Managing Hematocrit and Hemoglobin Levels

TropicStrength · Post by **TropicStrength** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 2:30 am

My Hematocrit is creeping up to 54%. Is it time for a donation or should I just hydrate more?

AndeanLifter · Post by **AndeanLifter** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 3:20 am

Hydration is first. If you are dehydrated, your plasma volume drops and HCT looks artificially high.

LatinoBulk · Post by **LatinoBulk** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 4:05 am

Donation is a temporary fix. It can actually drive down ferritin and leave you exhausted.

CaliFlex · Post by **CaliFlex** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 4:50 am

I donate every 3 months. My ferritin is crashed though (12 ng/mL). How do I balance this?

MedellinMuscle · Post by **MedellinMuscle** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 5:45 am

Crashed ferritin is bad for performance. Iron is needed for mitochondrial function.

TropicStrength · Post by **TropicStrength** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 6:30 am

What about Grapefruit seed extract or Telmisartan?

AndeanLifter · Post by **AndeanLifter** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 7:15 am

Telmisartan is great for blood pressure and can help slightly with HCT, but it's not a miracle cure.

LatinoBulk · Post by **LatinoBulk** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 7:50 am

Check for sleep apnea. Chronic hypoxia at night will drive EPO through the roof.

CaliFlex · Post by **CaliFlex** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 8:35 am

Never thought about apnea. I do snore quite a bit.

MedellinMuscle · Post by **MedellinMuscle** » Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:10 am

Get a sleep study. Fixing apnea fixes the HCT issue for 90% of lifters.