Nolvadex is the most popular brand (trade) name for the active ingredient Tamoxifen Citrate, or simply Tamoxifen. This is a prescription drug that doctors offer to patients suffering from breast cancer. Nevertheless, Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) is also an extremely popular compound in bodybuilding circles for various reasons. Medically, people use it to prevent or treat hormonally positive breast cancer in women, mostly.
Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) is an antagonist of the estrogen receptor in breast tissues. But in other tissues, this drug works as an agonist. Therefore, it has mixed agonist and antagonist effects on the estrogen receptors in various parts of the body. Considering that it works on specific receptors, Nolvadex is a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM). Therefore, it is an anti-estrogen, but it’s very different from Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) that are also anti-estrogens.
There are certain breast cancer cells that require estrogen to form and grow. That’s why they are “hormonally receptive” breast cancers. Estrogen is binding and is activating the estrogen receptors in those cells. Tamoxifen Citrate is working by binding itself strongly to the estrogen raptors inhibiting them. As a result, it prevents estrogen from binding to receptors. Therefore, it blocks breast cancer cell growth.
Estrogen Effects While Running Anabolic Steroids
The reason why Nolvadex (tamoxifen) is such a popular compound among those who use anabolic steroids is because it “controls” estrogen in the body. Why is that important? Because a lot of anabolic steroids aromatize into estrogen.
While you use aromatizing steroids, like testosterone, they aromatize in the body converting into estrogen. Not all steroids aromatize, but a lot of them do. Non-aromatizing steroids are also called “dry” steroids, but aromatizable steroids are also known as “wet” steroids. Belo, you will find out why.
- Aromatizing “wet” anabolic steroids examples are testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone – any esters; as well as methandienone (methandrostenolone). When you use these steroids, they convert into estrogen and this is very likely to lead to “too much” estrogen in the body. This is what may cause several issues for a man.
One of the main problems with too much estrogen is the development of breast tissues (gynecomastia). Most men call it short gyno, or bitch tits, man’s boobs, etc. Some of the very first signs of developing gynecomastia are the occurrence of small lumps, swelling, puffiness, and/or sensitivity in the nipple area. You may get one or multiple warning signs. If you’re not going to control the gyno at the onset of its occurrence, things can get worse. It may become a full breast resembling female breasts and the only way to reverse that condition is through surgery. As you can guess, Nolvadex (tamoxifen) controls estrogen receptors in the breasts, thus blocking gynecomastia growth.
More to Consider…
But you should be aware of the fact that high estrogen is also contributing to water retention, bloating, and other issues that are leading to a loss in muscle definition. It makes your physical condition appear “smoother”. This is the reason why aromatizable steroids are called wet steroids. Moreover, too high estrogen levels may contribute to fat accumulation too.
The fact that women naturally have higher estrogen levels than men do is one of the reasons why women generally have a higher body fat percentage. Also, it’s the reason why female breasts are different from men’s.
Anyway, considering that Nolvadex (tamoxifen) does NOT lower estrogen levels, it is effective in blocking, preventing, and dealing with gynecomastia, but NOT with other estrogenic issues.
Except for gyno, fat gain, and water retention, high estrogen levels could lead to other symptoms such as feeling overly emotional, erectile dysfunction, hot flashes, and numerous others.
Nolvadex Benefits in Bodybuilding
Nolvadex is an anti-estrogen, but it is not lowering estrogen levels. Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) lower estrogen, but Tamoxifen is a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) – it blocks estrogen from binding to estrogen receptors. It doesn’t lower estrogen levels, it keeps estrogen from binding to receptors in specific parts of the body.
Besides it blocking estrogen from reaching estrogen receptors in breast tissues, it also blocks estrogen from reaching the pituitary gland. That’s also helpful for bodybuilders (we’re going to talk about it later in this article).
In the end, because Nolvadex blocks estrogen from reaching breast tissues and the pituitary gland it is helpful for bodybuilders mainly for two main purposes:
- During the cycle of aromatizable steroids to block gynecomastia
- After the cycle of any anabolic steroids to boost natural testosterone suppression
There are other benefits of Nolvadex for bodybuilders too. Let’s check each one of them.
Nolvadex Benefits During Anabolic Steroid Cycles
- Using Nolvadex, as said, will not lower estrogen. It is going to be helpful to control gynecomastia without lowering this hormone. This is helpful because estrogen is actually an important hormone for building muscle mass and strength. Therefore, you prevent/deal with gyno, but will not hinder muscle and strength gains.
- Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) is far from the efficacy of fat burners and anabolic steroids in terms of fat burning, but it can contribute to this effect. These effects are most profound in people who already have very low body fat as it increases muscle hardness.
- Estrogen is an essential hormone for the proper functioning of your immune system, central nervous system, and lipid profile. Since it won’t lower it, you may maintain a healthier lipid profile (HDL and LDL cholesterol values), a healthier immune system, and a better central nervous system.
- Many anabolic steroid users run human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at the end of the cycle in order to jump-start the recovery after the cycle. The problem is that HCG may cause a spike in estrogen. Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) can be helpful in not just preventing gyno during the use of HCG but also boosting natural testosterone production.
- Gynecomastia treatment. Aromatase Inhibitors are highly effective for treating gyno. They lower total estrogen levels which deal with gyno. But they first need to lower estrogen and then wait until the gyno disappears. Nolvadex, however, immediately binds to estrogen receptors. It may work faster in dealing with gyno. The problem is that it also quickly flushes out of your body which means that gyno may appear back when you discontinue it. That’s why many stack Nolvadex with AIs to deal with this problem.
Nolvadex Benefits for Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
Nolvadex (tamoxifen) is blocking estrogen not just in breast tissues, but also blocks estrogen from reaching the pituitary gland. This is why Nolvadex has a very profound effect on the recovery of the Hypothalamus Pituitary Testicular Axis (HPTA) after you stop the use of anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids will negatively affect your HPTA because your body receives signals that it has “too many hormones”. Therefore, the body stops producing hormones like testosterone naturally as a defense mechanism. When you stop the cycle with steroids, it restarts the production, but it can take many months until you suffer from low testosterone levels until proper amounts of testosterone are produced naturally.
That’s why you need Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) which usually involves Nolvadex (Tamoxifen Citrate). By blocking the estrogen from reaching the pituitary gland, it releases more Luteinizing Hormone (LH) as well as Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). This is what makes your body produce more testosterone naturally. As a result, using Nolvadex as a PCT drug will boost natural testosterone production. Research indicates that only 20 mg a day of Nolvadex is going to increase testosterone by 150%
People suggest that Nolvadex may be a better natural testosterone booster post-cycle than Clomid. Whether that’s true or not, it seems that it depends on each individual. The side effects of Clomid vs Nolvadex also depend on each individual, however, it does seem like Nolvadex is safer than Clomid. It has a lower toxicity with milder side effects and is safer if you use it long-term.
Nolvadex Side Effects and Negatives
It’s important to understand that this is a drug, and as with any other, there’s a possibility that you may develop side effects from it.
- The good news is that bodybuilders rarely experience side effects from this compound (as long as they use it carefully).
Even if someone does experience some side effects, they are generally very mild and tolerable. Some common ones are nausea, vomiting, and hot flashes which are usually manageable. Bodybuilders almost never report anything worse than that.
Reduction in IGF-1. According to some research, Nolvadex (tamoxifen) may be associated with some reduction in Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) levels. IGF-1 is an extremely important hormone for muscle growth. Therefore, using it for too long and/or in too high doses may reduce or hinder your muscle gains.
Do NOT use too high a dosage of Nolvadex (tamoxifen) because that’s counterproductive. For that reason, dosages for PCT are never higher than 40 mg/day, and dosages for gynecomastia treatment are very rarely over 40 mg/day and never over 60-80 mg/day. Keep the Nolvadex dosage at the lowest effective point. Too high doses are not effective because they actually prevent the natural production of testosterone. Why? Because too high doses may overstimulate adrenal glands which produce way too much dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). This hormone converts into estrogen. Too much estrogen hinders natural testosterone production.
Nolvadex and 19-Nor Anabolic Steroids
There’s a very popular myth about using Nolvadex with 19-nor anabolic steroids, especially with Nandrolones. Both NPP (Nandrolone Phenylpropionate) with the brand Durabolin and with Deca (Nandrolone Decanoate) with the brand Deca Durabolin. But that includes Trenbolone (Tren) too (whatever ester), considering that it is a 19-nor steroid either.
It does seem like there’s a lot of conflicting information regarding Nolvadex (tamoxifen) and 19-nor steroids. According to the myth, people should not use this compound during a cycle with 19-nors such as Tren or Deca, and not use it even for a PCT plan after a cycle with such steroids.
According to the myth, Nolvadex is going to up-regulate progesterone receptor activity. That’s a problem because 19-nor steroids like Trenbolone and Nandrolone can increase progesterone too. And this leads to gyno issues. That’s not actually true.
Nolva is a SERM that has mixed effects on estrogen receptors being both an agonist and antagonist of estrogen receptors in specific parts of the body. For example, in the uterus, it may upregulate estrogen receptors and work as an up regulator of progesterone. That’s where this confusion starts leading to the myth. Remember that Tamoxifen is blocking the estrogen receptors in other tissues, like for example in the breasts. The progesterone receptors synthesize as a direct response to estrogen. Considering that Nolva blocks estrogen receptors, the progesterone receptor will down-regulate too.
If the progesterone receptor would actually increase as in the myth, it wouldn’t be helpful in treating gyno hormonally positive cancer patients. It would actually make it worse. So, yes, Tamoxifen does up-regulate progesterone receptors, but it does so in the uterus and not in the breast tissues. So it will not cause gynecomastia, it will actually help prevent it.
Prolactin…
Another reason why this myth is so popular is that many people using 19-nor steroids were combining them with Nolvadex (tamoxifen) and they were still getting gynecomastia worse and worse as they continued to use 19-nor steroids stacked with Nolvadex. So they thought it must’ve been Tamoxifen Citrate.
The real reason why they experience gyno despite using Nolvadex is that 19-nor steroids are capable of increasing prolactin hormone. Prolactin is a hormone that also can cause gynecomastia if it’s too high. However, Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) as well as Tamoxifen do nothing to combat prolactin. So, you may use Nolvadex and AIs while using 19-nor steroids as much as you want, but they will not combat gynecomastia as long as your gyno forms due to high prolactin, and not estrogen. In order to deal with high prolactin the user will require Cabergoline (Dostinex).
Conclusion
As you can see, Nolvadex is an extremely important and helpful tool in dealing with gynecomastia and testosterone suppression. Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) is highly effective in treating or preventing gyno and is extremely effective at boosting the natural production of testosterone as a form of Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) drug.
That’s why, if you start using anabolic steroids, you should have Nolva handy- there’s a very high chance you will need it. Just make sure you understand why you need it and how to correctly use it.
Moreover, it’s pretty obvious that you need the best quality Tamoxifen Citrate if you want the best results without side effects. You could buy Nolvadex for sale directly from Supps-For-Life.to and we guarantee the best quality and purity for all products you can find in our inventory. Moreover, you can also save a lot of money as we offer the cheapest prices for each compound from each manufacturer you can find.
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