Bloods post - (readable?) what to do about CRP and lipids?

[TRTSCOUT]

New Bloods, 59 yr old, 5'11' Shrinking fatbody, 228 lbs down from 265, (MAR>JUL 2025)
Fasted cardio 3-4x week, weights 30-45 min 3x week, diet on point moderate clean carbs..
Attached bloods only show pre TRT/RETA and JUL. Spreadsheet below has MAY bloods and my only ferritin test. sorry my bloods have been inconsistent in tests. Dr provider went thin, pre running, I am still learning and missed some important markers in JUL and different ones in JUL like ferritin.

Running:
RETA 10 mg/week
TEST CYP 260mg week (split EOD
PRIMO 140 mg week
HGH 4 iu evening
IGF-1 100mcg/day (discontinued after bloods)
SLUPP 332 (discontinued after bloods)
Supplements - Fish Oil, cumin, K2D3, zinc

Q's
What do you make of the high CRP and calcium numbers? What to do to bring it back down?

Same on FSH/LH, what causes this, what do you recommend? is this irrelevant being on TRT?

Thoughts on brining up HDL and LDL

Other recommendations or concerns?

 

[Ateam2023]

New Bloods, 59 yr old, 5'11' Shrinking fatbody, 228 lbs down from 265, (MAR>JUL 2025)
Fasted cardio 3-4x week, weights 30-45 min 3x week, diet on point moderate clean carbs..
Attached bloods only show pre TRT/RETA and JUL. Spreadsheet below has MAY bloods and my only ferritin test. sorry my bloods have been inconsistent in tests. Dr provider went thin, pre running, I am still learning and missed some important markers in JUL and different ones in JUL like ferritin.

Running:
RETA 10 mg/week
TEST CYP 260mg week (split EOD
PRIMO 140 mg week
HGH 4 iu evening
IGF-1 100mcg/day (discontinued after bloods)
SLUPP 332 (discontinued after bloods)
Supplements - Fish Oil, cumin, K2D3, zinc

Q's
What do you make of the high CRP and calcium numbers? What to do to bring it back down?

Same on FSH/LH, what causes this, what do you recommend? is this irrelevant being on TRT?

Thoughts on brining up HDL and LDL

Other recommendations or concerns?

likely mild inflammation causing the high crp number, could also be from strenuous exercise, when did you take the test?

 

[Ateam2023]

New Bloods, 59 yr old, 5'11' Shrinking fatbody, 228 lbs down from 265, (MAR>JUL 2025)
Fasted cardio 3-4x week, weights 30-45 min 3x week, diet on point moderate clean carbs..
Attached bloods only show pre TRT/RETA and JUL. Spreadsheet below has MAY bloods and my only ferritin test. sorry my bloods have been inconsistent in tests. Dr provider went thin, pre running, I am still learning and missed some important markers in JUL and different ones in JUL like ferritin.

Running:
RETA 10 mg/week
TEST CYP 260mg week (split EOD
PRIMO 140 mg week
HGH 4 iu evening
IGF-1 100mcg/day (discontinued after bloods)
SLUPP 332 (discontinued after bloods)
Supplements - Fish Oil, cumin, K2D3, zinc

Q's
What do you make of the high CRP and calcium numbers? What to do to bring it back down?

Same on FSH/LH, what causes this, what do you recommend? is this irrelevant being on TRT?

Thoughts on brining up HDL and LDL

Other recommendations or concerns?

fsh/lh is because your on a higher dose of testosterone, so thats common when taking testosterone,

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

CRP abnormal but not crazy high.

Lipids are slightly off
I would say both may be related to primo.

 

[BamaCrazy]

New Bloods, 59 yr old, 5'11' Shrinking fatbody, 228 lbs down from 265, (MAR>JUL 2025)
Fasted cardio 3-4x week, weights 30-45 min 3x week, diet on point moderate clean carbs..
Attached bloods only show pre TRT/RETA and JUL. Spreadsheet below has MAY bloods and my only ferritin test. sorry my bloods have been inconsistent in tests. Dr provider went thin, pre running, I am still learning and missed some important markers in JUL and different ones in JUL like ferritin.

Running:
RETA 10 mg/week
TEST CYP 260mg week (split EOD
PRIMO 140 mg week
HGH 4 iu evening
IGF-1 100mcg/day (discontinued after bloods)
SLUPP 332 (discontinued after bloods)
Supplements - Fish Oil, cumin, K2D3, zinc

Q's
What do you make of the high CRP and calcium numbers? What to do to bring it back down?

Same on FSH/LH, what causes this, what do you recommend? is this irrelevant being on TRT?

Thoughts on brining up HDL and LDL

Other recommendations or concerns?

You are using Primo. Give up on bringing up your HDL and concentrate on crushing LDL and total cholesterol. Start with a low dose statin like Rosuvastatin 5mg. If that doesn’t get it done add 10mg Ezitimibe. Those two have my total cholesterol between 70-80 and below range LDL.

How has Primo been treating you? Any pip at all? It took me a few cycles and several labs but I realized Primo pip was causing my CRP to rise.

 

[TRTSCOUT]

likely mild inflammation causing the high crp number, could also be from strenuous exercise, when did you take the test?

thx, i skipped cardio that morning of the test...

 

[TRTSCOUT]

You are using Primo. Give up on bringing up your HDL and concentrate on crushing LDL and total cholesterol. Start with a low dose statin like Rosuvastatin 5mg. If that doesn’t get it done add 10mg Ezitimibe. Those two have my total cholesterol between 70-80 and below range LDL.

How has Primo been treating you? Any pip at all? It took me a few cycles and several labs but I realized Primo pip was causing my CRP to rise.

finally got pip manageable, with 100mg/ml, the 200mmg/ml was killing me. it still makes a knot in my glute that lasts for days but doesn't ache or hurt bad. I am also combing test c in same syringe.

How does PIP cause higher crp?

 

[Sampei]

finally got pip manageable, with 100mg/ml, the 200mmg/ml was killing me. it still makes a knot in my glute that lasts for days but doesn't ache or hurt bad. I am also combing test c in same syringe.

How does PIP cause higher crp?

CRP is a very broad test, I mean it does raise for any inflammation in the body and when I say ANY I mean it.

So PIP is of all other many thing an inflammation of your muscle tissue that is holding your oil Depot... raise CRP.

 

[BamaCrazy]

finally got pip manageable, with 100mg/ml, the 200mmg/ml was killing me. it still makes a knot in my glute that lasts for days but doesn't ache or hurt bad. I am also combing test c in same syringe.

How does PIP cause higher crp?

What Sampei stated above. Pip is inflammation and inflammation raises CRP. Those knots that last for days can cause your CRP levels to increase.

 

[TRTSCOUT]

CRP is a very broad test, I mean it does raise for any inflammation in the body and when I say ANY I mean it.

So PIP is of all other many thing an inflammation of your muscle tissue that is holding your oil Depot... raise CRP.

Thanks @Sampei and @BamaCrazy I am packing one or two knots all the time....given my EOD pin schedule.

So you prompted me to ask Grok...and it does say that the CRP test can detect inflammation that is not related to cardiac risk...

this gives me a little comfort, at, with this information at least i don't feel yet at this level i need to react and adjust to the marker number...

 

[Raiders789]

Hey bro, came across this and wanted to share my experience because I came off a pretty similar cycle a few months ago -

Was running 300 test 300 primo 4IU growth; was using Beligas 200mg/ml primo which would give me horrible PIP/knots even when doing EOD injections. Had a CRP of 11 which is definitely not ideal, but was on ezetimibe so my LDL was 50 and HDL was 25. From my understanding, having a CRP > ~3 isn't idea long term but is ok short term, and is really only threatening if your lipids are out of place too so I just pushed on. Once I pulled the primo my CRP dropped to 0.7.

Your lipids look pretty good so if I were you I wouldn't be concerned, at the least you're doing better than I was. You could look into niacin to raise HDL, but honestly I don't think the transient bump will do you much, or at least isn't worth the flushing from it. I think you'd be better off potentially looking into ezetimibe/statin - I'm currently doing 10mg ezetimibe + 5mg rosuvastatin and that keeps my ApoB at 40 and LDL at 25, so I'm not even really worried about low HDL.

Also, as long as you are on trt/cycle your FSH/LH will always be bottomed out because your HPTA is shut off and you aren't producing any natural test. From my understanding it's not a problem at all, but it means your testes aren't functioning, so I take a little HCG to maintain testicular function because I'm younger and want to have kids someday. Although if thats not a concern you could save some money.

One other thing; your iron looks pretty low. I'm currently going through the same thing and have been supping 75mg iron twice a day because I've been getting bad low iron sides. It looks like your hematocrit/hemoglobin are good so its probably not a big deal but it might be worth keeping an eye on, and if you start getting consistent fatigue you might want to consider getting your ferritin checked also.

 

[readalot]

Metenolone, heart disease in a vial. Thanks for more data points.

Your TT/FT (the real FT, not the BS direct measurement) are also way up there. May need to bring that down. You aren't on TRT.

 

[readalot]

Your lipids look pretty good

Not at all. The OP's trig/hdl-c ratio is not good.

 

[Ghoul]

Not at all. The OP's trig/hdl-c ratio is not good.

Guidelines have deemphasized TG/HDL ratio.

It's all LDL-C, ApoB, and TG level now, in that order of significance.

That LDL of 123 isn't good at all but easily brought below 60.

 

[readalot]

Guidelines have deemphasized TG/HDL ratio.

It's all LDL-C, ApoB, and TG level now, in that order of significance.

That LDL of 123 isn't good at all but easily brought below 60.

Either give you similar actionable info. As you say with ApoB ...ldl particle counts, density is where it at. OP can run an NMR lipoprofile to see the whole thing. Small dense ldl-p plus high cRP is asking for trouble.

Apolipoprotein B Particles and Cardiovascular Disease: A Narrative Review - PMC

Trapping of apoB lipoprotein particles within the arterial wall initiates and drives the atherosclerotic process from beginning to end. Very low-density lipoprotein particles (VLDL) contain most of the triglyceride in plasma whereas low-density ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[readalot]

R

Post in thread 'Cholesterol numbers on no med, then on statin then on statin + Repatha'

Jun 23, 2025

Trig / hdl-c ratio still gives you what you need to know on the cheap. Mine was incredible on a shit load of coconut oil.

Tell me I'm wrong.

The Triglyceride/High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) Ratio as a Risk Marker for Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Disease - PMC

Atherosclerosis is an immunoinflammatory pathological procedure in which lipid plaques are formed in the vessel walls, partially or completely occluding the lumen, and is accountable for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). ACSVD consists ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Throw in fasting insulin as well.

• readalot

• 

 

[Raiders789]

Not at all. The OP's trig/hdl-c ratio is not good.

My bad, I don't mean to be spreading misinformation. But since I have you and ghoul here in the same thread and you guys both seem to be way more informed then me, I have a question for you guys:

So I genetically have always had bad cholesterol, before I was on any PEDs my HDL would never be above 40. During my first cycle it dipped in the 20s on test/primo and after my cruise it got up to 34. I've always had high LDL too, so since starting AAS I've been using 10mg ezetimibe + 5mg rosuvastatin, and that has kept my ApoB at 40 and my LDL particle number at 400 nmol/L.

My question is - does it really matter long term if I have subpar HDL if my LDL/ApoB is well below CVD risk territory? I'm hoping to use a lot of primo/var soon and I know thats gonna tank my HDL, but would it really be that bat if I can keep my other lipid markers low?

Thanks!

 

[Ghoul]

w $1 h. n

My bad, I don't mean to be spreading misinformation. But since I have you and ghoul here in the same thread and you guys both seem to be way more informed then me, I have a question for you guys:

So I genetically have always had bad cholesterol, before I was on any PEDs my HDL would never be above 40. During my first cycle it dipped in the 20s on test/primo and after my cruise it got up to 34. I've always had high LDL too, so since starting AAS I've been using 10mg ezetimibe + 5mg rosuvastatin, and that has kept my ApoB at 40 and my LDL particle number at 400 nmol/L.

My question is - does it really matter long term if I have subpar HDL if my LDL/ApoB is well below CVD risk territory? I'm hoping to use a lot of primo/var soon and I know thats gonna tank my HDL, but would it really be that bat if I can keep my other lipid markers low?

Thanks!

In short, plaque accumulation and therefore heart disease risk potential is overwhelmingly determined by total atherogenic particles, ie, LDL, VLDL. Lp(a), represented cumulatively by ApoB.

Yours is very low. Well below the lowest levels advocated by guidelines for the highest risk patients. You're in "regression" territory, where soft plaque can be removed from arteries.

And that's where HDL comes in. It's the vehicle that transports lipids from the arteries back to the liver. The lower HDL is the less reverse transport can take place. Even more important is ApoA-I, which defines how well HDL can carry out this reverse transport function. In other words, it determines the quality of the HDL you do have.

So the TLDR is you're not accumulating plaque, you're removing it to some degree, and theres no urgent need to increase your HDL, though it would be beneficial to reducing existing soft plaque.

Some technical nuance:

Most compounds that raise HDL don't raise ApoA-I. This results in low quality HDL being produced. Not only is it not able to remove plaque, it's inflammatory so does more harm than good despite pushing the HDL count higher.

Low HDL is often an indicator of insulin resistance or inflammation. So keep an eye on those.

If you switch from Rosu 10mg to Pitavastatin 4mg, you'll raise HDL slightly, raise ApoA-I moderately, so the HDL you produce will be of higher quality, and unlike every other statin, Pita has a neutral or improving effect on insulin sensitivity, which is always good. It's also better for muscles, mitochondrial function, and doesn't deplete CoQ10.

If you want to switch, and Rosu is prescribed, you could just tell your doctor you've been getting some muscle aches and would like to try Pitavastatin because you heard that has the lowest side effect profile of all statins.

 

[Photon]

Most insurance companies won't cover any of these testing for lipids just fyi, in the event you plan to test apoB

1. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoAI);
2. Apolipoprotein B (apoB);
3. Apolipoprotein E (apoE);
4. Intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL);
5. Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) enzyme immunoassay;
6. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2);
7. Small density lipoproteins.

I was expecting a higher iron value for that HCT value.
You should pull labs with ferritin next time.

Cystatin also seems to be a little high?

 

[Photon]

My question is - does it really matter long term if I have subpar HDL if my LDL/ApoB is well below CVD risk territory? I'm hoping to use a lot of primo/var soon and I know thats gonna tank my HDL, but would it really be that bat if I can keep my other lipid markers low?

I think the goal is just to keep LDL as low as possible.
Going around chasing HDL is not beneficial.

Products that apparently improve higher quality HDL measured by CEC has been shown to not be beneficial.

Post in thread 'Chronic low HDL but good LDL (need advice)'

Aug 3, 2025

No.

Hundreds of studies after that 2014 paper went on to establish that cardiovascular risk is lowered by quality, not only quantity of HDL. HDL's ability to remove cholesterol, measured by CEC (cholesterol efflux capacity) and anti-inflammatory properties are what matters most.

The 2014 studies looks at the following, all of which i believe improve CEC, with CETP providing the strongest improvements.







In a different post i believe you ranked Niacin and Fibrates as well, right after Pita, both of which were also evaluated in the 2014 study...

• Photon

Some products which drastically improve HDL, CEC and Apoa-I actually even cause more harm.

Post in thread 'Chronic low HDL but good LDL (need advice)'

Aug 3, 2025

The 2014 studies looks at the following, all of which i believe improve CEC, with CETP providing the strongest improvements.

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View attachment 339130

View attachment 339131

In a different post i believe you ranked Niacin and Fibrates as well, right after Pita, both of which were also evaluated in the 2014 study as not being beneficial.
Edit, found it

Interesting read about CETP. I havnt heard of it before, but it looks like it does boost apoA1...

• Photon

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