my hemo on 250mg week

[paulyw]

Hey guys, I'm from uk and haven't cycled in a while. but i am on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) 250mg week self prescribed and my hematocrit last week was 56% and hemoglobin at 19. the thing is i've been blacklisted from donating blood. would a baby aspirin and fish oil help me out?

 

[bobistheman]

baby aspirin and fish oil does help. I'd also take hawthorn berry and Co q10 to keep your blood pressure down. Have you been checking your BP on a regular basis?

Those numbers would scare me. The only thing that lowers hemtocrit and hemoglobin is getting blood donated. Maybe back off on your testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) dosage to see if it drops? Someone more experienced can chime in there.

 

[paulyw]

baby aspirin and fish oil does help. I'd also take hawthorn berry and Co q10 to keep your blood pressure down. Have you been checking your BP on a regular basis?

Those numbers would scare me. The only thing that lowers hemtocrit and hemoglobin is getting blood donated. Maybe back off on your testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) dosage to see if it drops? Someone more experienced can chime in there.

My bp hasn't actually been too high, usually around 140/90. I'm thinking of lowering the dose a bit to maybe 200mg and getting bloods again.

 

[Megatron28]

See your doctor and get a prescription written for donating blood. Hopefully that will get you around the "blacklist".

 

[SolomonGrundy]

start using a normal dose

 

[1693]

You could google on how to self bleed a pint....and still lower your dose.

 

[IMT staff]

Anything over 55% and you should discontinue testosterone, at least temporarily.

Check your supps for excessive vitamin B, Iron or Zinc. These can all contribute, especially poor quality supps.

Please consult your physician before changing or implementing any therapeutic program.

 

[Megatron28]

Anything over 55% and you should discontinue testosterone, at least temporarily.

Check your supps for excessive vitamin B, Iron or Zinc. These can all contribute, especially poor quality supps.

Please consult your physician before changing or implementing any therapeutic program.

Is 55% the "freak out" point for hematocrit? By any chance does any know how high Lance Armstrong was getting his hematocrit up to?

 

[Mprtz]

In Hamilton's book, it was repeatedly stated that cyclists had to test at or below 50% to compete. They did game the system (via saline infusions) to test low and ride at higher levels, Jan Ulrich was rumored to have ridden at high 50s to low 60s.

 

[halfwit]

In Hamilton's book, it was repeatedly stated that cyclists had to test at or below 50% to compete. They did game the system (via saline infusions) to test low and ride at higher levels, Jan Ulrich was rumored to have ridden at high 50s to low 60s.

Man, I'd imagine one would feel like shit at 60%. I know I can tell when I'm getting close to donation time, and I usually flirt with the 49% line. Crazy! Oh, and Megatron is right on the money - therapeutic blood draws can be prescribed and are often required if you don't take care of it on your own.

 

[LittleJohnny]

Is 55% the "freak out" point for hematocrit? By any chance does any know how high Lance Armstrong was getting his hematocrit up to?

Armstrong was on test for starters. But he also would drain his blood and store it. Then he would put the blood back in at a later date, possibly separating just the hematocrit for infusion. Immediately after a race he would go into his motorhome and inject a pint of saline to dilute his blood levels.

 

[IMT staff]

Is 55% the "freak out" point for hematocrit? By any chance does any know how high Lance Armstrong was getting his hematocrit up to?

I don't know if its the freak out point, but that is the threshold considered by most docs. Honestly even though it is worrisome there is no record of anyone having a heart attack or stroke due to increased hematocrit from testosterone.

For example, testosterone can increase the hematocrit, the percentage of red blood cells in the bloodstream. If the hematocrit goes up too high, we worry about the blood becoming too viscous or thick, possibly predisposing someone to stroke or clotting events. Although, frankly, in a review that I wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine* where we reviewed as much of this as we could, we found no cases of stroke or severe clotting related to testosterone therapy. Nevertheless, the risk exists, so we want to be careful about giving testosterone to men who already have a high hematocrit, such as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or those who have a red-blood-cell disorder.

A Harvard expert shares his thoughts on testosterone-replacement therapy - Harvard Health Publications