Advice requested.
About to start my first cycle and have read so much about aromasin and anastrozole that I’m quite overwhelmed. I’ve read a lot on using a dht instead of an ai. Again overwhelmed. I’m asking for some solid advice starting my cycle and having the ability to prevent my estrogen. I’m gonna be running 150mg of test e three times a week totaling 450mg test 3. Might bump it to 166mg a week for 500mg. This will be for 16 weeks. During this time I will have on hand nolvadex incase I get gyno lumps and of course an ai. Not sure which ai to have, so that’s why I’m here. Also not sure about dosing either. I’ve heard that 6.25 aromasin is too much eod. I’ve heard that 6.25 ed is a must. I’ve heard so much different contradicting details on the matter that it honestly has me spending all my time thinking about this. I want to know how I can navigate this cycle and manage estrogen properly without crashing it. I do plan on blood work 5 weeks into my injections. I just need some real advice please and thank you for taking the time to read this through. I really appreciate all the advice in advance.
- Bookmark
- 0
- 0
I see were changing things up. One thing I'm surprised no one has said is maybe start at a lower dose, I understand thats not the advice you asked for here but you're young and under 200 pounds I bet 300mg of test would do you wonders before needing to shoot right up to half a gram. Just my 2 cents.
Aromasin would be my recommendation over adex- Steroidal suicide AI, be careful not to crash. More expensive than Arimidex but better on lipids which is what were striving for on blasts.
Also surprised no ones said this yet but Raloxifene over Tamoxifin IMO for serm gyno prevention, Tamox(Nolva) is cheaper yes, but Ralox has actual traits showing reduction directly in the breast tissue while I believe Tamox just stops it in its tracks. Also Tamox lowers IGF which is not good for our intended uses here, Ralox does not have that side effect.
Good read here as well, https://www.reddit.com/r/steroids/wiki/the_estrogen_handbook/
16weeks too long. No extra bonus either. Traditional 12 weekend. All this info is in beginner cycles
Good to know.
Speaking of beginner cycles I posted a theory cycle there and said16 weeks of 300mg test and no one brought that up. I wonder why that was? Genuinely asking why no one did
If you’re not on TRT then your pre cycle estrogen levels don’t really matter. It’s not going to give you any insight into how you’ll respond on 500mg of test. Your doing PCT after the cycle? Clomid/nolva. Then it is worth getting pre cycle labs done to see where your testosterone is naturally, that way once you’ve finished the cycle and PCT you check again and see if your levels have returned to where they were before your cycle. You’ll do this about 6 weeks after completion of PCT. Make sure you have pct before you start the cycle.
I wouldn’t start taking the AI proactively. Get your 6 week bloods done see where your levels are and then add an AI if they are way too high. Only reason to start sooner is if you’re experiencing symptoms of high estrogen. Either arimidex or aromasin is fine. Id star around 6.25mg eod of aromasin or .5mg of adex twice a week. I would not use a DHT your first cycle to control estrogen, run test first and see how you react to that. And like you said if you start getting gyno stars the Nolva as it will stop it in Its tracks.
I plan on pct so I’m doing so pre any test blood work to see base levels. Enclo. Nolvadex maybe if needed for gyno reduction
I no longer use preemptive Ai on cyp or e. I have run 500mg a week of Test C, pinned every day, for 12 weeks and never gotten a symptom. That is with low shbg, also (16). My e2 bloodwork has come back well over 120 and that doesn't bother me a bit.
But, my body fat stays below 17 percent even if bulking. I also am not predisposed to losing my hair. I do get acne so I take 10mg a day of Accutane. Gyno has never popped up.
My advice, pin every day, get bloodwork, see how you feel, touch your nipples a lot. If you add a Ai, start slow and low and after a few days, go get an E2 test and compare.
I crashed my E2 on a Test P cycle once and thank God I use arimidex so I could recover in a few days. My neck joints started hurting and popping so much, I thought I had menengitis. Oh, and I was peeing like a fucking racehorse to the point of wondering if I had a bladder infection.
Then only thing that can accurately determine ai dosage is bloodwork
This is so nuanced, and before anyone can give you useful guidance, a few clarifying questions matter more than AI type or dose:
Do you know your baseline sensitive estradiol and SHBG before starting?
Have you ever run TRT or lower-dose test, and if so, how did you aromatize?
Are you trying to prevent gyno only, or manage mood, water, BP, and lipids as well?
What symptoms are you planning to react to vs wait to confirm on labs?
Why choose an AI before you know how your estrogen actually responds at this dose?
Do you understand the practical difference between reversible vs suicidal AIs if you overshoot?
What’s your plan if estrogen is high and still changing when labs come back?
Not trying to nitpick you but, estrogen management isn’t about rules or “musts,” it’s about understanding your response first. Running a blast without knowing how you respond tends to get messy fast.
I don’t know my sensitive estradiol but I’m gonna get it done before I start now that you mentioned it.
I’ve never run trt but my dad has at 200 once a week test c and his estradiol is in the 70s even with 1mg Anastrozole one a week as prescribed by his doctor. He only gets emotional with high estrogen nothing else.
I’m trying to prevent gyno and also manage everything else within reason.
I plan to treat symptoms for gyno like nipple sensitivity and waiting on labs for low libido, bloating etc because I’m not sure if it’s actually from estrogen or not.
Good point. To clarify; are you saying that depending on blood work I should chose a different ai? Or are you moreso referring to the dosage? Or both?
I understand Anastrozole is more forgiving as it’s not suicidal like aromasin. So I’ll probably use Anastrozole incase I make an irrational decision mid cycle and take too much at least I can recover quicker.
I figured by 5-6 weeks I’ll be steady enough to have an accurate reading of what my levels would be at. If they’re still trending then I’d retest or at least assume it’s only going to be higher next lab.
Also please do nitpick me I appreciate that and am thankful for you looking out for me.
Yeah, just to clarify. no need to add more advice on top of what’s already here. The replies above are solid.
My questions were really just meant to help you frame your own research and decision-making so you’re not chasing conflicting “rules.” Once those pieces are clear, the guidance already given here makes a lot more sense.
Sounds like you’re approaching it thoughtfully, appreciate the follow-up.
DocMcGainsYup - all the things Bodhi said. More info needed here for any kind of recommendation to be useful.
As a general note, preemptive AI use is incautious and mostly unnecessary IF you are careful, go slow, and monitor your bloods and your response more generally.