Coming off steroids – what you need to know!

3 min read

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14 May 2024

So, let’s say you decided to bite the bullet and risk it. You decided that you wanted to complete a course of anabolic steroids. You got them and all the advice you needed from your supplier at the gym. You know when and how to take them. Bingo.

Unfortunately however, if you change your mind and decide to come off steroids it isn’t so simple. You should never simply just stop, getting off steroids isn’t that simple. This would make the whole process a waste of time as well as dangerous given some of the side effects of steroids such as HGH, Winstrol, Dianabol and the rest of them we have previously covered:

It would be of great benefit to complete a second course known as a “post cycle therapy” (or PCT for short). Nobody wants to experience the “post cycle crash”. This is a term used to describe a crash in natural hormone production after a steroid cycle.

When you take Anavar or Tren, for example, you stop producing hormones naturally. This means that when you stop taking steroids, you have a gap where no hormones are being produced or entering your system artificially. This leads to lowered levels of androgens but normal levels of corticosteroids. As you have an imbalance of androgens to counteract the muscle eating (catabolic) effects of corticosteroid, your newly formed muscle tissue may begin to disappear.

Your body should recognise the problem and begin to produce hormones again, but by then the damage may have already been done.

The science behind a PCT and the individual drugs needed is extremely complex. You will however need to be aware of the three main drugs; Clomid, Nolvadex and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). These are the three drugs that make up a complete PCT. Clomid and Nolvadex alone are not effective at restoring natural testosterone production. They can best be remembered as the drugs that support HCG.

HCG is a prescription fertility drug that mimics luteinizing hormone (LH). This is an effective drug because we can inject as much as we need to shock the testes in to producing testosterone sooner. This will slow the rate of catabolism (muscle breakdown).

So, at this point we know which drugs we need for a complete PCT and just enough about them to understand why they may be important. Now we need to know how to take them.

Surprisingly, there are very few PCT protocols in the medical journals. One however, called the PoWeR (Programme for Wellness Restoration), tested 19 young males who had taken Nandrolone for 12 weeks. The PCT they were given was made up of the following drugs.

Nolvadex was taken for 45 days the day after the final dose of steroids.

Clomid was taken for 30 days the day after the final dose of steroids.

HCG was taken for 16 days the day after the final dose of steroids.

You couldn’t be blamed for thinking that a PCT may be a bit shorter than this, and last about a week or something similar but unfortunately this isn’t the case. Restoring hormonal imbalances in your body is a long old process.

PCT Uncovered: Why is Post-Cycle Therapy Needed After Steroids? – Learn more >

You may also be surprised to find that the drugs you need to complete the PCT can be as equally as costly as the steroids, which can be taxing on the piggy bank.

It really is better in every sense to explore the other options available before delving into the world of taking steroids, especially considering the recent development of healthy, safe and effective alternatives on the market!