Hank,
I’ve tried NPP every way I could think of and here’s what I can tell you……
The good:
A. it helps with joint pain. Ive previously commented on here that it didn’t help much with joint pain. I was wrong. I didn’t realize how much it helps until I stopped it for a little while and restarted it recently.
B. It counters some of the skin side effects of test. On anything over 300 Test, my face looses elasticity and looks old. Not so on NPP. Also, on Test alone, my face and back blow up and I get big painful acne. Not so with NPP.
C. It increases work capacity. My results vary slightly from most here. It doesn’t increase my low-end explosive strength (1-3 reps) but it GREATLY improves how many sets I can hit at a given weight. This is my favorite thing about the drug.
D. It makes my traps pop. There is an undeniable difference in my traps when I am on NPP. This is my second favorite thing about the drug.
E. I have never experienced the notorious deca/NPP dick. But I have also never gone below a 1:1 Test/NPP ratio. Check that, I did it once and felt like shit but never got deca dick.
F. I tolerate carbs much better on it. On Test alone, if I eat a ton of carbs one day, I look like shit the next day. On NPP, I just look full the next day. Basically, the carbs go in my muscle bellies instead of causing edema.
The bad:
A. Insomnia. I sleep 6 hours a night on NPP, vice 8-9 on Test alone.
B. Aggression. It definitely makes me more aggressive. You’ve run Tren, so I’m sure you are very familiar with this side.
C. Headaches. A baby aspirin daily keeps them away, for me.
D. Puffy nipples. Temporary, not gyno, just a soft, puffy look. 100mg P5P/day keeps this at bay for me.
Doses: it will help you with hardening/leaning at 200mg/week or less (see carb tolerance above). At 300+ It will likely cause some edema. Size gains really start to come fast at 400+/week. For me, 300-400 week has been my sweet spot for gains vs. sides. I’ve gone as high as 600/wk and the sides outweighed the gains.
Ratio:
I’ve felt good at 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1. But I would never recommend dropping Test below 200/wk, regardless of the ratio you choose. Think of Test as the “feel good” drug in the cycle. You never want it too low and you never want less of it than NPP unless you’re a masochist and enjoy feeling miserable.
The 200/100 you mentioned is a good starting point. I’d recommend giving it 3 weeks for NPP to reach steady state before critiquing that dose. If you like it, you could likely run it forever. If you don’t like it, I’d recommend trying 300/100 from there. 300/100 feels really good for me. but obviously gains were nothing to write about at those doses. I’m assuming here that you’re looking for a long-term solution, not bulking doses.
The other thing I’ll add here on dose is….if you’re not going to eat for size, I can see no reason to ever run NPP above 200/wk. you’re just going to see sides without the gains. Many guys have said you have to feed NPP and I firmly believe that (if you are using it for bulking). If therapeutic, max 200/wk.
I’m currently still slooooow cutting, as I decided in my log recently, on 300/100. Feel good, zero sides, and cut is going well. Down from about 20% to 15-17%. Pic below. I’m eating very few carbs, so looking like 5-10 pounds less lean tissue, but strength has stayed same, so definitely no muscle loss. Looking forward to filling back out as soon as I carb back up again.