T Nation

Question for Bill Roberts (arimidex, IGF-1...)

Bodybuilding
#1

(I know you know the stuff on the first three paragraphs, I just want to be sure I understand correctly)

One of the reasons people grow when taking testosterone, is due to increased estrogen. The increase in estrogen elevates IGF-I. That’s why a lot of bodybuilders don’t take aromatase inhibitors. They prefer a surgery for they gyno!!!

With elevated estrogens you get bloated, may get gyno, and have greater inhibition of the HPTA. That’s why I bought a box of Arimidex and an extra box of Clomiphene Citrate for my first cycle (500mg of test. enanthate + 200mg of laurabolin weekly for 8 weeks).

In men, decreased estrogen levels decreases IGF-I. This paper has been very usefull: "Estrogen Suppression in males: Metabolic Effects", The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

I don’t want to impair extra IGF-I production with TOO MUCH Arimidex, and I don’t want to suffer the bad side effects of estrogen taking TOO LITLE Arimidex. What’s the optimum dossage of Arimidex???

Thanks a lot for your help.

#2

First, I think that the assumption that
bodybuilders grow faster with high estrogen
levels is unwarranted. If there’s such an
effect (besides water weight) it’s hard
or impossible to discern, and the effect
may not exist. I’ve certainly seen some
pretty stunning growth rates while estrogen
levels were low, not high – rates not
exceeded by cases where estrogen levels
were high.

Arimidex is capable of bringing estrogen
levels TOO low. Below low normal is too low
in my opinion. (Not particularly or maybe not
at all because of IGF-1 production.)

As a guess 1/2 mg/day is probably a correct
dose but it would be best to get estrogen
levels measured to verify results.

Clomid would still be useful because there
are beneficial activities to estrogen as
well as adverse ones, and Clomid seems to have
all of the beneficial activities of estrogen
while blocking the adverse ones. 50 mg/day
would be appropriate.

#3

Thanks for your answer!!

I’ll get my estrogen levels checked once a week… but now I’m wondering if the Clomiphene will make my estrogen levels seem larger (will the clomiphene look like estrogen to the test?)

#4

Nope, clomiphene doesn’t look like estrogen
to the immunoglobulin used in the immunoassay
test. But as you’re suggesting, indeed there
are cases where these tests can be confused
by similar molecules. This isn’t one of them
though.