Testosterone injection frequency and it’s effect on hematocrit

[Belekas]

Any idea what could be causing the increased nasal congestion after u take a shot? Obv ur testosterone levels are gonna increase, but could testosterone really be causing nasal congestion?

Thats a great question. I've never had them before and breathing was fine so def a side of test and like I said it gets better right before my shot. Air ways open up, I'm breathing nice and smooth and once I inject, it messes up again. @FunkOdyssey explained a possible mechanism why it might happen in my thread if you want take a look. And since my BP and RHR went up after starting treatment I'm thinking it also might be water retention related and was thinking about a small dose AI just to see if it makes me feel better. Yesterday morning was injection time and around sleep time 22:00 my nasal airways were proper shut. Barely slept during the night. Will follow now this pattern especially the day before and leading into injection day. Very interesting but not pleasant stuff at all. Also my girl said she won't sleep with me since the noises I make during the night with nose shut are fucked lol Thats first time I hear that from her and never was in these last 3 years when I wasn't using test. Go figure...

 

[Charliebizz]

I had the same results. despite lowering my testosterone dose to accommodate the higher frequency, my E2 and HCT were always high. I felt worse on EOD and ED injections too. I went back to pinning E6D and I’ll get labs to check - but from my logs, when I was on Weekly injections it seems things were high normal and I didn’t have to give blood. I feel great on this protocol.

What is your dose ?

 

[rustylwb]

Hello everyone,

I’ve been on TRT for over a year now and I’ve had some trouble with my hematocrit and RBCs getting too high. I’ve had to donate blood about 3 times and every time I do my ferritin drops pretty dramatically. I’d like to avoid donating blood so frequently or at least because I have to.

I have been on testosterone dosages as high as 250mg and as low as 150mg a week. 250mg was too much and I would have trouble sleeping and my hematocrit would get high fast. At 150mg my hematocrit would be at a healthy range but my testosterone would be in the 700s and I wouldn’t feel as great.

I’ve tried daily dosing but found that it raised my hematocrit even higher than twice weekly. Is there any way that I can keep my testosterone in the 900-1100 range without raising my hematocrit? Since I’ve started testosterone I’ve been doing a minimum of two shots a week. Would going to once a week lower my hematocrit?

If anyone has had success with being able to lower their hematocrit while keeping their total T in a high normal range please share how you did it.

FYI I have the same problem. Even 150mg puts me over I've been at 5.9 before. I did a lot of research trying to find out why. The Dr has no idea. Just cut back or donate but I have to go to an Oncologist to donate. But I read an article from Bayer AG in Switzerland where they are located they were doing research on their long-acting Testosterone that they say doesn't cause the problem we have. I didn't want their drug but here is what I did want. The Gel in their research and trials only increased hematocrit 7% of the time. Liquid Test about 45 % I took the info to my Dr. And I now get a script for Cypionate until I get to 5.5-5.6 or so then change to Gel. Really for months, I've had to be on Gel. It works Great. My lifting is good and I'm only using 2 pumps sometimes I cheat and do a pump or so about 2 hrs before I have sex. And you can feel it about 1:40 min. It was developed for Microdick so in children, it does increase the size by 60%. I don't get that but it will make it fatter and some length also. If you use it after putting it on you can but hand cream over it about one hr later and it will increase it by 17 % FREE>

 

[Mastodont]

FYI I have the same problem. Even 150mg puts me over I've been at 5.9 before. I did a lot of research trying to find out why. The Dr has no idea. Just cut back or donate but I have to go to an Oncologist to donate. But I read an article from Bayer AG in Switzerland where they are located they were doing research on their long-acting Testosterone that they say doesn't cause the problem we have. I didn't want their drug but here is what I did want. The Gel in their research and trials only increased hematocrit 7% of the time. Liquid Test about 45 % I took the info to my Dr. And I now get a script for Cypionate until I get to 5.5-5.6 or so then change to Gel. Really for months, I've had to be on Gel. It works Great. My lifting is good and I'm only using 2 pumps sometimes I cheat and do a pump or so about 2 hrs before I have sex. And you can feel it about 1:40 min. It was developed for Microdick so in children, it does increase the size by 60%. I don't get that but it will make it fatter and some length also. If you use it after putting it on you can but hand cream over it about one hr later and it will increase it by 17 % FREE>

Which gel and how much is one pump? If you still on gel have you checked DHT levels?

 

[Steve78]

Honestly the answer is simple, just stop donating for a while. Your HCT is absolutely fine at 50, 52, 53, or even slightly higher. I promise you, the answer is just don’t donate for a while. A slightly higher HCT level will not effect your health negatively in anyway, especially considering your platelets are perfectly in range.

Where is the evidence of this?
Most studies I read say increasing hct is associated with clots:

Hematocrit and risk of venous thromboembolism in a general population. The Tromsø study - PMC

Hematocrit above the normal range for the population, such as in primary or secondary erythrocytosis, predisposes to both arterial and venous thrombosis. However, little is known about the association between hematocrit and risk of venous ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Systemlord]

Most studies I read say increasing hct is associated with clots:

That's what we have here, an association only, no cassation, similar to doctors once believing high cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease. Decades later the other 50% with heart disease have low cholesterol.

Many diseases increase your chance at clotting, sleep apnea, hemophilia, an inherited clotting disorder which causes high hematocrit and clotting. This is why doctors freak out and associate it with harm when they see a high hematocrit value on TRT, they think something is wrong with you and overreact.

My endo's response to my 58.5% hematocrit after speaking to a hematologist ->

I can’t tell you at what level of hematocrit is too high for you, but this is pretty high. I’d recommend at least monthly monitoring of your levels at least for the Hgb/Hct.

College of hematology advances in hematology.

->No evidence exist that a high hematocrit is harmful, and a direct cause of thrombosis in testosterone induced erythrocytosis.

College of hematology put a position statement no risk of deep vein thrombosis. Cleveland the Mayo Clinic in 2018. TRT is not associated with the deep vein thrombosis.

Glenn Cunningham. Dr. Abraham Morgantaler, asked him both on stage and in person where did you come up with 54% cut off? His answer was we actually don't have much data to say anything but we had to pick a number and it seemed like a reasonable number.

With a secondary erythrocytosis there is an increase in blood volume which enlarges the vascular bed, decreases peripheral resistance and increases cardiac output. Therefore, in a secondary erythrocytosis optimal oxygen transport with increased blood volume occurs at a higher hematocrit value than with a normal blood volume. A moderate increase in hematocrit may be beneficial despite the increased viscosity.

There are over 80 million people that live higher than 2,500 meters and they develop a secondary erythrocytosis. Men in parts of Bolivia for instance have a normal range of HCT from 45-61%. These men are not at an increased risk of thrombotic events nor do they have to undergo phlebotomies to manage their hematocrit.

 

[RobRoy]

Where is the evidence of this?
Most studies I read say increasing hct is associated with clots:

Hematocrit and risk of venous thromboembolism in a general population. The Tromsø study - PMC

Hematocrit above the normal range for the population, such as in primary or secondary erythrocytosis, predisposes to both arterial and venous thrombosis. However, little is known about the association between hematocrit and risk of venous ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Where is the evidence of this?
Most studies I read say increasing hct is associated with clots:

Hematocrit and risk of venous thromboembolism in a general population. The Tromsø study - PMC

Hematocrit above the normal range for the population, such as in primary or secondary erythrocytosis, predisposes to both arterial and venous thrombosis. However, little is known about the association between hematocrit and risk of venous ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Everything that you have posted is related to polycythemia vera. None of it relates to raising hematocrit from living at high altitude, having COPD, having sleep apnea, or taking testosterone. They all cause a secondary erythrocytosis. Polycythemia vera is a primary erythrocytosis. In polycythemia vera. There's both a quantitative and qualitative problem with the red blood cells. They are not normal, and they are prone to clot, and the vascular endothelium is also prone to induce clotting. It's because this is a bone marrow cancer.