posted Sun, 11/30/2025 - 07:08
1130
Opinions on Hematocrit control
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I know a lot of people talk about blood donations to control hematocrit. I also find a lot of people against it. I can see how it can help but some people say that donating is a short term fix and in the long run could end up making hematocrit worse as your body kicks into overdrive making RBC. Now I’ll admit I’m not sure how true that is but I’d like to hear what everyone else is doing. Iv come across drugs such as rusfertide that is said to get hematocrit under 45-46 in 3-4 weeks.
Curious if anyone has used this drug (rusfertide) or if anyone had luck with any other drugs that can actually lower hematocrit or are we just donating on cycle.
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Just give the blood, you won't have an issue with it coming back with a vengeance. It just all depends on how much juice your taking. It's no different then taking and EPO like Procrit. Endurance athletes like bicyclist r getting busted with EPO all the time. Remember red blood cells are the things that transport oxygen from your lungs to all the tissues of your body for the production of cellular energy.... the more red blood cells=more oxygenated blood=more energy=better endurance. Well when u take testosterone and other anabolics you are just adding one more step than the bicyclists.. instead of taking straight EPO you are taking anabolics which stimulate the production of EPO which stimulates the production of red blood cells=more oxygenated blood=more energy=better endurance. So in theory the more red blood cells =a better athlete. The problem is that like with everything you can over do it. Bcuz too many red blood cells = thickening of the blood = sticky blood=clot=stroke= loss of movement in limbs, loss of speech,loss of understanding of launguage, death. So as u can see you Def do not want to sit back and do nothing about high hematocrit levels. And don't ever listen to someone who tells u that. To give u an idea.... most cardiologist think u will die and go crazy if u show up with a hematocrit above 48 or 49... I personally think that is a bit conservative and usually keep my hematocrit at about 51 or 52... which I believe is optimal... a significant more rbc count to give u a little edge but still within a non-death zone. BUTu need to b very aware of your fluid intake bcuse dehydration will also raise your hematocrit levels... sometimes in severe dehydration by 6 or 7 points or more... so think.... ur hematocrit is at 52....u decide to go out one night and get your freak on and down a bottle of grey goose and wake up the next morning feeling dogshit from the alcohol dehydrating u.. now taking your hematocrit from 52 real fast up to 60.. which is an extreme danger zone for a stroke... and just a good rule of thumb...everything you give blood it will drop your hematocrit by about 2 maybe 3 points. So if u r going to keep your hematocrit on the upper end make sure to always stay hydrated . Hope that helps
I’m in the camp of it’s a short term fix and your body will overcompensate by producing even more. So it’s best to find another way to mange it. But if donating keeps you in normal range and you don’t crash your ferratin then I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Some guys donate once or a few times and crash their ferratin and feel like crap for 6 months until levels normalize. So if that happens to you then you have to find another way.
When I got on TRT mine went up to like 53. Fasted cardio M-F and proper hydration brought it down to 46. Then I added 100mg of nandrolone ew for my joints and about 7 weeks after the labs that had me down to 46, 6 weeks on nandrolone I was back up to 50. RBCs went from 5.54 to 5.84 which is just out of normal range and hemoglobin went from 15.7-16.6. So that sucks. Nandrolone is used for treating anemia so I’m not all that surprised. I could run 5-6x that amount in my late 20s and maintain normal levels for all those bio markers. So im gonna have to add something to my program if i want to stay on it.
Daily injections brought mine from 58% to 53% compared to 2x a week.
I donate. Best thing for me has been trying to do the double red donations. Drops it in a hurry but they restrict your donations to every 16 weeks.
I do blood dumps at home, usually 6 weeks into a cycle and again about two weeks to a month after or pending bloodwork. This is usually enough to get me back in range.
I donate every 2-3 months. I feel better after donating. My hemocrit is usually around 14.7 when I donate. I'll take iron for a few days afterwards although I have ordered blood Test with ferritin this time around to really see where my iron and ferritin are.
You’re dumping a pint of blood at 14.7? Are you donating whole blood or just plasma or platelets?
My bad meant hemoglobin. Typing to fast.
Whole blond.
Bro 14.7 is borderline low, just as they won’t take it if too high, Red Cross won’t take it at 13.0 I wouldn’t keep doing that, but that’s just my suggestion.
I agree. my Hemogcrit hovers around 42-46. Maybe it's mental but I feel better after having it done. Maybe it's just in my head too
Lmao I read that quick and I’m like holy shit did this dude just saying his hematocrit was 14 lol. I’m like ya I think you donated enough bro
Yea typing to fast on my phone. Hiding in the basement away from my kids driving me insane about Christmas decorations. I'm about to have a mental explosion.
Here’s the thing, TRT or a steroid is going to raise your hematocrit and hemoglobin levels, it’s a given. Now where things become an issue is debatable, debatable to a degree. I obsess about my vitals more than I should, it’s a side product of my anxiety, but fortunately there’s a reality to all this. Being slightly over on certain tests is fine. I have a friend that a few years ago his physician wanted to put him on insulin with a glucose level of 110, he found a new doctor. Drs may suggest BP meds if you’re 125/82, that’s absolutely ridiculous. If your hematocrit is elevated, well you’re taking drugs. As long as it’s not an astronomical number and more importantly you’re not having symptoms, you’re fine. There’s so many variables such as hydration, the elevation you live, your diet, snoring or sleep apnea, etc… I’d gamble to say you have nothing to worry about.
Genuine real honest info. From actual experience trail and error. This is the info guys just starting out need to listen to. Not the Google/chatgpt regurgitators.
To many many people with little to no experience trying to give advice on what they think based off what they read an influencer said or just what they think people want to hear.
I just watched apocalypse now last night after years of not seeing it. I honestly think i was under 10 years old last i saw it with my grandfather. I thought the movie was sick. With all the bodies hanging and heads laying around. Then they hack up that bull or water Buffalo at the end. One swipe with that blade almost fully beheaded that thing. That's allot of tendon ligament bone and meat to blast through even with the weight of that and the force. Thing must've been sharp enough to give yourself a clean shave with. Lol. Pretty comical that out of the whole movie the bull getting killed at the end was most entertaining for me. Lol. One more thing the guy cutting it at the rear end got his blade stuck on the 2nd hit yanked it out and ask the shit came out everywhere. And he backed off. Lmao.
It’s kinda like the Scarface of war movies. Gritty, graphic, and pushes limits, especially for its time.
Yeah i had allot of nightmares about that movie.
I had no idea your pix was from it until i watched it i was like oh shit that's drex's profile pic .. lmao
I always wondered the name of the movie though, then something came up last night with Martin sheen coming out of water with the war passing on his face, at the end when he was going to hit Marlon brandou. Instantly remembered that's the fucking movie. And figured out what it was.
100% I agree im at 51 right now and even that’s considered low on test my doctor said 53-54 he’s ok with. Im more just curious for the people hitting that 56-60 range what the best way to go about it is. I donated once and I was fine after. I have a buddy who donated 3 times , all spaced out evenly thru the year. His iron tanked but he is a real small dude. I came across some meds that could be beneficial on a blast but haven’t found many people using them. They seem to have some really good results for patients tho from the research iv done
I used to donate a few times a year, my levels have never been extremely high, but I figured maybe my blood would help save a child’s life so it was a win win. I can say I always felt different after donating, not better or worse, just different. Maybe lighter in the head? Maybe my concentration was off a little? I definitely feel better when it’s on the higher side of normal, it’s carrying more oxygen when it’s like that. For your question of when that number hits 60, yeah it’s time to take action. What that action is would be how you feel. Headaches, breathing issues, dizziness, even a general feeling of being unwell would warrant a checkup. I’d start with hydration, and make sure your electrolytes are right so your body is actually absorbing the water. Now here’s where things get dicey, I could be mistaken but I don’t think Red Cross would even take blood with a level that high, you’d be a candidate for a prescribed therapeutic phlebotomy. Once you’re in the mid 50’s it’s best to back off of everything, increase water, reduce your red meat/iron intake, you know where I’m going with this.
I’m low considering but I do get a lot of headaches being in TRT and this isn’t new. Before TRT I’d run cycles and I’d get the headaches but I always chopped it up as abusing test. After years of doing that I’m finally on real TRT and same shit happened again. Almost daily headaches. Not bad ones just slight annoying ones. My doctor wants to try to lower my e2 even more just to see if I’m sensitive to it but I’m also thinking of trying to donate just one more time to see if it has change in the headaches. I also like to have the info for when I throw in other compounds. I think I might try to rbc donation this time as I was told by my DR that it actually is less aggressive with iron depletion .
I wouldn't donate again, it made me feel like shit and tanked my ferritin. I also run very high just on trt, 53 last time on blood with 200 a week. Added nattokinase haven run bloods yet. I do need to find something that works before I blast.
I have a buddy who did the same. You’re not the only one it happens to. He moved down to 160 and his hematocrit came back down significantly in a couple months. Then when he wanted to blast he did a RBC donation instead of whole blood 4 weeks into the blast and that kept him perfect and didn’t crash iron since the RBC doesn’t hammer it as much as regular whole blood donation. Hopefully this helps!
Then you have some underlining condition that you should get checked out by a doctor. Males should not have an iron problem. You can take some iron supplements before and after donation.
What are your ferritin levels and how often do you donate?
I only donate one time every few months. I eat red meat so I have plenty of iron and when my levels are elevated I go donate. I donated right after this blood test.
Ya bro I think you have the medical issue, do you have hemochromatosis? Your ferritin is ridiculous
LOL dude is Jcurt902 your boyfriend? Be honest are you both like 18 years old?
Nah you need to research it's fine, you need to know what gear affects what. With gear and diet that has iron foods in it, you get high ferritin especially if you're a male. Thus the reason for blood tests. After donating its back to normal. I know what I am doing, that's why I have blood tests to back my shit up. Why are you both so worried about your ferritin levels? Unless you have low levels to begin with, donating isn't going to kill you.
Donating only ! I don't know why, but my hematocrit doesn't increase between April and December. At other times, I have to have my blood drained 3-4 times.I think this is the best and fastest way. My blood pressure is normal and my heart feels good. After draining, I take magnesium and potassium. And iron by injection.
How many times a year do you do it so that you don’t crash iron? And are you doing whole blood or rbc donation? Lastly could I use iron supplements if i do crash it or does it need to be injectable ?
Ranger3252I’ve been donating blood since I’ve been 18 years old. Started to this method for hematocrit control Phlebotomy’s at 32 and have been doing that ever since. Have had zero issues with it whatsoever. Maybe iron and ferritin levels a little low at times.
So my hemat isn’t crazy high but I’m also not blasting I’m at 51. I’d assume when I uo the compounds it’s going to rise. How many times do you donate without crashing ferritin? Iv heard 2 times a year to be safe then others say 3-4 times. What’s your experience? And do you do whole blood donation or RBC donation?
Ranger3252If it’s not crazy high I would not worry about it. You start getting in the upper 50s is when I would start to react to the issue at hand.
Ya that’s what the dr said just doing some research on what you guys are doing on blasts for future reference. Appreciate the info I’ll prob end up going that route if it’s needed
Dude you have asked so many questions ever since you have been wanting to start gear. You need to go research or leave gear alone until you understand your body and what different gear does. You do not even really need to worry about hematocrit until you are at least 56 or higher. Males should have zero issues with iron even after donating if you have low iron then see your doctor. It's very easy to get your iron high because guys don't bleed like women. Take an iron supplement after donation or eat some red meat.
Bro the amount is misinformation your spew is fucking wild. First off u can keep saying the same thing all you want. I’ll keep asking questions that need to be asked. I have no issues running what I run. It’s about finding the best ways to do things what don’t you get? Some people donate others use meds. I’m not saying one’s worse or saying I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m simply asking what others do.
Second again for someone who “ knows it all” you say some dumb ass shit. It’s very common for people to donate blood and tank ferritin. Telling someone they have a problem because that happened is dumb it’s legit what happens. Some people rank it others don’t everyone’s different. If you donate 4 times a year- 6 times a year you most likely will tank your shit to. Again some won’t but many will.
LAST AN MOST IMPORTANT don’t tell people hematocrit is “fine” until you hit 56 . When you’re in TRT yes your numbers will rise and that’s normal but saying not to worry about it at 56 is wild. Maybe YOUR fine at 56 but no you shouldn’t just let it sit there and not worry about it. Hemaocrit fluctuates. How do you know that it doesn’t go past 56 during the month? You’re just gunna guess and say “it’s fine”? If anything you should probably stop using all anabolics and learn how to do things responsibly before you spew more bad info to people. Nothing wrong with optimizing your health while using anabolics.
Hey dipshit, have you ever worked with blood? Anyone can look up your stupid ass posts from the past you have no fucking clue what you are doing or anything. You sit here and ask questions about every fucking type of gear and claim you are going to use it but are worried.
It sure the hell is not "very common" for people to tank their ferritin after donating. In fact it's not even really mentioned as a risk in donating. If you keep tanking your ferritin you have some other problem. How fucking hard is it to take an iron supplement or eat properly if you have that issue? Donating blood is so risky because it tanks your ferritin, no dipshit it doesn't for most people. Women take iron supplements and are just fine in donating and they bleed all the time!!! A 56 hematocrit I guarantee a doctor would just tell you to go donate blood and not even give meds for it. You are so uneducated on this shit that it's pathetic.
17% body fat? I bet you are higher, you need to diet first before any gear. Keep posting stupid ass shit man, you are good at it.
I’m not worried about running anything I ask questions to see what others are doing. If you wanna be reckless and just go off what you “think” is right go for it. I can tell you for the amount of shit you talk your very fucking dumb. You telling people 56 hemat is nothing to worry about is fucking stupid. You saying that low iron with frequent donations is not common is fucking dumb. Do some fucking real research then come back and talk shit. You’re literally arguing about common sense shit which is crazy to me. It’s not even an intelligent argument on something that’s debatable. It’s common sense. Then you’re going to post your bloods with a 700 ferritin and say that’s normal. I’m not even going to argue with you because I feel like Iv lost brain cells.
Remember this for future reference. You don’t know everything and you never will. You learn more everyday. Instead of trying to be a prick try listening to people who have been doing this for years. Why do you think I ask those people.
Again you don’t have a fucking clue! Go work in a blood bank and tell me low iron is common sense I dare you, fucking idiot! Also that’s why I donate dumbass and do bloodwork when ferritin gets high with hematocrit because of gear use and other things you donate dumbass! Keep being dumb and try some herb to lower your hematocrit while you blast gear you know nothing about. Also how long have you been using gear? Not long I guarantee it. I bet I have a lot longer than you. I am done with your dumb ass posts. You will have two more up within a day or two. Next you will ask if Testosterone makes you stronger or some stupid shit.
Don’t sweat it Aggie. This guy only goes off of what google ai tells him.
That's exactly it and then in a few days or a week he will delete the entire post. He post stupid shit all the time.