Nolvadex
(Tamoxifen Citrate)
Nolcadex and Gynocomastia
This drug is used as a first line defense against breast cancer. In the late 80´s, Dan Duchaine speculated that it could also be used by bodybuilders to halt the development of another type of tumor in the mammary gland, Gynocomastia. He introduced this find to the Steroid-using-community in his "Contest Prep" issue of the UnderGround Steroid Handbook Update Newsletters (the contest prep-issue was actually 3 issues in one, for those who had a subscription to the newsletter).

Nolvadex is commonly referred to in quite a few ways: as a SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator), as an anti-estrogen (that is actually incorrect, as we will later see), and finally as a triphenylethylene. I happen to stick with calling Nolvadex a SERM, because out of my three options, it happens to be correct (as we know that calling it an anti-estrogen is incorrect), and pronouncable (as we know that I have no idea how to say "triphenylethylene"). Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) act as either estrogen receptor agonists or antagonists in a tissue-selective manner, lets see what that means to us&

Nolvadex actually has quite a few applications for the steroid using athlete. First and foremost, it´s most common use is for the prevention of gynocomastia. Nolvadex does this by actually competing for the receptor site in breast tissue, and binding to it. Thus, we can safely say that the effect of tamoxifen is through estrogen receptor blockade of breast tissue (1), especially since total body estradiol increases with use of tamoxifen. Clearly, if you are on a cycle which includes steroids which convert to estrogen, you may want to consider nolvadex as a good choice to run along side them.

Nolvadex Cycle
Nolvadex, however, is not the most potent ancillary compound we can use on a cycle, but it is probably the safest considering it doesn´t actually reduce estrogen in your body keeping some estrogen floating around could have many benefits on muscle growth, as well. Estrogen is also important for a properly functioning immune system, and not only that, but your lipid profile (both HDL and LDL) should also show marked improvement with administration of tamoxifen (4). Many bodybuilders actually use this stuff during their cycle for the health benefits provided by it. If, however, you are preparing for a bodybuilding contest, you need to use something which will suck most (if not all) of the estrogen out of your body. I am speculating that you may be able to use Nolvadex for the majority of a contest prep cycle, to keep yourself relatively healthy, and then switch over to Letrozole for the last 8 weeks.

Nolvadex also has some important features for the steroid using athlete. In hypogonadic and infertile men given nolvadex, increases in the serum levels of LH, FSH, and most importantly, testosterone were all observed (2)(3). The best (rough) estimate I can give you from my research is that 20mgs of Nolvadex will raise your testosterone levels about 150% (5)...and this would of course greatly aid post-cycle-recovery. What this means to us is that if you take Nolvadex after a cycle, when you are trying to raise your levels of testosterone, LH, and FSH back to normal, it will greatly aid recovery. In fact, if I were limited to just one compound to aid me in post-cycle-recovery, Nolvadex would be my choice. If you want a comparison, it would require 150mgs of Clomid to accomplish that type of elevation in testosterone, but nolvadex also significantly increased the LH (Leutenizing Hormone) response to LHRL (5), after 6 weeks.

Some of the more harsh ancillary compounds available today will give you a more "dry" look that nolvadex can´t, but nolvadex is simply safer to use in long (over 16 week) cycles.

Nolvadex Side Effects
Unfortunately, Nolvadex isn´t perfect. Anecdotally, it has been linked to reduced gains in some bodybuilders. This isn´t due, as previously thought, to its reducing estrogen levels (which it doesn´t), but rather to it´s ability to possibly reduce IGF (Insulin-like-Growth-Factor) levels, which are important for muscle growth.

Proviron
Mesterolone
Proviron (mesterolone) is basically an orally active DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) preparation. For comparision, we can think of some other orally prepared DHT compounds like Winstrol, Anavar, etc& Those both act very similarly in mechanism to Proviron, but a more accurate way to think of this compound is as something like "Oral Masteron." As I´m sure you noticed, their anabolic/androgenic ratio is very similar.Remember, DHT is 3 to 4 times as androgenic as testosterone and is, of course, incapable of forming estrogen. Also, Proviron is quite unique in that a simple look at it´s 4-ring structure will show us that it is not going to be too liver toxic, since it is not c17-Alpha-Alkylated, as many orals are& this modification (lacking in Proviron) makes drugs more liver toxic. Proviron has a 1-metyhl group added, instead. Looks pretty great on paper, right? Well, as usual, things tend to look better on paper than they do in the body. Your body has a negative feedback loop which prevents your body from having too much DHT floating around(if you´ve been paying attention up to now from reading my other stuff, you already know this). An excess of DHT will eventually be changed into another (largely not anabolic) compound.

And of course, being a DHT-based compound, this stuff isn´t going to be great for female athletes to use. Virilization (development of male sexual characteristics) is going to be a concern for women daring enough to try this stuff. My advice is that there is much better, safer compounds for female athletes and bodybuilders to use.

So lets go back to the comparison with being some sort of "Oral Masteron"& basically since Proviron is 5-alpha reduced and not capable of forming estrogen, and also has a very high affinity for binding to the aromatase enzyme (the enzyme responsible for converting all that good testosterone in your body into all that nasty estrogen). That means if you choose to take proviron with testosterone (and I know you wouldn´t even be doing a cycle without including some form of testosterone) and/or any aromatizable steroid, it should actually serve to prevent estrogen build up by the aforementioned binding to the aromatase enzyme, which prevents aromatase from doing it´s dirty work and making a bunch of estrogen out of the other steroids you are taking. It should also be noted that Proviron also binds very well to SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin& a hormone responsible for reducing the amount of circulating free testosterone in your body)(1). As a matter of fact, in the last study I read, it bound to SHBG better than any other drug studied. Also, I´d like to note that Proviron bound to the Anabolic Receptor better than any oral anabolic (except for the insanely toxic MethylTrienolone), having an ability to bind to the AR better then testosterone, but not as well as Nandrolone (1). Unfortunately, as we know, DHT also has a high affinity for binding to receptors in the scalp and prostate, causing some possible nasty side effects, like male pattern baldness and prostate enlargement. It´s important to remember that DHT and DHT derived compounds are used quite successfully to treat gynocomastia, and in this area, Proviron is no different.