Tamoxifen

Manufacturer: Med
Substance: Tamoxifen Citrate
Packing: 30 tabs. (10 mg/tab)

What is it used for?

Tamoxifen is commonly referred to in quite a few ways: as a SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator), as an anti-estrogen (that is actually incorrect, as we will later see), and finally as a triphenylethylene. I happen to stick with calling Tamoxifen a SERM, because out of my three options, it happens to be correct (as we know that calling it an anti-estrogen is incorrect), and pronouncable (as we know that I have no idea how to say "triphenylethylene"). Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) act as either estrogen receptor agonists or antagonists in a tissue-selective manner, lets see what that means to us.

Tamoxifen actually has quite a few applications for the steroid using athlete. First and foremost, it´s most common use is for the prevention of gynocomastia. Tamoxifen does this by actually competing for the receptor site in breast tissue, and binding to it. Thus, we can safely say that the effect of tamoxifen is through estrogen receptor blockade of breast tissue, especially since total body estradiol increases with use of tamoxifen. Clearly, if you are on a cycle which includes steroids which convert to estrogen, you may want to consider Tamoxifen as a good choice to run along side them.

Side effects:

Unfortunately, Tamoxifen isn´t perfect. Anecdotally, it has been linked to reduced gains in some bodybuilders. This isn´t due, as previously thought, to its reducing estrogen levels (which it doesn´t), but rather to it´s ability to possibly reduce IGF (Insulin-like-Growth-Factor) levels, which are important for muscle growth.