My wife is always saying “you take way too many supplements, how do you know if all that’s even healthy?” She’s probably right.
Warning for Men on TRT: Low Ferritin is Bad
- Thread starter ipi
- Start date
Thought I'd share my recent ferritin numbers. No donations or iron supplementation during this period.
1/10/2023 - 150mg Test Cyp Weekly (MWF) - Ferritin 16
3/1/2023 - End of Enclomiphene (No Test) - Ferritin 102
3/30/2023 - 84mg Test Cyp Weekly (daily shots) - Ferritin 26
Crazy how quickly ferritin recovered once testosterone was stopped and then how quickly it dropped back after resuming testosterone. 16 to 102 just by stopping testosterone injections, then 102 to 26 with no change except starting testosterone injections, all within 3 months.
1/10/2023 - 150mg Test Cyp Weekly (MWF) - Ferritin 16
3/1/2023 - End of Enclomiphene (No Test) - Ferritin 102
3/30/2023 - 84mg Test Cyp Weekly (daily shots) - Ferritin 26
Crazy how quickly ferritin recovered once testosterone was stopped and then how quickly it dropped back after resuming testosterone. 16 to 102 just by stopping testosterone injections, then 102 to 26 with no change except starting testosterone injections, all within 3 months.
Systemlord
Member
Then this confirms why I feel so much better taking orange juice with my iron. I feel better with higher HCT. 51% isn’t high enough for me.
I wonder if test creams do the same thing?
NeverSayNeverAgain
Member
I’m going through this now. Ferritin is constantly low - in the teens -because I have to dump blood about every three months. I need a nap everyday- which I am not 100% sure it’s from low ferritin, having some long Covid type symptoms, or just from a shorter sleep cycle, but I know ferritin could be a culprit. Would you mind sharing what your protocol is to keep ferritin raised?
Why are u having to phlebotomize every 3 months?
Once you do a deep dive you discover that it's pretty much EVERYTHING. I summarize findings with studies on my TRT Ferritin Protocol Page. Sorry if you already know this, I have so many guys doing this I lose track of whom I've spoken to.
t_spacemonkey
Well-Known Member
fuck the FDA. where can you buy Rusfertide
It’s more of a philosophy to avoid problems before they manifest. I have no concern about polycythemia because my platelet counts are on the low to mid range. However, on testosterone alone, my hematocrit would typically creep up to the 51.5%-52% range within four months. Adding Nandrolone to the mix would push it to that level in 3 months. I also take Primabolin with the protocol. I don’t want to be one of those guys that hits 56+ % on a blood test and then has to phlebotomize monthly - scrambling to get it down. Better to stay ahead of the curve in my book.
Makes sense. And if ur feeling good, and ur iron levels aren’t too low from doing this, then I don’t see any reason stop doing it. But u were saying yesterday that ur feeling fatigued lately. How’s ur ferritin and total iron levels?
Not trying to get u to change what ur doing if it’s working for u, but there’s ways to keep HCT down other than frequent phlebotomies. I’ve been on test, nandrolone and primo for a while now, along with 10-15mg of oxandrolone sublingually preworkout 3x/ week, and my AAS dosages are much higher than urs, and I eat 8oz of red meat 3x/ day, everyday, and eat organ meats multiple times per week, which are full of iron, and my HCT hovers between 49-51. Which is actually lower than when I was on test by itself years ago. I noticed a big difference when I started properly hydrating myself. Ever since then, my HCT has stayed around that 49-51 range, and I’m on more compounds, at higher dosages than when I wasn’t as hydrated, and on test by itself at much lower total milligrams per week, and my HCT used to come back higher. Just throwing this info out there incase ur interested in other ways to keep HCT levels down. But if doing phlebotomies every 3 months is working for u, by all means keep doing it.
That’s interesting. I noticed at my last blood test, my hematocrit was 49.5% and that was on 70 mg testosterone, about 50 of the primabolin, and 5 to 10mg of anavar on workout days about six weeks into the protocol. I have been hydrating a lot more. Plus, I started taking losartan in March, which I have read has a hematocrit lowering effect. I think you’re right. In the past, I really wasn’t drinking enough water, which certainly played in affect in raising my hematocrit.
As far as the fatigue goes, during the day, most of the time, I’m fine, but some days I just need a little bit of a nap and I tend to fall asleep earlier than normal, but energy level for workouts and such is through the roof. My ferritin, last time I checked was quite low. I think it was 19. I haven’t bother checking it since.
Charliebizz
Well-Known Member
What do you do as far as “hydration”
I drink two sparkling mineral waters a day. Like San pellegrinos. They’re almost a liter each. And when I open one I’ll put in some Celtic sea salt and magnesium chloride liquid. So I’m sipping on electrolyte infused water throughout the day. Think this is the main thing I’m doing that improved my hydration status
Charliebizz
Well-Known Member
I’ll have to give that a try. I tend to cramp Easy.
realdeal1977
New Member
I could not get my iron to increase through any protocols. I ended up changing my PPI medicine, taking less of it as well, and stopping TRT for now. My Ferritin is up around 100 after a few months.
Once I get it to around 150, I am going to start TRT again and monitor my iron and ferritin monthly. Most likely, this was all a result of the PPI, but I'll at least have the data to determine that.
Once I get it to around 150, I am going to start TRT again and monitor my iron and ferritin monthly. Most likely, this was all a result of the PPI, but I'll at least have the data to determine that.
hey @FDV70
Any thoughts on my results in
www.excelmale.com
I’ve been following your protocol on and off over the last year and often for runs longer than a week . Sometimes a couple of weeks at a time.
As you can see my ferritin level is great (200+)
(It was 15 in September 2022 when I first had a blood test) . It’s my other results I don’t know what to make of.
Thanks
Any thoughts on my results in
Iron/Ferritin Issues
Hi all, for the last year or so ive been having issues related to iron. THis started by me having 4 phlebotomies over the space of a few months to reduce my haemocrit down from 56% Since then Id been getting symptons of low ferritin like brain fog, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and in...
www.excelmale.com
I’ve been following your protocol on and off over the last year and often for runs longer than a week . Sometimes a couple of weeks at a time.
As you can see my ferritin level is great (200+)
(It was 15 in September 2022 when I first had a blood test) . It’s my other results I don’t know what to make of.
Thanks
Mike Wriley
New Member
Pantoprozole, a PPI taken for GERD, will also tank your ferritin.
DorianGray
Active Member
Very informative reference there. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much advice for those, like me, who have the genetic variants for high iron. My consults with hematologist are nonproductive also. One idea I considered based on the article's advice is doing an occasional blood dump and doing his iron supplement protocol to raise ferritin. (?)
Guided_by_Voices
Well-Known Member
My understanding is that Ferritin is a carrier for iron, but the amount of iron it is actually bound to can vary dramatically, and TIBC is a much more accurate market for iron itself. Therefore low ferritin does not actually mean low iron. Low iron would be very unlikely in men eating beef and liver, with the exception of endurance runners who apparently excrete iron due to red blood cell damage. For everyone else there is no mechanism other that blood loss or chelation to remove iron. I haven't looked into this in great detail, but when I had a low ferritin reading my TIBC was fine, and I am much more concerned about avoiding iron overload that being low in iron, since low iron for me would be very unlikely but high iron could be a risk.
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