Key takeaways
- Start PCT once your longest-acting compound has mostly cleared. Earlier is wasted, and later leaves you low for longer.
- Rough guide: short esters 2 to 3 days, enanthate or cypionate 10 to 14 days, decanoate or undecylenate about 3 weeks, orals 1 to 3 days.
- HCG, if used, comes before the SERMs and should finish as PCT starts.
Getting the timing of post cycle therapy wrong is one of the most common reasons it “doesn’t work”. A SERM can only restart your HPTA once the steroids stop suppressing it, and the steroids keep suppressing it for as long as meaningful levels remain in your blood. This guide explains how long that is for each common compound. For the whole process, see How to do PCT.
Why timing matters
Injectable steroids are attached to an ester, a chain that controls how slowly the drug is released from the injection site. The longer the ester, the longer the drug stays active after your last shot. A rule of thumb: a compound is mostly cleared after about 4 to 5 half-lives, but most protocols start PCT a little sooner, once levels have fallen to around the body’s normal range.
- Too early: blood levels are still high enough to suppress LH and FSH, so the SERM fights a losing battle and the PCT is partly wasted.
- Too late: you sit in the low-testosterone gap with no support, losing muscle and feeling the symptoms of low T.
PCT start times by compound
| Compound | Approx. half-life | Start PCT after the last dose |
|---|---|---|
| Testosterone propionate | About 1 day | 2 to 3 days |
| Testosterone enanthate | About 4 to 5 days | 10 to 14 days |
| Testosterone cypionate | About 5 to 8 days | 10 to 14 days |
| Sustanon 250 | Mixed (contains a decanoate) | About 3 weeks |
| Nandrolone phenylpropionate (NPP) | About 2 to 3 days | 3 to 5 days |
| Nandrolone decanoate (Deca) | About 6 to 12 days | About 3 weeks |
| Trenbolone acetate | About 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 days |
| Trenbolone enanthate | About 5 days | 10 to 14 days |
| Boldenone undecylenate (Equipoise) | About 14 days | About 3 weeks |
| Drostanolone propionate (Masteron) | About 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 days |
| Oral compounds (methandienone, oxandrolone, stanozolol tablets) | Hours | 1 to 3 days |
Half-lives vary between people and studies. Treat these as estimates, not exact figures.
Stacked cycles: go by the longest ester
If you ran more than one compound, time PCT from the one that stays active longest. Two common examples:
- Testosterone enanthate plus trenbolone acetate: the enanthate sets the timing, so start about 10 to 14 days after the last testosterone shot.
- Testosterone cypionate plus nandrolone decanoate: the decanoate sets the timing, so start about 3 weeks after the last Deca shot. Many people stop Deca a week or two before testosterone so they finish together.
Ending with a short ester. Some protocols switch from a long ester to a short ester (e.g. testosterone propionate) for the last 2 to 3 weeks of the cycle. Levels then drop faster at the end, so PCT can start 2 to 3 days after the last short-ester shot instead of waiting two weeks.
Where HCG fits
HCG acts on the testes directly, keeping them responsive, but it suppresses the brain’s own LH. So it belongs before SERM-based PCT, not alongside it for the whole course. Two common patterns:
- During the cycle: a low dose (for example 250 to 500 IU two or three times a week) throughout a long cycle, stopping when PCT begins.
- As a bridge: HCG in the 2 to 3 weeks between the last long-ester injection and the start of the SERMs, finishing as PCT starts.
HCG raises estradiol, so higher doses can cause water retention and nipple sensitivity. Higher is not better.
Signs your timing was off
- Bloodwork early in PCT shows very high testosterone with near-zero LH: the steroids had not cleared yet.
- A long stretch of crash symptoms (low libido, flat mood, fatigue) before PCT started: you probably waited too long.
- Low testosterone and low LH 4 to 6 weeks after PCT ends: the HPTA has not recovered. Talk to a doctor rather than running PCT again straight away.
Shop PCT and HCG
-
Clomifene
Price range: $4.12 through $16.76 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
-
Clomifene
Price range: $2.00 through $2.80 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Tamoxifen
Price range: $1.60 through $2.40 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Browse the full Post Cycle Therapy category.
Medical disclaimer. This article is general information, not medical advice. The medicines it discusses are prescription-only in most countries and are used off-label for post cycle therapy. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine, get bloodwork done, and seek medical help straight away for chest pain, shortness of breath, leg swelling or changes in your vision.
