Enclomiphene (Androxal) PCT 101: The Bodybuilder's Guide

In This Article

Is there a SERM that can knock Clomid and Nolvadex off their rightful place as the go-to PCT compounds of steroid and SARM users? If there is, Enclomiphene is the one. While not yet as popular as the big 2 SERMs, Enclomiphene has been fast gaining a fan base who believe (with good reason) that this is the most effective SERM for PCT use.

Is Enclomiphene something you should look at using in place of or alongside Nolvadex and Clomid? What is it about Enclomiphene that people like more than the two more famous SERMs? Find out all this and more in my Enclomiphene guide. Let’s dive in!

What is Enclomiphene?

Enclomiphene is a SERM that has had virtually all of its medical research focused on its ability to restore testosterone function as an alternative to traditional testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

Despite being a promising treatment for a number of conditions, it has not gained approval for use in the US and EU, and its development and attempted registration for medical use are currently discontinued.

Unlike most other ancillaries, including SERMs, which we usually call by their main brand name, the proposed brand of Enclomiphene (sometimes spelled as Enclomifene) was Androxal. Still, most people do not use that name to describe this SERM. I will stick to calling it Enclomiphene or just Enclo for short.

History and Overview

Enclomiphene is one of the newer SERMs and has shown potential to be the best SERM developed. There’s a great interest in Enclomiphene being used for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) instead of testosterone injections.

This provides an entirely different way of replacing testosterone – with Enclomiphene stimulating natural testosterone production rather than providing an external source of the hormone that men often need to stay on for life.

There is good news:

Numerous studies have revealed that Enclomiphene is exceptional at stimulating LH and FSH to fully recover testosterone levels in the normal range for men with hypogonadism.

Unfortunately, the ongoing development of Enclomiphene has halted, at least for now, and it’s unknown if it will ever be approved and marketed for medical use in any major Western countries.

Mechanism of Action

At its core, Enclomiphene works like all other SERMs by being selective in its targeting of estrogen receptors.

The negative feedback loop on the HPTA by estrogen, which disrupts LH and FSH, is broken by Enclomiphene – and this allows the restoration and increase in normal testosterone production in men.

Studies have concluded without a doubt that Enclomiphene is incredibly effective at restoring testosterone. One study found that in men with hypogonadism, Enclomiphene^[1]:

Increased luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
Increased serum total testosterone
Increased sperm counts

Enclo was able to restore the normal levels of total testosterone completely. This provides us with unquestionable evidence that Enclomiphene’s mechanisms of action are highly successful in delivering the effects that we need during PCT.

What about targeting estrogen receptors in breast tissue, like other SERMs? Enclomiphene is different from other well-known SERMs in that breast tissue targeting was not the primary purpose of its development; instead, it’s a SERM where the focus is on its potential as a hypogonadism treatment.

While Enclomiphene may target the breast tissue receptors, it is not known to be as effective in this regard compared to other SERMs. That’s why we will rarely use this SERM for gyno mitigation on cycle.

Effects of Enclomiphene (Benefits) for Men

Enclomiphene’s benefits for male steroid users center on its proven ability to restore and maintain testosterone levels after you’ve been on a cycle of suppressive anabolic steroids or SARMs. Here are the primary benefits of Enclomiphene that are of interest to us as bodybuilders:

Restores and Increases Testosterone

The study I linked to earlier gives us the certainty that Enclomiphene is able to effectively restore and increase testosterone levels by stimulating the release of LH and FSH. This makes Enclomiphene an excellent PCT SERM, and it does this at low doses and within a standard PCT cycle length of 4 to 6 weeks.

Improves Fertility and Sperm Count

Studies also show that Enclomiphene is very effective at increasing sperm count and fertility, which are two areas of our health that regular steroid users will often be concerned about.

Increased Aggression

It’s not too surprising that you might feel an aggression boost on Enclomiphene since it’s so effective at raising testosterone. Few will find this to be a negative, and it won’t be at the level that you’ll experience with the roid rage of AAS. For most Enclomiphene users, this is a nice little boost that goes along with the overall feel-good factor of Enclomiphene.

Muscle Gains

Enclomiphene may contribute to minor muscle gains as a natural result of the increase in your testosterone levels. This interests TRT users more than anabolic steroid users, who are unlikely to notice this effect.

What are SERMs?

SERMs work by binding to specific estrogen receptors in your body. When a SERM binds to an estrogen receptor, it can either activate or block the receptor, depending on where the tissue is.

SERMs can block the estrogen receptors in the breasts to help prevent and treat breast cancer (and gyno in steroid users). Some SERMs will activate estrogen receptors in the bones – making them useful for osteoporosis treatment.

But it’s the somewhat secondary effect of SERMs that interests us the most: The way they can stop the negative estradiol feedback loop on the HPTA and bring about the recovery of testosterone function.

So, although it wasn’t the original intention of SERMs research to discover their incredible ability to stimulate testosterone production, it’s undoubtedly the main reason we take an interest in Enclomiphene and other SERMs as bodybuilders.

Enclomiphene for PCT

Our primary and usually only use as steroid users for Enclomiphene are going to be for PCT. The doses are now quite well established, and Enclomiphene requires a very simple dosing protocol to get your PCT job done well.

Doses

Enclomiphene requires an even lower dose than other SERMs, thanks to its effectiveness at increasing testosterone levels. Clinical trials on men with hypogonadism would often include three different doses:

12.5mg daily
25mg daily
50mg daily

However, 50mg was only very rarely used. In most cases, the dose was titrated up to 25mg, and some studies were run for periods of 26 weeks – much longer than we would need to run PCT.

Enclomiphene Dosage On-cycle

Enclomiphene is considered an effective testosterone base to use on a SARM cycle for all but the most suppressive SARMs. As for steroid cycles, testosterone itself is the preferable testosterone base in most cases.

Whatever type of cycle you choose to utilize Enclomiphene for, you’ll want to optimize your dose. If the SARMs being taken are only moderately suppressive, then Enclomiphene can actually result in higher testosterone levels above your normal range. In other words, low-dose Enclomiphene will be very effective on-cycle in the case of most SARMs and potentially with some anabolic steroids.

But on-cycle SERM use for steroid users is for the purpose of preventing estrogenic gyno – Enclomiphene is not considered a particularly potent SERM to use for this purpose. If you want to attempt on-cycle Enclomiphene use, a dose of no more than 25mg per day is recommended.

Enclomiphene Dosage for PCT

Enclomiphene is a potent stimulator of testosterone, and we can get its full effects at relativity low doses; indeed, you won’t need to run Enclomiphene at doses near what we need for Clomid or even Nolvadex.

A standard PCT dosage with Enclomiphene is to start at 25mg per day and maintain that dose for three weeks (if you’re doing a 4-week PCT). Then, for the final week of PCT, you can halve the dosage down to 12.5mg per day.

There’s little need to use Enclomiphene outside these doses. At 12.5mg, side effects are very unlikely, and even at 25mg, most men will see no adverse effects.

Dosing Schedule, Half-life, and PCT Length

Enclomiphene’s half-life is approximately 10 hours. This makes it suitable for taking once daily and receiving its full effects.

There really is no need to split your daily dose of Enclomiphene, and since doses are always relatively low, there’s no practical reason for splitting the dose.

How long should you run your Enclomiphene PCT? This depends on a few factors:

How long your steroid cycle was?
Which steroids, SARMs, or other suppressive PEDs have you used, and how suppressive are they?
If you’re utilizing any other compounds in your PCT (like HCG or Nolvadex).

A standard PCT cycle with Enclomiphene will run for either 4 or 6 weeks. This is enough time to allow recovery of the HPTA and stimulate the return of your natural testosterone production back to healthy endogenous testosterone levels within the normal range.

Proper Administration and Timing

Enclomiphene can be taken once per day, and whether you take it in the morning or evening (or any other time of day) is not thought to matter.

For the few people who experience side effects from Enclomiphene, adjusting the timing of your daily dose may make some difference in the onset of side effects – but with Enclomiphene being far less prone to causing side effects than Clomid, this is not so much of a consideration.

Me personally? I’d instead take Enclomiphene in the morning for convenience as it’s one less administration to worry about for the rest of the day.

Since we will often have to buy research chemical Enclo, some new users can find it confusing just HOW to take a liquid compound like this. The liquid should be taken straight into your mouth and swallowed.

Like all liquid research chemicals, Enclomiphene will often have an unpleasant taste and can leave a burning sensation in your mouth and throat.

Here’s a trick:

Buy yourself some empty gelatin or veggie-based capsules and fill them with your required dose. Then swallow the capsule – this completely does away with the awful taste and shouldn’t leave any lingering aftertaste either!

Enclomiphene vs. Other PCT Options

It can be overwhelming for the new steroid user to figure out what PCT compounds you should use to get the quickest and maximum restoration of your natural testosterone function.

Even experienced users can find the differing opinions and numerous options confusing. So, let’s compare Enclomiphene to some of the other ancillary compounds that you might consider using for PCT:

Enclomiphene vs. Clomid

Enclomiphene is derived from Clomid (Clomiphene) – it is known as the trans-isomer of Clomid. This means it has the same molecular structure with a different arrangement.

Unlike Clomid, which is made up of two isomers (one being enclomiphene), Enclomiphene is a single isomer, and it is purely an estrogen antagonist. On the other hand, Clomid is an estrogen agonist and an antagonist, and this comes with some adverse effects that affect emotions and mood.

Enclomiphene is much more potent than Clomid at stimulating the HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis), making it a more effective PCT compound for restarting testosterone production.

Clomid has worse side effects and a higher chance of experiencing side effects than Enclomiphene. I much prefer Enclomiphene as a PCT SERM over Clomid, but Clomid is undoubtedly the cheaper option and the one that’s easier to find for purchase.

Enclomiphene vs. HCG

|HCG is often used alongside SERMs in PCT (as well as on cycle) to provide a more powerful restart of the HPTA for quicker testosterone recovery and to improve fertility.

Unlike Enclomiphene, HCG is naturally found in the body and is similar in acting to luteinizing hormone (LH). Two of the primary reasons we will use HCG are to maintain fertility and prevent testicular atrophy (shrinkage).

But there’s a catch with HCG: you can’t use it alone in PCT because it will cause suppression of LH levels. So, HCG should always be used with or followed by a SERM for PCT.

In short:

Enclomiphene boosts your endogenous LH levels, while HCG provides an exogenous replacement of LH.

Enclomiphene vs. Aromasin

Aromasin is a popular aromatase inhibitor (AI) that primarily differs from Enclomiphene in the way that it can lower your total estrogen levels. At the same time, Enclomiphene is specific in its targeting and will not result in lowered or crashed estrogen.

Both are very useful compounds, but you should know when the best time is to use each one:

Enclomiphene is best for PCT use. It will recover and restore your suppressed testosterone levels back to normal range.
Aromasin can be used on cycle to prevent gyno and water retention if you’re using aromatizing steroids.

Using Aromasin for PCT is not recommended or useful – it can crash estradiol levels and cause considerable side effects.

Enclomiphene Side Effects in Men

The great thing about Enclomiphene is that most men see no concerning side effects when it’s used at the recommended dosages. At 12.5mg per day, you can typically use Enclomiphene with zero side effects.

Of course, each of us will respond in our own way to every drug, and Enclomiphene is no exception – but in general, I consider Enclomiphene to be a VERY side effect-friendly SERM, especially when we compare it to Clomid and even Nolvadex.

Decreased IGF-1

This is a common issue with SERMs, which will decrease your levels of circulating IGF-1. While concerning, it’s not thought to have an impact on muscle growth – especially as we will only usually be using Enclomiphene for a few weeks at a time.

Mood

While Enclomiphene won’t affect your emotions and mood as Clomid does, it can result in some mild roid-rage-like symptoms like increased aggression – and for some users, this will be a positive effect.

Breast sensitivity

Some Enclomiphene users have found puffiness or other similar early gyno symptoms developing. It’s difficult to pinpoint whether Enclomiphene is, in fact, the culprit. Still, in any case, this is certainly a short-term and temporary side effect that disappears once Enclomiphene is stopped.

Liver stress

While I’m unaware of any specific data on Enclomiphene’s effects on the liver, we can expect at least a small effect on liver enzymes like other SERMs. This is not likely to cause any problems, especially compared to the liver stress caused by many of the AAS we use.

Where to Buy Enclomiphene?

One of the downsides to Enclomiphene is that it’s not as cheap or as easy to find for sale as Clomid and Nolvadex. Without any medical approval, Enclomiphene is not yet manufactured pharmaceutically in any major country.

Pharma-grade is always the holy grail for ancillary compounds, but you’re likely going to find it a great challenge to find such a thing with Enclomiphene.

Availability of Enclomiphene

Enclomiphene is not as easily or widely available as the other more established and older SERMs like Clomid and Nolvadex. In fact, it can be very difficult to find legitimate Enclomiphene in tablet form. More easily found are research chemical versions of Enclomiphene. These are liquids that are taken by mouth.

A brand of Enclomiphene tablets sold pharmaceutically in India is EN-Clofert, which can be sought out online – but finding a supplier outside of India can be difficult. Also, keep in mind that in some countries, you can run into legal troubles trying to import pharmaceuticals without a prescription.

Most Enclomiphene users will look to buy it from research chemical companies, and the good news is that the best research chemical suppliers will have high-quality Enclomiphene – but you MUST do your due diligence to avoid bunk products.

Since Enclomiphene is popular among SARM users (for SERMs + SARMs cycles), many SARMs suppliers will have Enclomiphene in their inventory.

Is Enclomiphene Legal?

Enclomiphene has not been approved for medical pharmaceutical use. So, we can legally purchase it as a research chemical in liquid form (although some suppliers do sell capsules), and no prescription is required.

Getting a prescription for Enclomiphene is impossible, meaning it doesn’t sit inside the same laws as other prescription medications (including Clomid and Nolvadex).

You should also keep this in mind: Confusing Clomid (Clomiphene) and Enclomiphene is easily done, and some online suppliers may be misleading. Clomid is an approved prescription medication that requires a doctor’s prescription for legal purchase. It should not be confused with the similarly named Enclomiphene.

While neither of these drugs will see you in legal trouble for possessing, whichever path you go down to purchase your Enclomiphene Citrate, I can not stress enough to confirm that Enclomiphene is what you are getting and NOT a mislabelled Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid).

Typical Pricing

Most of us will be buying Enclomiphene in a liquid form through online research chemical labs (many of the same labs that sell SARMs as well as other ancillaries for steroid users).

While not as ideal as purchasing pharmaceutical-grade tablets, these are very difficult to come by in most countries, so research labs are often your only option.

The good news?

Research grade Enclomiphene is not ridiculously expensive. Yes, quality can differ considerably between different suppliers, and this will still be a much more expensive SERM than Nolvadex or Clomid.

I urge you to stick with the most reputable online research chemical labs because under-dosed or faked Enclomiphene is a real possibility. Any unexpected side effects will be a good indication that you’ve received a bunk product.

Liquid Enclomiphene from good research labs will typically come with a third-party verification certificate to verify its purity at 99.9%. A 12.5mg/ml can cost you nearly $100 for a 30ml bottle.

Final Thoughts

Enclomiphene is a fantastic SERM. In fact, I would call it the very best SERM we can use for PCT.

It is THE most effective SERM for restoring testosterone function and is also great for use alongside SARMs. It also reduces the incidence of side effects we often get with other SERMs.

The problem?

Finding legitimate Enclomiphene is not easy, nor is it cheap. This often leaves us going back to traditional Nolvadex and Clomid, which are much cheaper and easier to find.

But if you don’t mind research-lab Enclomiphene and have a good source AND you’re willing to pay the higher price, you too will very likely find that Enclomiphene soon becomes your favored PCT SERM.

Related:

— Furious Joe

Enclomiphene (Androxal) PCT 101: The Bodybuilder’s Guide