About Nolvadex
As with every product you’ll encounter within the anabolic niche (any product that is officially from a pharmaceutical company delivering items of this nature to the medical field at least) this item started life as a means of treating illness.
It wasn’t however always an easy life - tamoxifen (the scientific name for nolvadex) was spawned from a series of research operations in the 1950’s that aimed to discover some kind of effective treatment after contraceptive pill (which of course eventually came to fruition.)
It wasn’t until 1966 that tamoxifen was first synthesised (that means it was 16 years in the making) - though it didn’t prove to be particularly effective as a form of contraceptive, it did show promise as an anti cancer drug.
Despite this promise, the FDA would not grant the patent for the compound until the 1980’s (early) and that’s where we first saw nolvadex being used as a form of frontline anti cancer treatment. To great effect as well, we might add.
As soon as the bodybuilding community realised that it could effectively control estrogen levels (bodybuilders of the era only had a basic biological knowledge of the chemistry of steroids, but it was fairly common knowledge that estrogen played a large part in the undesirable components of steroid use), experimentation began and nolvadex has been a prominent feature of bodybuilding cycles ever since.
It should be noted that tamoxifen was being used in the pre-80’s era as a result of some individuals getting their hands on experimental variants of the compound intended for research purposes only.
The Medical Uses Of Nolvadex
Typically, you’ll see nolvadex being used within a medical capacity for the following purposes:
- Breast Cancer
- Infertility
- Gynecomastia
In regards to the last item on the list, nolvadex has proven to be particularly effective against the development of gynecomastia due to the fact that it focuses the enactment of its effects within the breast tissue of the body.
It’s due to the fact that estrogen manifestation at this particular site is what leads to gynecomastia that nolvadex proves to be so brutally effective in this capacity.
When observing its effectiveness as an aid for infertility - it’s fairly easy to understand how and why it proves to be useful for this purpose. Nolvadex (like all SERM products) actually serves to spike the production of both LH and FSH. Respectively, these hormones are known in full as Luteinising Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone.
These hormones are both vital for the production of testosterone, therefore any elevation in their presence immediately means that testosterone levels will rise in turn.
When it comes to the treatment of breast cancer - it’s through the same mechanism of action that leads to the regression of gynecomastia that also leads to the regression of breast cancer.
Cancer cells (especially those involved in breast cancer development) have been shown to thrive off estrogen within the breast tissue. Through utilising nolvadex, we reduce the estrogen content in that area directly, meaning we cut off the cancers fuel source.
Endorsed By The World Health Organisation
Nolvadex is endorsed for treatment of the above issues by the World Health Organization and features on their list of effective medications for said purposes.
This endorsement means that you can be guaranteed you’re using something that is tried and tested, and has been deemed to be capable of making a measurable and significant difference when used in the above scenarios.
So Why Use Nolvadex?
It’s a valid question to ask - let’s now observe the mechanics of why and how you really need to start taking nolvadex seriously (and all other forms of protection) if you’re going to use anabolic steroids.
The Effects Of Elevated Estrogen Levels On The Body
People typically associate elevated estrogen levels with aesthetic detriment, but the reality is that the effects can go far, far deeper than that, leading to potentially permanent mental and physical damage.
For instance, high levels of water retention negatively impact muscular definition, but more importantly they also lead to potentially elevated blood pressure due to compression on the blood vessel walls.
Gynecomastia too looks unsightly, but it is actually a more serious condition than people realise. When gynecomastia develops to a certain point, it is not only irreversible but it may also lead to the development of cancerous cells.
This means that what may have seemed like a “harmless” flirtation with steroids could well end up leaving you in need of surgery if you don’t control your estrogen levels effectively; at worst you’ll develop a life threatening illness.
As if these issues weren’t bad enough, should your endocrine balance (the internal balance of your hormonal activity) be knocked out of synchronisation, then you could end up with a severely depleted capacity to produce and use testosterone. It could take up to a year to restore these levels naturally without protection.
Quick Normalisation Post Cycle
It’s through nolvadex’s capacity to elevate FSH and LH levels that we are ultimately able to swiftly recover our testosterone levels following an anabolic cycle.
These vital hormones allow us to form a strong basis for the production of testosterone and rejuvenate our capacity for its internal circulation. Without a product like nolvadex, it can take up to a year for levels to fully restore on their own.