Hematocrit of 55 for years.

So been stupid as a kid. Never really looked into blood work. But now that I'm 30 I'm trying to stay on top of it. Also a recent death in the family got me freaking out about cardiac issues.

Attached my blood work from May. On trt at 200 mgs at the time since then dropped it to 180mgs. Have not donated for a while and definately slacked. Thing is my rbc has been high for a number of years now.

Scheduled to donate already and made Dr appointments and new blood work. This stuff is keeping me up at night though. I keep worrying about it.

Bp is under control now. Just wanted to see if there's anything else I can do. I'm panicking over here thinking I'm going to have a heart attack or stroke and day.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

https://ibb.co/fCvcDyQ

https://ibb.co/BCgMHvv

I struggle with high Hct and Hgb as well. Due to some past cardiac issues and a genetic clotting disorder, I monitor my T, E2, and CBC fairly often. My advice is stay hydrated, donate as frequently as you can, but keep an eye on your ferritin levels. You don't want to tank your ferritin.

Maybe you know a phlebotomist or a phlebotomy student that can help you out when you are ineligible to donate?

Another option would be to consider lowering your dosage further

What was you Hct prior to any TRT or cycling? Mine was 52.8%, but naturally it increased when testosterone was added.

Try not to stress, it will only compound the issue. One bonus is your platelet count is towards the lower end of the range, that's a plus.

FWIW, it isn't something you can fix immediately. It will take time. A double red donation usually gets my Hct around 2-3% lower. That's checking 2 days post donation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by almostgone

FWIW, it isn't something you can fix immediately. It will take time. A double red donation usually gets my Hct around 2-3% lower. That's checking 2 days post donation.

---

Thanks boss appreciate the help. Overall I feel great. I get some heart palpitations here and there but have had that going on since I was a child. Still should prob get it looked at. Was around 48 before I started aas and now most recent was the 55.

Anything I should do in the mean time. Daily aspirin? Gonna cut out my caffeine in my pre-workout as well.

200 mg is too high imo. You realize that a lot, if not most people are prescribed 80-120 mg. Check your iron levels, I bet they’re high. Iron stores in your organs and brain and leads to issues in the long term. Only these sham TRT clinics seem to freely prescribe TRT upwards of 200 mg. Most endocrinologists and urologists who operate ethically and conscientiously would not go that high.

You can donate blood with the Red Cross in the meantime. Just don’t tell them you use steroids or needles. You answer anything wrong and you’ll never be able to donate there again. Aspirin could help with preventing clots, but it’s not a long term solution for you, I don’t think. Don’t be afraid to lower your dose, you won’t feel any worse and you’ll probably feel better and still look the same.

I know there are guys on here who do upwards of 200 mg for Trt and say the stay within range on their blood panels, but everyone is different. My cousin can eat double what I eat but looks like an Auschwitz camp survivor. Gotta do what works for you.

Yea last year recently lowered it to 180mg and havnt had bloods done to see where that put me. I think I'll lower it to 150 and get bloods done.

Just got over covid and lost some mass so was gonna bump up my cruise from 180 to 250 for a few weeks. You think I should cancel that and just lower my dose?

Mostly cruise now all year and just do one mini blast in the summer with mild compounds

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Test Monsterone

200 mg is too high imo. You realize that a lot, if not most people are prescribed 80-120 mg. Check your iron levels, I bet they’re high. Iron stores in your organs and brain and leads to issues in the long term. Only these sham TRT clinics seem to freely prescribe TRT upwards of 200 mg. Most endocrinologists and urologists who operate ethically and conscientiously would not go that high.

You can donate blood with the Red Cross in the meantime. Just don’t tell them you use steroids or needles. You answer anything wrong and you’ll never be able to donate there again. Aspirin could help with preventing clots, but it’s not a long term solution for you, I don’t think. Don’t be afraid to lower your dose, you won’t feel any worse and you’ll probably feel better and still look the same.

I know there are guys on here who do upwards of 200 mg for Trt and say the stay within range on their blood panels, but everyone is different. My cousin can eat double what I eat but looks like an Auschwitz camp survivor. Gotta do what works for you.

---

My prescribed TRT dose is 200 a week, puts me well within range numerically. My hematocrit never goes north of 44. My iron levels are borderline anemic. I say it at nausea but we are all sooo different. Can’t broad brush it.

Daily baby aspirin, hydration, cardio, donating and limiting caffeine are all good things regardless of your labs. You have to be your best advocate for your health and stay on top of your care, especially in this game. Just because you “look” healthy and fit doesn’t mean your insides are. Too many young bodybuilders in the ground that can attest to that.

No need to freak out or raise your stress levels worrying about giving yourself a stroke, your labs are far from terrifying. Quite smart to stay on top of it though. Godspeed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SampsonandDelilah

My prescribed TRT dose is 200 a week, puts me well within range numerically. My hematocrit never goes north of 44. My iron levels are borderline anemic. I say it at nausea but we are all sooo different. Can’t broad brush it.

Daily baby aspirin, hydration, cardio, donating and limiting caffeine are all good things regardless of your labs. You have to be your best advocate for your health and stay on top of your care, especially in this game. Just because you “look” healthy and fit doesn’t mean your insides are. Too many young bodybuilders in the ground that can attest to that.

No need to freak out or raise your stress levels worrying about giving yourself a stroke, your labs are far from terrifying. Quite smart to stay on top of it though. Godspeed

---

Thanks man. Definately going to stay more on top of donating regularly as well as cardio. Would you suggest lowering my dosage more?. Was going to bump it up to 250 to get back to where I was before I got covid but now second guessing it and thinking if I should just drop down even more.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bigbadwolf250

Thanks man. Definately going to stay more on top of donating regularly as well as cardio. Would you suggest lowering my dosage more?. Was going to bump it up to 250 to get back to where I was before I got covid but now second guessing it and thinking if I should just drop down even more.

---

Who’s to say? Go with how you feel and balance it with your lab reports. If you’re cruising around 2000 with 300 free test, you could probably dial it down. If you’re around 1100 (on 200) with a free test of 150 and feel great (me) I’d say you’re fine…

200 to me could produce far different results than others. Some dudes can get gyno at 200 and need a steady dose of an AI, again so tough to know…

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SampsonandDelilah

My prescribed TRT dose is 200 a week, puts me well within range numerically. My hematocrit never goes north of 44. My iron levels are borderline anemic. I say it at nausea but we are all sooo different. Can’t broad brush it.

Daily baby aspirin, hydration, cardio, donating and limiting caffeine are all good things regardless of your labs. You have to be your best advocate for your health and stay on top of your care, especially in this game. Just because you “look” healthy and fit doesn’t mean your insides are. Too many young bodybuilders in the ground that can attest to that.

No need to freak out or raise your stress levels worrying about giving yourself a stroke, your labs are far from terrifying. Quite smart to stay on top of it though. Godspeed

---

You are right… and lucky. You’re probably the exception to the rule. Ron Harris from MD sad he’s been doing 400 mg/week for years with no issues and he’s in his 50s. Most couldn’t cruise on 200, I think. I know I couldn’t. OP probably could lower his dose for a few months and donate to get back on track.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bigbadwolf250

Thanks man. Definately going to stay more on top of donating regularly as well as cardio. Would you suggest lowering my dosage more?. Was going to bump it up to 250 to get back to where I was before I got covid but now second guessing it and thinking if I should just drop down even more.

---

Try 125mg - 150mg/week until you get your hematocrit under control. You probably won't notice much of a difference in regards to how you feel.

Again your platelets are under midrange, which is a plus.
It will take a little while to get things back in range.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Test Monsterone

You are right… and lucky. You’re probably the exception to the rule. Ron Harris from MD sad he’s been doing 400 mg/week for years with no issues and he’s in his 50s. Most couldn’t cruise on 200, I think. I know I couldn’t. OP probably could lower his dose for a few months and donate to get back on track.

---

Thanks again man will drop down to 150 for a few months and donate and go from there. Should I continue my ai use. 180 to 200 mg of test I used 6.25 of aromasin 3 times per week and keeps my e2 at 29.

You'll need labwork to determine that. Possibly you will at least be able to lower your AI dosage.

HCT of 55?! Is that even possible?!

This is why I do blood donations every 4 months or so - keeps my hemoglobin at 16 flat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by < >

HCT of 55?! Is that even possible?!

This is why I do blood donations every 4 months or so - keeps my hemoglobin at 16 flat

---

Yes sir, I've been at 58% ( not on purpose). Couldn't hardly breathe.

Edit: I lay partial blame on having to wear the COVID PPE.

I have a friend who takes more than 600mg of testosterone for years, reaching up to 1000mg per week, on top of that he never had laboratory tests and never had bad sides with BP, problems with increased HCT etc....


I think some guys were born not to have too many side effects from steroids, it seems like some can be big and not have a bad influence on their health... It's like these guys were tougher than most!


You are perfectly sensible to be concerned about this my friend, your health is worth gold! And I'm sure I'd go crazy myself too with HCT at 54-55%, it's not uncommon to feel jittery, high BP before you even hit the 55% mark or more!

\°¬° /


This topic is immensely useful, as many have to be as sensible as you and monitor things more closely! We only live once, it doesn't pay to kill yourself! I see a lot of guys who use gram after gram of testosterone without having a blood checkup. Total madness! Total! It's a very dangerous thing. Leave it to the crazy ones, keep on monitoring your blood test!

I'm a guy completely preoccupied with killing himself in this world of Ped's, I started using steroids at 18. at dosages of 600mg of testosterone per week, and when I was younger I never seemed to have problems with high blood pressure etc. And things are more different because nowadays I try not to abuse high doses of steroids When I was 18 20 it seemed like I was much more resistant to the negative sides!

I only take AAS if it's done together with medical exams because if not I don't even get close to them! I'm not going to let narcissism and body dysmorphia kill me, drive me down a hole! I've always suffered from body dysmorphia, which is what made me go on steroids at such a young age. Today, I'm more mature, I know it was tremendously stupid!
¿¬¿

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by almostgone

Yes sir, I've been at 58% ( not on purpose). Couldn't hardly breathe.

Edit: I lay partial blame on having to wear the COVID PPE.

---

Almostgone!I would go crazy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by almostgone

Yes sir, I've been at 58% ( not on purpose). Couldn't hardly breathe.

Edit: I lay partial blame on having to wear the COVID PPE.

---

I’d barely be able to walk


Def - some guys are worse than others. My neighbor who’s in juice plain & simple refuses to donate. His #’s are running away - it just can’t turn out well

You’re not gonna die man, relax. Start watching your bw like you should. These guys know their shit about it. If you naturally high rbc plus trt you’re gonna have to donate 8 weeks or so. Just part of being on trt. Definitely watch your numbers you sound like you are on top of things now

In my experience I have found that micro dosing daily instead of once or twice a week greatly reduces my Hct. What injecting once a week(200MG) my Hct has frequently been low to mid 60s. Mostly because donating conveniently slipped my mind for a several months at a time, and let me tell you, when you go to donate, they freak out! A few years ago I decided to give daily pinning a try. I pin somewhere around 20mg to 25mg every day and the last few times I went to donate, I was in the upper 40 to low 50s range, and I too am at around 53Hct when completely off. Now, the only other delta since starting micro dosing is that I am taking 1000mg of Krill Oil. I might could quit the Krill now that I am injecting daily, but since it has other benefits, will probably just keep taking and lower to 500mg. Also, pinning daily and keeping the same Test dosage caused both my total and free test to jump quite a bit. I went from 900 to almost 1300 total and my free is up as well. Good luck man.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fossil

In my experience I have found that micro dosing daily instead of once or twice a week greatly reduces my Hct. What injecting once a week(200MG) my Hct has frequently been low to mid 60s. Mostly because donating conveniently slipped my mind for a several months at a time, and let me tell you, when you go to donate, they freak out! A few years ago I decided to give daily pinning a try. I pin somewhere around 20mg to 25mg every day and the last few times I went to donate, I was in the upper 40 to low 50s range, and I too am at around 53Hct when completely off. Now, the only other delta since starting micro dosing is that I am taking 1000mg of Krill Oil. I might could quit the Krill now that I am injecting daily, but since it has other benefits, will probably just keep taking and lower to 500mg. Also, pinning daily and keeping the same Test dosage caused both my total and free test to jump quite a bit. I went from 900 to almost 1300 total and my free is up as well. Good luck man.

---

Daily pinning seems like a huge PITA to me. I was already getting tired of pinning 4x a week (2 test/ 2 HCG). Now I’m doing test every 4th day and Hcg the day before. I can’t imagine pinning the same body part twice in one week.

Well, in my testing the every day pinning, I did switch from 23G/1" to 29G/1/2". I still think I am hitting muscle, shallow muscle. I rotate between outer delts, front delts, traps, and triceps. So 8 different sites and try to move to front/back of each so not hitting the same exact spot that often. I don't have much body fat and can easily see and feel the muscle heads in these sites. Believe me, looking at the diff between these two syringes made it a no brainer for me. Now I just use the 23G to backfill my 29G. I do believe because of the smaller doses per injection, I am having way less sides. I really hated going to give blood every month or so. Now, if my test numbers had dropped, I'd still be reaching around and sticking with my 23G. I have been on TRT for maybe 15 years or so and always under a Dr.s care. I get bloodwork done every 4 months and sometimes I order my own in between from Quest if I experiment with other stuff. Being older than most everyone here(64), and on TRT for life I decided to do some experimenting, I mean, what am I going to shut down???? Nothing! As long as I do said experimenting right after my quarterly blood work and still have about 2 months clean so my levels come back so I don't have any explaining to do to my doc!

What fossil said is on point. The more frequent pinning lessens the impact on everything. Metabolites (E and DHT) included.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SampsonandDelilah

Daily baby aspirin, hydration, cardio, donating and limiting caffeine

---

Lost me with limiting caffeine.......