Tamoxifen - what is it?
The drug "Tamoxifen" also has another name. It is also called "Nolvadex"
Tamoxifen is popularly known as Tamox. In pharmacology, this medicine is used by women. It suppresses estrogen levels in the body and fights breast cancer.
But, as you may have guessed, athletes began to use Tamox for slightly different purposes. It should be used during a course of steroids. Tamoxifen helps keep estrogen levels low and prevents gynecomastia in men.
For those who don't know, gynecomastia is swelling of the breasts in men due to the growth of the mammary glands. In simple words, a man's breasts become similar to a woman's.
Contraindications
Not all athletes can use Tamoxifen after a course of intensive training. The main contraindications include the following factors:
- Tamoxifen should not be used if you are hypersensitive to any of the components of the composition.
- Before therapy, it is necessary to undergo a full examination of the body in order to promptly diagnose ophthalmological and thromboembolic pathologies. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of diabetes or kidney problems so that the medication does not aggravate the situation.
- The drug is contraindicated for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- The medication should not be used for blood diseases (for example, hypercalcemia, leukopenia).
- If after using Tamoxifen your legs begin to swell, then the dosage of the medicine should be halved.
Advantages of the drug
Tamoxifen has a number of benefits:
- Low cost compared to analogues.
- High efficiency.
- No side effects when used correctly.
- Low toxicity of the drug.
- Reduces cholesterol levels in the body.
In addition, Tamox has many functions, such as: increasing strength, burning fat, increasing muscle mass, etc. In fact, this is an exaggeration and tamoxifen does not perform any of these functions.
special instructions
During treatment, the peripheral blood picture (especially the platelet count), calcium and glucose levels in the blood should be regularly monitored. With long-term use, observation by an ophthalmologist is indicated (every 3 months).
Should not be combined with medications containing hormones, especially estrogens.
When used simultaneously with drugs that affect the blood coagulation system, a dose adjustment of tamoxifen is necessary.
Experimental studies have established the carcinogenic effect of tamoxifen.
Carefully
Use with caution in patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism during treatment with indirect coumarin anticoagulants, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, hypercalcemia, hyperlipidemia, cataracts or visual impairment
USEFUL INFORMATION: Cancer after IVF
Use during pregnancy and lactation
Tamoxifen is contraindicated for use during pregnancy. If necessary, use during lactation should stop breastfeeding.
Experimental studies have established the teratogenic effect of tamoxifen.
Impact on the ability to drive vehicles and other mechanical means
Due to the possible development of side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision, during treatment with the drug, caution should be exercised when driving vehicles and engaging in other potentially hazardous activities that require increased concentration and speed of psychomotor reactions. If the described adverse events occur, you should refrain from performing these activities.
If the described adverse events occur, you should refrain from performing these activities.
Side effects
Tamoxifen has more advantages than disadvantages. It is a fairly calm and harmless drug. But, like any medicine, it should be used correctly to avoid side effects.
Side effects of tamoxifen:
- Exceeding dosages causes increased body temperature and nausea.
- Large dosages have a detrimental effect on kidney function.
- Long-term use is harmful to vision and can significantly worsen it.
If tamoxifen is used wisely and according to the instructions, then there will be no complications; it is a very “mild” drug. Athletes, in most cases, do not violate the rules of administration, and, therefore, side effects are extremely rare.
Tamoxifen during a course of steroids
Some athletes use tamoxifen for its intended purpose - to lower estrogen levels in the body.
The scheme is very simple : steroids increase testosterone levels, along with it estrogen increases, and Tamox prevents it from doing this.
The result : high levels of male hormones and low levels of female hormones.
Tamoxifen is cheap and that's its advantage. But you have to drink it every day, and for some this is a great inconvenience. A more expensive and effective analogue for suppressing estrogen levels is anastrozole. This drug is more powerful, more effective and it is enough to drink it once every 4 days. But its cost is 4 times higher than that of tamoxifen.
Tamoxifen – as PCT
Some believe that tamoxifen is effective after a cycle.
How it works: at the end of the steroid cycle, the athlete begins to use tamoxifen, which allows the testicles to work faster and release their own testosterone.
As a result : the body’s own production of male hormone is normalized, thereby maintaining muscle mass.
But here's the rub. The direct function of tamoxifen is to suppress the level of estrogen in the body. And producing your own testosterone is a conclusion made by the athletes themselves. Moreover, among its disadvantages is the slow functioning of the testicles. This means that using Tamox on PCT is unwise, since its effectiveness at this stage has not been proven.
There is a very effective drug for PCT - Clomid, which does its job perfectly. True, its cost is 2-3 times higher than that of tamoxifen, but the result is much better.
Flaws
If a novice athlete decides to figure out how to take Tamoxifen after a course of powerful steroids, then you need to study all the negative aspects of the drug. Otherwise, even a physically healthy person may experience a significant deterioration in the performance of vital organs. The main disadvantages include the slow action of the medication. Experts recommend combining Tamoxifen with the universal Proviron, which boasts excellent fat-burning properties.
How to take tamoxifen correctly
We conclude that tamoxifen is most effective while taking steroids rather than after. This means that it must be used throughout the course.
Rules of use:
- We start using tamoxifen a week after starting a course of steroids. This is due to the fact that the first signs of gynecomastia appear no earlier than after 2 weeks. But it’s better to play it safe and start taking it within a week.
- We take 1 tablet a day, no more is required. Even 20 mg copes with its task 100%.
- After stopping taking steroids, continue taking tamoxifen for another 2 weeks. Since during this time a high level of testosterone is maintained in the body, it needs to be controlled with Tamox.
Tamoxifen instructions for use
One of the rarest chemical-based medications is tamoxifen. But, despite everything, it has unique properties that cannot be duplicated by even the most popular drugs taken by bodybuilders. In medicine, tamoxifen is classified as a sex hormone. That is why those who decide to take this drug should consult with an appropriate specialist in advance and specify the dose to obtain the desired effect. It is highly not recommended to take the drug without consulting a specialist, as this may cause irreversible effects on the health of your body.
Some companies market tamoxifen under other names. For example, in practice it is also known as Nolvadex. The initial composition of the drug was created for the prevention and treatment of female diseases, including oncology. The components contained in the drug have the ability to detect and warn in advance about the appearance of oncology, which made it possible to take all necessary actions in a timely manner for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Over time, the drug went through a number of changes, and it gained particular popularity among bodybuilders. The active components of the drug, penetrating into the body, have a delayed effect on it, especially in the first days of use. This is why experienced athletes recommend taking tamoxifen in combination with other drugs that have similar effects. Since its appearance in sports, the drug has received universal recognition. Its unique properties affect the increase in testosterone levels in the male body, since tamoxifen is an anti-estrogen. In other words, comparing the initial levels of testosterone in the male body, after taking the drug 20 mg for 10 days, an increase in testosterone by more than 40% can be noted. By taking the drug for one and a half months, you can achieve an increase in testosterone up to 83%. That is, in terms of effectiveness, tamoxifen is much stronger than other drugs with a similar effect, and this is what makes it stand out from the crowd.
Photos before and after taking the drug
Reviews of tamoxifen
Tamoxifen is a very controversial drug, and therefore there are varied reviews about it:
- According to some experienced athletes, tamoxifen is a thing of the past. Now there are more modern and effective drugs, so there is no point in using it.
- Most athletes who use tamoxifen as an aromatase inhibitor are happy with it. In their opinion, Tamox perfectly blocks the increase in estrogen and copes with its task.
- All who prefer tamoxifen agreed that side effects are extremely rare or do not occur at all. This drug is very “soft” and does not harm the body.
- When using a large number of steroid drugs, it is still recommended to use anastrozole as an estrogen blocker. This drug is more powerful, but also more expensive.
- As a PCT, tamoxifen is quite weak, as athletes claim. After a steroid course, it works well only in conjunction with Proviron.
- Tamoxifen removes water from the body, which once again emphasizes its need during steroid use, and not after.
Summarize
Much has been said today about this drug, but let’s put it all together:
- Tamoxifen is a remedy that is effective during a course of steroids.
- It is not suitable for post-cycle therapy.
- Tamox, when taken correctly, has no side effects.
- Its cost is low, which makes it very attractive.
Tamoxifen blocks the aromatization of testosterone, as a result of which estrogen does not increase. The male body will not accept female properties: swelling in unnecessary places, lethargy, weak libido.
Tamoxifen is cheap and cheerful. If you have the opportunity to buy more expensive drugs, such as anastrozole, then it makes sense to do just that.
How does it work
If you explain it to everyone in a clear and simple language, and not as it is written in most articles about taking Tamoxifen, then the following turns out: the drug itself blocks the production of a large number of hormones that are unnatural for the body. That is, in women it is testosterone, and in men it is estrogen. I know I talked about this a little higher, but I decided to remind you in case someone forgot or missed this section.
So, Tamoxifen blocks the organ itself, which is responsible for the synthesis of unnatural hormones. But is this blocking enough? No! Although the synthesis was blocked by the action of the drug, the process of converting testosterone into estrogen continues under the influence of steroids.
It is based on this fact that athletes most often combine Tamoxifen with Proviron, which prevents the transformation of male hormones into female ones, and vice versa in women.
And now we come to the first aspect of taking this medication, which is actively used by bodybuilders: it must be used in tandem with Proviron to effectively reduce “side effects”.
But the question remains open: how to take it?
