T Nation

First Cycle 500mg/week Confusion

#1

Okay planning to do standard first cycle of test 500mg/week 10 to 12(?) weeks, whichever is better. My confusion is on the usage of AI.

Okay, so during my researching I’ve come across 2 different opinions on AI usage.

  1. Dont use unless estro sides are present. Persons from this side provided arguments as to how AI is bad for the body and that Estrogen is a friend when there is an elevated testo levels and should help with the gains and overall well being. Also the misuse of AI potentially leading to crashing of Estro. They say use AI when sides are present or atleast start using on the 3rd or 4th week of cycle. Some even had amazing results without any use of Ai

  2. Use AI from the start until the end. People from this side provided arguments as to how E2 binding on receptors should be avoided. Because if e2 bonds to those receptor the free test will not bond and do nothing (If I understand it correctly).

So which is which?

And please do give some other tips/advice. My source is having a huge discount so I’m planning to purchase about 2 cycles worth of gear and pct products.

#2

Comment for thread bump.

#4

Avoid using it if you dont need it, you’ll know if you need it you’ll get pretty uncomfortable with bloating, high BP etc. Theres plenty of info online regarding high and low e2 symptoms. You wont need it before the 3rd week as test levels will take weeks to climb.
Best bet is to go by how your feeling physically and mentally and by blood tests, using those as a reference and being smart when it comes to using or increasing your AI, you’ll avoid crashing e2.

#5

I can only get aromasin 12.5mg tabs, hoq should I proceed?

#8

??? They reach steady state in 24 hours. It takes about 4-6 weeks for physiological changes to catch up. Not sure where you got 8…

#9

Ya within 4 weeks you should be pretty much peaked on your blood levels.

To the OP get the ai have it on hand. Use it if necessary. Bloating can be fixed most of the time with tweaking your diet. Obviously some bloat is gonna come with a long ester because you retain water.

Try to fix any sides thru diet and routine before adding another drug (AI)

#10

The biggest problem with the statement “Don’t use an AI until you have bad side effect”
You don’t know what they are. Water weigh is normal when starting on Test. Even the TRT guys complain so just because you soaked up 10# of water does not mean you need an AI.
Next on the list tender or burning or sensitive nipples. Again this is a major complaint from the TRT guys just starting out. Both water and nipples are normal and NOT as sign of elevated E2 both will go away is 2-3 weeks with no help from you.
To get gyno, our biggest fear, your E2 and prolactin has to be overrange for a year or more. On a 10-12 week cycle there is just no chance of getting gyno. Except if you are really fat and already have gyno and do not know it then your boobies will grow like a 13 year old girl.

So the message here is unless you really know your body and how you react to T taking an AI for a cycle has more chances of hurting you not helping you.

BlastTT
Jan-2019-Mini-Blast02

#11

Thank you for this reply.

So how do we fix on PCT the high E2? Some guys say the point of AI is to block estro sides and when they show its too late to use them.

#12

If you are like me you go get a mini blood test for braggin rights the day you end your cycle and see where your E2 is. For me my T drops much faster than the E2 so I start with anastrozole to chip away at the E2.

But I don’t over do it. I will take .125mg M/W/F and stop taking them. If I am not crying over every sad TV show, or one of my favorite old songs I don’t start back until I start getting extra sensitive.
I use my feelings not water weight or nipples to tell me when E2 is too high YMMV but I know my body. I’m on TRT so there is no PCT for me but I still have to control my E2 while I come down from the blast and get back to my regular TRT protocol. Yes my dick will stop working for a few weeks and my endocrine system will be flipping out trying to get back in balance but you know its the dam price for playing the game.

I try to blast twice a year for 12 weeks if possible. I am not concern about getting gyno from 10 weeks of a high E2. IMO my high E2 for 10 weeks just protected all my joints from injury when I was stepping it up at the gym.

#14

So you use AI during PCT? Wouldnt it be better to dose low on AI after the last test shot, while waiting for the 2 weeks for PCT?

#15

Honestly RS I am not a PCT expert. I never blasted until I was on TRT.
For me as soon as I stop injecting my blast dose I start my AI. You can see by my bloods above my E2 is 125 that needs to come down to 30 for TRT. So I slowly take my AI in small 3 day burst and then wait to see how I feel. If my wife tells me she watched a dog get run over in the street and I start balling right in front of her. It’s time to open the anastrozole bottle.

I honestly don’t know why this would not work for a cyclier getting back to natty. You need your E2 back in the 20-35 range asap. Those PCT drugs to keep E2 from giving you gyno I believe they are for guys who cycle all the time with little rest at natty levels. Someone who cycles once twice a year no need.

Personally if I was trying to restart my balls I would use HCG for LH and synthetic FSH for well FSH. The tricky part is getting your pituitary gland to work again there are no drugs to stimulate that. That I know of.

#16

I see what you are saying but it doesn’t work quite like that. Once you’ve cycled through 3-4 half lives you are within 10% or your peak long term serum levels. Changes are typically seen much earlier than 8 weeks as well. I will look for a yield curve to explain.

#17

testosterone-cypionate-half-life

#20

I dropped my ai of .25 e/d and switched to 20mg Nolva/ed based on some seniors recommendations here…I noticed I started to get depressed and emotional . Going through divorce so it was easy to trigger… dropped the Nolva and feeling more normal now. I think I have to stick to just ai moving forward for my on cycle estrogen control.