Ranking Steroids by Impact on Hematocrit

[RockyP]

Just TRT gets me to almost 60. It is up to around 62 when adding low dose deca for joint support. I have no idea why it stays so high but I have an unconfirmed suspicion it’s related to donating blood an excessive amount of times in the past that made my body permanently raise EPO production and build more red blood cells than ever. I could be wrong but no other explanation makes sense.

That’s really incredible. It must be some genetic thing.

I just got some bloods back. Have been running test c 235 per week (actual dosage calculated based on testing of specific batch) and primo 280. Had previously been on 300 test from a transdermal cream. My HCT was actually the lowest it’s ever been on any gear (and oddly, on the highest total mg). I had been running 53-54 in just the test cream, but now at 51. And my hemoglobin is normal for the first time since before starting HRT. Idk what my test levels are on this regimen yet but I’m guessing this could have something to do with how my body processed the rapid absorption of the cream vs long ester test. And of course, this is the exact opposite of what my HRT doc said would happen and why he wanted me to do the test cream instead of injection (it’s his gimmick).

 

[NotHuman]

Fascinating.

I've never bought into the blood donation thing myself.

At various times I have heard that your bone marrow responds more strongly to androgens as you age. I've also heard that a benefit of testosterone gels and such is lower risk of elevated hematocrit. It's the constant stimulation of bone marrow by esterified androgens that, combined with age, becomes a problem.

But 62 is terrible. I'm sorry man. Way back in 2012, I did a 6 month blast of tren and then went skiing. Had trouble breathing on the mountain summit. Did a few runs, then hit a black diamond. The physical activity pushed me over th edge. I felt like I was going to suffocate. Went to the ER, had hematocrit levels like that. Scared the crap out of me. Never did anything crazy like that again.

Well I have no symptoms at all. I don’t believe that a high hematocrit in isolation causes symptoms. I believe the symptoms are from something else that have caused a high hematocrit as a correlation. That’s just my theory and I can’t say that with full confidence, but a hematocrit of 60 is quite common in people living at the highest altitude in the world, and they don’t have symptoms.

In your specific case, it sounds like the tren did that when you went skiing and not whatever elevation in hematocrit you may have had. I couldn’t breathe when I tried to play basketball when I used to use tren 10 years ago either.

I’d say the worst thing I’ve had to deal with is whenever I go see some doctors and they draw labs, that’s all they wanna focus on and completely ignore the reason I’m there in the first place. I’m in the office for an entirely different reason and I have to get them to remain focused on why I’m there and to shut up about my high hematocrit. It’s been this way for nearly a decade now. Meanwhile, all of my other lab markers are always really good.

 

[NotHuman]

That’s really incredible. It must be some genetic thing.

I just got some bloods back. Have been running test c 235 per week (actual dosage calculated based on testing of specific batch) and primo 280. Had previously been on 300 test from a transdermal cream. My HCT was actually the lowest it’s ever been on any gear (and oddly, on the highest total mg). I had been running 53-54 in just the test cream, but now at 51. And my hemoglobin is normal for the first time since before starting HRT. Idk what my test levels are on this regimen yet but I’m guessing this could have something to do with how my body processed the rapid absorption of the cream vs long ester test. And of course, this is the exact opposite of what my HRT doc said would happen and why he wanted me to do the test cream instead of injection (it’s his gimmick).

Yea, strange results like this seem to happen sometimes. Hydration plays a large role as I’m sure you know but it also can just be something causing a higher/lower number on a particular day.