Description

The chemical compound and generic name of Nolvadex is Tamoxifen Citrate. It is available in tablet form and in dosages of 10mg or 20mg per tablet. This is prescription only medication that cannot be bought over the counter.

Since Nolvadex was originally created as a breast cancer treatment drug, as we would expect it plays a powerful role in reducing the estrogen levels that allow cancer to progress in the breast area.

It does this by binding to estrogen receptors in that part of the body, so that the estrogen is unable to bind thereby reducing or eliminating the effect of estrogen on breast tissue – and it just so happens that this exact effect is what men using steroids are looking for to prevent the growth of breast tissue as a result of increased estrogen activity when using anabolic steroids.

Nolvadex doesn’t directly reduce estrogen levels in the body. Instead, it binds to specific estrogen receptors so that the estrogen itself cannot bind and therefore, the estrogen can’t act as it otherwise would. While this works very well in the breast area, Nolvadex can be an estrogen agonist in other parts of the body which means it can act as estrogen, and this primarily effects the liver.

But before you become concerned about estrogen activity: this form is considered a positive because there’s a benefit for cholesterol when some estrogenic activity in the liver is occurring, and with some steroids having a negative effect on cholesterol, this bonus effect of Nolvadex is welcomed by steroid users.

As a SERM, Nolvadex blocks estrogen very selectively at specific sites in the body. It is not a blocker of circulating estrogen throughout the entire body. Instead it only targets the breast tissue (where it was specifically formulated to do so for the purpose of fighting breast cancer) and here it targets receptors and physically blocks those receptors so estrogen cannot bind to them – and this is when the estrogen can’t act out its normal function in the case of either feeding breast cancer cells or for men using steroids, it stops the growth or enlargement of breast tissue so you don’t develop gynecomastia while on cycle.

Selective Estrogen Receptor Modules (SERMs) vs Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs)

The two classes of drugs that you will see bodybuilders and performance athletes who use anabolic steroids (AAS) continually talk about are SERMs and Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs).

Both are valued and used for their beneficial effects in reducing or preventing estrogen related side effects of steroids and to assist with restoring testosterone function as part of post cycle therapy.

But what is the difference between these two types of drugs, and which one really is the best to use to cover all your bases while you’re using steroids?

The big difference between SERMs and AIs is the way they act on the body and the way they affect estrogen.

AIs can reduce estrogen levels in the body. SERMs on the other hand are targeted to certain parts of the body and only bind to estrogen receptors rather than actively lowering serum estrogen levels.

This means that SERMs are effective in controlling a wider range of steroid induced estrogenic side effects, whereas SERMs like Nolvadex and Clomid are only effective at controlling gyno, because these drugs were developed to target breast tissue estrogen receptors.

AIs are useful for helping with water retention, while SERMs are not going to benefit you for that side effect. For these reasons, AIs such as Armidiex, Arimistane and Aromasin are often preferred by most bodybuilders, but SERMs certainly still have their place and are still used for specific purposes by steroid users.

For steroid users who are only concerned about gyno, then a SERM like Nolvadex can be all you need.

If you find that Nolvadex isn’t giving you the results you need, this is when guys will turn to AIs to really target a lowering of overall estrogen with the bonus that you’ll be able to better control all other estrogen side effects in addition to gyno.

As the name suggests, Aromatase Inhibitors literally inhibit aromatizing activity. So those steroids that do aromatize need to have these effects addressed otherwise you get out of control estrogen conversion and rising estrogen levels, and lower testosterone levels. When AIs work to inhibit aromatase, effects like gyno are reduced and testosterone levels rise.

While AIs might sound like a magic pill, there are downsides to them that you need to be aware of though, particularly that they can negatively impact on cholesterol levels when they are used alongside aromatizing steroids. This makes AIs not so appealing for on-cycle use as Nolvadex or other SERMs, and as I mentioned earlier, Nolvadex can potentially bring about positive impacts on cholesterol.