Don’t Use Nolvadex Until You Read This Guide!
Just another day we read about this 19-year old who’d jumped to a Dianabol cycle with no test base.
On the day of his cycle, his nipples were starting to look puffier. Only, he didn’t possess an aromatase inhibitor at hand. Hell, he did not even have Arimistane.
The kid had started the cycle with no idea of what such a strong compound would do to your own body.
Possibly the only thing he’d read about Dianabol was that it would make him big and powerful.
When someone advised him to stop instantly and hop on a PCT with Nolva, he responded with, ‘What is a PCT? ‘
That is what prompted us to create this blog post about PCT, and it is a vital stage of anabolic steroid use if you are likely to blast (Do a cycle then take time off).
PCT stands for ‘Post Cycle Therapy’ and it’s an optional, but highly recommended stage during which, certain pharmaceutical grade medications are utilized to speed up the healing of your own body’s natural hormone production.
The most popular medication used for PCT is Nolvadex.
What’s Nolvadex?
Nolvadex is the trade name for ‘Tamoxifen Citrate’, a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) that has for long been used for treating hormone-receptor favorable breast cancer.
It works by binding itself to estrogen receptors in the adrenal gland, which prevents the cancer cells by consuming the hormone in these areas.
But unlike other medications, Nolvadex works as an estrogen agonist in certain parts of the body, like the liver.
This helps improve wholesome cholesterol levels, which can take a complete pounding if you’re using oral steroids.
Nolvadex is used at a PCT because it stimulates the pituitary gland into releasing longer Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone, each of which are extremely important for its production of endogenous testosterone.
Thus Nolvadex helps hasten the body’s natural testosterone production weeks, which would take at least a year to go back to normal amounts.
How To Use Nolvadex In A Cycle
For a long time, Nolvadex was used during a steroid cycle to prevent estrogenic side effects like Gynecomastia while utilizing chemicals that aromatize.
And it is a really effective drug at this.
But, it is not too good at preventing water retention, that’s the second most problematic complication of high estrogen levels.
So, instead of taking Nolvadex to stop Gyno and another medication to prevent water retention, most users have shifted to carrying an AI to counter estrogenic sides.
Nolva is earmarked for the PCT phase.
But, AI medications like Arimidex and Aromasin also tend to influence your cholesterol levels. If you are using oral steroids like Trenbolone or even Anavar, which are very harsh on your lipids but don’t cause a good deal of water retention, then a SERM like Nolva might be a better bet than an AI.
The Way To To A PCT With Nolvadex
The best dosage for your Nolvadex PCT and your complete recovery will be based on the compounds that you’ve employed, your pre-cycle test levels and whether you’ve got pre-existing hypogonadism.
But a sample PCT protocol together with Nolvadex would be something like that:
- Week 1-2: Nolvadex 40mg/day
- Week 3-4: Nolvadex 20mg/day
- Week 5: Nolvadex 10mg/day (Just if needed )
The right time to begin PCT is also broadly debated by the bodybuilding community.
Some believe you could wait for two weeks following your final snare to start PCT.
Others feel that you ought to start using PCT a day or two after you finish your steroid cycle.
To be honest it depends on the steroid which you used along with the specific ester that was attached to it.
Any long, slow acting ester foundation and you should wait for 2 weeks following your last pin to begin with your own Nolva PCT.
If you’ve employed a short ester base, then you need to start the PCT a day or two after your final pin.
Do You Require A PCT With SARMS?
Again, this is one of these perpetual on-going discussions without a obvious verdict out there.
What we do understand is that SARMS are suppressive. The area of suppression varies greatly since these compounds affect people differently.
So, a healthy young man with his normal testosterone levels in the higher end of regular, might experience up to 30% reduction with his very first SARMS cycle. He could bounce back over a month free of PCT.
Whereas a 40-year-old might end up suppressed around 50 percent and might take around 3-4 weeks to recover fully. In such situations, even a miniature PCT with Nolvadex can be quite useful in speeding up recovery.
There are some men and women who argue that you don’t need a PCT using SARMS, which is wrong.
Here’s a clinical study about LGD-4033.
Users experienced a drop of approximately 325ng/dL in their whole testosterone levels within just 21 days of using LGD-4033 at merely 1mg/day. Most gym bros that we know are dosing at 10mg/day if not 15.
At those doses, there’s a high likelihood that it might shut you down entirely.
Again, we cannot emphasize enough on the importance of bloodwork pre and post cycle.
What Are The Side Effects Of Nolvadex?
Nolvadex is among the very well-tolerated PCT medications in guys. It’s easy to dose. Doesn’t wreck your Estrogen levels outside a point as it is an estrogen antagonist and an agonist.
So, any negative effects that you experience will be moderate.
Below are a number of them.
- Hot flashes
- Stomach problems
- Mild headaches
Women might experience vaginal itching, a white discharge or a general discomfort.
In very rare conditions, Nolvadex can cause an allergic reaction or even a skin rash. Although it’s generally very great for your cholesterol levels, it might even affect your cholesterol adversely.
On the other hand, the odds of this happening are very infrequent.
Closing Thoughts
We expect this covers the majority of the points that you needed to learn about Nolvadex.
Be safe, be smart and always do a PCT if you do anabolic steroids.