Is Letro killing my gains?

[Prerequisite]

Hello everyone

I'm currently on my 4th week 500mg test e/wk and I'm also taking .25mg~ of Letro eod.
I didn't start taking Letro til about a week ago and I see my gains have slowed down.
First two weeks, I went from 200 to 220~(!), now I'm down to 208.
Should I stop taking Letro?
I don't have any gyno symptoms but I'm scared of it so I'm taking it as a precaution.

Is letro killing my gains and would it be OK to stop taking it?

 

[ForeverAesthetic]

Why are you taking letro as your AI? I thought it would've been better to use Arimidex or Aromasin and then keep Letrozole as back up in case you get a lump. I've never cycled before so I'm just going on what I thought and researched.

 

[Austinite]

There isn't anything in the compound that could hinder gains directly. However, as with any Aromatase inhibitor (AI), if your E2 levels are too low, that could hinder gains. You need bloodwork to see how Letro is working for you.

 

[Prerequisite]

Why are you taking letro as your AI? I thought it would've been better to use Arimidex or Aromasin and then keep Letrozole as back up in case you get a lump. I've never cycled before so I'm just going on what I thought and researched.

In the sticky -> steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/629345-how-serm-s-aromatize-inhibitors-gyno-pct-must-read.html
It says do the following:

Wk1-12 500mg teste ew
Wk1-14 0.6mg e3d (2X a week) letro
Wk14-18 PCT clomid 50mg ed

I've done my own research also and I wasn't going to take letro initially, but after reading that, I decided to get on it after the third week.
Reason I took Letro over Dex/Masin is because of the strength of it - decided to just go with whatever was strongest and most effective.

There isn't anything in the compound that could hinder gains directly. However, as with any Aromatase inhibitor (AI), if your E2 levels are too low, that could hinder gains. You need bloodwork to see how Letro is working for you.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind.



On another note - is an 8 pound gain after 4 weeks even decent on a cycle? My first two weeks, I bloated up to 220 and was about 222~ by the middle of my third week, then pretty much over the course of the third week after I started letro, I deflated to 208.
I'm pretty lean already but I do look leaner, though, so I guess it's not all bad.

 

[Austinite]

^ seems par for the course.

 

[Hrnyfckr]

The addition of any Aromatase inhibitor (AI) will reduce bloat and its accompanying water weight. You didn't lose real gains, you simple lost excess water weight. You would have lost this coming off cycle anyway. Better to use an AI.... IMHO. But.... More/stronger is not always better. You need estrogen too to make gains and retain sexual function.
I prefer the weakest Aromatase inhibitor (AI) possible, with the lowest dose that will still manage my sides and keep estrogen in a nice middle ground.
Anastrozole at .5 every third day hits the sweet spot just perfectly.

 

[ForeverAesthetic]

The addition of any Aromatase inhibitor (AI) will reduce bloat and its accompanying water weight. You didn't lose real gains, you simple lost excess water weight. You would have lost this coming off cycle anyway. Better to use an AI.... IMHO. But.... More/stronger is not always better. You need estrogen too to make gains and retain sexual function.
I prefer the weakest Aromatase inhibitor (AI) possible, with the lowest dose that will still manage my sides and keep estrogen in a nice middle ground.
Anastrozole at .5 every third day hits the sweet spot just perfectly.

Is there a reason you prefer Aromasin over Arimidex? Have you used both before? I'm thinking of running my Arimidex at 0.25MG EOD to start with.

 

[ForeverAesthetic]

Anastrozole is arimidex which is what he's using now. There are pros and cons to each. Anastrozole aka arimidex is cheaper usually from what I've seen, you need less of it to get an effective dose, has a longer half so less frequent dosing may be necessary, and interacts with nolva negative. Aromasin aka exemestane is usually more expensive (again from I've seen), you need more of it for an effective dose, doesn't interact with nolva, is steroidal so can increase test levels, is suicidal type I inhibitor so no estrogen rebound when coming off, shorter half life so more frequent dosing may be necessary, and is usually more effective at lowering estrogen (but again higher dose is required).

Oh okay thanks for clearing that up. I thought Arimidex was Liquidex though? I also heard that Aromasin is harsher on your lipids and cholesterol levels? I might be wrong though.

 

[ForeverAesthetic]

Anastrozole goes by arimidex, liquidex is the name for the liquid version. You'll also see it called adex, dex. Exemestane goes by aromasin and you'll see it also called stane, liquid stane, etc. I think you have that backwards, arimidex is harsher on blood lipids than aromasin.

Damn this isn't looking good for me. So do you personally prefer Aromasin? Why do so many people recommend Arimidex? Maintaining good lipid and cholesterol values can be done just through taking fish oil and doing regular cardio I believe? I may have to buy Aromasin in the future then.

 

[ForeverAesthetic]

I'm currently on my first cycle and went with adex. I've never tried aromasin to be honest but I liked the fact that adex was cheaper, needed a smaller/less frequent dosing schedule, and it does a good job of controlling estrogen (like aromasin too though). Since it sounds like you got adex just run it at .25mg/EOD to start and adjust dosage as needed due to sides and blood work results. If you want to try aromasin nex time to for it. Some ppl develop sides to one or the other so try both if you want and see which you like best.

As to keeping blood lipids in check, there are numerous prescription meds you can get prescribed by a doctor. More natural ways are fish oil (2-4g+ a day), more fiber in your diet, plant sterols, and exercise/cardio can all help.

That's a great reply. I might just stick with Arimidex due its cheaper nature and needing smaller, less frequent dosing. I suppose there isn't much difference between Arimidex and Aromasin. Nothing that could hinder results or be life threatening anyway. I've already got fish oil and I'll look into some fiber and plant sterols. Thanks for your help!