High hematocrit and hemoglobin
I'm trying to figure out my cycle, and am just trying to learn about high hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. From what I'm reading, the only way to solve this issue is regularly letting blood?
I'm on TRT at 200mg/week. I'm looking at my charts past blood tests, and my hematocrit and hemoglobin are right around 50 and 17 respectively, when my free test was 157, 425, 616, and 1088 on 4 different tests, all more than 6 months apart.
My questions are these:
If my hematocrit and hemoglobin levels, aren't fluctuating much from around 50, when going from test levels of 157 to 1088, can I assume they probably won't go higher on a cycle too?
What are people doing to combat higher levels? All of the information I'm getting says to let blood, but I can't find any decent information that's not 10 years old. Is there anything new I'm missing?
What levels would be considered dangerous, and what side effects would be noticeable?
Are high levels common?
Are there any other questions I should be asking that you can think of?
I can't donate blood, and my wife wouldn't approve of a cycle, so can't just dump it either. (She's a nurse, and gives me my trt)
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You can donate plasma, or buy a kit from allegro and blood let yourself if you do your research “shrug”.
RustyhookerThose test numbers are all over the place. Might want to find out why first. Looks like self prescribing without a clue.
Check this thread out
https://www.eroids.com/forums/newbie-corner/various-topics/blood-donation
Thanks for this
The highest mine have ever been was about three months ago. Hematocrit was at 54 and I was still in range. Was borderline but still in range. That’s all the info I have, hope it helps
Were you on a cycle when it got that high? Trt? What compounds/dosages?
I was on 600 mgs of test E and 4 iu of HGh
I get my bloods once per year now. It's been 6 months, I may go and get tested before I start anything, I don't think it will raise any red flags if I ask to be tested every 6 months.
Is it common for someone like me starting at 50/17 to run a cycle and be totally fine? Or is the opposite more common?
For reference I'm 36, 217lbs, 6'2" 15-17% BF. Pre injuries, and when some of these tests were taken, I was 220 at 10-12%
You can pull your own CBC for cheap and have results in 24-48 hrs. Ulta labs or walk in labs
If I run a test only cycle, when should I get tested? What if I add EQ?
I wouldn't run eq tbh. Test before you start then again post cycle. If your RBC s are already high, I would dump before you start.
If you're concerned w/rbc count, eq probably isn't the best idea. It can elevate rbc levels considerably.
If you’re in a rush for something go ahead and gamble. EQ can make your hematocrit levels rise but I that’s a variability you’ll find for yourself. A long ester investment like EQ might make for a higher risk profile if hematocrit spikes. Mind you, those two numbers tell a tale, not so much the cause of that tale nor its pathological non-pathological genesis. I’ll answer in an overall reply with my thoughts because I have the same resting state numbers, more or less your age and stats, too, but my wife doesn’t wear the pants;) jk bro. It’s good she’s looking out for you; I’d point out if she has no firm idea about your situation and why CBC is important for you here then point out her fears may be well founded but strongly disproportionate to the imagined hazard and poorly linked to the factors that would actually affect your health, better kr worse, and that you appreciate her low risk tolerance without her medical authority having supplied even her a mechanism why you can’t do anything but supervised TRT, then with respect she is just nervous but not helpful. Tell her hematocrit is lowered by nightly BJ’s lol.
Lol thanks for this. She just doesn't want anything bad to happen to me, and yes her risk tolerance is extremely low haha. She already handles libido whenever I need it, so that base is already covered!
I don't mind going to get tested privately, that won't raise any red flags for her, since I get tested regularly anyways.
I need to find out when to get tested, how to use AI based on my testing, and when to follow up and adjust AI again.
I'm probably going to do a test only cycle. Just need to figure out a few more things before I get started. I've also been crushing it in the gym lately so I'm gonna let that ride for a while.
I hear ya man. That’s a good woman and I kid around only when someone has something going on in life, never kick a man down and out or make fun of someone who isn’t doing well in some way. So glad you could take that humor. Here’s my thoughts others have mostly covered. Sorry, never hit send yesterday but I spent a while writing this so damn it here you are! ;)
The range for hematocrit was raised recently for some labs, but it’s a more rare value in that it’s open to some interpretation given other lab values and clinical situation, so many times it won’t be flagged even if at 55, though I’d be extremely firm with your doc if they don’t talk at length with you if it is that high. You’re consistent, so that’s good. Most guys won’t break 48/49 without TRT or AAS.
You could have boosted levels if you’re a freak endurance athlete, smoke, or more likely have some chronic low level dehydration (but this last cause would increase hematocrit without affecting hemoglobin values).
Be sure to get a full CBC because hemo and hema don’t tell the whole story. Hemo is basically a blood protein that picks up oxygen and shuttles back and forth among tissues and organs. Hematocrit is the percentage of red blood cells with oxygen, maybe or may not indicating corresponding hemoglobin. You seem fine in their relative values. Here’s some other considerations:
-test Ferritin
-test Mean Corpusal Volume (MCVh
-test Mean corpusal Hemoglobin (MCH)
-total iron binding capacity
-copper
-thyroid
-possibly look to white blood cells and C-reactive protein, ERP rate, etc., just to check for signs of inflammation or infection.
Again, hematocrit is the funny value because I can remember not that long ago being told my levels were alarming when they were just reaching 49.5 or 50%, and I was doing a lot of endurance training not even an altitude, but was otherwise healthy and had no other indications of abnormal hematology. that doctor insisted that 48 give or take .5 for Hemato crit percentage red blood cell test is the absolute maximum. He want to see his male patients at my age at 28 at the time. Recently I didn’t get flagged hitting 54% maybe even 54.5 I’d have to look back at my test results but I also had about a 17 with hemoglobin which has remained constant over the years for me. Sometimes with AAS hematocrit can go a bit high, but this is not necessarily a bad thing and doesn’t indicate disease more pathological states it could just be something to keep an ion and really depends on the entire picture of all your labs and the clinical presentations that you might be bringing to your doctor to complain about such as malaise, fatigue, bleeding, bruising, red spots, and general pallor, even jaundice like symptoms - there’s so much that can affect RBC values. Most of the scary stuff you would probably have known by now, or inherited and been dealing with; but in terms of your health now, if it’s continuing to rise do raise your concern with the doc. They’ll probably not have an opinion without overall lab panels and what you come in telling them about what you’re feeling and any symptoms. For your proposed cycle, stay away from EQ, Anavar, most orals, really. Look out for short term risks of blood hyper-viscosity, but risking high hemato for a couple months absent other clinical symptoms kicking in isn’t a irreversible harm, if it’s a harm at all (it may be a risk of harm, but that’s already one you’ve taken on as possible from the TRT itself so just adjust the magnitude accordingly if you add another AAS). There is the option of donating blood or just having it drained once or twice to buffer any cycle hemato hyper inflated values and then jump off cycle and monitor for return to baseline. I’m of the opinion if you’re healthy and liver and kidneys are fine, a few AAS induced high hematocrit periods in a lifetime is something you could do here and therefore a few months, relatively safely. If you give blood make sure to monitor iron for excessive loss as well as ferritin for the inappropriate storage and inaccessibility of iron because it will accumulate and you can kiss your kidneys goodbye.
I wouldn’t really sweat it. You should refer back to your pre-TRT labs, or any lab as recent as possible before you started that dose of TRT. Try more frequent injections with a shorter ester or spaced through the weak at lower doses. And drink sufficient water.
If it’s not trending upwards, and especially not causing it deviation from the proportion of hemoglobin to hematocrit that you might see on a non-TRT test then you’re not entering any different state than you were per se, but just keep up the cardio don’t drink don’t smoke and keep your water and electrolytes flowing. Avoid puncturing veins, or bleeding out and necessarily just because even a small amount of damage red blood cells from men I am administration that it’s your next blood vessel could make your tests appear that there’s some hemolysis present, and it could interfere with some of the lab values
The last thing is that there’s a lot of tech hour, especially with counting platelets, and that’s what I said so be mindful of that what the absolute value send lattice is done by skilled technicians or computerized, mechanical apparatus.
Wow man thanks for all of this! I am intolerant to alcohol, so I don't drink at all. I drink 1.5-2 gallons of water per day mixed with 2-4 scoops of xtend bcaa, so I don't think I've ever been dehydrated. I don't smoke, but vape thc. Not sure if that has any effect on anything.
I'm a pretty healthy guy, always have been. I'll start with a test only cycle and grab some private labs to check everything.
Just need to find out timing and frequency of labs for this.
There's only one way to find out. Ask RustyHooker.
If your wife's a nurse you can have her do it.
Don't over donate either cause it will cause low ferritin. Stay hydrated and even and electrolytes. More frequent dosing and lowering dosage on trt not cycling helps bring it down. Also look into nattokinase and ip6 to help lower it.
She doesn't know I'm doing a cycle. No way she would allow it or help at all lol
If your hema, and hemo are 50 and 17, that's normal range nothing to worry about. Once you get past 55+ and 19+ then it's recommended to donate.
To put this in perspective there are people that live at high elevations causing close to 59 and 22 and live normal lives into old age.
That’s wild. I’m blown away by that, but by definition of the standard deviations here that’s gotta be the case. It’s not normal, but they’re normal and healthy for them. I wonder if they have higher IQ and better boners late in life with all that oxygen floating to the organs and tissues? Actually, I don’t want to know and don’t care.
Regular blood tests are indeed essential to monitor and manage high haematocrit and haemoglobin levels. Although your levels have remained around 50 with varying testosterone levels, it doesn't guarantee they won't go higher in a cycle. Anabolic steroid use can still increase them further, so monitoring is crucial.
To address elevated levels, blood donation remains a common practice. It helps reduce excessive red blood cells and lowers haematocrit and haemoglobin levels. While newer information may not be readily available, donating blood remains an effective solution.
Dangerous levels vary individually, but generally, a haematocrit above 54% and haemoglobin above 18 g/dL can be concerning. Potential side effects may include increased blood viscosity, cardiovascular strain, and higher risk of blood clots.
High haematocrit and haemoglobin levels are relatively common among bodybuilders who engage in anabolic steroid use. It's important to manage them carefully to minimize potential health risks.
Consider asking your healthcare provider about the frequency of blood tests, optimal testosterone dosage, potential alternative treatments, and any other specific concerns you may have regarding your overall health and performance. Regular communication with a medical professional is crucial in managing your well-being effectively.
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...but, consult your doctor before making any changes.
Get your sourcing bullshit out of here.
I missed it. To clarify, aren’t web links allowed if they are not sourcing and basically just serve as references/credibility to back up what you just put in your own words and relied on (to avoid copyright issues)? Can’t imagine he just slapped a source link that wasn’t just some article or guideline that backs his summary on the accepted cutoffs and lab values. To be sure he didn’t say “I’m interpreting this link in my own words” but I would laugh my ass if he just said all that and sourced to some company or copyright protected merchantable content! I guess we see that shit all the time, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t fit the rule for posting links you just summarized, but if not I think it’s allowed (or unnecessary and can go to “news” per the forum rules). Good catch, maybe too good?
You went to an AAS source and not a medical or government link. This site would be littered with "infomercial", PSA, type of posts all trying to promote different sources and the gear they sell.
NOTHING is 100% credible if it is posted on a source's website as sales material. More often than not, it'll be charry picked data to promote the product. It is not a non-biased source for information... and, it makes you look like a shill.
Oh, I didn’t link. I commented above but was puzzled what the F- up was as the guy seemed aware and helpful until that point. Roger that as to the clarification. I hear you on the linking. The entire internet is an advertisement for something these days…Sounds like a job well done!
. I stay the F away from linking anything because:
1) I know my conclusion but it’s up to others to decide upon theirs, and it might just be better informed than I am; and:
2) I seek information when it’s personal to me and don’t know other people’s situations, past that, so I can only speculate and I’m not anyone’s research assistant. Do your own discovery if you want links. And if you want links go to a forum somewhere else that wants you to post them. It’s not what this place is about.
Thanks for clarifying. Again, it wasn’t me linking, but I did want to understand.
Right on. I hear you and see the face plant here. Gonna back out of this one as it’s buried. Good man. Be well. Thanks bud.