Low Ferritin/Common with AAS use

mike036 · Sep 24, 2017

XstarchildX said:
Since this thread has been revived, I thought I would drop some questions in here for the experts (Stewie comes to mind lol) since I am in a similar situation.

I was iron deficient and my H and H were low from frequent donations. Got on ferrous sulfate 325mg 3 times a day for about 4 or so months then the doc retested with just a CBC. RDW and everything was back in range but my RBC, hematocrit and hemoglobin shot up. I donated blood twice and my Crit is much better but creeping up again. I have an appointment to donate again in two weeks but I'm worried about my iron and ferritin stores as well. It seems like guys in our shoes should donate less frequently despite higher H and H and just try to stay hydrated and take all the other precautionary measures? I'm at a loss as to what to do. My doc is being a complete asshat because he wants me to stop TRT (he doesn't believe in it. Says low T is "myth" and TRT doesn't work). I can't get a new doc right now due to insurance, so I'm back to running my own bloods, treating myself, etc. Any advice?

Have you tried the ferrrous sulfate only 1 per day? 3/day seems extreme.In my case when my iron/ferritin were extremely low I took just 1 325mg ferrous sulfate for a couple of days and stopped because of the constipation and nausea it was giving me.After a couple of weeks my doc did more bloodwork and my iron/ferritin went back into normal range,so I guess just my diet alone helped because like I stated I only used the ferrous sulfate for a short period of time

XstarchildX · Sep 24, 2017

mike036 said:
Have you tried the ferrrous sulfate only 1 per day? 3/day seems extreme.In my case when my iron/ferritin were extremely low I took just 1 325mg ferrous sulfate for a couple of days and stopped because of the constipation and nausea it was giving me.After a couple of weeks my doc did more bloodwork and my iron/ferritin went back into normal range,so I guess just my diet alone helped because like I stated I only used the ferrous sulfate for a short period of time

I haven't tried that. I've been reluctant to take any iron containing supplements after seeing my H and H so high. I've never had it over 50 and to have it at 57, I was a bit freaked lol.

mike036 · Sep 24, 2017

XstarchildX said:
I haven't tried that. I've been reluctant to take any iron containing supplements after seeing my H and H so high. I've never had it over 50 and to have it at 57, I was a bit freaked lol.

I remember Stewie saying one 325mg ferrous sulfate wouldn't really raise your h and h too much so definitely go with just 1 and keep doing bloodwork to see if you are able to maintain normal iron and ferritin levels while keeping hemoglobin and hematocrit normal as well

XstarchildX · Sep 24, 2017

mike036 said:
I remember Stewie saying one 325mg ferrous sulfate wouldn't really raise your h and h too much so definitely go with just 1 and keep doing bloodwork to see if you are able to maintain normal iron and ferritin levels while keeping hemoglobin and hematocrit normal as well

I'll give it a try! I have like 1,000 tabs left so why not?

buck · Sep 24, 2017

While low iron levels are not good. High iron levels are associated with aging quicker, Alzheimer and deterioration of tissues.

nothuman · Sep 24, 2017

mike036 said:
I remember Stewie saying one 325mg ferrous sulfate wouldn't really raise your h and h too much so definitely go with just 1 and keep doing bloodwork to see if you are able to maintain normal iron and ferritin levels while keeping hemoglobin and hematocrit normal as well

It’s true, it doesn’t really raise H/H that I can tell at 1 tab a day for me.

Thebigone · Sep 26, 2017

XstarchildX said:
Since this thread has been revived, I thought I would drop some questions in here for the experts (Stewie comes to mind lol) since I am in a similar situation.

I was iron deficient and my H and H were low from frequent donations. Got on ferrous sulfate 325mg 3 times a day for about 4 or so months then the doc retested with just a CBC. RDW and everything was back in range but my RBC, hematocrit and hemoglobin shot up. I donated blood twice and my Crit is much better but creeping up again. I have an appointment to donate again in two weeks but I'm worried about my iron and ferritin stores as well. It seems like guys in our shoes should donate less frequently despite higher H and H and just try to stay hydrated and take all the other precautionary measures? I'm at a loss as to what to do. My doc is being a complete asshat because he wants me to stop TRT (he doesn't believe in it. Says low T is "myth" and TRT doesn't work). I can't get a new doc right now due to insurance, so I'm back to running my own bloods, treating myself, etc. Any advice?

I agree bc as Stewie said having low iron is linked to blood clots more than high hemo. I think if you can get hematocrit between 50-51 that's ideal if iron is in range.

I think most important is staying hydrated and keeping BP in check. Taking a baby aspirin and 4-6g fish oil and 1-2g krill oil should keep blood thinner. As well as tumeric. It may not lower hemo but if it keeps blood thin I would think that would counteract the clotting issue of high hemo.

Anyone know if beet root powder would help? It cleanses blood.