Just Started TRT At 27 Years Old-- Questions

[GetUpandLift]

Hi everyone,

I had another thread up before I started on TRT so I figured I would start another thread now that I'm on TRT.

So I had a lot of tests done and could not pinpoint exactly what was causing my low testosterone at such a young age.. My specialist thinks that it is just how my body is. He thinks the signal from the pituitary gland to my testicles is messed up. Meaning that my brain sees my low testosterone number as "okay."

I have been feeling like crap for a few years and didn't know what it was from (low sex drive, hard to keep erections, poor sleep, frequent urination, no energy at all, wanted to sleep all day, severe anxiety and depression, etc.

All of my levels are within the normal range, except for my total testosterone. My free testosterone is just slightly above "normal."

Anyways though, my question pertains to red blood cells. So I was told by my doctor prior to starting on TRT that my Hematocrit and RBC are both on the high end of the range.

My Hematocrit is 50.3 on a 37-51.0 scale. My RBC is 5.49 on a 4.14-5.80 scale.

He stated that this red blood cell count would just keep going up through treatment and it would be our limiting factor for getting my levels up and feeling better. I'm only on 140mg of Test once per a week and 1000 IU of HCG once a week.

Is there any reason why my red blood cell count is so high pre-treatment? I looked up information online and the only thing I could find was certain cancers, being on steroids, sleep apnea, and dehydration.. The only thing on there that could fit me would be dehydration possibly since I took the tests in the morning right after waking up without having much water.

Also, is this dose for Test okay and what about the HCG dose? When is the best time to inject the HCG? My doc said 5 days after my injection anytime during the day. Is this right?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can post any of my recent lab work as well.

[ppwc1985]

Yes dehydration can cause that, it just happened to me last week and as soon as they gave me fluids and I started drinking a lot water the day after both came down. 140 mg is not bad, you may want to split that up to 70 mg every 3.5 days. Same with the Hcg, you may be able to drop that to 500iu ew but if Dr has you on 1000iu i would also split that. I load my Hcg in the same syringe as test. Load it first. A lot easy doing it that way. Once you go back for bloodwork you may also need an AI for estrogen, but that can only be known by your bloodwork.

[ppwc1985]

Those numbers will go up too so most guys on trt give blood every two months. In most cases that will keep it in check.

[GetUpandLift]

Yes dehydration can cause that, it just happened to me last week and as soon as they gave me fluids and I started drinking a lot water the day after both came down. 140 mg is not bad, you may want to split that up to 70 mg every 3.5 days. Same with the Hcg, you may be able to drop that to 500iu ew but if Dr has you on 1000iu i would also split that. I load my Hcg in the same syringe as test. Load it first. A lot easy doing it that way. Once you go back for bloodwork you may also need an AI for estrogen, but that can only be known by your bloodwork.

So when I go to get bloodwork should I drink a lot of water the day before or the day of? The last time I got the bloodwork done I just woke up a couple of hours before it and I think all I had was one protein shake and not much water.

I have to go into the Low T Center to get injected once a week on the same day so it has to be 140mg on the same day once a week.
I do the HCG at home so I should split that up to 500iu 2x a week? Why does it just say 1000iu 1x a week then? What day is the best day to do the HCG and is there a specific time? The same with Testosterone, is there a good time to do it? I typically do the Test on Wednesdays at 430PM and then do the HCG 5 days after the injection (the following Monday at night).

Any advice would be appreciated greatly, I am really concerned about my RBC.

Also, I know that creatine monohydrate that I take can dehydrate your body, which is why I typically drink a gallon of water a day (I'm 6'3" 225lbs). I wonder if that has anything to do with it as well.. Is it okay to take creatine while on TRT?

Those numbers will go up too so most guys on trt give blood every two months. In most cases that will keep it in check.

Which numbers will go up too? I give blood every 2 months I believe, but I am only on my 3 week of TRT and coming up on my second week of HCG.

[ppwc1985]

Your hematocrit will rise on trt, not in all cases but most. If you are already giving blood every two months and still have high levels than idk. Talk to your dr. When you inject test or Hcg you will get a spike in estrogen and splitting doses makes your blood levels stay more consistent. I know you don't want your hematocrit to get to high, that wouldn't be good. See what your levels are once you get tested.

[yeahbuddy289]

I think its the free test. that really matters not total so if that is on the high end I dont see how TRT will help you judging by everything I have read. Also, I believe sleep apnea can cause a high RBC.

[DudeHere]

Ditto on breaking up the 1000IU of HCG into 2 shots at 500IU per week. Typical protocol is 2 days preceding your T shot, and again 1 day preceding your T shot, 500IU each.

Regarding the hematocrit, look into the "double red blood cell" donation. They pull out 2 units worth of red blood cells in one shot, and return your whole blood (minus the red cells) back into you.

[KA24]

Definitely consider blood donation every 56 days. It's great for health overall but especially someone on HRTor running anything really.