ResearchSafe

Hematocrit creeping up on TRT, when do people actually get concerned?

Posted by tiredmira in Safety & Side Effects - 1 points, 3 comments.

Been on testosterone (sustanon 250 split into smaller shots twice a week) for about 8 months now, and my hematocrit has been slowly climbing each blood draw 😅

Started at 46, last reading was 51.2. No symptoms that I can feel, blood pressure is fine, donating blood is on my list but I keep putting it off.

I know the general advice is to watch it once it crosses 52 or 53, and that some guys get therapeutic phlebotomy to bring it down. But I'm curious what others are actually doing in practice. Do you wait until your doc flags it, or do you donate on your own as routine maintenance?

Also wondering if anyone has tried to bring it down with other stuff like staying hydrated, increasing cardio dose, or even adding a low dose of what some people call "blood thinners." Not sure if any of that actually moves the number or if it's just placebo.

Mine is borderline right now and I wanna be proactive before it becomes a real problem. What has worked for you all? 🥗

Comments

  • grinder265: Ngl 51.2 isn't crisis territory but I'd stop procrastinating on the donation. Once you're past 52 most docs start getting antsy and a therapeutic phlebotomy on schedule is way more annoying than just donating every 8 weeks or whatever. Hydration helps acutely but it dilutes the reading more than it actually changes your red cell mass, so don't fool yourself with that as a strategy. Cardio at higher volumes does seem to modestly suppress hematocrit in some guys but it's not reliable enough to ba
  • tiredmira: Yeah fair, I'll just book the donation this week instead of "soon" for the third month running 😅 I figured the hydration thing was mostly cosmetic on the labs, good to hear I'm not crazy for thinking that. Curious though, when you say every 8 weeks is that based on your own trend or what your doc suggested? Mine climbs about 1.5 points per blood draw so I'm trying to figure out if that's the right interval or if I should go more often.
  • tiredmira: Yeah 51 is still in the "deal with it now while it's easy" zone, basically nothing to panic over but I wouldn't sit on it. Donating every 8 weeks or so seems to be what most people in my circle default to once they cross like 50. The hydration thing is a fair callout, it just fakes a better number on the test, doesn't actually lower the red cell mass 😅

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.