Anabolics - Post Cycle Recovery
Post-Cycle Recovery: How Long?
When we discuss the side effects associated with steroid use, it is accurate to note that many of them (not all) are temporary. For example, oily skin, acne and increased water retention are all common side effects during a steroid cycle, but they usually resolve themselves within a couple of weeks of stopping use of the offending steroids. What about some of the other common side effects, though— such as alterations in cholesterol and suppression of natural testosterone production? We often regard these also as temporary issues, but how temporary are they, really? A study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology asks this question, and comes back with some interesting answers that all anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users need to pay attention to.1
The study in question looked at a group of 56 male bodybuilders who were recruited through an anti-doping telephone hotline. Each of the men had ultimately ended their intake of steroids, providing a good opportunity to examine them post cycle. The researchers followed the group to see how their health responded to the change, conducting periodic medical examinations for up to one year after their last steroid injection. The study found that cholesterol disturbances lasted for up to six months in many of the subjects. Indeed this was a temporary side effect, but it was much more persistent than many steroid users may have expected. The disturbances to natural testosterone production were even longer lasting in some cases, with a portion of the men continuing to notice suppression of LH and FSH (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, the two main stimulatory hormones for testosterone release) a full year after steroid cessation.
This study doesn’t necessarily present a great deal of new information. Protracted recovery of lipids and testosterone has been discussed in this column and elsewhere before, though admittedly the data on these topics remains light to this day. Studies following bodybuilders and athletes immediately after quitting steroid use are even less common, so I do feel this paper adds some needed perspective on the all-important post-steroid recovery period. Gentlemen, let this be a reminder. Recovery of normal testosterone and cholesterol levels is not an instant process. It may take many months after you quit these drugs for things to get back to normal, perhaps longer in some cases. While not specifically addressed, this study may also help emphasize the need for a proper PCT (Post Cycle Therapy) program, something regular readers know I am a longtime supporter of.
William Llewellyn
Post-Cycle Recovery: How Long?
When we discuss the side effects associated with steroid use, it is accurate to note that many of them (not all) are temporary. For example, oily skin, acne and increased water retention are all common side effects during a steroid cycle, but they usually resolve themselves within a couple of weeks of stopping use of the offending steroids. What about some of the other common side effects, though— such as alterations in cholesterol and suppression of natural testosterone production? We often regard these also as temporary issues, but how temporary are they, really? A study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology asks this question, and comes back with some interesting answers that all anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users need to pay attention to.1
The study in question looked at a group of 56 male bodybuilders who were recruited through an anti-doping telephone hotline. Each of the men had ultimately ended their intake of steroids, providing a good opportunity to examine them post cycle. The researchers followed the group to see how their health responded to the change, conducting periodic medical examinations for up to one year after their last steroid injection. The study found that cholesterol disturbances lasted for up to six months in many of the subjects. Indeed this was a temporary side effect, but it was much more persistent than many steroid users may have expected. The disturbances to natural testosterone production were even longer lasting in some cases, with a portion of the men continuing to notice suppression of LH and FSH (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, the two main stimulatory hormones for testosterone release) a full year after steroid cessation.
This study doesn’t necessarily present a great deal of new information. Protracted recovery of lipids and testosterone has been discussed in this column and elsewhere before, though admittedly the data on these topics remains light to this day. Studies following bodybuilders and athletes immediately after quitting steroid use are even less common, so I do feel this paper adds some needed perspective on the all-important post-steroid recovery period. Gentlemen, let this be a reminder. Recovery of normal testosterone and cholesterol levels is not an instant process. It may take many months after you quit these drugs for things to get back to normal, perhaps longer in some cases. While not specifically addressed, this study may also help emphasize the need for a proper PCT (Post Cycle Therapy) program, something regular readers know I am a longtime supporter of.
William Llewellyn
