In this article, we’re going to talk about Ostarine Suppression. I’m going to share some more information about the suppression intensity by using Ostarine MK2866 and will try to describe how it feels. You can also find lots of more helpful information too as long as you want to give this popular SARM a try.
Ostarine MK-2866 is the most popular SARM out there, especially when talking about SARMs for beginners. That’s because it is one of the most researched and one of the mildest SARMs on the planet. Despite that, Ostarine suppression can still occur, that’s why it’s so important to learn as much as possible about this compound before actually using it.
You need to know about its positive traits in order to know what you can expect from an Ostarine cycle. But you also need to learn about its downsides in order to know how to deal with them in case they occur. And MK 2866 Ostarine suppression (natural testosterone production inhibition) is one of those downsides that you definitely should learn about.
A lot of people hear about Ostarine as a great compound for their physique and performance enhancement goals and they use it. But they find themselves unprepared for the suppression because they were not aware of it in the first place. Not expecting it would be a big mistake.
So, please read this article in order to learn what testosterone suppression on Ostarine (MK2866) feels like, and how intensive it can be. In the end, I’m going to share the best methods to deal with this drawback.
Why is Ostarine Suppressive? | How Does Suppression Occur?
Before we get to talk about the intensity of Ostarine suppression, you should know why it occurs in the first place.
Ostarine is suppressive to natural testosterone production because it binds to Androgen Receptors (ARs) enhancing their activity. This is how MK 2866 helps you burn fat and gain lean muscle tissue. But binding to those receptors, the body receives signals as if too much testosterone is produced. As a defense mechanism, in an attempt to lower too high testosterone levels (because too much testosterone can cause side effects), the body stops producing testosterone on its own.
- The good news is that the body restarts the normal production of testosterone after this SARM is out of your body.
It’s obvious that the more SARMs dosage, the higher the number of SARMs stack, and/or the longer the SARMs cycle – the more severe the suppression rate is.
Ostarine Suppression Intensity
- Another good news is that Ostarine (MK2866) suppression rate is usually mild to moderate in intensity.
That’s because this is a mild SARM in the first place. In most circumstances, the suppression rate from using an Ostarine cycle is actually mild and rarely moderate, never severe (unless you abuse it and/or stack with other much stronger SARMs).
However, considering that testosterone is an extremely important hormone both for physique/performance enhancement as well as for healthy living – you’re still going to feel the suppression. At least, most likely you would. That’s even if you are not among the most perceptive people.
As a matter of fact, everyone is going to suppress their testosterone level regardless of what you do, as soon as you start the Ostarine cycle. You start experiencing it without warning and there’s no way to avoid it. It gets more intense toward the end of the cycle, obviously. The longer you’re on a cycle – the higher the suppression rate.
How Does Ostarine Suppression Feel Like?
Because of the suppression, while you’re using Ostarine and after stopping the cycle, you can start feeling tired, lethargic, low sex drive, low motivation, low mood and even depression.
But considering that Ostarine suppression is mild, it settles mildly at the end of the cycle. It just starts growing in intensity as you continue to use it (and suppress yourself more).
Most people say that they don’t feel any nasty issues in terms of tiredness, motivation, mood, etc. unless you’re somewhat susceptible to any of these issues. Moreover, most people suggest that the first symptoms of suppression start at around week six of the cycle and it seems to get slowly but gradually worse until you stop the cycle, which is usually eight weeks. This is one of the reasons why SARMs cycles usually last no longer than eight weeks.
The symptoms go on after you stop because the body recovers the natural ability to produce normal amounts of testosterone, but not instantly. It requires some time.
That’s why you need to be prepared for Ostarine suppression while on cycle and you need to prepare Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) after the cycle ends too. A PCT plan helps you recover much faster and easier from testosterone suppression.
Read more about PCT for SARMs on our site.
How To Mitigate Ostarine Suppression?
As I said – there’s no way to avoid suppression from MK2866 Ostarine or any other SARM. It will occur regardless of what you do and it gets worse and worse the higher the dosage and/or the longer you use SARMs.
Also, as I said – in order to deal with this problem, you have to keep SARMs cycles short, never abuse SARMs, and prepare PCT for SARMs.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prevent testosterone suppression while using SARMs or any other anabolic and/or androgenic agents. This is why you need to mitigate Ostarine suppression with PCT protocols.
In order to deal with it the best possible way is to get blood work done both before and after your SARM cycle. The point is that you’re going to know which hormones were affected by Ostarine and in what measure. This way you’re going to get the best picture of how MK 2866 Ostarine affected you, how it works for you, and what you should do next.
Generally, there are two different ways to deal with Ostarine suppression: the serious method and the mild method, also known as the SERMs method or natural method. Usually, you can include the mild – natural method in the SERMs too.
Which one to choose, again, depends on how harsh Ostarine (MK2866) affected you.
Harsh Method with SERMs
I personally think that using SERMs after you had a cycle of Ostarine alone it’s a little bit of an overkill. That’s because, as I previously mentioned, MK-2866 Ostarine is not causing a really harsh testosterone suppression. Ostarine is a mild SARM in nature and so is going to be the suppression rate from it.
Being mild with mild suppression, you rarely need a harsh PCT plan method with SERMs. Nonetheless, do not assume that it is not possible. It depends on how exactly the Ostarine cycle affected you. It can be very different depending on how you react to it, dosage, cycle length, and other factors. Needless to mention that you may actually need a harsh PCT plan with SERMs if you stack Ostarine with other SARMs. That’s because the suppression is going to occur from all SARMs you use.
That’s why, in some instances, some people may find that even when using MK2866 Ostarine alone, they may still need a harsh PCT plan with SERMs. But do not follow this method unless you actually need it. Remember that SERMs like Nolvadex (tamoxifen) or Clomid (clomiphene) are capable of causing some side effects too. They can be very different, affecting people in different ways. Some side effects can be insomnia, depression, feeling emotional, weight gain, muscle pain, and others.
- For this exact reason, do not follow the harsher method unless you need it. Also, remember that you can run the harsher method in combination with the milder (natural) method that I’m going to share below.
Example
A PCT with SERMs usually involves a 3-4 weeks PCT with Nolvadex or Clomid, or both. Usually, you start at a higher dosage (Nolvadex 40 mg per day and/or Clomid 50 mg per day) and then gradually reduce the dosage toward the end of PCT as your body regains the ability to produce testosterone. It can reach 10-20 mg/day of Tamoxifen and/or 12.5-25 mg/day of Clomid.
Mild Method with Naturals
The problem with the natural (mild) PCT compounds is that they are far from doing the same job at helping you to recover the natural testosterone production as SERMs are doing. This is the exact reason why I always recommend everyone to have a PCT plan with SERMs ready, although they may not plan to use it. You never know when you might need to use it. That’s the reason why you do not see bodybuilders resorting to natural mild PCT – they do not deliver the same level of recovery as the PCT plans including actual PCT meds like SERMs as Nolvadex and Clomid.
On the other hand, however, natural PCT plans are much safer. While they are not as effective, they are not as harsh either, without chances of experiencing negative side effects.
- A natural PCT plan is mostly for those who are not experiencing harsh suppression if any. Usually, only people who are using mild compounds alone (like Ostarine) can get away with it. But when they stack multiple SARMs or use harsher SARMs, they rarely can get along with a milder natural PCT.
But remember that in whatever case, whenever you use a suppressive compound (even a mild one like Ostarine), you still need at least some form of PCT. Do not assume that you can skip PCT entirely and do nothing – leaving untreated testosterone suppression it’s not fun at all.
Example
A mild PCT with natural compounds also involves a 2-4 (or even longer) weeks PCT plan but it contains only natural compounds. There are companies producing products called “PCT” or “Natural PCT” or something similar. Usually, they have natural compounds that can help boost testosterone and low estrogen. That’s what you need during the PCT period.
There are various ingredients you can use such as Resveratrol and/or Chrysin and others for estrogen control as well as Fenugreek, Tribulus Terrestris, DHEA, Vitamin D, D-Aspartic Acid, DHEA, and others for natural testosterone boosting. Remember there can be others too such as Zinc, numerous other vitamins, and minerals as well as liver supportive compounds like NAC, Milk Thistle, and others to help you recover your liver too.
Conclusion
Now that you know everything needed about Ostarine suppression – you can go ahead and run an Ostarine cycle without any worries or fears.
Considering that this is a mild SARM, many people may think that it is unnecessary to run a PCT plan for Ostarine suppression. However, it’s much better to be safe than sorry. For this exact reason I still recommend you to have SERMs ready available, just in case, but go for the mild (natural) PCT plan.
You need to have SERMs available in case you notice that the natural PCT plan isn’t doing enough to help you recover natural testosterone levels. It’s very important to understand that SARMs testosterone suppression is not a joke! You need to take it seriously and that’s why you always need to have PCT nearby, even before starting the cycle. That’s because you never know when you may need to stop the cycle sooner and you may find yourself in a testosterone suppressed situation. Especially considering that in most cases, a natural PCT for SARMs is not actually a good idea and you may end up getting low T levels.
A natural PCT plan only sounds good (but then again, still have SERMs handy) for MK2866 because of the mild Ostarine suppression.
