New Member Intro

[warpoet375]

Hello All

I have been reading for a few months and decided I'd better introduce myself. 37M. I've been on TRT for 5 years due to secondary hypogonadism from a TBI in the military. I did several cycles during combat rotations but haven't gone beyond TRT since. Most of my TRT time has been great but I ended up on here looking for answers due to issues controlling E2 and crashing my iron. Low iron was fucking terrible! My doc told me to consistently donate after a HCT of 50.5! Of course supplementing iron made my HCT shoot up. This event made me realize that I must be more active in my healthcare and hormone replacement.

Currently lift 3x per week with daily fasted cardio. I have been lifting since I was 14. Unfortunately my routine is somewhat limited by chronic injuries. Current protocol is 20mg test cyp daily. 7.5mg Tirz. Down to 203 from 232 in 3.5 months. 5'11". Once I get HCT steady w/o donations, I plan on titrating up test as far as I can with HCT under 53 and adding in some GH. Eventually I would also like to experiment with primo or mast for their ability to control E2 while adding androgens. Also interested in low dose nandrolone for joint pain.

As a new father, I am as interested in harm reduction as much as hormone optimization. I am not looking to bodybuild or compete. I am looking for TRT+ information to be the best man I can be both physically and mentally. Looking forward to learning from fellow members!

Godspeed,
Warpoet

 

[Billbo98]

Brotha if your HCT is 53 and out of control on just TRT you may have Factor V Leiden or a polymorphism like a JAK2 mutation. You’ll never be able to cycle at this rate let alone use GH that ramps up RBC production and increase Hgh/hct. More frequent pinning also won’t decrease hct / Hgb so you have that working against you as opposed to 2 pins a week

 

[warpoet375]

Brotha if your HCT is 53 and out of control on just TRT you may have Factor V Leiden or a polymorphism like a JAK2 mutation. You’ll never be able to cycle at this rate let alone use GH that ramps up RBC production and increase Hgh/hct. More frequent pinning also won’t decrease hct / Hgb so you have that working against you as opposed to 2 pins a week

Appreciate the concern brother! I have reviewed all my HCT labs in conjunction with my blood donations. The 53 is most likely from iron supplementation prior to that test. I just got labs drawn to find out about JAK2 mutation. Totally agree with you that if that comes back positive I may not even be able to continue TRT. However I’m pretty sure it was the iron bc previously I was only at 50.5 with the same dose of trt and a longer time since blood donations. Additionally I have added in fasted cardio and Naringin. Hoping that all helps but if not I’m not adding anything until I figure out how to keep hct controlled. Taking things slow and methodical

 

[warpoet375]

Brotha if your HCT is 53 and out of control on just TRT you may have Factor V Leiden or a polymorphism like a JAK2 mutation. You’ll never be able to cycle at this rate let alone use GH that ramps up RBC production and increase Hgh/hct. More frequent pinning also won’t decrease hct / Hgb so you have that working against you as opposed to 2 pins a week

Why do you say daily pins won’t help HCT? I’ve read many anecdotal reports that it did help people.

 

[Billbo98]

Why do you say daily pins won’t help HCT? I’ve read many anecdotal reports that it did help people.

Daily pins are acting on the mechanism that creates the RBC increase and production. Yes a large bolus will spike it but it comes down with daily pins its constant production of erythropoietin via the mechanism testosterone increases RBC. You’d have better luck IMO with less frequent pinning, daily cardio, IP6 if lower iron wasn’t a concern which sounds like it is for you ao prob not a good idea, last thing being enalapril if you can tolerate it

 

[warpoet375]

Daily pins are acting on the mechanism that creates the RBC increase and production. Yes a large bolus will spike it but it comes down with daily pins its constant production of erythropoietin via the mechanism testosterone increases RBC. You’d have better luck IMO with less frequent pinning, daily cardio, IP6 if lower iron wasn’t a concern which sounds like it is for you ao prob not a good idea, last thing being enalapril if you can tolerate it

I’m not emotionally invested in daily injections or any protocol really so if they do not work to lower hct and maintain a good e2 I will not continue them. Prior to daily I always did MWF. Never even tried weekly.

I am concerned about low iron bc it was absolutely terrible. Worse than low t. However my case is unique bc it was a combo of consistent double red donations combined with a omeprozole prescription that tanked my iron. Doc was apparently unaware that omeprozole blocks iron absorption. I think since stopping that medication I should be able to maintain iron without supplements. Never heard of IP6 but I’ll look into it.

I asked my doc about Telmisartan and he sort of outright rejected the idea bc my blood pressure is only slightly elevated at ~ 125-130/75-80. However my blood pressure has typically been below that over the last 5-10 years. Is enalapril better for hct elevation than Telmisartan?

Edit: thanks again for your input

 

[Billbo98]

IP6 reduces iron through chelation. Enalapril is much better for reducing HCT & RBC than Telmisartan.

Honestly man your genetics just sound like shit for dealing with increased androgenic induced erythropoietin. If you did multiple double reds AND had a PPI script to reduce your iron and CBC was still shit you shouldn’t blast anything ever IMO. That’s a clear sign you don’t handle it well. TRT is fine but you’ll never be one of the guys able to be in the 1000s and live happily. You need to reduce your TRT to put you within range prob in the 5-600s. I’m on pantoprazole for life and my RBC, HCT, Hglbin all are fine.

What’re youre platelets?

 

[warpoet375]

IP6 reduces iron through chelation. Enalapril is much better for reducing HCT & RBC than Telmisartan.

Honestly man your genetics just sound like shit for dealing with increased androgenic induced erythropoietin. If you did multiple double reds AND had a PPI script to reduce your iron and CBC was still shit you shouldn’t blast anything ever IMO. That’s a clear sign you don’t handle it well. TRT is fine but you’ll never be one of the guys able to be in the 1000s and live happily. You need to reduce your TRT to put you within range prob in the 5-600s. I’m on pantoprazole for life and my RBC, HCT, Hglbin all are fine.

What’re youre platelets?

Platelets are always good. You may be right! However I’m not sold on that yet. 53 was an outlier with several factors which likely led to it. Typically with donations I stayed between 46-49. Even without donations I didn’t get above 50.5. Newer CBC after lowering dose, ceasing iron supps, adding daily fasted cardio and Naringin will tell me what’s what. I don’t ever plan on blasting - depending on definition. I doubt I’d ever do more than 300mg/wk with some GH. However I do agree that my labs may show that anything above low trt isn’t in the cards for me.

 

[Billbo98]

Platelets are always good. You may be right! However I’m not sold on that yet. 53 was an outlier with several factors which likely led to it. Typically with donations I stayed between 46-49. Even without donations I didn’t get above 50.5. Newer CBC after lowering dose, ceasing iron supps, adding daily fasted cardio and Naringin will tell me what’s what. I don’t ever plan on blasting - depending on definition. I doubt I’d ever do more than 300mg/wk with some GH. However I do agree that my labs may show that anything above low trt isn’t in the cards for me.

Yup. Consider 300mg usually puts ppl 2x the ref range and GH makes it worse with uptick in RBC production

 

[warpoet375]

Yup. Consider 300mg usually puts ppl 2x the ref range and GH makes it worse with uptick in RBC production

I will def keep that in mind. One compound at a time. You have much experience with e2 management? I’ve done no AI and AI. I’ve only ever tried Anastrozole and it is just too potent for me. Anytime I take it I end up too low. My genetics do suck for aromatization. I’ve established that lol. Hoping that dropping some body fat helps but I think I’ll always be a high aromatizer. I read on here that aromasin is more forgiving that Anastrozole.