How long does it take for hematocrit to normalize after stopping TRT?

[Stanfoo]

Off TRT, last injection (enanthate) was Jan 15th, so it's been exactly 5 months. Hematocrit is still at 50%, hasn't lowered one bit after ceasing.

RBC's are supposed to live for 120 days, so it's been more than enough time. What gives?

 

[Mountain Man]

It depends on how high you were originally. I was 46 before TRT went up to 51 at one time and have stabilized at 48. It can take 6 months to a year. Don’t fret over fluctuations, listen to your doctor. I am with Abraham Morgentaler’s clinic in Boston and they say 55 is the point where you need to donate blood. If you have a good doctor, ask him, not a bunch of guys on the internet.

 

[Stanfoo]

Logically doesn't make sense. RBC's live up to max 120 days. HCT should lower/return to normal shortly after that time.

Anyone actually can come up with a theory?

 

[mairomaster]

From what I've read I don't think you should be too worried about 50, as long as it's not rising further. Obviously DYOR, don't trust random strangers on the web.

 

[maxadvance]

take 3 grams of curcumin per day in 2 doses with 5-10 mg of bioperrine each dose for a month, your hematocrit will drop 3-5 points. I use Jarrow Curcumin 95 w C3 complex and a 10 mg bioperrine supplement from Carlyle. Taking bioperrine is critical to making this work. Works fast for me and I absolutely knows it works. I learned this from a study about a cancer patient that had his hemoglobin drop precipitously for unknown reasons, until his doctors figured it out.

 

[Stanfoo]

take 3 grams of curcumin per day in 2 doses with 5-10 mg of bioperrine each dose for a month, your hematocrit will drop 3-5 points. I use Jarrow Curcumin 95 w C3 complex and a 10 mg bioperrine supplement from Carlyle. Taking bioperrine is critical to making this work. Works fast for me and I absolutely knows it works. I learned this from a study about a cancer patient that had his hemoglobin drop precipitously for unknown reasons, until his doctors figured it out.

Will try. Did the circumin have any negative effects on your libido? It's a 5a-reductase antagonist, preventing DHT from forming. Google'd and found people complaining about libido loss with circumin.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

If you have sleep apnea or smoke, hematocrit may never "normalize"

 

[maxadvance]

Will try. Did the circumin have any negative effects on your libido? It's a 5a-reductase antagonist, preventing DHT from forming. Google'd and found people complaining about libido loss with circumin.

I felt no different in that department

 

[Nelson Vergel]

take 3 grams of curcumin per day in 2 doses with 5-10 mg of bioperrine each dose for a month, your hematocrit will drop 3-5 points. I use Jarrow Curcumin 95 w C3 complex and a 10 mg bioperrine supplement from Carlyle. Taking bioperrine is critical to making this work. Works fast for me and I absolutely knows it works. I learned this from a study about a cancer patient that had his hemoglobin drop precipitously for unknown reasons, until his doctors figured it out.

Wow..it must be suppressive to bone marrow, or it may decrease B-12 or iron.

 

[TorontoTRT]

You still have testosterone in your system for about 5 weeks from your last shot. Also these numbers aren’t that accurate. I had 58 one day and 52 a few days later. Rbc count snd hemoglobin are more telling. Hematocrit can change hour to hour.

 

[TucsonJJ]

Logically doesn't make sense. RBC's live up to max 120 days. HCT should lower/return to normal shortly after that time.

Anyone actually can come up with a theory?

Go donate blood every 2 months... then re-evaluate.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

How long does it take for hematocrit to lower after reducing dose?

Anyone had any experience with reducing their TRT dose to lower their hematocrit? Wondering how long it takes for hematocrit to balance out after you lower your dose. Red blood cell lives for 120 days, so in theory it'd take at least 4 months?

www.excelmale.com

Successfully reduced HEMATOCRIT by lowering dosage

After 2 years fighting high HCT I finally won the battle! It all came down to reducing my testosterone dosage. My HCT has been high on 120-180mg a week (tried all different injection frequencies). I have recently reduced my dosage to 100mg and my last CBC has my HCT at 49.5 (down from 53.5 4-5...

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How much reduction in hematocrit would be expected with a blood donation???

Hello: In this topic it is said that: "A phlebotomy of one pint of blood will generally lower hematocrit by about 3 percent" https://www.excelmale.com/forum/threads/how-to-manage-high-hematocrit-caused-by-testosterone-replacement-therapy.137/ A reduction of a 3% was that I was expecting to...

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My testosterone related polycythemia issue is resolved by sinus surgery

I've been on HRT for over 10 years and pretty much the whole time I've been consistently donating blood but I always still seemed to have an elevated red blood cell count. So recently I was diagnosed with mild Sleep Apnea caused by a sinus issue. Ive been suffering with this sinus issue for...

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Does Hematocrit ever level out?

Hey Fellas, I just got back from donating blood and for the first time since initiating therapy 3.5 months ago, my HCT was 50 and hemoglobin at 16.6. Naturally I was questioned as why I might think it was that high and I explained. They took my blood since the cutoff is 60. Before starting, my...

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[Stylo]

The most important thing here is, hydration. If you’re not hydrating enough before a blood test, forget about getting accurate numbers. Some people fast and dont hydrate before a BT. Water is the main component of plasma and if it isn’t replenished it can increase hematocrit. Start with that.

 

[Stanfoo]

The most important thing here is, hydration. If you’re not hydrating enough before a blood test, forget about getting accurate numbers. Some people fast and dont hydrate before a BT. Water is the main component of plasma and if it isn’t replenished it can increase hematocrit. Start with that.

If your goal is to lower hct as much as possible when donating blood, wouldn't hydrating beforehand be counter intuitive? The more water you drink the more you dilute your blood, lowering the red blood cell count per volume of blood. That's why people always say to stay hydrated to keep your hct low. Going by that logic, it'd be better to not hydrate so you lose more red blood cells.

 

[fifty]

Aren't they talking about hydrating before a blood test so their hematocrit doesn't show up too high during the blood donation intake process?

 

[Stanfoo]

If you’re not hydrating enough before a blood test, forget about getting accurate numbers.

Also this doesn't make any sense. As I said earlier, the more water you drink, the lower your hct will show up on the test. If anything, you don't want to be hydrated during the test if you want to see accurate hct values.

 

[TorontoTRT]

Also this doesn't make any sense. As I said earlier, the more water you drink, the lower your hct will show up on the test. If anything, you don't want to be hydrated during the test if you want to see accurate hct values.

This statement is wrong.

 

[Bennytrt]

There was a study done on people who live in higher elevations and their hematocrit was in the 60's and they were perfectly fine. I read that study in this forum. If anyone can find it ,please post it. I have looked around but no luck.

 

[DragonBits]

There was a study done on people who live in higher elevations and their hematocrit was in the 60's and they were perfectly fine. I read that study in this forum. If anyone can find it ,please post it. I have looked around but no luck.

I don't think you can use the "higher elevations" observation to say higher hematocrit is harmless.

Because low O2 at higher elevations does a lot more than just raise HCT.

Living at high altitude reduces risk of dying from heart disease: Low oxygen may spur genes to create blood vessels

"Lower oxygen levels turn on certain genes and we think those genes may change the way heart muscles function. They may also produce new blood vessels that create new highways for blood flow into the heart."

At the same time, the research showed that altitudes above 4,900 feet were detrimental to those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"Even modestly lower oxygen levels in people with already impaired breathing and gas exchange may exacerbate hypoxia and pulmonary hypertension [leading to death]," the study said.

Living at high altitude reduces risk of dying from heart disease: Low oxygen may spur genes to create blood vessels

Researchers have found that people living at higher altitudes have a lower chance of dying from heart disease and live longer.

www.sciencedaily.com

.

I wonder, if you live at a higher elevation AND take TRT, does your HCT go even higher that 60??

 

[Bennytrt]

I don't think you can use the "higher elevations" observation to say higher hematocrit is harmless.

Because low O2 at higher elevations does a lot more than just raise HCT.

Living at high altitude reduces risk of dying from heart disease: Low oxygen may spur genes to create blood vessels

"Lower oxygen levels turn on certain genes and we think those genes may change the way heart muscles function. They may also produce new blood vessels that create new highways for blood flow into the heart."

At the same time, the research showed that altitudes above 4,900 feet were detrimental to those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"Even modestly lower oxygen levels in people with already impaired breathing and gas exchange may exacerbate hypoxia and pulmonary hypertension [leading to death]," the study said.

Living at high altitude reduces risk of dying from heart disease: Low oxygen may spur genes to create blood vessels

Researchers have found that people living at higher altitudes have a lower chance of dying from heart disease and live longer.

www.sciencedaily.com

.

I wonder, if you live at a higher elevation AND take TRT, does your HCT go even higher that 60??

You do bring up a good point. Those with hypertension, autoimmune issues, or even a high crp-hs may run a higher risk of issues if their hematocrit goes pass a certain percent.
I found a great conversation on this topic:

Hematocrit drives Blood Viscosity- Does that Matter in Men on TRT? Effect of Altitude?

Reducing dose and increased my hematocrit.

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