For bodybuilding fans, the asking, wondering, comparing and even suggested remedies for any shortcoming in the sport literally swamp the ears of those who have anything to do with managing competitions and PCTs! This is to be expected for if not, there’s little doubt that not much interest is attached to the sport and that it would eventually fizzle out and be forgotten. Is there a fizzling out of interest and enthusiasm for weightlifting? Read on to find out.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) and bodybuilding

Interest in the sport of bodybuilding is certainly not fizzling out and organizers attest to this fact saying that daily questions stream in asking their answer to which drug medication is best for PCT!

But it’s not only that as those who ask the question have been repeatedly told by even more people that they should make up their minds and use a prescription dose for breast cancer that has the name of Tamoxifen (which is sometimes sold using the name Nolvadex.

Those making the suggestion adding that if they did, they would successfully ensure that they would keep their muscle gains and completely avoid the embarrassing problem of gynecomastia from happening to them.

We will endeavor in this article to detail out the reasons why Tamoxifen has been highly recommended for bodybuilders, not forgetting to include some of the side effects that most people can’t understand before discussing the actual use of this fabulous drug medication compound.

What does Tamoxifen actually do?

Tamoxifen has been categorized as a special estrogen receptor modulator or SERM which can be non-steroidal or steroidal in which case the latter is the status of Temoxifen (Nolvadex).

Its role is that of an estrogen antagonist in both the brain and breast areas where it prevents the female hormone estrogen from exerting its normal influence in these areas.

Its primary action in the brain is that of preventing the conversions of testosterone (male hormone) to estrogen (female hormone), which means that during a steroid cycle, the levels of estrogen in the body remain low.

Bodybuilders normally view this low estrogen level as of benefit to their bodybuilding activities, it should also be noted that estrogen also helps with the accumulation of muscle mass and also enhances libido on cycle.

Because of this it’s not unusual to find that bodybuilders can lose out on some muscle gains and enhanced libido when they take testosterone boosting compounds and also take Tamoxifen in the same regimen.

Tamoxifen doses for bodybuilding

The standard practice for Tamoxifen doses indicate that Novaldex is normally taken at a dose of 40mg per day for the first 2 weeks of post cycle therapy (PCT).

This is subsequently reduced to20 mg per day for the final 2 weeks of the PCT. There’s no perfect fit for PCT in terms of the most appropriate supplement so it may be likely that Tamoxifen may not be the supplement for all PCTs.

Tamoxifen and its negative effects

Despite the fact that Tamoxifen has been categorized as an estrogen antagonist, it should be remembered for some parts of the body, Tamoxifen really works as an estrogen agonist, meaning that it acts as an estrogen acts.

This runs is contrary to how it’s supposed to act which in the opposite direction in an anti-estrogen manner.

When it works in this manner (in an estrogenic fashion), for instance in the liver, Tamoxifen can actually increase the levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHGB) that acts to bind testosterone and hence reduces the level of free testosterone in the body.

By free testosterone is meant the amount of free or unbounded testosterone in the system and it’s this free testosterone that’s usually associated with the positive effects of high testosterone in the form of enhanced muscle mass, strength and libido.

By successfully decreasing the amount of free testosterone, Tamoxifen is potentially able to diminish the gains made during the bodybuilding steroid cycle.

This is the reason why Tamoxifen is seldom used alone (as a testosterone enhancer is used) and  gain muscle mass in view of the increase in SHGB.

Negatively speaking, Tamoxifen can also suppress the production of peptide hormone IGF-1. IGF-1. This hormone is broken down by Tamoxifen thereby preventing it from achieving what it can do in contributing to the process of building a rippling physique.

The ability of Tamoxifen to suppress IGF-1 levels is one of the reasons why this drug medication tends to disappoint in the ability to enhance muscle mass.

A recent study showed that an increase in total testosterone and a decrease in IGF-1 after using Tamoxifen clearly indicate the reason why the drug can be prove very disappointing for maintaining muscle mass.

Tamoxifen may be regarded as an anti-estrogen drug, but the fact that it does work in an estrogenic fashion outside certain tissues, result in the promotion of estrogenic effects.

This was clearly shown in a study which showed that using Tamoxifen over the long haul succeeded in increasing serum testosterone levels by 50%, a very healthy boost. Even so it should be noted that over the same time, there was a massive increase in estrogen levels of 341%.

(Gyno) pitted against Tamoxifen

One of the main functions of Tamoxifen is the suppression of estrogenic action especially in the breast tissue in order to prevent the development of gynecomastia and it should be noted that its performance this way during a steroid cycle been satisfactory.

 It’s true it won’t totally prevent the development of gynecomastia or gyno especially with the continued use of anabolic steroids in a multi-purpose way (progesterotenic) for which something that lowers prolactin such as Vitex will be needed.

In any case, to make an involved long story short, the myriad processes that one has to go through all require the presence of Tamoxifen because of what actually happens when Tamoxifen is taken out of the equation.

What ensues is not a very satisfactory situation because by moving Tamoxifen, we’ll be left with a situation where there are high levels of estrogen in the body with nothing stopping it from causing gyno in male bodybuilders which will definitely adversely affect the sport.

And we certainly don’t want that to happen do we?

Bottom line

The last paragraph of this article sufficiently answers the question which we posed at the beginning of writing it. Perhaps the same can be said of the other drug medications also mentioned elsewhere in this series of articles however, none has equaled the praise of and confidence in Tamoxifen expressed in the last paragraph in this article that says Tamoxifen should be in the thick of things, otherwise, nothing will hold this article together as a factual story.

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