SERMs and AIs are your friends, but if you choose to go with AIs, you DO NOT want to crash your estrogen levels with a high dose. But when it comes to estrogen, you continue following the same protocols as you do for mitigating all other estrogenic side effects. Again, excessive estrogen levels can play havoc with both your sex drive and performance34. Is there a more dreaded side effect of steroids than the fear of erectile dysfunction and loss of libido? Increased estrogen is not likely to cause those stereotypical steroid-induced anger and aggression issues. The other aspect is the effect of raised estrogen levels on mood and mental well-being. Following intake, peak levels of tamoxifen occur after three to seven hours. However, tamoxifen dose-dependently blocks amphetamine-mediated dopamine release and psychostimulant-like effects in animals. This action is thought to underlie the efficacy of tamoxifen in the treatment of bipolar disorder. A 10 mg/day dosage of tamoxifen is nearly as effective as a 20 mg/day dosage in suppressing IGF-1 levels. Suppression of IGF-1 production in the liver is a well-known action of estrogens and SERMs. Tamoxifen is antigonadotropic in postmenopausal women and partially suppresses levels of the gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in such women. Arimidex is a very popular AI because, quite simply, it’s effective and has worked very well for steroid users for a long time. It is useful for bodybuilders because it lowers estrogen levels and stops the formation of more estrogen. This is something you need to think about following a suppressive steroid cycle. If you don’t want to take an AI when using aromatizing steroids like Dianabol or testosterone at low doses, water buildup is what you will monitor closely. Higher doses of any of these steroids will naturally raise your risk of gyno. Gynecomastia (gyno) is a dreaded yet relatively harmless side effect of using aromatizing steroids29. Side effects that you can develop due to increased estrogen levels are rarely a serious health risk (with one exception). In an unpublished article from the early days of the trial, Dora Richardson documented her team's excitement about tamoxifen's effects in counteracting infertility problems and the early positive effects found in breast cancer patients. Without Walpole's effort towards defending the work that his team had done in discovering a possibly revolutionary source for breast cancer treatment, tamoxifen could have become a discarded or under-researched idea. It was only when Walpole threatened to leave his position that corporate decided to allow trials and testing for tamoxifen as a drug that could be used to treat breast cancer. Certain CYP2D6 variations in breast cancer patients lead to a worse clinical outcome for tamoxifen treatment. Five years of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment significantly lowers the 15-year risk of breast cancer recurrence and mortality. Additionally, it is the most common hormone treatment for male breast cancer. Instead of using the SERM for the entire cycle, though, it’s ideal only to start it if you begin seeing those early signs of gyno. AI’s can reduce overall estrogen levels, and this has flow-on effects. But it’s the topic of post-cycle therapy (PCT) that I get questions about most often!! You probably think the thing I get asked about the most is anabolic steroids (which ones, how much to use, whatever). It works by binding to estrogen receptors in breast tissue, blocking the effects of estrogen in these tissues. Nolvadex, also known as tamoxifen, is a popular serm (selective estrogen receptor modulator) often used by bodybuilders and athletes.
