Primarily, to create an optimal course, you need to understand some concepts:

  • Aromatizing steroids – medications that have the ability to be partially converted into estrogen (testosterone, methandrostenolone and methyltestosterone);
  • Non-aromatizing steroids – steroids, which cannot be converted into estrogen, or can be poorly converted (oxandrolone, drostanolone, trenbolone, primobolan, turinabol, boldenone, nandrolone, stanazolol);
  • Steroids with a progestogenic activity (progestins) – possess the ability to bind to the progesterone receptors (nandrolone, trenbolone).

The course without side effects

  • If the course covers only non-aromatizing medications, no pharmacological additions to the course are required.
  • If aromatizing medications are included in the course, then it is recommended to add an aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole / arimidex, aromasin) to prevent estrogen gynecomastia and excessive accumulation of water.
  • Anastrozole (can be found in a pharmacy, but expensive, that is why many people get it from dealers at a cheaper price); the initial dose - 0.5 mg (half tablet), alternate day dosing. Analogues: Anastrazole, Arimidex , Anastrover, Egistrazol , Farmazol.
  • While taking the aromatase inhibitors (AI) it is necessary to control the level of estradiol by doing tests, it cannot fall below the norm. If the level falls below the norm you should either reduce the dosage or the frequency of application. Ideally you should aim for the upper limit of the norm of estrogens (but do not go beyond it), because they also take an important part in anabolic processes.
  • If a course consists of progestins, then, in order to prevent gynecomastia of prolactin, it is recommended to add a blocker of prolactin (bromocriptine or cabergoline), which should be taken at night.
  • Bromocriptine (not expensive, but has a lot of side effects), should be taken 2.5 mg per day.
  • Cabergoline (expensive, virtually no side effects), should be taken 0.25 mg every fourth day. Analogues: Cabergoline, Dostinex, Agalates, Bergolak.
  • Using a blocker of prolactin is necessary to control the level of prolactin, to prevent its falling below the norm. If the test results show that the level is lower than it must be, then you should either reduce the dosage or the frequency of application. The combination of these medications depends on what kind of ethers of anabolic steroids are on the course. If they are short, it is possible to combine, but if they are long, then you should use them just after the inclusion of anabolic steroids into work.

The use of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)

  • The use of HCG is justified only in long courses (more than 10-12 weeks) to prevent testicular atrophy. It should be noted that the testicular size does not always correlate with the degree of atrophy.
  • Use HCG during PCT is not recommended.
  • Usually HCG is prescribed at the end of the course (the last 2 weeks course, 250-500ME 3 times per week depending on the degree of atrophy), if the course is very long (more than 20-24 weeks) then the introduction of HCG is feasible even in the middle of the course.

Post cycle therapy (PCT)

Hormonal system of the body

It is important not only to properly design a cycle of anabolic steroids, but also to carry out the post cycle therapy in order to restore the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis. Every course should be followed by the PCT, no matter whether it was oxandrolone solo or the combination of testosterone+deca+methane. The PCT aims at stimulation of body testosterone production, otherwise the cycle will be followed by weight and libido losses. Every PCT is based on antiestrogen (toremifene, clomiphene, tamoxifen), so, first and foremost, the PCT must contain antiestrogen and atribulus, as well as vitamins and zinc.

  • Tamoxifen is strong and cheap but extremely toxic drug, which is likely to cause unpleasant side effects.
  • Clomiphene (Clostilbegyt) is less effective than tamoxifen, expensive but much less toxic drug.
  • Toremifene (Fareston) is a new age cure, which is effective, low-cost, and has minimal side effects.

Only one of these drugs should be taken, but not all of them at the same time

Starting from the second week of the PCT, one can include tribestan (tribulus terresteris) in a dose of 750mg daily (in furostanol saponins), zinc-containing supplements and vitamins according the prescription. However, the effectiveness of these auxiliaries has not been proven.

If the cycle included oral steroids or injectable stanozolol, then cholagogues (holosas, tykveol) should be taken in accordance with the prescription. Hepatoprotectors, such as Carsil and others, are not recommended, since they may cause biliary retention. Besides, it is advisable to monitor the liver condition by means of blood tests (in case of liver damage, there are ALT and AST levels increased). If over time after the withdrawal of oral or any 17-alpha alkylated drugs the liver condition has not been normalized, Heptral is recommended for intravenous administration.

Recent studies have shown that D-aspartic acid is inefficient and raises prolactin level, so it is not recommended for the PCT.

If the cycle involved progestin, but you didn’t take cabergoline/bromocriptine for prevention, either of these drugs should be included into the PCT and taken along with antiestrogens.

The beginning of the PCT depends on the kind of AAS esters taken during the cycle. If there were short ones, the PCT should start in a day after the last intake, and if there were long ones – in 1-4 weeks after the last injection, depending on the half-life of the longest AAS.

Important notes
  • If the cycle includes progestin, it is not recommended to take tamoxifen for the PCT, as it increases the amount of the progesterone receptors.
  • Proviron is sometimes used as an androgen in a course of the PCT, when a lack of testosterone causes potency problems. However, one should remember that Proviron (Mesterolone) may suppress gonadoliberin and LH production and impede testosterone secretion recovery.
  • The use of high-potent drugs should be carried out exceptionally under the doctor’s supervision! Only a medical expert is able to design an optimal and safe cycle, assessing possible risks, individual characteristics and peculiarities of a particular organism.

* Besides, highly androgenic steroids should be added (preferably testosterone, as it controls many processes in a male body: bone tissue condition, lipid profile, libido, etc.)

* The cycle consists primarily of injectable drugs. The course of long esters should be followed by a 2-week course of testosterone propionate.