Remember that I do believe there are some things you can do and use to ease the transition back to natural. One of the myths is that you will lose all your gains. Not true. Maybe if you were just on for a few months perhaps. But if you're like many of us and have seen bodyweights up in higher 200lbs or 120kg or more, if you push through the drop in hormones and keep training hard, you're not going to just go back to your former size immediately. Then again, if you quit training altogether and stay off for a year or two you might.
Also, it seems I recover from shorter ester blasts (like propionates, suspensions, TNE preps, etc.) then longer esters I don't know why that is though.
There are some things that DEFINITELY make me feel one hell of a lot better when coming off though, without interfering with my body's HPTA recovery.
I don't take creatine while on but many people do. After coming off is a good time for me to start. Keeps me a little fuller and I don't feel as flat and weak.
I try to continue my life and training with as much intensity as I can muster while continuing to drink lots of water.
I eat a balanced diet which includes even more organic, nutrient-dense foods with plenty of dark green vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus and leafy vegetables like spinach. Magnesium and zinc seems to give me some pep as well. Eggs and whole milk are also packed with vitamins.
L-dopa, drinking coffee, St. John's wort, and/or something medicinal like an antidepressant to keep my energy and spirits up. I'm not a big fan of St. John's wort but if you take it, don't take it if you plan on taking a medicinal anti-depressant like Cymbalta, Zoloft, or Prozac. I only mention St. John's b/c it's cheap and certainly has antidepressant properties. I usually reach for the Prozac because it's old school and so am I.
I have personally felt much better taking cabergoline (Dostinex, Cabaser) or prami with some Cialis or other PDE-5 inhibitor for my sex drive. I can say that these have worked for me but again, it depends on the individual.
If I'm taking longer than expected to recover, then maybe I'll try HCG for a few weeks for my testes sake. For me, this has worked just fine at 250-500iu 2-3 times per week. I discontinue once my jewels return to normal size.
Recovery won't happen immediately but the things I just mentioned have helped me get through some rough parts. If you begin to notice other physical symptoms (e.g. gyno) as a result of very low test:estro ratio than maybe an SERM like tamoxifen or an AI like Aromasin to ward off fatty tissue or uncomfortable nipples but be careful because these drugs mess with your hormone levels also. For myself, I would only resort to them if I wasn't bouncing back fast enough and had some early signs of gyno.
From members here, I've heard pretty decent recoveries anywhere from 3-6 months being quite normal. Others say it takes them up to a year. Be patient. Train hard. Keep your spirits up, EAT RIGHT and you will recover with a little time. That's really all the PCT you should need. It just takes time.
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