Hey, been lifting for close to 2 years now but got real into it in the past year or so. I've never ran a cycle and honestly I don't plan to until I know all I can. I still consider myself a real beginner learning more every week.
My question: I've read the sticky "your first cycle" countless times and I understand that an oral only cycle is not recommended but it is recommended to take an oral with injection. Now with running an oral for 4 weeks wouldn't that put a strain on your liver and is there something else you need to take for that? I understand tamoxifen,clomid and an ai like anastrozole being mentioned in the sticky. But is there something else or is 4 weeks not long enough to cause enough liver damage?
Also, injecting test e pretty much bypasses your liver right? I've never injected anything in my life and really don't like the idea of it but I'll be honest its been getting the best of my curiosity for some time now.
You could opt out of using an oral if you decided to use a shorter ester (fast acting) of Testosterone. You see, first cycles are usually done with a long ester Testosterone so you only have to inject once a week. But it takes a few weeks for the Testosterone to kick in so people use an oral the first few weeks to get something out of that time. With a short ester, you would find yourself injecting Testosterone everyday or every other day but it would kick in days instead of weeks so there wouldn't be any wasted time.
If your worried about liver strain when taking an oral be sure to drink plenty of water. Try to get a gallon in a day, or close to it. Basically try to keep your urine as clear as possible, that means you are properly hydrated. Also take Milk Thistle and TUDCA. Both are very good for liver health. They prevent inflammation and keep the bile ducts flowing. Also do not drink alcohol, that's an invitation for liver damage when using oral steroids. It can also be an invitation for stupid behavior on steroids. Androgens and booze don't mix, trust me.
As far as oral steroids go, some are more toxic than others. The ones that are the least toxic and least likely to give you any problems are Dianabol, Epistane, Halodrol, Dymethazine, and Turnibol. Turnibol is a very gentle oral in terms of sides and toxicity yet will give you very nice lean gains and little bloat. It's more expensive than Dianabol but it's worth it. As long as you use a reasonable dosage when it comes to orals and don't abuse them, you have nothing to worry about. I have used some very nasty orals myself such as Superdrol, Methyl-1-Testosterone, and Methyldienolone which is Methyltrienolones (one of THE most toxic steroids) little cousin and my liver is fine.
Injecting doesn't bypass the liver. Whatever gets into your blood stream is going tho go through the liver. Think of injectable steroids as putting ice in a grinder; It breaks up over time with little to no difficulty. Now thick of oral steroids as little rocks. It's going to break up, but it's going to take time and put strain on the grinder. There has never been a case of someone having liver problems from injectable steroids. The only injectable steroids that will cause problems are oral steroids suspended in oil for injection. You could run Test E from now until the day you die alongside Equipoise and NPP and you won't have no liver problems.
There is nothing dirty about injecting steroids. It's not like injecting street drugs. You aren't injecting directly into the bloodstream. You are injecting into the muscle, where the steroid suspended in oil will steadily absorb into the surrounding tissue and then into the bloodstream.