tapering off clomid after 9 months

[Dks888]

Hi all,

I was on TRT for 3y and decided to come off, mainly to test my fertility after likely being primary (never truly diagnosed but seems likely based on labs). Turns out I am, at least on clomid, however I feel like clomid has ruined my cardiovascular health. I started off on 25mg and my heart rate would sky rocket in the gym/on bike and i had a contineous cough, ultimately dropped the dose to 12.5 and it is better but not great. Keen to come off for a bit to reassess how I feel off it completely.

What would be a protocol for coming of clomid? I've been on clomid since September, 12.5mg for the past 6 months.

many thanks!

 

[bixt]

You generally don't have to taper off clomid as the HPTA should be well restored by now.

But you can go 12.5mg twice a week for another month and then quit it, if you were that inclined.

 

[Dks888]

I was under the impression to need to taper to avoid a shutdown of the HPTA, not the case?

 

[bixt]

Most users of clomid would be bodybuilders getting off cycles of various lengths, as opposed to TRT guys quiting TRT. None of them radically taper these days. Much more info regarding clomid comes from that spectrum of users.

If you were using letrozole or another AI to reboot the HPTA (not a good idea), then you would need to taper to avoid an estrogen rebound and subsequent re shutdown of the HPTA.

 

[Cataceous]

I was under the impression to need to taper to avoid a shutdown of the HPTA, not the case?

It's true that typical guidelines do not call for a taper when stopping clomiphene. The issue brings up an interesting question: Is there a suppressive rebound caused by the subsequent dominance of zuclomiphene? Clomiphene is composed of enclomiphene and zuclomiphene. Enclomiphene is the anti-estrogen that stimulates the HPTA. It has a short half-life, under half a day. Zuclomiphene is estrogenic, and when taken alone is capable of shutting down a normal HPTA. Zuclomiphene has a very long half-life, perhaps on the order of 30 days. Therefore, when clomiphene is discontinued the enclomiphene is active for a few days at most, while the suppressive zuclomiphene persists for months.

Even if this is what happens, I'm doubtful a taper would improve matters. The zuclomiphene you take in is always going to far outlast the enclomiphene. Better would be to switch to pure enclomiphene and taper with that until the zuclomiphene is gone. Best would be to use pure enclomiphene from the start, avoiding the confounding influence of zuclomiphene.

 

[Dks888]

many thanks!

 

[jacb]

The zuclomiphene you take in is always going to far outlast the enclomiphene. Better would be to switch to pure enclomiphene and taper with that until the zuclomiphene is gone. Best would be to use pure enclomiphene from the start, avoiding the confounding influence of zuclomiphene.

I take it that this is an example of a suitable product …. But the price seems considerable.

What are people paying for a months worth of enclomiphene (25mg daily) when using it as an hCT treatment alternative?

 

[Cataceous]

I hadn't heard of the Clomipure brand. If it's really enclomiphene then it would be suitable. However, I've seen complaints that at least one Indian brand tested as clomiphene instead of enclomiphene. I'm not sure what kind of tests you need to distinguish between the isomers.

The current Empower-via-Defy prices are $2.10 for 12.5 mg, $2.50 for 25 mg and $3.00 for 50 mg.

 

[RocknRolLovinguy]

It's true that typical guidelines do not call for a taper when stopping clomiphene. The issue brings up an interesting question: Is there a suppressive rebound caused by the subsequent dominance of zuclomiphene? Clomiphene is composed of enclomiphene and zuclomiphene. Enclomiphene is the anti-estrogen that stimulates the HPTA. It has a short half-life, under half a day. Zuclomiphene is estrogenic, and when taken alone is capable of shutting down a normal HPTA. Zuclomiphene has a very long half-life, perhaps on the order of 30 days. Therefore, when clomiphene is discontinued the enclomiphene is active for a few days at most, while the suppressive zuclomiphene persists for months.

Even if this is what happens, I'm doubtful a taper would improve matters. The zuclomiphene you take in is always going to far outlast the enclomiphene. Better would be to switch to pure enclomiphene and taper with that until the zuclomiphene is gone. Best would be to use pure enclomiphene from the start, avoiding the confounding influence of zuclomiphene.

What advice do you have for someone who has been taking Clomid (EC+ZC) and wants to quit or has done so already?

I think all Enclo labelled pharma products sold in India are actually Clomid. Here's an example look at the reverse fine print.

 

[Cataceous]

What advice do you have for someone who has been taking Clomid (EC+ZC) and wants to quit or has done so already?
...

In quitting clomiphene you can either ride it out or use enclomiphene alone for a few months. You could use Defy Medical for a period to obtain enclomiphene, though it won't be cheap. Alternatively, if you're not deterred by the "research chemical" label then you probably can source enclomiphene domestically, e.g. here.

 

[DixieWrecked]

In quitting clomiphene you can either ride it out or use enclomiphene alone for a few months. You could use Defy Medical for a period to obtain enclomiphene, though it won't be cheap. Alternatively, if you're not deterred by the "research chemical" label then you probably can source enclomiphene domestically, e.g. here.

Nice! Thanks