I have been on TRT now starting year 3. Overall the treatment has been a success, with one caveat many of us suffer with.....polycythemia. I have been on the rollercoaster of phlebotomies every 2-3 months since my start. I have tried dosage reductions to the point I started daily injections several months ago. Still HCT, HGB, RBC remained in similar ranges and phlebotomies continued. 90 days ago, after my last phlebotomy, I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and placed on a CPAP. My doc felt this could help with secondary polycythemia and may allow me to lenghten out the phlebotomy schedule some. Fast forward to today I am amazed....HCT 47.1 vs 53.6 90 days ago, HGB 15.2 vs 18.8 90 days ago, and RBC 5.8 vs 6.6 90 days ago. No phlebotomy today!!!! Only thing that changed in my regimen was adding the CPAP. I know there is conflicting data on the effectiveness of CPAP in regards to Polycythemia, but in my case it appears to be having a positive effect and a better nights sleep too!
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