Aromasin (Exemestane) Dosage

While Arimidex is more commonly known among anabolic steroid users as an aromatase inhibitor, Aromasin tends to be considered a superior aromatase inhibitor due to its properties and effectiveness.

Unfortunately, aromasin is not as well known, and about 1 in 6 anabolic steroid users tend to choose Arimidex over aromasin as an aromatase inhibitor.

This is due to two reasons, the first being that, as mentioned earlier, the first aromatase inhibitor to hit the anabolic steroid use community was Arimidex, so it is not as well known (and aromasin (Exemestane) was overlooked as a result), and the second being that aromasin tends to be more expensive than Arimidex.

That said, aromasin doses aimed at estrogen control during a cycle have proven to be much more effective than Arimidex, both in terms of its ability to act as a suicide inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme and the fact that it is much better suited to the purpose of restoring endogenous testosterone and HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis) during PCT, which we will discuss in detail in this section shortly.

First, it is important to understand that Aromasin is a very effective and potent aromatase inhibitor, which means that it has a very wide range of applications in terms of estrogen regulation.

As an aromatase inhibitor, Aromasin has the ability to literally control all of the potential estrogenic side effects that anabolic steroid users are trying to avoid or eliminate.

The standard protocol (or general rule) for the use of all aromatase inhibitors should be the following

Avoid the use of aromatase inhibitors unless absolutely necessary. If you must use an aromatase inhibitor, use it only when absolutely necessary and use the lowest dose possible, with the goal of controlling estrogen, not eliminating it.

This is very important and should be kept in mind by all readers considering the use of aromatase inhibitors.

Importantly, aromatase inhibitors, whether the three main AIs (Arimidex, Aromasin, and Retro) or any of the others, can have negative effects on the body if used when they are not needed or if too high a dose of Aromasin is used.

The goal of an aromatase inhibitor should be to regulate estrogen, not to eliminate it completely.

The definition of estrogen regulation is to maintain normal physiologic levels of estrogen, not a complete reduction of estrogen.

Complete reduction of estrogen can and does have harmful effects on the body.

This will be discussed in more detail in the side effects portion of this profile, but in general, these compounds (aromatase inhibitors) can be described as depriving the body of a very important hormone (estrogen) that is important for a variety of essential bodily functions at normal physiological levels.

Medical Aromasin Dosage

In the medical community, aromasin (Exemestane) is approved by the FDA as an adjuvant treatment for postmenopausal women with breast cancer who have failed first-line treatments (such as Nolvadex).

The standard protocol in healthcare organizations is to start patients on Aromasin about two to three years after Nolvadex has failed.

At that point, Nolvadex should be stopped and aromasin (Exemestane) should be started, which is a combination of Nolvadex and aromasin for a prescribed five-year period.

The prescribed dose of Aromasin for the aforementioned breast cancer treatment is a single 25 mg dose daily (prescribing instructions recommend that the Aromasin dose be administered after meals).

Aromasin Dosage During Anabolic Steroid Use

Like most/all ancillary compounds, Aromasin cannot be categorized into 3 tiers of users (beginner, intermediate, advanced) as is commonly described and listed in the common profiles of other compounds and drugs.

This is because Aromasin is not used specifically for performance enhancement purposes, but rather as an ancillary drug used to prevent or mitigate various estrogen-related side effects when using aromatizing anabolic steroids.

Aromasin has many uses beyond its estrogen blocking capabilities, and while its estrogen blocking capabilities are a step above the other major aromatase inhibitors, it also has the ability to increase testosterone levels. We will cover this in more detail in the upcoming post cycle therapy (PCT) use of aromasin.

Purpose of estrogen control during a cycle: It is well known that aromasin is very effective at lowering total estrogen levels through inhibition of the aromatase enzyme.

However, the amount of aromasin required and the frequency of its use is largely dependent on the dose of aromatizable anabolic steroid used, the individual's sensitivity to aromatase inhibitors, and the rate of aromatization of the anabolic steroid used.

Therefore, a typical aromasin dosage is 12.5 to 1 mg per day.

As with all aromatase inhibitors, there is always room for adjustment regarding the user's experience with a particular Aromasin dosage and frequency of administration.

Adjustments are often necessary when using strong and very potent aromatase inhibitors like Aromasin.

Aromasin at a dose of 12.5mg every other day is sufficient for estrogen control, which is a commonly used dose in the anabolic steroid using community.

Again, dose adjustment is a normal part of using an aromatase inhibitor.

It should always be kept in mind that the use of aromatase inhibitors is for the purpose of estrogen control to restore circulating estrogen levels to normal physiological levels that have been increased due to aromatization.

Completely reducing or eliminating estrogen levels can have negative effects on the body.

Female Aromasin Dosage

Female anabolic steroid users rarely have to worry about elevated estrogen levels, but competitive bodybuilders who need to eliminate estrogen-related water retention that causes unwanted bloating may need to use an aromatase inhibitor such as Aromasin (Exemestane).

It is important to remember that medically, Aromasin is only approved for use in postmenopausal women, whose hormone levels are very different from premenopausal women.

Medical data shows that aromatase inhibitors are much more effective in women than in men (depending on the aromatase inhibitor used), so a dose of 12.5 mg of aromasin every other day or every other day is sufficient, and in fact, it is often too high a dose and you may need to reduce the dose or reduce the number of doses.

Aromasin dosage for increasing endogenous testosterone secretion and post cycle therapy (PCT)

Studies have shown that aromasin can increase testosterone levels in men.

In one study, 12 healthy young male subjects were randomized to receive 25 mg and 50 mg of aromasin for 10 days, and a significant (38%) suppression of estrogen was observed, as well as a 60% increase in testosterone levels in the subjects.[1][2] In addition to the significant suppression of estrogen, a 60% increase in testosterone levels was observed.

Increasing endogenous testosterone production in men by 60% is not the only major benefit of aromasin.

Aromasin also has the added benefit of being better than all other aromatase inhibitors at restoring testosterone during HPTA and PCT, making it essentially the 'king' aromatase inhibitor.

Stimulation of endogenous testosterone secretion is a common feature of all aromatase inhibitors, which stems from the fact that excess estrogen causes a negative feedback loop reaction of HPTA to initiate testosterone suppression.

In addition to significantly increasing endogenous testosterone production, Aromasin has several advantages and effects over other aromatase inhibitors that do not exhibit this effect.

For example, a common trait of all aromatase inhibitors is that they have the unfortunate effect of changing cholesterol levels in a very negative way (“good” HDL cholesterol decreases and “bad” LDL cholesterol increases).

This is mostly due to a decrease in estrogen levels and the action of the aromatase inhibitors themselves.

Aromasin has been shown in several studies to have a much smaller effect on cholesterol levels than other aromatase inhibitors, with one particular study in cancer patients showing that 24 weeks of aromasin (Exemestane) administration had no effect on cholesterol levels [2].

Some of the same studies mentioned also showed no effect on cholesterol levels from aromasin use [1].

However, some other studies have shown changes in cholesterol levels from aromasin administration, but not as significant or negative as other aromatase inhibitors [3].

In addition to not having a negative effect on cholesterol levels, the same study also found that aromasin was associated with increased endogenous testosterone production, which is rare among aromatase inhibitors, and also had no effect on serum IGF-1 levels.

At worst, it may slightly lower IGF-1 levels, which is a significant difference from all other aromatase inhibitors, and aromasin has also been found to lower the concentration of IGF-1 binding protein-3 (a protein that binds to and inhibits IGF-1)1.

Since IGF-1 is so important for muscle gain, this is great information for anabolic steroid-using athletes who want to recover efficiently and quickly during the PCT week after the end of a cycle.

But the benefits of aromasin don't stop there.

There is one problem with adding the other two aromatase inhibitors (Arimidex and Letrozole), and that is the use of SERMs like Nolvadex and Clomid, which are known to be absolutely essential components of a PCT program.

The problem here is that Arimidex and Nolvadex directly cancel each other out.

One study showed that when Arimidex and Nolvadex are used together, Nolvadex reduces the plasma concentration of Arimidex (and Letrozole, another commonly used aromatase inhibitor) [4].

The bottom line is that combining Nolvadex with Arimidex or Letrozole is a very bad idea and can be counterproductive when used together in a PCT protocol.

Aromasin, unlike the other two aromatase inhibitors mentioned above, has been proven to have no interaction with nolvadex at all, so you can avoid this issue entirely.

In one study, aromasin showed no decrease in effectiveness and no decrease in plasma levels when used in combination with Nolvadex [5].

Nolvadex is also well known to lower plasma levels of IGF-1 during use [6].

This may suggest that aromasin may help to keep IGF-1 levels stable, or at least not exacerbate the IGF-1 effects of Nolvadex any further.

Therefore, based on all of the information gathered, Aromasin and Nolvadex are very complementary when used together in PCT, making Aromasin the best aromatase inhibitor not only for general use, but also for HPTA recovery during PCT (or any other time).

A sufficient dose of Aromasin for HPTA recovery during PCT is 25 mg daily for no more than two weeks, while Nolvadex is used at 20 to 40 mg daily for a total of four weeks.

Proper dosing and timing of aromasin doses

There are no special considerations when dosing aromasin, and it can be taken at any time of day (morning, evening, before, during, or after meals). Prescribing instructions and pharmacy information suggest that taking it with or after a meal (preferably a fatty meal) may increase the absorption and bioavailability of aromasin.

One important thing to keep in mind when taking aromasin is that it takes a week (7 days) for plasma concentrations of aromasin to reach optimal peak levels, but the half-life is about 27 hours[7].

Expected effects and consequences of taking aromasin

Aromasin can significantly reduce estrogen levels in some individuals, and users of Aromasin (Exemestane) should be careful not to let their estrogen levels drop too low to be considered healthy.

Decreased estrogen levels can cause the physique to appear harder and more 'ripped' due to the loss of water retention provided by estrogen. This results in little to no subcutaneous water, making muscles appear more prominent.

One exception to the problem of completely eliminating estrogen is in the case of competitive bodybuilders who need to almost completely eliminate water retention on competition days.

In these situations, aromatase inhibitors such as aromasin can be used in high doses only a few days before a competition for the aforementioned physique changes.

The almost total reduction of estrogen should not be maintained for more than 48 hours for health reasons.

Clinical evidence suggests that those who wish to restore normal HPTA function after discontinuing anabolic steroids will find Aromasin very promising in this area.

It is important to note that the use of aromasin alone for this purpose is not ideal and should be used in conjunction with a SERM (e.g. Nolvadex) and HCG).

Medical references.

[1] Pharmacokinetics and dose finding of aromasin (Exemestane), a potent aromatase inhibitor, in young men. Mauras N, Lima J, Patel D, Rini A, Di Salle E, Kwok A, Lippe B. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):5951-6.

[2] No adverse effects on serum lipids of aromasin [Exemestane(E)], an irreversible aromatase inactivator, in the first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC): a companion study to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (Breast Group) trial, conducted in collaboration with Pharmacia Upjohn. Lohrisch C., Paridaens R., Dirix L. Y., Beex M., Nooij M., Cameron D. Proc. Am. Soc. Clin. Oncology, 20: 43a 2001.

[3] Plasma changes in breast cancer patients during endocrine therapy: lipid measurements and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Engan T., Krane J., Johannessen D. C., Kvinnsland S. Breast Cancer Ther, 36: 287-297, 1995.

[4] Comparative clinical pharmacology and pharmacokinetic interactions of aromatase inhibitors. Boeddinghaus IM, Dowsett M. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2001 Dec;79(1-5):85-91.

[5] Inhibitory effect of combined treatment with the aromatase inhibitor exemestane and tamoxifen on DMBA-induced mammary tumors in rats. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1993 Mar;44(4-6):677-80, Zaccheo T, Giudici D, Di Salle E.

[6] Tamoxifen reduces serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Michael N. Pollack MD, Hunger Huynh PhD, Susan Pratt Lefebvre BSc. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 1992, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 91-100.

[7] Pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of a new generation of aromatase inhibitors. Buzdar AU. 2003 Jan;9(1 Pt 2):468S-72S.