Introduction
One of the most interesting of all drug class medications are the Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) and Letrozole just happens to be one of them. It has been hailed as one of the strongest or most potent and powerfully effective medication among all the AIs put together. Femara is the dominant trade name used for this medication but unlike all other AIs it’s more popularly known by its chemical name Letrozole.
Brief Background information on Leterozole
The main reason for developing Leterozole was in an effort to produce a treatment for breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
As a matter of fact it would come to be recognized as almost the same as Arimidex (Anastrozole) which had become very popular.
Despite the fact that it was initially developed for the treatment of breast cancer, it followed the path of many other Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) and become popular with anabolic steroid users – the bodybuilders and athletic competitors.
Characteristics and functions of Letrozole
Letrozole belongs to a class of drug medications known as AIs or Aromatase Inhibitors with their main purpose of blocking the enzyme aromatase from producing estrogen.
In its capacity as an inhibitor that blocks the production of estrogen, Letrozole is able to lower the total serum levels of estrogen in the body.
A reduction in estrogen is enormously useful to patients with breast cancer given that cancer feeds on the estrogen hormone.
It is also of immense benefit to users of anabolic steroids because an excess of estrogen results is usually associated with the rise in side effects from the use of steroids.
The known medicinal effects of Letrozole
As an anti-estrogen medication, Letrozole is of immense use to people suffering from breast cancer for the simple reason that many types of cancer feed on the estrogen hormone.
This drug medication prevents the production of estrogen, and by doing so decreases the amount of estrogen that circulates in your body which of course, without it cancer starves and is unable to extend its hold inside the body.
Initially, and for many years, the drug medication Nolvadex had become the most preferred treatment with an ability to bind itself to the estrogen receptors.
In doing so, the estrogen hormone was unable to bind itself to the cancerous growth thereby depriving cancer cells of a valuable source of food on which to feed, survive and multiply.
The only problem is that Nolvadex was unable to prevent or lower the production of cancerous cells. Nevertheless, Nolvadex is still invaluable in the treatment of breast cancer.
Because of this, many physicians have turned their preference to using AI’s first instead of Nolvadex, especially in extreme cases.
Current cancer treatment now involves the use of an aromatase inhibitor (AI) such as Letrozole first and after the cancer reaches the remission stage, a SERM such as Nolvadex may then replace the AI in an effort to prevent the cancer from reappearing.
The efficacy of Letrozole for anabolic steroid takers
For an anabolic steroid uses such as a bodybuilder, the very same anti-estrogenic process that Letrozole provides is of enormous benefit.
There are many anabolic steroids which are able to boost estrogen levels from the interaction of testosterone with the aromatase enzyme.
With the rise in estrogen levels, the likelihood of gynecomastia development also increases along with greater water retention. Once water retention reaches a severe level it can give rise to high blood pressure.
Anabolic steroids able to boost estrogen levels
It’s known that even though most anabolic steroids are capable of amortizing and actually promote a surge in estrogen levels, not all anabolic steroids possess this ability.
But many common steroids do carry this ability and among them are the Nandrolone (Deca Durabolin, Durabolin, NPP and others are examples).
The Boldenone (Equipoise) hormone also possesses the ability to aromatize to a certain degree.
For instance Nandrolone is able to aromatize at the rate of a low 20% when compared against testosterone, and 50% for Boldenone when similarly compared with Testosterone.
It’s important to note that while the ability of both steroids can aromatize at much lesser percentages than testosterone, it is sufficient to trigger the promotion of estrogenic related side effects.
There is a higher probability for promoting side effects by Nandrolone because of its strong progestin or hormonal nature.
Another anabolic steroid, Progesterone can stimulate a rapid increase in the production of estrogen which can lead to the development of gynecomastia.
In view of what has been discussed above, it’s very important to note that the use of AI’s such as Letrozole can be very beneficial when you are taking all the above steroids.
Letrozole impact on steroid cycles, cholesterol and PC
When Letrozole is included in a steroid cycle alongside anabolic steroids, it will have the desired effect of preventing estrogenic related side effects to arise.
This definitely means that the individual will be protected from the embarrassment of gynecomastia and discomfort of water retention.
Additionally, even though many used steroids can generate high blood pressure even with aromatization taking place, using an AI will improve the situation when the cause of the issue is water retention.
It’s medically known that excessive water retention is normally the principal cause of high blood pressure that emerges among takes of anabolic steroids.
Impact on cholesterol
Cholesterol is a solid compound found in the blood in the form of a steroid alcohol ‘sterol’ that’s made by the liver and is an important to the body as part of cell membranes.
Letrozole is undoubtedly very effective in the prevention of estrogenic related side effects, but they are also known to have a negative impression on cholesterol.
When used alone, AI’s don’t normally have a noticeable negative effect on cholesterol. However, when they are used in combination with an aromatizing steroid, say testosterone for instance, the impact on cholesterol is increased.
Because of this, it’s only logical to expect that many steroid users would opt to use SERM’s such as Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), as the ideal first choice for protecting themselves against estrogen side effects.
It’s widely known medically that SERM’s will not have a negative effect on cholesterol. Actually, while SERMs are in fact anti-estrogenic, they strangely act as estrogens while in the liver, and can actually promote healthier levels of cholesterol for your body.
This will be studied further in Part II of this same article but suffice it to know that while Letrozole can be used without adverse effect on cholesterol, some personal help on your part may be needed.
Relevance in PCT
Because Letrozole can help trigger the production of testosterone in the body, it has often proved a great appeal for Post Cycle Therapy or PCT regimens which happens to include treatment for low testosterone levels.
In most cases using Letrozole can prove ineffective for various reasons and is therefore not the recommended supplement for PCT.
Here’s the reason. PCT has the primary goal of stimulating the natural production of testosterone, which Letrozole can do efficiently.
However PCT also includes the process of normalization which is a difficult process to attain if estrogen levels are severely suppressed which means that there’s an impasse between the need to have high levels of estrogen and cholesterol on the one hand, and the need to normalize testosterone levels after a steroid cycle on the other.
This issue leaves the steroid user with only one choice to make which is to use SERM’s as the most appropriate supplement for restoring testosterone to normalcy level without undermining both testosterone and estrogen levels as already stated above.
Bottom line
It’s always interesting to get involved in a very detailed write up of a drug medication such as Letrozole. It’s get more interesting when an equally detailed involvement of anabolic steroids and their impact on estrogen as well as on testosterone levels which always seem to indicate a decrease. Even more interesting is to ultimately find that there’s a way to overcome the problems that arise from using anabolic steroids.