Clomid As Hormone Replacement Therapy

Clomid or clomiphene citrate, is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) and is used medically for a variety of treatments. Clomid first came to the market in the 1970s for the treatment of female infertility. Clomid is a mixed agonist and antagonist of the estrogen receptor. This means it acts as estrogen in some tissues, whilst in others it blocks estrogen. This is comparable with all SERMs as some are better than others at raising testosterone, like Clomid, and others are potent at blocking the estrogen receptor in breast tissue, such as Rolaxifene.

As time has passed and more is understood about Clomid and its effects on females and males, it’s now used as a treatment for male infertility, and in some countries as a hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Clomid being used as HRT medication is what we’re going to discuss today. Clomid and other SERMs raise testosterone levels in males due to their action of blocking the estrogen receptor in the brain. More can be read about this in our post cycle therapy (PCT) article.

Hormone replacement treatments for males include; testosterone gels, creams, sprays, pellets, to oral testosterone preparations and finally, injectable testosterones. Regardless of the delivery method, the treatment exists to replace the already low testosterone level due to age, disease, steroid use, genetics, and infertility or for a better quality of life. However, because of the method of action of SERMs on males, we can instead attempt to raise endogenous testosterone output, but this would only work if the subject’s testosterone level is already low and not zero per se.

Secondary hypogonadism is the failure of the hypothalamus and pituitary producing natural hormones to stimulate testosterone production by the testes. This can be treated by Clomid use, and we see this when coming off of anabolic steroids during PCT. Primary hypogonadism is when the testes fail and need to be treated with testosterone replacement therapy.

The study we’re going to look at today was done in 2011 at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Clomid was given to 86 men different doses of Clomid as an alternate hormone replacement therapy. The men were aged between 22 and 37 years old and given either 25mg every other day of Clomid or 50mg every other day for 19 months. Seventy per cent took the lower dose of 25mg every other day and the rest took the higher Clomid dosage. Compared to PCT protocols, this is a low dose as these doses are used every day, not every other day, but PCTs also last around 4-6 weeks and not 19 months.

“Clomiphene citrate is an effective and safe alternative to testosterone supplementation therapy in hypogonadal men”, the endocrinologists conclude. “Clomiphene citrate therapy has a role to play in the testosterone deficient man and should be incorporated into the clinician-patient discussion.”

Limitations are that Clomid can bring its own side effects. Low of libido, mood swings, and vision disturbances are evident in some users, but these seem to become apparent in larger doses exceeding 100mg per day. We would suggest some sort of alternative hormone replacement therapy similar to the above protocol, with the addition of herbal products to enhance libido and possible testosterone production naturally. If these protocols fail, hormone replacement therapy in the format of injectable estered testosterone would be a viable option.

Dianabol Cycles and Uses

Dianabol (often shortened to D-Bol), was actually a brand name given to the steroid compound Methandrostenolone by the Swiss pharmaceutical and chemical company Ciba. Though production ceased many years ago, the brand name lives on and is still the name by which the steroid is most commonly referred. Nowadays, there are a host of 'underground laboratories' that manufacture this steroid.

Even today, despite steroid users becoming more accustomed to, and have the finance to fund exotic cycles with many different compounds, Dianabol is as popular as ever, owing to the fact that it is not only very cheap and relatively widespread, but results are nothing short of breathtaking, both in terms of mass gained and increases in strength.

Suggested Cycles/Uses
Prospective steroid users will typically look toward Dianabol as their first steroid experience. This is understandable given the unease that they may possess in respect of using inject able steroids. A 4-6 week course of 25mg-30mg per day should yield a pleasing outcome for novice users, whilst minimising side effects. As you would expect, more advanced users will benefit from higher dosages, though the dose/result ratio is not uniformly linear, and will see benefits tapering off strongly above 60mg-70mg per day, a situation also compounded with perhaps unacceptable side effects. However, given the nature of Dianabol, this situation is rarely encountered, as more experienced users will prefer to stack it with an injectable 'base' steroid such as Testosterone or Nandrolone (Deca) in order that the Dianabol dosages are kept modest.

Due to the relatively short half life, the daily dose is usually spread throughout the day, typically three or four times, with meals. Alternatively, some users prefer to take the full daily dose in one sitting, around 30 minutes before their workout. Dosing in this way can give rise to incredible 'pumps' during the workout, providing the user with a very real sense of vigour and increased performance. There is an additional perceived benefit in that a single dosage will result in a slightly greater uptake of the drug. Whilst this is true, it is somewhat of a fallacy due to the fact that any benefit is countered by an increased in liver stress associated with an increased load borne by the liver from a single dosing schedule. Additionally, it will create a spike in blood concentrations, swiftly followed by a crash; a situation which is normally desired to be avoided by users.

Dianabol is particularly suited to mass gaining goals, where the primary aim is to gain as much muscle as possible, with the user typically adjusting their diets to accommodate possibly 5000 calories or more. Testosterone/Deca/Dianabol is a superb combination with this goal in mind, two examples of which are shown below:

(Novice)
Testosterone (Enanthate/Cypionate/Sustanon) 500mg pw, weeks 1-11
Deca 400mg pw, weeks 1-10
Dianabol 25mg ed, weeks 1-4

(Intermediate)
Testosterone (Enanthate/Cypionate/Sustanon) 750mg pw, weeks 1-11
Deca 600mg pw, weeks 1-10
Dianabol 35mg ed, weeks 1-4

Due to the sometimes excessive water retentive properties of Dianabol, it makes it a poor choice of compound in cycles where the user is looking to shed fat. Cardiovascular activity will feature heavily during periods of cutting and these endeavours will be greatly hampered by the water retention and the painful 'pumps' that often ensue.