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Post-cycle recovery
I advise my AAS patients to use small amounts of HCG (250IU to 500IU) two days
each week, right from the beginning of the cycle. This serves to maintain
testicular form and function. It makes more sense to me to keep the horse in the
barn, so to speak, then to have to chase it across three counties later on. I am
also a big fan of maintaining estrogen within physiological ranges. Both
therapies have been shown to hasten recovery.
Any more than 500IU of HCG per day causes too much aromatase activity. Some feel
aromatase is actually toxic to the Leydig cells of the testes. You are then
inducing primary hypogonadism (which is permanent) while treating
steroid-induced secondary (hypogonadotrophic) hypogonadism (which is
temporary--hopefully).
If 250IU or 500IU on two days each week isn???t enough to stave off testicular
atrophy, then I recommend using it more days each week (as opposed to taking
larger doses). In fact, I wouldn???t mind having a guy use 250IU per day ALL
THROUGH the cycle. Those that have tell me they thus avoid that edgy, burned-out
feeling they usually get. They also say they simply feel better each day.
Subjective reports, to be sure, but they are hard not to appreciate. Especially
when HCG is so inexpensive.
The testes are then ready, willing and able to again produce testosterone at the
end of the cycle. LH levels rise fairly rapidly, but endogenous testosterone
production is limited by lack of use. I also want to make sure a SERM, such as
clomid or Nolvadex, is at effective serum dosage (around 100mg QD for clomid,
20-40mg QD for Nolvadex) when serum androgen levels drop to a concentration
roughly equal to 200mg of testosterone per week. That is when androgenic
inhibition at the HP no longer dominates over estrogenic antagonism with respect
to inducing LH production. Of course, if the fellow has been doing clomid or
Nolvadex all along the way (and I now prefer Nolvadex over clomid, due to the
possibility of negative sides from the clomid), he is all set to simply continue
it at the end (no need to switch from one to the other). BTW, I see no evidence
of any benefit in using BOTH SERM???s at the same time. I used to think a couple
of weeks of the SERM was enough; now I like to see an entire month after the
last shot of AAS (and migration of long to short esters as the cycle matures).
Tapering the SERM is probably a good idea during the last week, as well.
I want my patients to stop taking HCG within a week after the end of the cycle.
The testosterone production it induces will further inhibit recovery, as will
using Androgel, or any other testosterone preparation, while in recovery. There
is no escaping this, as there is no such thing as a ???bridge???. Just because you
are not inhibiting the HPTA for the entire 24 hours does not mean you are not
suppressing it at all. IOW, you can???t ???fool??? the body???it is smarter than you
are.
I like Arimidex during the cycle (in fact, consider use of an AI while taking
aromatisables a necessity) but it ABSOLUTELY should not be used post cycle (even
though it has been shown to increase LH production) because the risk of driving
estrogen too low, and therefore further damaging an already compromised Lipid
Profile, is too great (this also drives libido back into the ground???and we don???t
want that, do we?).
All this is meant to get my guys through recovery as fast as possible (the real
goal, yes?). So far, all of them who have tried it have reported they are
recovering faster than when they have tried other protocols.
by Dr. John
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