TRT patient here who started exogenous testosterone at 19. One cycle; no recovery. Dedicated much of my free time in my early 20s to bodybuilding. Psychological effects of high dose stacked cycles are pronounced in many individuals; social paranoia, aggression, domestic violence, insomnia, decreased cognitive function and memory recall, etc.).
As much as I like to mess around with [USER=38590]@readalot[/USER], taking exogenous testosterone comes with clear risks to shutting down your HPTA, sometimes permanently after a single cycle (case study talking right at you). IF you are not permanently shut down after your first cycle, you also run the risk of not making a full recovery, meaning only partial HPTA function returns, rendering you with lower endogenous testosterone than you started with.
Aside from HPTA shutdown, here is the biggest risk: addiction. Steroids are as addictive, psychologically, as any kind-altering drug out there. I’ve never met a person who’s only done one cycle, and I’ve never met a steroid user who didn’t exhibit clear signs of addiction.
Now, I am a realist. The statistics of steroid users are not in your favor. The chances that you come away from your OP and actually take exogenous testosterone is higher than you refraining. On that note, there is no scientific consensus on the effectiveness of any PCT protocol, nor dose or length of duration. Typical initial cycles last 8-12 weeks (12 for longer ester testosterone preparations like enanthate or Cypionate). Testosterone does not have to be run at 500 mg per week to gain muscle; any dose that puts you into supraphyiological range will add muscle. [USER=3]@Nelson Vergel[/USER] Cites 125 mg or more per week as being the magic number. HCG should be run at 500 IU twice per week to maintain healthy testicular function. Clomid and Nolvadex should be run after your cycle as PCT.