Guys coming off being on for long periods off time?

[ScottMcD1]

I'm curious what some of the guys who were on for long periods were doing... staying on full tilt the whole time or doing down periods of lower-moderate dosages? Not something I particularly want to do... just wondering how other people did it and maybe some thoughts on why etc.

 

[dutch]

i did lower my dosage in the "off seizon" And cycled with higer dosage towards contests.

 

[hompie]

I've been on and off for 24 years.
I remember sexdrive never came back to normal to begin with.
I mean not like it used to be. Then again , what IF it came back to normal ,I would fuck it up with next cycle anyway ;-)

So now Im 44 and have been on HRT for the last 5-6 years or so. Beats the hell out of the going up and down thing when I was younger. Its good to be old ;-))

Thanks to the LBA's I havent cycled for a whole year and dont plan on doing so again. 250mg of test every 2 weeks and some LBA's and I feel great!

Anyway Dutch , if you wanna stay of the juice , then take your time to recover.
A respectfull dutch bodybuilder from the 80's told me he needed 2 years to fully recover.
If you're planning to jump the bandwagon again dont get your hopes up, first shot will shut you down again.

 

[w8tlifterty]

Bumping for more experiences...

 

[h8tr3d]

For those that do a simple 12 week cycle of some Test and EQ and come off, how long does the HPTA take ?

a minimum of 8 weeks

 

[ironone1]

I'm gonna come off now for awhile. I don't see the point of staying on all the time when gains stop after a few months. The only real benefit for me to stay on is the increased libido effect, but you lose that after awhile anyway. I lose a little strength but maintain most of the size when I'm off. Creatine and protein fills the gapwhen I'm off. I also find my sex drive to be alot higher when I take time off between cycles when I start my next cycle.

 

[BLACKCAT]

a minimum of 8 weeks

How can you even make a statement like that? Every person reacts differently and there is no "minimum" amount of time for recovery. The fact of the matter remains that it could take weeks, months, or years. Also, you could never recover and be reduced to HRT for the rest of your life.

It's almost as if people don't take what they do to their bodies seriously in regards to what they could be facing long term. Maybe people don't think that the recovery aspect is going to be an issue because all you have to do is "take some HCG, Clomid, and Nolvadex for 6 weeks post cycle". It's just not that simple. We are at the mercy of our own bodies and vital organs and no matter what we do to try and stimulate this or activate that, if it's in cards to never be the same after one cycle then thats what you have to deal with. There is just no way of knowing before you start.

I by no means am anti-AAS. But what I am is anti-ignorance and pro-education. Everyone needs to understand how the body works and what could possibly be the outcome of all of this. The thing is that there are no long term studies on the outcomes. However, I can tell you that I have talked to several guys that used AAS for long periods of time and all of them share one thing in common. They are all well below normal in terms of testosterone production. If it's something you (they) are willing to deal with and it's a fair trade off for the time on then to each is their own. But to act like everything is going to be okay and back to normal just like it was prior to starting is foolish. I don't think anyone has said that to begin with and by no means am I name calling or singling out anyone. I just see and read people who labor under the illusion that everything is going to be fine once they stop. Chances are it's not going to be okay and your life will be different. To what degree depends on each individual. Your life changes when you start this and changes when you stop. Just keep that in mind.

 

[W8killa]

I cruised and blasted for over 5 years. I came off to try and have a kid. Coming off sucks but it can be done. I did HMG post cycle for a few months and I got my test levels to 220ng/dL, and my sperm count to 4 million/mL.
Fastforward another 6 months. I was taking femara only for a month and got my test levels to around 620 which is high normal (200-800 average). Not too bad. but the femara has a laundry list of negatives.
As far as sperm test results. After over 1 year off of steroids, my sperm count only came up to 6 million/mL. Normal is around 40 million/mL and under 20 million/mL and WHO considers you infertile or nearly infertile. Longterm gear use in my opinion will permanently shutdown sperm production somewhat which I am sure depends on the individual. My doctor said nearly all long term juicers will have problems with conceiving. Most need IVF or sperm injection. When I told him my wife was pregnant he said "count your blessings" as my numbers are still pretty bad.

 

[W8killa]

How can you even make a statement like that? Every person reacts differently and there is no "minimum" amount of time for recovery. The fact of the matter remains that it could take weeks, months, or years. Also, you could never recover and be reduced to HRT for the rest of your life.

It's almost as if people don't take what they do to their bodies seriously in regards to what they could be facing long term. Maybe people don't think that the recovery aspect is going to be an issue because all you have to do is "take some HCG, Clomid, and Nolvadex for 6 weeks post cycle". It's just not that simple. We are at the mercy of our own bodies and vital organs and no matter what we do to try and stimulate this or activate that, if it's in cards to never be the same after one cycle then thats what you have to deal with. There is just no way of knowing before you start.

I by no means am anti-AAS. But what I am is anti-ignorance and pro-education. Everyone needs to understand how the body works and what could possibly be the outcome of all of this. The thing is that there are no long term studies on the outcomes. However, I can tell you that I have talked to several guys that used AAS for long periods of time and all of them share one thing in common. They are all well below normal in terms of testosterone production. If it's something you (they) are willing to deal with and it's a fair trade off for the time on then to each is their own. But to act like everything is going to be okay and back to normal just like it was prior to starting is foolish. I don't think anyone has said that to begin with and by no means am I name calling or singling out anyone. I just see and read people who labor under the illusion that everything is going to be fine once they stop. Chances are it's not going to be okay and your life will be different. To what degree depends on each individual. Your life changes when you start this and changes when you stop. Just keep that in mind.

Great post. This is exactly why I have posted up all my bloodwork and sperm test results as well as what I did for post-cycle. I wanted to post some real numbers not "I feel good doing this so my test levels are normal again". I was a longtime juicer and it is a long individual road to recovery with a lot of variables. I know what I have done will have different results for everyone but at least it gives you an idea of what it took for me. You really have to pay to play.
I fear a lot of young guys are going to have infertility issues later and it can devastate your relationships. The burden of not being able to give your wife a child can crush you emotionally and spiritually. Having your wife cry to you knowing it's your fault will make feel lower than you can imagine. I can see how it could destroy an otherwise loving marriage. "It will happen soon" only works for a short time. Nobody thinks about that when are 25, jacked and feeling bullet proof.

 

[pimpofny]

I must add to this thread because i am seriously thinking of having a kid with my wife ...ive been on for a while ..almost 10 yrs with mild breaks in between ..throught the years i have gotten GF s prego a couple of times but they never had the baby ...this was all while on juice ...i was always under the impression that it was difficult to impregnate someone while on ...i guess not ...

so im 32 ..and now wanting to have a kid but im worried that i may be damaged after reading this thread ...ive thought ive never had a prob but i do see a huge decrease in my sex drive and i know i have done damage ...i just dont want it to prevent me from having the kid ..

hopefully this wont become an issue

 

[bigman1]

I feel everyones pain when it comes to being on for a long time and want to come off....the every other day or daily shots, always taking other meds to counter the what if's...it is such a pain in the butt. I used to compete on the P/L circut and was ranked 34 in the top 100 for deadlift and I have also fought in MMA and I so badly wanted to come off 100% but I do not want to feel the way so many peolpe say you feel when coming off or deal with the waiting just to find out you have to go back on HRT for the rest of your life. So what helped me was to go to a HRT on my own along with taking HUMANOFORT and two other supps that I will not mention since they do not advertise here. What I'm saying is I feel and look better now then when I was using a ton of gear or in my mind a ton. I think we all get in the more is better mode and in fact it truly is not the case, all of these new peptides and such scare me as who knows what time will show with these....Anyways I feel great since I just plain and simple LOWERED my intake.....

 

[johnpapas]

I have done up to 12 weeks of cycles and heavy androgens as Drol,Dbol at relatively high dosages.

I remember my sex drive before AAS and supplements.I was 17-18 that period.I could do it for over 4 times in a row.Don't know if it's good for average joe or not but after this period my sex drive dropped down like a stone.And as the years go by i feel less and less of it.

I'm 29 and can't go for more than 1 intercourse at a time and have a hard time recovering for a second one.Need more than an hour.

I have to add here that steroids never increased or decreased my sex drive in a cycle.It was never affected by steroids.

Do you think a drug like Cabergoline could bring back the sex drive?

 

[makaveli25]

I am 24 and have been jucing on and off for the last 3 years pretty heavily though.. Can some of you vets list some good protocols to follow when coming off a long cycle.. What pct products do you use? Do you find hcg to be effective.. Would taking hgh when coming off help retain some hard earned muscle.. Id like to switch over to using peptides to let me hpta regain normal values..

 

[Scrawny1]

How many of you guys who do long cycles (6 months or more...) use HCG
*DURING* your cycle?

 

[broken7]

How many of you guys who do long cycles (6 months or more...) use HCG
*DURING* your cycle?

I'm wondering the same. I don't mean taking it every few weeks either I mean taking a low dose multiple times a week.

 

[broken7]

throught the years i have gotten GF s prego a couple of times but they never had the baby ...this was all while on juice ...i was always under the impression that it was difficult to impregnate someone while on ...i guess not ...

Are you sure it was YOU who got them pregnant ?

 

[gustavo77]

How many of you guys who do long cycles (6 months or more...) use HCG
*DURING* your cycle?

I do and have for my last three cycles. Minus a few weeks in July i have used it every 3-4 days (@250-500iu) since I started my current run in January. I truly hope it is making a difference. The fact that i got my girl pregnant last Jan, 3-4 weeks into this cycle may be evidence that my prior use of HCG on cycle has helped. I am thinking of going off soon and starting pct within the next 3-4 weeks...hope HCG has kept the boyz working enough to recover.

 

[alan1973]

How can you even make a statement like that? Every person reacts differently and there is no "minimum" amount of time for recovery. The fact of the matter remains that it could take weeks, months, or years. Also, you could never recover and be reduced to HRT for the rest of your life.

Very true. My first cycle, I tested myself a week after PCT and was fine....that was a total of 6 weeks after my last shot.
Have noticed that my ability to bounce back is very dose dependant though and I think it is getting harder to bounce back as I am getting older. being in my late 30's is not helping.
I am seriously considering doing the HRT/HCG plan on my own. (my doc won't go for it) Some folks in their 30's with experience have said they feel so much better using 125mg of test a week and (Man, what was the protocol?) I think the HCG was 500IU every 3rd week....gotta find that link again though so do not quote me or question me just yet. just enough to keep the nads from shrinking.

 

[gear-unit]

i was on for 3 years... taking little breaks. came off in march. i kept size and leanness.. but ive got limp dick and it sucks. i feel sorry for the girl im with now. i actually facially look better though. get way more compliments on my face, no bloat. but my dick is limp and i have zero sex drive

i havee been on for like 22weeks that was long 4 me people say that i look better now and younger i lost some muscle and gain some fat put no limp dick here. but i am more pretty now hahaha

 

[GR9]

My success

To be totally honest i was on straight for 5 and 1/2 years with a small break about 3 years ago, small break in being off for 4 months. Then i came off in April of this year for a period of 7 months, only used nolva,clomid to try to keep my gains, only lost 12 lbs went from 206 to 190lbs. Then at the sixth month off we are now expecting our first child so excited about that. My doctor said at my age 43 it may be a struggle to bounce back to normal and also after a vasectomy reversal a year ago. So i proved the doctors wrong this time.