Hey T-Nation…so I am 35 years old and I typically go on cycle 1 or 2 times a year and have been doing so for about 6 years. During this time I never had any issues…whatsoever. I’ve always bounced right back (with blood work reflecting that), except for this last cycle.
Admittedly, it was a longer and different cycle than my ones before…the cycles before were straight forward 12 week Test Cyp ranging from 600-800mg per week with HCG/PCT etc. The cycle I constructed for myself goes as such:
Cycle: Per week
Test Cyp: Week 1 - 16 700mg
DBol: Week 1 - 5 40mg Every Day
Deca: Week 1 - 14 500mg
HCG: Week 6 - 16 500ius
Adex: Week 1 - 16 1mg Every other day
Caber/Dostinex: Week 2 - 16 .5mg Every 4th day
PCT: Every day
Week 17 - 18: Nolvadex 40mg Clomid 100mg
Week 19: Nolvadex 30mg Clomid 50mg
Week 20: Nolvadex 20mg Clomid 50mg
About the 3rd week into my PCT is when my libido just shut down…and while it’s a little better after 9 weeks I still have zero sex drive. I know that my natty hormones are coming back online just by virtue of the pimples and acne I am getting on my chest and back; however, my libido is just dormant.
Here’s my blood work after the 7th week (unfortunately, my Doc didn’t bother to order LH, FSH, Prolactin, Progesterone in the lab)
Test Serum: 392
Free Test Direct: 6.1
Estradiol: <5.1
So, my question is this…What could have I done differently to prevent this shutdown? Perhaps, go lighter on the cycle or maybe a longer PCT? Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated; moreover, any recommendations to help jump start my libido would be great!
Maybe it’s from the deca. Deca can shut you down pretty hard. You could try and do another pct with Nolva and/or clomid. But getting blood work is a good idea to see where your hormones are at
Also By your cycle layout you started pct to early, You need to wait two weeks after your last shot of test. Nolva and clomid work best when test levels are low and by the looks of it your T levels were still too high when you started pct
[quote]BUDs wrote:
Also By your cycle layout you started pct to early, You need to wait two weeks after your last shot of test. Nolva and clomid work best when test levels are low and by the looks of it your T levels were still too high when you started pct[/quote]
2 weeks is a standard recommendation for a standard 500 mg week Test E/C cycle. This cycle was heavier, plus with additional compounds. I do not know the half life of the Deca, but I would have recommneded waiting around 3 weeks from the test alone.
[quote]BUDs wrote:
Also By your cycle layout you started pct to early, You need to wait two weeks after your last shot of test. Nolva and clomid work best when test levels are low and by the looks of it your T levels were still too high when you started pct[/quote]
2 weeks is a standard recommendation for a standard 500 mg week Test E/C cycle. This cycle was heavier, plus with additional compounds. I do not know the half life of the Deca, but I would have recommneded waiting around 3 weeks from the test alone.[/quote]
For some reason I was thinking 500mg but at 700mg I agree I would have waited 3 weeks
16 weeks is getting up there in cycle length so that is part of it. The biggest thing that jumps out to me is the deca.
Half life for deca is SO long, it’s killing you right now. I would have cut the deca out sooner or ran the test longer. I’m a big fan of the test taper protocol P-22 laid out. Right now you have 2 options, go back on test at a low does for awhile or keep running your PCT stuff and wait it out.
Excellent recommendations gents…I really appreciate it. The only concern that I have with going back on PCT is my estradiol levels…they are already low coming in at <5.1. From what I understand too low of estro can also be a contributing factor to low libido.
You started HCG way too late. At the latest you should start it on your second week. Also, consider 250 iu 3x/week in the future.
Also, why the extremely long cycle along with deca use? You’re better off just doing an 8 week cycle (in terms of inhibition, not injection).
Deca in general gives a lot of people recovery problems because the half life is so long. Weeks after PCT ends you still have some in your system, and depending on dosage/buildup during cycle, they could be doses that inhibit the HPTA.
That was a typo…I actually started week 4, of which I don’t see much a reason to start the second week. Could you provide more details as to why I should have started week 2?
Agreed with Deca giving a lot of peeps recovery problems…I attribute most of this to deca…aside from the length of the cycle.
Also, after this cycle I am total agreement with you about 8 week cycles. I just figured that I had such great success with other cycles running at 12 weeks that this would not be an issue. So, for here on out I am sticking to shorter cycles.
The more of these threds I read the more I don’t want to try deca and the better blast and cruise sounds. Life is better with a little extra test in the system
if things dont get better soon you could always try a TRT dose
Har99,
Can you give me an update to your condition today…?
I have the same issues that you did and Im have trouble making sense of a good solution…
Thanks Bro…
[quote]har99001 wrote:
Hey T-Nation…so I am 35 years old and I typically go on cycle 1 or 2 times a year and have been doing so for about 6 years. During this time I never had any issues…whatsoever. I’ve always bounced right back (with blood work reflecting that), except for this last cycle.
Admittedly, it was a longer and different cycle than my ones before…the cycles before were straight forward 12 week Test Cyp ranging from 600-800mg per week with HCG/PCT etc. The cycle I constructed for myself goes as such:
Cycle: Per week
Test Cyp: Week 1 - 16 700mg
DBol: Week 1 - 5 40mg Every Day
Deca: Week 1 - 14 500mg
HCG: Week 6 - 16 500ius
Adex: Week 1 - 16 1mg Every other day
Caber/Dostinex: Week 2 - 16 .5mg Every 4th day
PCT: Every day
Week 17 - 18: Nolvadex 40mg Clomid 100mg
Week 19: Nolvadex 30mg Clomid 50mg
Week 20: Nolvadex 20mg Clomid 50mg
About the 3rd week into my PCT is when my libido just shut down…and while it’s a little better after 9 weeks I still have zero sex drive. I know that my natty hormones are coming back online just by virtue of the pimples and acne I am getting on my chest and back; however, my libido is just dormant.
Here’s my blood work after the 7th week (unfortunately, my Doc didn’t bother to order LH, FSH, Prolactin, Progesterone in the lab)
Test Serum: 392
Free Test Direct: 6.1
Estradiol: <5.1
So, my question is this…What could have I done differently to prevent this shutdown? Perhaps, go lighter on the cycle or maybe a longer PCT? Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated; moreover, any recommendations to help jump start my libido would be great!
[/quote]
deca has been reported to cause problems for months for some guys…
Can anyone who has had any form of dysfunction from deca report on the times it lasted after the cycle was over and after test. levels recovered, how long before you normalized…?
I dont necessarily agree with that. While it could be better to do HCG from day 1, I dont see what the problem was with him starting it at week 6. Especially since he did it for another 10 weeks. 16 weeks is not a super long cycle for test either. People do it all the time. Everything else I agree with though
[quote]Explosiv wrote:
You started HCG way too late. At the latest you should start it on your second week. Also, consider 250 iu 3x/week in the future.
Also, why the extremely long cycle along with deca use? You’re better off just doing an 8 week cycle (in terms of inhibition, not injection).
Deca in general gives a lot of people recovery problems because the half life is so long. Weeks after PCT ends you still have some in your system, and depending on dosage/buildup during cycle, they could be doses that inhibit the HPTA.[/quote]
There was a thread that I saw a few weeks ago about a guy who was experiencing deca dick for several months, (i think maybe 9). You could maybe read that and see if you can get anything from it.