High hematacrit starts and stops

[Timothy54]

If I can deal with it, which I can and have after being on and off TRT for 3 years, is stopping and restarting T shots a common way to handle high hematacrit? Like a mini blast and cruise?

How much are theraputic phlebotomies if my doc prescribes such? (if blood donations are not enough)

Sidenote: After stopping my shots 4 weeks ago having tapered off a couple weeks prior to that I embarked on a rigorous running program (for whatever reason) and I am feeling fabulous, increased energy, decreased appetite, fabulous mood. Labido has dropped a little. But I feel better than I have in my life!

 

[BBaller]

Hi Timothy,

I can speak to your specific situation, but I know TRT patients, doctors and advocates generally advise against simply stopping, as your endogenous production will have been suppressed and you'll be operating near zero until your T levels re-normalize to your own baseline.

That said, it's still pretty speculative here but Mike from Danger and Play reports having gone off cold turkey and increased his T levels to the highest in his adult life using a combination of diet, exercise and postural exercises. You can read about that here: http://www.dangerandplay.com/2014/07/30/raised-testosterone-level-naturally-670/

Also- as for phlebotomies, I'm not sure in your area, but typically you can donate for free. if for some reason you're unable to donate, if you have a script for a therapeutic phlebotomy, the Red Cross or whomever you donate to should still take your blood, but they simply dispose of it.

Worth researching to confirm but that was my understanding.

Good luck!

 

[ERO]

The way most of us here handle it is by giving blood every 56 days at the Red Cross. Never start and stop TRT - that is just asking to feel like sh*t while you are still paying for TRT.

Stopping TRT altogether can be done for some guys if you go through the proper steps to get your natural production going again, but if you had Low T to begin with, you are almost certain to have low T when you stop and get your system restarted again, so my 2-cents is to stay on TRT and donate blood. Some guys like Mike at Danger and Play have done it cold turkey and ended up with better levels, but its not going to work like that for everyone.

 

[Vince Carter]

If you like it then keep on doing it but for our purposes starting and stopping is all wrong and isn't likely to get you much attention here.

 

[Timothy54]

Thanks guys for the responses. Actually, my hematocrit jumped to 60, that was the test done at the Red Cross, so thats why I quit cold turkey. I did not want to have a heart attack. Thank you for your recommendation do danger and play. And for the recommendations not to stop and start. Wise advice.

 

[shilda]

I am considering going off TRT. Can you go into more detail on how you did it, and what I can expect. How long did it take to get back to normal, any advice would be great, thanks.

 

[Timothy54]

I am considering going off TRT. Can you go into more detail on how you did it, and what I can expect. How long did it take to get back to normal, any advice would be great, thanks.

I have had to go off TRT several times and I dont recommend doing it the way I did because it was more or less cold turkey. I mostly experienced physical weekness, but also some moodiness along with decreased labido. The symptems I experienced came on very gradually and even after 6 weeks I felt reasonably good and mood did not crash this last time quite as hard or early. The best luck I had as far as keeping my mood up was with cardio. 4-5 times a week for 20 to 60 minutes of moderate cardio helped a bunch. I lost quite a bit of upper body strength though and if I ran too hard my legs felt week. I have since started back up now that hematacrit is under control. I believe it is best to slowly wean yourself off of it or lower the dose but I do not know the proper protocol. It would be best to do it under a competent doctor's directive. Most likely I will never go off of it unless its absolutely neccessary. I have a script for phlebotomy now. May I ask why you are thinking of going off TRT?

 

[shilda]

I felt great the first few months, but now I feel terrible. It almost is like having the flu, but without vomiting. The Dr. tried to dial me in, but nothing seems to work. I think that I am having a reaction to the meds, so I am reluctant to take any more. I am thinking to stop for a while, and see if the flu like feeling goes away. Maybe then I could take the meds one by one to see if one of them is the problem. I take Test Cyp, HCG, and Anastrazole. Thanks for your reply!!

 

[CoastWatcher]

I felt great the first few months, but now I feel terrible. It almost is like having the flu, but without vomiting. The Dr. tried to dial me in, but nothing seems to work. I think that I am having a reaction to the meds, so I am reluctant to take any more. I am thinking to stop for a while, and see if the flu like feeling goes away. Maybe then I could take the meds one by one to see if one of them is the problem. I take Test Cyp, HCG, and Anastrazole. Thanks for your reply!!

Do you have lab results you can post?