BENEFITS OF USING PROVIRON
Proviron is the brand name of Mesterolone which was developed medically to treat hypogonadism in men which causes low testosterone. Although it is sometimes loosely considered to be an AAS (androgen and anabolic steroid), it contains little anabolic capacity and so has only weak anabolic benefits.
This is an oral product based on dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with some modifications. The weak anabolic effects of Proviron come about because of the way it is broken down and made inactive once it is in the muscle tissue – something that also occurs with DHT itself.
Another unique action of Proviron is that it can bind to SHBG which in turn prevents testosterone from binding to the sex hormone binding globulin protein. This frees up more testosterone for use by the body, known as free testosterone So the testosterone steroids you’re using along with Proviron will be more active and more potent and able to more powerfully undertake the important tasks of protein synthesis as more of the testosterone will be circulating and not binding to SHBG while Proviron is present.
RECOMMENDED DOSAGE
When its used medically as an androgen replacement, Proviron is taken two to three times daily at a 25mg dose each time. This gives us a base dosage to work from when planning to use Proviron for bodybuilding purposes, but unlike many other types of steroids, the dosage rate does not increase dramatically for Proviron when compared to its medical use.
All experience levels from beginners right up to advanced users will want to stay within the same dosage range for Proviron, with 50mg daily being the minimum dose and 150mg daily as the maximum.
Even though Proviron is considered quite safe up to 250mg per day, going beyond 150mg each day comes with little to no increased benefits but a higher risk of negative side effects and such high doses are only considered by the most advanced and competitive of users.
PROVIRON CYCLES
Proviron’s anti-estrogen ability helps mitigates some of the estrogenic activity of other steroids while contributing to goals like gaining a hardened physique, once again because of the anti-estrogen qualities that help reduce water retention. Below are some of the example cycles where Proviron can be included for great benefits:
Beginner Proviron Cycle
Beginner users will almost always be starting with a testosterone compound and this is where you will include Proviron for added benefit. In any case, using Proviron alone is never recommended nor beneficial, due to its suppressive effects and its lack of ability to deliver truly desirable results as a standalone compound.
So as a beginner you can safely add Proviron to your existing testosterone cycle at 50mg daily and expect to see some impressive hardening effects, as well as an increase in the effectiveness and results from the testosterone itself as more of it is freed up while Proviron binds to the SHBG protein.
As Proviron is generally very liver safe despite being an oral, you can use it for a full testosterone cycle although many people will select to only use it for a short period towards the end of the cycle.
Intermediate Proviron Cycle
Any level of user will see good results even at the 50mg daily level with Proviron and for many intermediate users this can be as far as you want to take it. However it will largely depend on what steroids are being used in your cycle and whether your main goal is for maximum muscle hardness or to use Proviron mainly to mitigate estrogenic side effects.
Stacking with your regular testosterone cycle will provide highly beneficial for the intermediate user as you will gain the great benefit of increased testosterone being available in the bloodstream while Proviron binds to SHBG. If your goal with Proviron is to inhibit aromatization then it’s safe to use this compound for a 12 week cycle if desired.
Advanced Proviron Cycle
The most advanced steroid users should still not exceed 150mg daily of Proviron. Most advanced users will likely be aiming to use Proviron to provide a last minute hardening boost near the end of an intense cutting cycle or as pre-contest preparation.
The advanced user will already be significantly lean and cut, will have controlled water retention well during a cutting phase that makes use of compounds like Clenbuterol, Testosterone, Winstrol and Anavar. In this scenario, the advanced user will benefit greatly from Proviron’s additional reduction in fluid build up towards the end of the cycle.
The results from Proviron, when combined with other steroids, are focused on:
Minimizing and combating the effects of estrogen
As a result of rising estrogen levels through the use of other aromatizing steroids like testosterone, Proviron can help slow or even halt these other steroids from aromatizing which prevents conversion to estrogen.
This is achievable even at a low dose of 50mg each day which can greatly help reduce or hold off the gynecomastia and fluid retention caused by other aromatizing steroids.
The result is a physique that is noticeably harder and drier – exactly what is required in a cutting and contest preparation phase.
Enhances the effects of other steroids
By binding with SHBG your levels of free and available testosterone are increased which in turn boosts the effects of other steroids being used. The level of hardness you can achieve with other cutting steroids is also enhanced with Proviron, particularly with compounds like Winstrol, Anavar and Masteron.
PCT Compound
Another potential use for Proviron is as a PCT compound but it is generally not recommended and can be a common mistake made by beginners in selecting this compound for PCT because of its known anti-estrogen qualities.
While that is desirable, the downside is that Proviron still causes some testosterone suppression and no matter how mild, this is exactly the opposite of what we need during PCT.
So your expected results if using Proviron for PCT is not going to be anywhere as impressive and effective as you’ll see when using the standard PCT drugs of choice like Nolvadex or Clomid which are often combined with hCG.
SIDE EFFECTS
Proviron is not an aromatizing steroid so doesn’t come with estrogenic side effects. More than that, it does have the ability to affect the aromatase enzyme in a way that can actually bind to it and inhibit its activity, giving Proviron some measure of aromatase inhibition or anti-estrogen effect.
While this isn’t anywhere near as powerful as a true aromatase inhibitor, it is a welcome attribute of a steroid when so many other steroids display the very opposite effects. However while estrogen related side effects aren’t an issue with Proviron itself, there are other potential side effects to be aware of.
Androgenic side effects: Proviron has some strong androgenic effects, after all it was originally made to medically treat deficiencies in androgen. It is based on DHT which itself is an androgen so it should come as no surprise that you can expect to see activity in this area and these side effects cover issues that most steroid users will be familiar with, including potential acne and hair loss or male pattern baldness.
The occurrence and severity of these particular side effects are highly individual and some people may experience very little or none at all, while others will see quite severe flare ups of acne. When it comes to hair loss, if you’re genetically predisposed to baldness then Proviron can stimulate this to happen much earlier than it might otherwise have done so. Guys without any genetic links to hair loss won’t have to worry about this androgenic side effect.
The high androgenic activity in Proviron makes it unsuitable for use by females as it’s almost certain to cause an onset of masculine features like a deeper voice and body hair growth. Proviron is an even higher risk for females when it comes to these side effects compared with some other steroids and therefore Proviron is not recommended to be used by females.
Another area that raises concerns with Proviron use is that of cholesterol and compared with many other steroids which themselves can cause some serious impacts on cholesterol, Proviron is considered one of the more harsh ones in this regard and one that comes with high risk to cholesterol health.
For this reason anyone with existing high cholesterol issues is always advised to avoid using Proviron at all. Even those with normal cholesterol levels will need to remain alert to what effect Proviron is having on your cholesterol throughout your cycle.
There’s no doubt that Proviron can have very strong impact on your good cholesterol levels, potentially reducing them by almost a third in some cases. At the same time it can be raising your bad cholesterol levels by a significant amount.
Without sustained cholesterol friendly diet habits and cardio exercise while you’re using Proviron, it does pose a very high risk in this area so anyone wanting to use Proviron absolutely must formulate a plan to help maintain healthy cholesterol for the duration of the cycle.
As you might expect, Proviron also comes with the side effect of testosterone suppression but its impact is quite minimal when compared to almost any other steroid. At the dose that most guys will be using Proviron it is unlikely to cause any noticeable testosterone suppression related side effects and therefore it is one of the very few steroids you can use in most cases without the need for adding a testosterone steroid.
POST CYCLE THERAPY - PCT
While Proviron itself comes with minimal or even no noticeable testosterone suppression at doses that are effective for performance enhancement, almost everyone will use this steroid with other compounds that do suppress natural testosterone production. Therefore a PCT plan will still almost always be required to get your normal testosterone function stimulated again and to avoid falling into a state of low testosterone where muscle loss and fat gain occurs, among other serious symptoms.
Proviron itself is sometimes utilized in PCT since one of its medical uses is to enhance fertility. By using Proviron in PCT to reduce estrogen, the recovery of testosterone might be improved but this needs to be weighed up with Proviron’s tendency to mildly reduce natural testosterone
So while some people might choose to use Proviron during PCT because they can’t access other better PCT drugs like SERMs, it is generally not advisable for best results.
