When to quit Zoloft(sertraline) before starting PCT

[junkman1980]

Hi guys,
this is my first post but I'm have been on elitefitness just as a reader over a year.
And, yep, I learned a lot here (thanks especially to the vets!).
After almost 3 years of heavy training I started my first cycle ever on October 4th (human grade Test E 500mg/wk, Dbol as a kickstart and adex 0.5mg E3D for the first 4 weeks then bump it up to EOD,) and I'm planning being on it 18 weeks (last shot on February 4th), so I can give more time to my body to adapt itself to the new weight and retain it as much as possible.

My PCT is scheduled as follow (14 days after last shot):
Tamoxifen 20mg week 1-4
10mg week 5-6
Clomid 50mg week 1-4 (first 2 days 100mg)

Now the bad news: after 6 months of research and after I bought all the necessary (gear,ancillaries,pct,needles and syringes) I found a tread where it says that who is on SSRI shouldn't do a PCT with Tamoxifen because it reduces greatly its effects...GREAT...

So, the situation is this:
1-I'm not gonna spend any additional money on an alternative PCT (I had a budget and THAT'S IT!), no matter of what.
2-I'm on a low dose of Zoloft (sertraline), 25mg ED so I'm prepared to go temporarily cold turkey for the PCT and I'm prepared to feel like a shit for 6 weeks as well (I have on hand some klonopin in case bad anxiety issues will occur).

SO MY QUESTION IS: when should I stop taking the Zoloft before the PCT starts?
Because even Zoloft's half life is of 26 hours, it stays rather long in the blood stream...
so I wanna be 100% sure that the Tamoxifen will do fully its job!
I would be REALLY grateful for those ones that could help me with useful advices.
So, I thank you all in advance!

My actual stats:
31yo
5'9"
175lb
about 10% Body fat

p.s. I'm not a native English speaker, so sorry in advance for any grammar/spelling or whatsoever English language mistakes....

 

[callmejay]

Stopping an anti-depressant cold turkey is NEVER a good idea. Doing it just so you can use Nolvadex is an even worse idea. Why would you want to put yourself in that position?

There's one simple solution - drop the tamoxifen. You should do this anyways.

I understand you've reached your budget for this cycle. But an extra $100 towards the cycle could make a world of difference for you.

I'm not a doctor and you should really talk with your doc about it to make sure there aren't any other interactions to be aware of.

Since you are on a limited budget, here is a very budget friendly modification to your cycle. Shouldn't add more than $100 to your cycle and if you can sell the nolvadex, even better:
- Try and sell the nolvadex to someone. Don't take it in PCT and TALK WITH YOUR DOC about Clomid and everything else you're taking. The trade-offs to take nolvadex are not worth it for many reasons, not just because you're on an SSRI.

- Reduce clomid dosage to 25mg/day. It has been shown to be just as effective at this dose.

- Add HCG to your cycle. It is very affordable and will make PCT much smoother. Do some research on why this is good. Add it for the last 4 weeks of your cycle at 250iu 2x week. If you can afford more (it's ~$30/bottle) then run it the last 8 weeks up until PCT. Especially because this is a long cycle.

- Buy forged post-cycle or NTBM post cycle as a natural support supplement during PCT. This adds in organ protection, estrogen control, and aids in recovery

This is a really long first cycle by the way. Get bloodwork done after PCT to make sure you have fully recovered. HCG during the cycle will help you recover faster because your balls will be ready to produce testosterone immediately. But you may want to extend your PCT to 6 weeks or so.

 

[junkman1980]

First at all THANK YOU so much for your reply!

Stopping an anti-depressant cold turkey is NEVER a good idea. Doing it just so you can use Nolvadex is an even worse idea. Why would you want to put yourself in that position?
......
- Try and sell the nolvadex to someone.
......
The trade-offs to take nolvadex are not worth it for many reasons, not just because you're on an SSRI.

Well, it is not the first time on zoloft... before i was on 100mg and when coming off of it, the doc made me taper it down gradually by 25mg. so it was like 100,75,50,25,0.
So in my case I wouldn't even considering it cold turkey....

so my question still remains: when would be better to come off zoloft before PCT?

What's so bad about nolvadex?

TALK WITH YOUR DOC about Clomid and everything else you're taking.

can't talk to with my doc about the cycle for obvious reasons... get the bloodwork it's all I can do....

- Reduce clomid dosage to 25mg/day. It has been shown to be just as effective at this dose.

that's a nice news,i just have 30 pills of 50mg, so what if i spread it out to 25mg for 8 weeks?

- Add HCG to your cycle. It is very affordable and will make PCT much smoother. Do some research on why this is good. Add it for the last 4 weeks of your cycle at 250iu 2x week. If you can afford more (it's ~$30/bottle) then run it the last 8 weeks up until PCT. Especially because this is a long cycle.

you are right, but for a light cycle like mine i read in many treads that's it's not really necessary to bother with... but of course i'm planning to use it for heavier cycles in future.

- Buy forged post-cycle or NTBM post cycle as a natural support supplement during PCT. This adds in organ protection, estrogen control, and aids in recovery

i'll see what i can do...

This is a really long first cycle by the way. Get bloodwork done after PCT.... But you may want to extend your PCT to 6 weeks or so.

of course i'll get the bloodwork and as u can see my PCT is of 6 weeks, but at this point i may extend it to 8 weeks...

 

[junkman1980]

anyone else?
my question still remains: when would be better to come off the sertraline before pct starts?
thanks!

 

[junkman1980]

no replies anymore...
OK, got it, from now on I guess I have to figure it out by myself...
Thanks, at least, to CALLMEJAY that somehow tried to help me!
I really appreciate!

 

[callmejay]

Why do you feel the need to come off Zoloft to run a cycle? And why can't you talk with your doctor. You're a grown ass man. What's he gonna do, tell your parents?

His job is to listen and advise, not judge or reprimand. If you don't trust your doc then find a new one.

You said there are obvious reasons but I'm not sure what they are.

No one here is a qualified clinical psychiatrist who can advise you on tapering ssris. Just tell your doc you want off the meds at least and work through the taper with him. Don't taper during your cycle because you don't know how you'll react. And pct is the last time you want to be coming off anti depressants. You need to stabilize before you do anything.

This is your first cycle. You don't know hoe or will affect you. Why even come off the meds? Look at everything you're taking and every ingredient and see if it interacts with ssri's. Or just ask your doc.
Sorry.I'm not telling you exactly what to do. You need someone qualified to help you make that decision and I'm not that person.

Sent from my PG86100 using EliteFitness

 

[junkman1980]

sorry for my late reply...

Why do you feel the need to come off Zoloft to run a cycle? And why can't you talk with your doctor. You're a grown ass man. What's he gonna do, tell your parents?
His job is to listen and advise, not judge or reprimand. If you don't trust your doc then find a new one.

I decided to do not come off zoloft anymore. I read on another forum(for women with breast cancer) that it reduces the effect of tamoxifen about 30%～50%, so I'll just double the dose on PCT and that's it.
Can't talk with my doctor abt it because I live in Japan and even if buying gear here is legal, pinning it by yourself is EXTREMELY ILLEGAL (this is one of those typical Japanese contradictions ). And I know their reactions very well when you "break the rules" of the system.
They completely freak out... I wouldn't be surprised that he would decide to refuse me as his patient anymore and even call the authorities... believe me, you can't trust these Japs AT ALL in these situations... I have been betrayed like this enough in the past (even by friends!) that I won't never ever share my "secrets" with them anymore, even with my doc.
So forums are the only option for me...
Tell my parents???hahaha,good one! :-D Actually, on my mother's side are all docs, but even if I would tell them they would rather kill me than help me...

This is your first cycle. You don't know hoe or will affect you. Why even come off the meds?

as stated above, I will remain on 25mg for another couple years as the doc suggested me....
I'm on week 6, gained already something between 9-10lbs, 3500-4000kcal/day, protein intake about 320g/day.
Side effects so far: BP raised from 105/60 to 150/85, I'm lethargic but still can manage it, a little acne here and there and occasionally a strange feeling that i need to be completely alone,a kind of "me and myself only" feeling... hard to describe...