Been reading about clomid aka clomiphene citrate for raising testosterone levels and only needing for a short cycle (1 to 2 months) but still having long term impact on total free testosterone levels.
What are the possible risks associated and how are these risks impacted by dosage and length of time taking the drug?
How long does the drug stay in one’s system after the last dose is taken? By that I mean…
What is the half life? How long is it detectable by urinalysis? How long is it detectible by blood test?
How challenging is it to get a therapeutic use exemption and what happens if it is denied? If denied how long is the lifter banned from competing in powerlifting?
I realize all these questions might seem unrelated so to explain. I’ve done various types of training before (crossfit, boxing, kick boxing, running, and biking) but am new to powerlifting (after a long period of inactivity) and the rules involved. Also have low testosterone (previous blood work and symptoms) and researching ways to increase these levels for general health and well being.
To get a TUE you’d need to have a doctor look at you’re condition, sign off that the usage (given by prescription) isn’t abuse, then you’d probably have to periodically hand in bloods to whichever association you compete in to make sure you don’t have a TT of like 3,000. That being said the notion of running a cycle negates the need for a TUE, and would merely be a blatant attempt to manipulate the (admittedly flawed) system.
I don’t know if it’s ethical to use anabolics/PED’s in a drug tested sport, others can chime in there… I wouldn’t think it’s fair, but if everyone else is using…? For those not using it’s certainly given you an unfair advantage.
For clomiphene to no longer be detected in significant quantities (within blood) it’d require roughly 6 half lives to pass… in fecal matter, it can be detected for up to 6 wks
“would merely be a blatant attempt to manipulate the (admittedly flawed) system.”… “I don’t know if it’s ethical to use anabolics/PED’s in a drug tested sport,” no it wouldn’t be manipulation nor is your interjection about what is ethical relevant here. This is about general health by raising low test levels while competing not doing a steroid cycle.
Either way this isn’t something I’m planning on doing but exploring as an option. In the end I may not but need to hear all the pros and cons
Ahhh, so for general health you could probably get a TUE for clomipheme or even TRT depending on the federation you compete in
I apologise, I thought we were talking about clomipheme to counteract low T induced post cycle
Nothing unethical about boosting hypogonadal levels of T into ranges of normality… if anything it’s unfair to expect you to remain bottomed out… unless it’s ultra marathons… then all competitors will have T in the gutter lol
no problem. looking at the link you gave me. if you have anything else on risks that would be appreciated as well. sorry I guess I should have been more clear in my question about purpose.
Side effects such as elevated triglycerides, leukocytosis, correlation between clomid and venous thrombosis etc
Most are quite rare, I’d say the most commonly noted effects are neurologically mediated. clomiphene consists of two isomers, zuclomiphene and enclomiphene. Enclomiphene is responsible for the stimulation of LH/FSH… zuclomiphene is inherently estrogenic in nature, antigonadotropbic… zuclomiphene also tends to bind very strongly to the ER in various areas within the brain responsible for emotional regulation, mood etc…
Tamoxifen is notably less harsh and effective in lower dosages
@laserkyle
Just about everyone I’ve seen who started on Clomid (in the T-replacement section) switched to testosterone because they felt like shit eventually. Maybe it won’t be bad for a few months use but definitely not ideal for TRT. @unreal24278 would Tamoxifen be a better option for his specific application than Clomid? Just curious.
For trt? Neither, there’s no data indicating either medication is safe for long term use (say decades)… appears to be well tolerated for a few years at a time… in women… and even then it appears to induce side effects, elevate certain risk factors
Its like me saying “take deca with you’re trt”… we know that’s not what it’s formulated for, long term there’s almost certainly an elevation in numerous risk factors compared to that of test alone
my goal is to avoid having to invest the time and cost that trt would require. Maybe I’m wrong but it would seem that a short cycle of clomid (1 month or up to 2 months at most) would be able to jump start test production and then afterwards I would hopefully not need trt or any further drugs. Here is the first article I read on the subject… Tip: A Safer Alternative to Testosterone Replacement
of course all this would need to go through a doctor anyways but at least for the time being until I can set up appointments just trying to learn as much as I can
That’s why I said “for his application” since he’s not looking to do TRT. He stated using clomid for 1 to 2 months. Would Tamoxifen be a better choice for that specific situation (regardless of whether it’s a great way to do it or not)?
Clomid monotherapy is a thing. Doctors use it often when a patient doesn’t want to go on trt. I don’t know what the long term results look like, but it’s documented that Clomid raises testosterone levels. The problem is that it’s a nasty drug with nasty side effects.