I think HCG post-cycle is very much a necessity. Actually,
HCG has been used alone, to help recover endocrine function in athletes who have impaired testosterone levels due to anabolic steroid use.
In other words, not only does it work for PCT, but it has been shown to actually work without using anything else.
Postgrad Med J. 1998 Jan;74(867):45-6.
Links
Anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism treated with human chorionic gonadotropin.
Endocrine Unit, Walton Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
A case is presented of a young competitive body-builder who abused anabolic steroid drugs and developed profound symptomatic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. With the help of prescribed testosterone (Sustanon) he stopped taking anabolic drugs, and later stopped Sustanon also.
Hypogonadism returned, but was successfully treated with weekly injections of human chorionic gonadotropin for three months. Testicular function remained normal thereafter on no treatment. The use of human chorionic gonadotropin should be considered in prolonged hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism due to anabolic steroid abuse.
PMID: 9538490 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
J Steroid Biochem. 1986 Jul;25(1):109-12.
Links
Testicular responsiveness to human chorionic gonadotrophin during transient hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism induced by androgenic/anabolic steroids in power athletes.
Serum concentrations of testosterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, estradiol and several other unconjugated and sulphated steroids were analyzed before and after a single dose of hCG in 6 power athletes, who had used high doses of testosterone and anabolic steroids for 3 months. The study was carried out 3 weeks after cessation of drug use, but the study subjects were still characterized by hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. The mean concentrations of serum LH and FSH were 2.6 +/- 0.3 and 1.1 +/- 0.03 mIU/ml (mean +/- SEM), respectively, and the concentrations of several precursors and metabolites of testosterone were lower than those before drug use. In contrast, circulating concentrations of steroid sulphates were not decreased, with the exception of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate.
After hCG injection serum testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone concentrations increased significantly, whereas no increases in estradiol and 17-hydroxyprogesterone concentrations were observed. These results demonstrate that during transient hypogonadotrophism in adult men, the testicular responsiveness to a single injection of hCG is similar to that in prepubertal boys without any sign of steroidogenic lesion at the 17,20-desmolase step. Therefore, the appearance of the possibly estradiol-mediated inhibition at the level of C21-steroid side-chain splitting in testosterone biosynthesis seems to be dependent on priming by gonadotrophins.
PMID: 3747510 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]