If you’re running a cycle of prohormones, cycle support is one of the most important factors. You need cycle support supplements to run a safe and successful cycle. Otherwise, you might as well not bother and check yourself into your local A & E while you’re at it. So what are the best cycle support supplements?
If you’re not sure what cycle support is (and why you really, really need it), check out our quick guide by clicking here then come straight back.
The long and the short of it is this: Prohormone supplements put stress on your body. Cycle support helps your body to minimise that stress which in turn keeps you healthy, happy and out of hospital.
Here at Prohormone Expert, we like to focus on supplements that you can buy legally (well in the UK at least – where we’re based).
Speak to your local gym-jabber and he’ll tell you about the range of prescription pharmaceuticals he buys from ‘a guy he knows’. We don’t do that, nor do we promote or condone breaking the law. So don’t.
Cycle Support Supplements: What to Look For
If you’ve read our article on the need for cycle support, you’ll know that there are certain side effects that you want to guard against. By way of revision, these are:
- Possible liver damage
- Raised blood pressure/circulation issues
- Conversion of testosterone to DHT (Dihydrotestosterone)
Protect Your Liver
Taking oral prohormones can put additional stress on your liver. This varies depending on what your taking. Methylated or di-methylated prohormones tend to be more liver toxic. Look out for the words ‘methyl’ or ‘dimethyl’ in the ingredients list.
Liver Support Supplements:
1. Milk Thistle: This is one of the best known supplements for liver health. It has been used to treat alcohol related liver damage however there is little scientific evidence to support it’s use. My approach would be: Take it, but don’t rely on it.
2. Choline: This is a nutrient that is found naturally in a lot of foods like eggs. Studies have shown that supplementing with choline can have a positive effect on the liver and it has been used to treat liver diseases and alcoholics.
Choline is recognised as a nootropic (smart drug) and may improve brain function too! (Source)
3. Circumin: This is found in different forms (Turmeric root, cumin etc) but is has a prominent place in natural medicine as an anti-inflammatory.
One use it to reduce inflammation in your liver. Again, the science supporting this is not particularly strong. Still, if you’ve got this along with other supplements, it should help.
Preserve Your Hormone Balance
As a general rule, prohormones elevate your testosterone levels. However too much testosterone and your body starts to convert this into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This is not good as too much DHT can enlarge your prostate (problems peeing) and also hair loss.
Thyroid Support:
1. Saw Palmetto: One of the problems arising from too much DHT can be an enlarged prostate. The Saw Palmetto fruit extract has been used in trials to treat men with enlarged prostates with some success. Definitely worth adding this to your cycle support stack.
2. Acetyl-L-Carnitine: There is good evidence to support that this amino acid can help to regulate overactive thyroids. If you have too much DHT being produced by your thyroid, you could suffer things like the enlarged prostate or hair loss.
Depending on how vain you are, one of these is worse than the other. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is believed to help although some of the evidence is shaky. Worth including with other compounds.
Manage Your Blood Pressure
Supplementing with prohormones can cause your blood volume to increase. This will give you insane pumps but can also elevate your blood pressure. I’ve personally experienced elevated blood pressure and nose bleeds when stacking Halodrol and EPI. Good supplementation can manage this.
Blood Pressure Regulation
1. Hawthorn Berry: There’s some early evidence that this can lower blood pressure, possibly by relaxing the blood vessels around your heart. The science may be sound enough but it’s worth stacking this with other supplements to make sure you get the best possible benefit.
2. Celery Seed Extract: The ancient Greeks liked a bit of celery and it’s seen very much as a health food. Some believe that it can help lower blood pressure. I know that when I’ve supplemented with this during a Superdrol cycle, I didn’t have nose bleeds.
3. Lifestyle: OK, this isn’t a supplement. But you can easily lower your blood pressure by getting plenty of sleep, not smoking and avoiding stressful situations. Try doing some meditation or deep breathing if you feel anxious or on edge.
There are dozens of other supplements we could go into in this article but these are some of the more common supplements for cycle support. You can buy most of these on places like Amazon. But, it would be easier if there was one product that had all of (or most of) these compounds in one, easy to take pill.
Wouldn’t it?…
Solutions
Huh, funny you should say that, because there are. Here’s a couple that fit the bill pretty perfectly.
Blackstone Labs Gear Support
This is a comprehensive product that has a lot of the ingredients listed above. It claims to cover all the main bases required for cycle support and includes celery seed extract, hawthorn berry, and Saw Palmetto. It also has 45 servings per bottle so will be good for a 6 week cycle.
Iron Labs Cycle Support
This is a product I’ve used extensively while running cycles of both Halodrol and Superdrol. It has a comprehensive ingredient profile of Acetyl-L-Carnitine, saw palmetto, turmeric root, choline, hawthorn berry, and celery seed extract. It’s also one of the more reasonable products for price. However the serving size is 4 capsules so this equates to a 30 day supply.
Although the bottle suggests that you take those 4 capsules in the morning, I have split them between doses of prohormones e.g. 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. Obviously you do this at your own risk. IL Cycle Support is readily available on Amazon.
Click here to buy on Amazon
Summary
Cycle support is one of the most important aspects of your prohormone cycle. Get it right and you’ll have a great cycle. Get it wrong and…
We don’t promote the misuse of prescription drugs – but we also want supplements that do what they’re supposed to do – actually work! The best way to ensure your cycle support is on point is to combine ingredients and supplements. If you find a product that works (like I did with Iron Labs Cycle Support), keep using it.
Remember, none of this is medical advice. Always speak to a doctor if you need that.
Jack
P.S. Check out our review of the best bulking prohormones (part 1) here.
