Cholesterol, HDL Gone Bad!

[bass]

before TRT my cholesterol wasn't too bad, but after 7 weeks or so on TRT my cholesterol HDL went down significantly,

Before TRT, Lab Test
Total, 178
Trig, 80
HDL, 56
LDL, 106

After TRT, Home Test
Total, 198
Trig, 79
HDL, 33
LDL, 103

any advise as to how to elevate my good cholesterol (HDL)?

5 weeks on deca 50mg, var 50mg and test cyp 200mg
last two weeks only on test cyp 200mg per week and daily AI

[The Toad]

My bloodwork did almost the same thing last, except my triglycerides were way high (180's) and my total was even lower (160's). I cleaned up my diet and am hoping my next BW shows better. I am also hoping someone has some brilliant advice for you that I could follow as well.

[sirupate]

Fish oil capsules (omega 3' caps) can help elevate your HDL numbers. No more than 4 - 1gms. caps per day. Some have an "enteric" coating on them so you don't experience the fish oil burp syndrome. Some others have a lemon flavoring to mask the fishy odor when you burp. My doctor has me on Lovaza which is a prescription version of Omega 3 caps. Check out your local GNC-type store...they will have lots of this stuff for sale.

Jeff

[bass]

My bloodwork did almost the same thing last, except my triglycerides were way high (180's) and my total was even lower (160's). I cleaned up my diet and am hoping my next BW shows better. I am also hoping someone has some brilliant advice for you that I could follow as well.

please let me know your next blood work results, i like to know if its reversible.

[bass]

Fish oil capsules (omega 3' caps) can help elevate your HDL numbers. No more than 4 - 1gms. caps per day. Some have an "enteric" coating on them so you don't experience the fish oil burp syndrome. Some others have a lemon flavoring to mask the fishy odor when you burp. My doctor has me on Lovaza which is a prescription version of Omega 3 caps. Check out your local GNC-type store...they will have lots of this stuff for sale.

Jeff

Did it raise your HDL? and by how much?

[sirupate]

I've been taking Lovaza for a number of years and my HDL is now pretty high...but I'd have to search my records at home to see how much it was raised by the medicine. The Lovaza was prescribed to raise my HDL and my prescribed dose is 4-1 gm. capsules per day. Lovaza is just ultra-refined fish oil. Do some research on Omega 3 capsules and HDL. Too much Omega 3 can decrease your clotting ability to some extent. My doctor told me he had a patient that was taking about 23 capsules per day...she thought more would be better, but it was causing her some problems.

Jeff

[The Toad]

please let me know your next blood work results, i like to know if its reversible.

Will do, won't be for a month or so. I added fish oil when I cleaned up my diet, we'll see if it helps.

[flatscat]

Mine has gone DOWN from Very High 200's to 170.

[bass]

Mine has gone DOWN from Very High 200's to 170.

can you please explain? i am assuming that your total chol. and how did you get it to go down, diet/exercise or medication?

[Spartans09]

The var is the culprit. It is notorious for destroying hdl almost immediately. Deca in studies does not effect lipids much at all. Also, what AI are you taking? Liquidex and Letro are bad on lipids. Aromasin is much milder in comparison on lipids.
I would lay off the var and get tested again in 4-6 weeks. It should have bounced back by then.

[flatscat]

can you please explain? i am assuming that your total chol. and how did you get it to go down, diet/exercise or medication?

no meds, diet exercise and t, deca , hcg and ai - thats it. If I ever get on the var, I will monitor and report.

[Spartans09]

If you are worried about cholesterol stay away from;
Tren , var, winny, proviron , Liquidex, Letro just to name a few. I can't overstate enough the almost immediate impact they have on lipids. Hdl around 30 and below is very unhealthy and is doing damage. The closer to 60 and above and it is actually protecting against the build-up of plaque.

[bass]

thanks Spartans and Flats! just posted an update on my TRT thread regarding my visit to the endo! she absolutely rejected any oral steroids ! she didn't understand why they keep making them!

[BigBlackGuy]

The var is the culprit. It is notorious for destroying hdl almost immediately. Deca in studies does not effect lipids much at all. Also, what AI are you taking? Liquidex and Letro are bad on lipids. Aromasin is much milder in comparison on lipids.
I would lay off the var and get tested again in 4-6 weeks. It should have bounced back by then.

Pharmacokinetics and Dose Finding of a Potent Aromatase Inhibitor, Aromasin (Exemestane), in Young Males

Nelly Mauras, John Lima, Deval Patel, Annie Rini, Enrico di Salle, Ambrose Kwok and Barbara Lippe

Nemours Children’s Clinic and Research Programs (N.M., J.L., A.R.), Jacksonville, Florida 32207; and University of Florida Health Sciences Center (D.P.) and Amersham Pharmacia Biotech (E.d.S., A.K., B.L.), Peapack, New Jersey 07977


Suppression of estrogen, via estrogen receptor or aromatase blockade, is being investigated in the treatment of different conditions. Exemestane (Aromasin) is a potent and selective irreversible aromatase inhibitor. To characterize its suppression of estrogen and its pharmacokinetic (PK) properties in males, healthy eugonadal subjects (14–26 yr of age) were recruited. In a cross-over study, 12 were randomly assigned to 25 and 50 mg exemestane daily, orally, for 10 d with a 14-d washout period. Blood was withdrawn before and 24 h after the last dose of each treatment period. A PK study was performed (n = 10) using a 25-mg dose. Exemestane suppressed plasma estradiol comparably with either dose [25 mg, 38% (P 0.002); 50 mg, 32% (P 0.008)], with a reciprocal increase in testosterone concentrations (60% and 56%; P 0.003 for both). Plasma lipids and IGF-I concentrations were unaffected by treatment. The PK properties of the 25-mg dose showed the highest exemestane concentrations 1 h after administration, indicating rapid absorption. The terminal half-life was 8.9 h. Maximal estradiol suppression of 62 ± 14% was observed at 12 h. The drug was well tolerated. In conclusion, exemestane is a potent aromatase inhibitor in men and an alternative to the choice of available inhibitors. Long-term efficacy and safety will need further study.

Yah, Aromasin is great in place of other AIs.

[Redhawk]

Along w/ the Fish Oil or a Flax seed oil to get Omega-3's as others have suggested you could also supplement w/ Niacin and/or Magnesium. Versus buying more pills I switched my protein powder to a Hemp Protein which has Omega-3's and 6's and got Flax Seed powder to mix in.

O-6's are common in some foods (especially cooking oils), so too much can have the reverse effect as the 3's and 6's compete for the same "chains" in your system. It was advised to me to shoot for a 4:1 ratio of 6's to 3's.

I had the following numbers 14 weeks ago (just had tests done, waiting for results):
Total - 170
HDL - 49
Tri - 90
LDL - 103

I started taking Red Yeast Rice and CoQ10 to lower the Tri's and LDL w/o taking statins. Very impatient for results to see if any of it worked. Lipitor does not sound appealing at 32.

I've been on 14 weeks of Test Cyp 150mg/week. My doc had me watching Cholesterol as it was high, my family has genetic history of heart disease and she said Test can elevate Cholesterol.

[bass]

Along w/ the Fish Oil or a Flax seed oil to get Omega-3's as others have suggested you could also supplement w/ Niacin and/or Magnesium. Versus buying more pills I switched my protein powder to a Hemp Protein which has Omega-3's and 6's and got Flax Seed powder to mix in.

O-6's are common in some foods (especially cooking oils), so too much can have the reverse effect as the 3's and 6's compete for the same "chains" in your system. It was advised to me to shoot for a 4:1 ratio of 6's to 3's.

I had the following numbers 14 weeks ago (just had tests done, waiting for results):
Total - 170
HDL - 49
Tri - 90
LDL - 103

I started taking Red Yeast Rice and CoQ10 to lower the Tri's and LDL w/o taking statins. Very impatient for results to see if any of it worked. Lipitor does not sound appealing at 32.

I've been on 14 weeks of Test Cyp 150mg/week. My doc had me watching Cholesterol as it was high, my family has genetic history of heart disease and she said Test can elevate Cholesterol.

great info! please let me/us know your blood test results when they come in. Thanks!

[wecker]

before TRT my cholesterol wasn't too bad, but after 7 weeks or so on TRT my cholesterol HDL went down significantly,

Before TRT, Lab Test
Total, 178
Trig, 80
HDL, 56
LDL, 106

After TRT, Home Test
Total, 198
Trig, 79
HDL, 33
LDL, 103

any advise as to how to elevate my good cholesterol (HDL)?

5 weeks on deca 50mg, var 50mg and test cyp 200mg
last two weeks only on test cyp 200mg per week and daily AI

My HDL went from 44 to 53 when I stopped the var

Your daily AI could also cause bad lipid profiles.

Now I have added Molecular Nutrition Lipid Stabil

Reduced Cholesterol Absorption
Increased HDL (good) Cholesterol
Reduced LDL & Triglycerides
Reduced Plaque Formation
Reduced Homocysteine
An Overall Healthy Lipid Profile

[BeastintheSheets]

You crack me up bro. You act like you have no idea what caused this. For one, the VAR will always screw with lipids, especially on your 50mg/day steroid dose for 5 weeks. Two, TRT does lower good cholesterol. There's not much you can do about it. Also, your daily AI will do it if it is arimidex . No offense, but I think you should do some research before putting a bunch of drugs in your body unless you want more surprises. Unfortunately doctors don't warn about these things a lot of the time, so you have to be your own doctor.

[bass]

You crack me up bro. You act like you have no idea what caused this. For one, the VAR will always screw with lipids, especially on your 50mg/day steroid dose for 5 weeks. Two, TRT does lower good cholesterol. There's not much you can do about it. Also, your daily AI will do it if it is arimidex. No offense, but I think you should do some research before putting a bunch of drugs in your body unless you want more surprises. Unfortunately doctors don't warn about these things a lot of the time, so you have to be your own doctor.

what the fvck are you talking about dude?! read my post, i made it clear that TRT screwed my lipid panel! i am simply posting to see how others are dealing with it so i can follow their advise!

[BeastintheSheets]

Not much you can do. I'm just saying VAR will obliterate the lipids, as will a TRT dose of testosterone to a lesser extent.

[bass]

Cardio, Fiber, Toco-8, and Fish Oil are my recommendations for healthy cholesterol levels. I incorporate all 4 parts year round.

thanks!

[bass]

did a home blood test for HDL and it went up to 40! tomorrow I'll do all three teats (total, HDL, Trig) and see where I'm at!

[Spartans09]

It should bounce back with time and dropping the var. Get hdl to 60 and your in great shape.

[Atom66]

my hdl is 18! had been taking fish oil, but obviously not helping... now trying niacin... can only get a hold of tren ... any other suggestions besides stopping the only thing i can get ?

[Atom66]

my hdl is 18! had been taking fish oil, but obviously not helping... now trying niacin... can only get a hold of tren ... any other suggestions besides stopping the only thing i can get ?

[bass]

18 is very low! i been drinking green tea and milk thistle tea everyday, and lots of almonds 25 or so a day. not sure if they have anything to do with raising hdl but they are part of my therapy!

[bass]

UPDATE:

checked my cholesterol this morning,
Total, 138
HDL, 39
LDL, 82.4
Trig, 83

ratio is 3.53, not bad!