy to come due to its LH mimicking effect. Of course, hCG abuse can be very dangerous as it is potentially damaging to your HPTA if you use too much or for too long; if you do, your body may become dependent on the mimicked LH. Beyond hcg, another option can be Human Growth Hormone (HGH) as this will greatly protect your gains made while on-cycle as well as limit body-fat gain that can easily occur post steroid use. While HGH can be useful, you will only be using it if you were using it on-cycle; HGH is something that must be used for extended periods of time, and there’s no point in adding it into a PCT plan that’s only going to last a few weeks.
Using HCG
It is our opinion that HCG is probably one of the most misunderstood and misused compounds in bodybuilding. Hopefully this information will go some way towards rectifying that for the members of MuscleTalk. HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin and is not a steroid, but a natural peptide hormone which develops in the placenta of pregnant women during pregnancy to controls the mother's hormones. (Incidentally, this is the reason you may hear of people testing for growth hormone (HGH) with a pregnancy testing kit - If their HGH shows 'pregnant', they've been ripped-off with cheaper HCG - but we digress slightly).
Its action in the male body is like that of LH, stimulating the Leydig cells in the testes to produce testosterone even in the absence of endogenous LH. HCG is therefore used during longer or heavier steroid cycles to maintain testicular size and condition, or to bring atrophied (shrunken) testicles back up to their original condition in preparation for post-cycle Clomid therapy. This process is necessary because atrophied testicles produce reduced levels of natural testosterone, this situation should be rectified prior to post-cycle Clomid therapy.
HCG administration post-cycle is common practice among bodybuilders in the belief that it will aid the natural testosterone recovery, but this theory is unfounded and also counterproductive. The rapid rise in both testosterone, and thus oestrogen due to aromatisation, from the administration of HCG causes further inhibition of the HPTA (Hypothalamic/Pituitary/Testicular Axis - feedback loop discussed above); this actually worsens the recovery situation. HCG does not restore the natural testosterone production.
The typically observed dosing of 2000 to 5000IU every 4 to 5 days causes such an increase in oestrogen levels via aromatisation of the natural testosterone that this has been responsible for many cases of gynecomastia.
From the above discussion it is clear that HCG is best used during a cycle, either to:
1) Avoid testicular atrophy, or2) Rectify the problem of an existing testicular atrophy.
HCG Dosage
Smaller doses, more frequently during a cycle will give best overall results with least unwanted side effects. Somewhere between 500IU and 1000IU per day would be best over for 10 days or 15 straight days is perfect. These doses are sufficient to avoid/rectify testicular atrophy without increasing oestrogen levels too dramatically and risking gynecomastia. This dosing schedule also avoids the risk of permanently down-regulating the LH receptors in the testes, you may not need 1,000iu’s, but it should never be surpassed.
It is important for the HCG administration to have been completed with 6 or 7 clear days before the onset of PCT in order to avoid inhibition of the Nolvadex and/or Clomid therapy. Also, a small daily dose (10-20mg) of Nolvadex would normally be used in conjunction with HCG in order to prevent oestrogenic symptoms caused by sudden increases in aromatisation.
Presentation and Administration of HCG
Synthetic HCG is often known as Pregnyl (generic name) and is available in 2500iu and 5000iu (not ideal for the above doses!). Administration of the compound is either by intra-muscular or subcutaneous injection. It comes as a powder which needs to be mixed with the sterile water. The powder is temperature-sensitive prior to mixing and should not be exposed to direct heat. After mixing, it should be kept refrigerated and used within a few weeks - though there are sterility issues which need to be considered after mixing.
Summary and Presentation of Clomid and HCG
Clomid and/or Nolvadex are more effective than HCG post cycle, but some long-term users like to use HCG during a cycle, or to prepare the testes for Clomid and/or Nolvadex therapy.
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 afterlast administration Length ofClomid 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 Nolvadex for PCT
As an alternative to Clomid, which has been reported to have led to unwanted side effects such as visual disturbances in some users, Nolvadex can be employed. Nolvadex is a trade name for the drug Tamoxifen. Like Clomid, the half life of Nolvadex is relatively long enabling the user to implement a single daily dosing schedule. Administration would start as per the timescales outlined above and the duration would be identical to that of Clomid.
Typically, for a moderate-heavy cycle, the following dosages would be used:
Clomid + Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate) :
day 1 : Clomid 300mg + Nolvadex 60mg
day 2 - 11 : Clomid 100mg + Nolvadex 40mg
day 12 - 22 : Clomid 50mg + Nolvadex 20mg
Important PCT Notes
You know how to come off steroids, but there’s something you need to understand about a PCT plan. No, the above PCT plans will not take your hormone levels back to normal all on their own; there is no PCT plan on earth that can do such a thing. Even so, it will significantly reduce your total recovery time, maybe in half, but there’s a much more important factor. Through the testosterone stimulation, you will ensure your body has enough testosterone to function properly while your levels continue to naturally rise. This is extremely important as testosterone is one of the most important hormones your body produces; it is absolutely essential to our health, function and well-being. You know how to come off steroids, and if you’re going to be off for an extended period of time, as you can see there is no logical reason for forgoing a solid PCT plan.
There is another important note we must briefly discuss and it’s the use of Aromatase Inhibitors (AI’s) in a PCT plan. AI’s such as Anastrozole (Arimidex) and Letrozole (Femara) and even Exemestane (Aromasin) will stimulate LH and FSH in a similar fashion as a SERM and tremendously so; even so, we do not recommend them for this purpose. As you understand, AI’s will reduce estrogen levels dramatically, and a PCT plan isn’t just about stimulating natural testosterone but normalizing your body. No, estrogen is nowhere near as exciting as testosterone, but you need a fair amount for proper health and function. In the end, save your AI use for when it’s the most beneficial, and that’s for combating estrogenic and progestin related anabolic steroid side-effects when on cycle
