Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (AAS) cycles can be tricky. They involve risks that lead to major hormonal changes. Therefore, each cycle would need to be mediated with the help of post-cycle therapy (PCT). This blog explores the importance of a PCT in every AAS cycle.
Are you looking to enhance your physical training results with the help of AAS? To get your dream body aesthetic, the AAS cycles you undertake might have some consequences that can be risky. Therefore, you would need to supplement them with PCT. Here, this significance will be evaluated.
Understanding Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
Before looking into how PCT can be crucial to your AAS cycle, it is important to understand the meaning of PCT. Here, different factors significant to that meaning will be evaluated, such as what it is and when it starts.
What is PCT?
So, what is PCT? PCT, or Post-Cycle Therapy, is the period immediately after the cessation of AAS, and can refer to any combination of drugs that need to be taken in the “off-cycle” period, or after the temporary discontinuation of AAS use.
It is essentially a recovery phase that involves you taking medications or supplements that stimulate natural testosterone growth. This is important as taking AAS can inhibit your body’s natural testosterone production.
And how does that help? It helps the prevention of muscle loss, fatigue, hormone-related emotional changes such as depression, and post-cycle crashes.
The PCT working mechanism can be explained by the following simple flowchart:
When Does PCT Start?
When you should start your post-cycle therapy depends on the AAS you have taken. The timing of PCT is crucial. Starting too early, the effort is wasted. And starting too late can cause your body to suffer longer than it should. But if it is a long-acting AAS, you’d need to wait longer. Here’s a table that explains this, with examples:
| AAS-Type | Half-Life | When to Start PCT |
| Anavar | ~9 hrs | 1-2 days after AAS cessation |
| Dianabol | ~4-6 hrs | 24-48 hrs after AAS cessation |
| Test-prop | ~2-3 days | 3-5 days after AAS cessation |
| Tren acetate | ~2-3 days | 3-5 days after AAS cessation |
Table 1: When to Start PCT based on AAS Type
Why is PCT Crucial for Users?
You might wonder whether, for some mild AAS, you’d need PCT or not. So, if you want to know, do you need PCT after a Test cycle or an Anavar cycle? The answer is yes. Whether the AAS is mild or not, PCT will always be important.
Also, in any AAS cycle, PCT is non-negotiable. This is because without it, you may experience:
- Prolonged low levels of testosterone
- Losing lean muscle mass
- Increasing levels of body fat
- Severe mood swings, as well as irritability and depression
- Loss of libido and sexual functioning
- Dominance of oestrogen levels in the body
Therefore, as the significance of PCT is understood, it’s time to look at some of the ways that PCT can help you:
It Protects Your Hormonal Health
AAS cycles can cause prolonged suppression of natural testosterone production, leading to not only mood swings and low libido but also hypogonadism. This implies that your body is showing signs of low sexual function and infertility.
A PCT cycle can help respond to such issues by restarting your HPTA function. Since AAS-induced hypogonadism is related to HPTA suppression, PCT works on restarting it and bringing your body’s biochemical state back to normal. Thus, hormonal health is balanced.
It Helps Maintain Muscle Gains
While AAS can help you hasten your muscle growth, an extended period of AAS intake can lead to catabolic effects. Thus, your muscles start to break down into smaller fragments, leading to the progress being undone.
As PCTs can restore hormonal balance, the amount of testosterone and oestrogen in your body is regulated. Thus, your body becomes an anabolic environment, regulating catabolism and minimising muscle breakdown.
It Reduces Side Effects
The ability of Post-Cycle Therapy to maintain hormonal balance within your body can help more than just regulating hormonal health and maintaining muscle mass. It essentially prevents some major biochemical effects that usually follow an AAS cycle.
These include:
- Helping counter gynecomastia (the enlargement of breast tissues in males)
- Helping in the reduction of acne and fatigue
- Preventing the chances of water retention rebound
What Does a Typical PCT Include?
From the answer to what PCT is, it was learned that it helps boost natural testosterone production, bringing the body’s hormonal state into a condition of balance. Therefore, a typical PCT includes compounds that can support this hormonal balancing in the body.
Common PCT Compounds
Here is a list consisting of some of the most commonly considered PCT compounds for AAS cycles:
| PCT Compound | Function | Typical Daily Dosage |
| Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate) | Stimulation of LH and FSH production | 50 mg |
| Nolvadex (Tamoxifen Citrate) | Blocking oestrogen at the receptor level | 20-40 mg |
| Natural Test Boosters | Supportive compounds | 50 mg |
| Optional Add-ons | Aromatase inhibitors and Liver support | 1 mg |
Table 2: Common PCT Compounds
To further understand how PCTs work, let’s take a look at a sample 4-week PCT plan, especially for a moderate cycle:
A Sample 4-Week PCT Plan For A Moderate Cycle
Here is a sample for a 4-week PCT plan that can be useful for a moderate AAS cycle:
| Week | Clomid | Nolvadex | Notes |
| 1-2 | 50 mg | 40 mg | The best time to start is not only based on your AAS cycle but also your medical history. |
| 3-4 | 25 mg | 20 mg | Nolvadex generally works better when the dosage is optimised |
Table 3: A Sample of a 4-week PCT Plan
The dosage numbers are critical. As written in the case of Nolvadex, optimal dosages generally work better for your PCT cycle. So, while this information is based on the typically considered doses, you should consult a practicing physician before considering this PCT treatment.
Mistakes to Avoid During PCT
However, for the most suitable practical applications, just understanding the meaning of PCT is not sufficient. You would also have to know the mistakes you must avoid in taking PCT. This is relevant as making mistakes in your PCT treatment can have major consequences on your body’s internal mechanisms.
Based on that, here are some possible mistakes that you need to make sure to avoid when considering PCT:
Starting Too Early or Too Late
There are different risks to misaligning timing in PCT cycles. Misaligned timing can cause hormone suppression in your body and can increase the risk of oestrogen spike rebounds.
To prevent this, you should use a PCT calculator, consult a specialist, and, more importantly, consult a physician for optimal timing.
Not Running PCT at All
After an AAS cycle, not going for PCT can be a major mistake. Taking AAS can lead to significant hormonal imbalances within your body. What are these imbalances? AAS can lead to your body’s natural steroid production being reduced.
Thus, you need medication or therapy to bring your body back to its natural state. Otherwise, you would feel long-term biochemical changes in your body. Biochemical changes such as:
- prolonged low testosterone levels
- gynecomastia
- frequent mood swings and depression
- loss of sexual function.
Summing Up
PCT is not only important for maintaining your gains, but also for moderating your body’s natural hormonal balance. Thus, after an AAS cycle that can cause hormonal changes within you, a PCT cycle will be essential to avoid major hormonal imbalances, which can present long-term harmful effects.
Planning to Grow Your Muscles? Plan Your PCT as Well!
If you are planning to grow a desired body aesthetic, you may require AAS cycles. AAS cycles can have major repercussions on your body. So, planning a PCT cycle will be non-negotiable.
P.S. PCT drugs are prescription medications. So, consulting a physician can be crucial before starting a Clomid or Nolvadex cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is PCT Safe to Take?
PCT is generally considered safe. However, to ensure no critical mistakes are made, you should consult a physician before undergoing PCT treatment.
2. Is PCT Really Effective?
PCT is effective majority of the time. The majority of users have stated that PCT has helped with their withdrawal symptoms and depression.
3. Is PCT Bad for My Liver?
If PCT doses are not optimised to your body’s needs, it can cause liver problems with a long-term recovery period.
4. How Long Does PCT Usually Last?
A general PCT cycle lasts for 4 weeks. However, depending on your needs, it can be expanded to 6 weeks as well.
