IMPORTANT INFO about safe hormone use!!!

With all of the new products floating around regarding legal anabolics many are left with questions regarding safety, efficiency, PCT, and how to minimize potential side effects.
This is written so to be somewhat of a guide to those that are interested in dabbling with these new hormonal substances on the market.

It is important to STRESS that if you are interested in using synthetic hormones whether legal or not that you must be prepared for the potential outcomes: positive and negative!!!

Nearly all of the new legal steroids out now are 17aa methylated orals. Only 2 come to mind that are not these are Max LMG and finagenx. But unfortunately they will be gone very shortly.

Steroids because unwanted effects and many are unsuitable because of this but for the most part there are ways to avoid or minimize them.

The most notable that come to mind are the damage that occur to the liver and MOST importantly your cholesterol levels!!!
I know your thinking what’s the big deal with having messed up cholesterol levels for a few weeks. Well there is actually quite a bit.

Cholesterol is responsible for your overall cardio vascular health and skewed numbers put us all at risk for heart disease. Ignoring this is just asking for a heart attack or stroke latter on in life.

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body and its main purpose is filtering the harmful toxins from your blood. When you introduce oral 17aa methyl steroids the liver tries to break the substance down to excrete it from the body, the 17aa mod done to the steroid makes it very hard to do this and thus the liver ends up producing too much enzymes for the liver itself to handle and it actually starts to cause damage.

Both of these harmful side effects are only able to been seen through bloodwork!!!

It is always important to do PRE and POST bloodwork to see how your body has reacted to the drugs and to see if you have recovered.

Fortunately there are certain supplements that we can take to prevent and lessen the side effects. But remember cardio is the very best preventative measure to take.


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Regarding cholesterol health (The list will be in order of effectiveness)

At the top of the list is niacin

The best form is sustained release
Next come the regular form (but be aware these two can and will cause the skin to become a flushed red for a few minutes after you take it) nothing wrong it’s just a slight side effect

There is however a version that eliminates this referred to as flush free niacin

A general dose for cholesterol health is around 1000-1500mgs daily but if using the flush free version a dose of 2000-3000 mgs is preferred as this version is slightly weaker acting.

EFAs
Are up towards the top of the list as well as they work very efficiently at cholesterol maintenance. These are referred to the Omegas 3,6,9 they are found in flax and fish oils which are most commonly used for bodybuilding purposes.

Red yeast riceDoseage:1200mg-2400mg Ed
Red yeast rice is basically fermented rice that shares the same active ingredients as the main stream prescription cholesterol lowering statins that are on the market. It is known to have a decent effect on cholesterol maintenance. However it is only beneficial to use for short periods of time such as up to 3-4 weeks before the cycle and continued throughout PCT. It should also be noted that this particular product is known to lower concentrations of COQ10 in the heart and liver so either a pre made supplement including this or additional supplementation of COQ10 at 300mg per day will be needed.


Sesathin

Sesathin is an excellent product that has many aspects that are beneficial to the bodybuilding community; one of these happens to be beneficial specifically for cholesterol maintenance and repair.

A short read up can be found at wwwdotavantlabsdotcom/main.php(dot to be replaced with a . to access)


Allicin:
An extract found in Garlic which is shown to lower blood pressure and lipid levels. It also has established reports of its ability to fight cancer. Purer forms of the extract are shown to be the best.

Policosanol:
Doseage: 10 -20 mg/day
Policosanol is made up of a blend of fatty alcohols known to be beneficial towards cholesterol maintenance. This specific supplement sometimes takes up to 3 months before full benefits start to show themselves and stacks remarkably well with EFAs producing a synergetic effect.


FenugreekFenugreek is known to help tremendously during PCT for HPTA recovery but also shows some slight benefits towards lipid health.

These are the most effective supplements currently available to us bodybuilders that benefit our goals while choosing to supplement with hormonal products.


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There is also the important factor of liver health when using steroids and more specifically oral steroids.

Milk thistle
Doseage: 1000mg Ed
Milk thistle is the most important supplement when it comes to liver health is actually detoxifies the liver and encourages new growth of liver cells to be made.


N.A.C
Doseage: 600mg-1200mg Ed
This amino acid is a precursor to glutathione which is an aminoacid like compound that is specifically known to prevent free radicals and help detoxify the liver it works synergistically with milk thistle.

Alpha lipoic acid
Doseage: 300-500mg Ed
It is a great all around antioxidant that helps other protective vitamins re circulate the body.

Liv 52
Is a blend of other ingredients used to treat liver troubles for centuries and while it does work IMO not to the potential of the other three ingredients listed.


If your thinking about using hormonal products why not spend a little extra money and do it the smart way!!! Minimize every negative side effect that you can because lets face it guys is a few extra pounds of muscle really worth risking your health over it???

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Next I will move onto the topic Post cycle treatment I will refer you to this thread as it is excellent advice!!! I only have a few things to add as newer legal supplements have recently come onto the market that are efficient Please read this http://forums.steroid.com/pct-post-cycle-therapy/94626-pheednos-pct.html

Now I actually prefer the administration of SERMs like clomid and nolva in the beginning stages of PCT as they will help your cholesterol levels greatly while restoring your natty testosterone production and they will also help guard you from negative estrogen sides like gyno(aka bitch titties) My method is usually the same as Pheednos as outlined in the above link but I continue using an AI for 4 more weeks after dropping the SERMs as Nolva/Clomid will ensure natty test levels are returned and even help cholesterol but they will only ensure normal natural test levels. An AI actually has the power to achieve higher than normal testosterone levels.


The new currently legal product is called ATD short for 1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione it is a very effective AI(actually a metabolite of Aromasin a prescription steroidal Aromatase inhibitor) and it will restore your natural test production just as efficiently as a SERM will during PCT. The main down fall to using only an AI has the “potential” for continued cholesterol disruption as estrogen is beneficial to cholesterol and an AI reduces estrogen.

Another negative side effect that usually befalls the common steroid user is elevated blood pressure and this can be a very serious side effect!!!

However ther are as well certain suppliments that can help

First thing that comes to mind is

Hawthorne Berry
Doseage 1500mg-2000mg ed

This does a decent job at lowering blood pressure


Celery Seed extract
A powerful anti-oxidant, shown to not only lower blood pressure, but may have cancer fighting properties as well. Also there is evidence to show its ability in aiding the liver.

This can be used year round, or saved for an extra punch to control Blood Pressure during cycle.

Bryan, great post. This will be very helpful to all!