Deca help with sides: looking forward to my 2nd cycle

[SomeLiveForTheBill]

Alright, bros. I'm in the middle of my 1st AAS cycle and it rocks. For a brief review of my stats for those of you who don't remember me:

Age 31
Height 6'1"
Weight: up to 212 lbs now
typical flat bench workout now 245 lbs for 8 reps, 4 sets

I'm in week 6 of a test prop / var cycle. Bros, it has been everything I could have ever hoped for. Cycle is 75 mg ED test prop, 100 mg ED Var. Here are the unfortunate sides I'm experiencing:

1. lethargy. i've started an ECA stack to combat it lol
2. sore joints - the one side that sucks the most in the gym. It hasn't prevented gains, but it's putting a damper on some workouts. I mix my workouts up a little bit each time. Tonight I did shoulders, triceps then biceps. By the time I got in front of the mirror to do my dumbbell curls for biceps, my bicep tendons were hurting. After I got home and began flexing a little, the mild pain seems to be stemming from the inside of the elbow joint and not an overworked tendon. I switched to preacher dumbbell curls to get biceps in and I was fine.
3. minor acne for days at a time... nothing major
4. sleeplessness in the beginning, but combated successfully with Melatonin

And so, it appears the worst side going forward (one I have not successfully combated) is the soreness of the joints. I've read good things about deca. So here's my question:

How good is deca at combating joint pain for those who have used??

I won't do deca until my 2nd cycle planned for summer 2011, but if it's not a good joint pain reducer, I may avoid it. I'm scarred as **** of deca dick. Here's my 2nd cycle plan (it will be a cutting cycle):

100 mg ED test prop weeks 1-16
100 mg ED Var weeks 5-16
250 mg twice a week Deca weeks 1-12
PCT will talk about later

I've read you have to run deca 12 weeks to get good results, so this cycle will be 16 weeks with 4 weeks of test at the end without deca to make sure I'm g2g. Is this too much shut down for a 2nd cycle? I think I've handled the first cycle quite well in terms of sides, cept for the soreness in the joints. This summer is going to be HELLACIOUS in the gym. I love cycling. I love pinning prop daily. I will take 4 months off cycling after PCT from my current cycle before I begin cycle #2.

Please help experienced Deca users. Is it worth it for what I'm wanting it to do? Thanks.

[Johnyonemove]

I'm curious how little of an amount of Deca some have used for joint relief? I get that you need a decent amount for noticable gains, but how much for joint relief?

[Far from massive]

Why not just drop the var (which is said to cause joint pain particularly elbows) and simply do a test cycle? I don't think you will find a lot of support for running 3 compounds on a 4 month second cycle.

Maybe some of the experts can give you specific recommendations, but I think its your desire, not your logic, telling you to do 3 compounds and a 4 month cycle.

[Far from massive]

I'm curious how little of an amount of Deca some have used for joint relief? I get that you need a decent amount for noticable gains, but how much for joint relief?

I heard an experienced member say 200mg would provide a good deal of joint benefit.