Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)

Post cycle therapy is a method of employing drugs which work via various mechanisms to go about trying to aid stabilizing and restoring a user's hormones back to normal once a suppressive anabolic androgenic steroid cycle has been ceased.

Once a user has ceased use of anabolic androgenic steroids, they are left in a situation where their natural testosterone production has been suppressed, sometimes severely, by androgens and aromatizing drugs. Add this onto the fact the levels of steroids are forever diminishing in their system, this can leave the user in a very catabolic state post cycle, which may reflect in their ability to maintain muscle mass gained whilst on cycle. It is therefore easy to conclude that we would like to find a way to restore one's natural testosterone production to bring about a better environment for overall health and to maintain muscle tissue.

Clomiphene citrate, also known as clomid, and tamoxifen, also known as the brand name nolvadex, can be employed post cycle to aid restoring the user's natural testosterone production. With both abilities to block oestrogen at the hypothalamus and pituitary, thus ceasing negative feedback inhibition, we have drugs that can successfully increase FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) in the male body.

Increased LH can help to stimulate the Leydig's cells in the testes to produce more testosterone. Many find just using nolvadex on its own post cycle is efficient enough to recover from their anabolic androgenic steroid cycles. Some, however, prefer to use both drugs to cover all angles. It is worth noting, nolvadex is more profound in stimulating the increase of LH over time, on a milligram to milligram standpoint, compared to that of clomid. Also, many users complain of side effects from clomid such as visual implications and mood swings.

When analyzing the methods in which both drugs work to bring about raises in natural testosterone production, it is easy to conclude some old-school approaches are flawed. Many users would use a burst of clomid mid-cycle in the hope of it causing an increase in testosterone production to minimize shut down. The only use of clomid during use of a heavy androgenic cycle is as an anti-oestrogen, as to heighten levels of androgen will cause feedback to the testes to cease production of testosterone. Therefore, if androgen levels are high, clomid will do very little in aiding production of natural testosterone. It will a lot more effective starting a PCT protocol when the androgen levels of the steroids drop, and this will be dependent on the half life of the compounds the user used during their cycle.

Due to the half life of clomid and nolvadex there is little need in splitting the dosages of the drug, just take when it's most continent.

Dosages of nolvadex for PCT protocol

Day 1	100 mg
Following 10 days	60 mg
Following 10 days	40 mg

The above outline is a sample protocol which could be employed. Obviously, the cycle and other parameters may alter the dosages and duration of your post cycle protocol.

As said above, many users like to use both nolvadex and clomid post cycle to cover all angles.

Dosages of nolvadex and clomid combined for PCT protocol

Day 1	Clomid 250 mg + Nolvadex 60 mg
Following 10 days	Clomid 100 mg + Nolvadex 40 mg
Following 10 days	Clomid 50 mg + Nolvadex 20 mg

This method should prove effective. As with the nolvadex only protocol, however, it is not set in stone. More suppressive cycles may require higher doses or longer duration of use to bring about the desired effects.

When we start the PCT protocol will depend on the compounds that were administrated in the user's cycle. Look up all steroids you used during your cycle, and whichever steroid has the latest point in which to start the PCT protocol we choose. This is so that we do not start a PCT protocol when there may potentially still be high levels of androgen in the system, which would make the PCT be a waste until the levels dropped.

See below for when to start your PCT protocol after ceasing your cycle:

Steroid	When to start after last administration	Length of PCT
Testabol Enanthate	2 weeks	3 weeks
Testabol Depot	2 weeks	3 weeks
Testabol Propionate	3 days	3 weeks
Aquabol	6-8 hours	3 weeks
Sustabol	3 weeks	3 weeks
Stanabol	12 hours	2/3 week
Methanabol	6-8 hours	3 weeks
Trenabol	3 days	4 weeks
Decabol	3 weeks	4 weeks
Primobol	14 days	2 weeks
Oxanabol	8-10 hours	2 weeks

HCG

HCG, or Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin, is a peptide hormone which can be useful to bodybuilders who suffer from testicular atrophy whilst on cycle.

It was once commonly used during PCT in the belief it will aid testosterone restoration, however this is flawed due to its mechanism of action. The drug mimics the effects of LH in the body, stimulating the Leydig cells to produce testosterone in the testes. This can be fruitful in rectify existing, or avoiding testicular atrophy on cycle. It will not aid the process of recovery in the post cycle phrase however, as the drug will bring about heightened oestrogen levels due to the greater aromatizing of the testosterone being produced in the testes, thus bringing about greater inhibition of the HPTA.

It is therefore wise to use HCG to rectify existing, or avoiding testicular atrophy on cycle, and possibly prior to PCT to help bring the testes back up to condition, so they are more effective at producing testosterone. We should leave about a week prior to PCT, with any HCG administration occurring before this.

It is wise to use HCG in smaller, frequent amounts over the course of two weeks to help minimize side effects and give more fruitful results. This is usually accompanied by nolvadex at 20-40 mg each day to avoid oestrogen related side effects becoming pronounced due to the greater aromatization occurring. 500-1000IU over a two-week period should prove effective in terms of results and minimizing oestrogen related side effects.

Presentation, preparation and administration of HCG

HCG can be administered either intramuscularly or subq. See injection preparation and execution.

HCG comes as a temperature sensitive powder which needs to be mixed with sterile water prior to injection. It is common for there to be three ampules per kit, with water which needs to be added. The video above shows the mixing of the powder and water, and then two syringes made up from drawing the mixed solution. These have to be kept refrigerated and used within a couple of weeks. Care should always be taken to keep the environment sterile during the mixing, and after. The above video is for entertainment purposes only.

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