Post Cycle Therapy
Post cycle therapy is a curing therapy to adjust the hormone levels in the body back to normal after an anabolic steroid cycle. PCT is the most troubling problem that bodybuilders face after their cycle. “When to do a PCT? What medicines to take during the PCT?” are the most common question that the bodybuilders ask. We will try to answer these kind of questions with this article. Hope it will be useful to you.
What is the purpose of the Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
Testosterone is the most important hormone in the body that makes a man “man”. It makes man look more muscular, more powerful and more determined. With the athletes that use anabolic steroids suppression of natural testosterone production is very normal. But there is nothing to fear about this situation. Natural testosterone is produced in the testicles. The center that controls the production of testosterone in our brain is called the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland signals the testicles to produce less testosterone just because there is enough in the body due to taking some from outside of it. During an anabolic steroid cycle, this would not be a problem but once the cycle is over there need to be taken some precautions.These precautions are for triggering normal level production of the testosterone hormone. Post cycle therapy comes handy in this stage.
Testosterone Suppression Rate;
During the anabolic steroid cycle, testosterone suppression rate changes according to person, the dosage, the length of the cycle and the type of steroid.
Situations that does not require a PCT;
1- If you are a hardcore anabolic steroid user that spends most of the year cycling or plan 2-3 steroid cycles back to back, Post Cycle Therapy is more harmful than helpful. Taking a small dosages of testosterone between the cycles will do the job. 3000mg of Testosterone Propionat per week or 250mg of Testosterone Enanthate per week will help the cause
2- If you have a naturally low testosterone deficiency or if you have previously been diagnosed with testosterone deficiency you do not need to do a PCT
Post Cycle Therapy Drugs;
There are a lot of drugs that are being used for PCT but the most important are Nolvadex(Tamoxifen), Pregnyl and Clomid. These are the drugs that trigger testosterone production in the body and almost every PCT has them in it.
HCG(Pregnyl);
It is used during or after a anabolic steroid cycle when a shrinkage of the testicles is observed (The shrinkage in the testicles is not permanent) Also this drug Increases the production of natural testosterone.
Some body types are more vulnerable to gynecomastia and storing excessive water in them. Arimidex is used when these situations are observed. 1 tablet of Arimidex in every 4 days is suggested.
When to start Post Cycle Therapy;
Timing is crucial when it comes to PCT,
• If you finished a cycle of short esthers steroids, after 3-4 days from the last injection PCT must be started.
• If you finished a cycle of long esther steroids, after 14 days from the last injection PCT must be started
• If you used Deca during your cycle, after 21 days from your last injection PCT must be started.
Ideal Post Cycle Therapy;
PCT must be start with Pregnyl. After taking Pregnyl for 14 days, one must start to take Nolvadex right after.
Week HCG NOLVADEX
1 5000IU
2 5000IU 40MG
3 40MG
4 20MG
5 20MG
Becoming Sterile and Losing the ability to make children ;
We must say right of the bet, becoming sterile or losing the ability to make children is not a result of taking steroids.
This is a popular misinformation in the low profile sports atmospheres like small and dirty gyms. And these misinformation are generally given by the people who are not legit people and they don’t have any knowledge about the subject. Also these are the same people that say using protein powders will lead to cancer.
P.S.: Ladies do not have to do Post Cycle Therapy.