Red Face

Pharma
1

Has anyone ever experienced a very red flush from t? Also, my ears ring like crazy. I also think I have asked this before but I have zero memory. Sorry.

I am on 120mg/wk t/cyp for HRT and am now going to 80mg/wk as my MD claims that my t is too high vs ratio with SHBG.

I have to admit, I feel like crap. Life couldn’t be any worse than it is now.

My MD follows John Crisler,(sp), who uses a t/SHBG ratio to determine what your t should be on HRT.

Here are my numbers from bw taken last month.

total t 1153 range 241-827
shbg 21 18-47
t4,free 1.3 0.8-1.8
t4,total 9.0 4.5-12.0
t3,total 127 60-181
t3,free 327 230-420
dhea 122 25-240
estradiol 32 <52
tsh 2.98 0.40-4.50
igf 147 87-225

He claims my t is way too high and should be around 600. Yesterday I injected 40mg which I will do again on Wed, making it 80mg/wk, down from 120mg/wk. I am also on Adex, 1mg/wk. That has done nothing for e as it has always been between 37 and 32 and has never been lower.

I have had 2 mds who thought that the flushed face could be from androgens, but they were guessing. Neither were treating me for that. A gastroenterologist just the other day asked me why my face was red. I told him I was on HRT and he said that might do it???

Also I take 90mg/ed of armour thyroid. But my face was red even when I didn’t take armour.

I don’t recall having the issure on Angrogel so I am considering just going back. I couldn’t possibly feel worse. I have t of 1100 and have zero desire to lift. WTF

Could I be allergic to cyp?

I’m grasping at straws and am hoping the reduced t helps a bit.

Sorry for the rant and thanks in advance.

Scott [/quote]

2

Scott, Do you get any waves of “heat” or tingling - pins-and-needles? Any variation day to day or hour to hour? Are you feeling warm or overheated? When you do get overheated, do you feel distressed?

If an allergy, you could try some antihistamines. If they provide any relief, then there could be a issue of that sort. T cyp is made with cotton seed oil. I think that T ethanate is made with sesame seed oil. You could try that. It is not the T that is the problem, you get that from transdermals too.

I have trouble seeing that this is from the T as many young men have those levels and many bodybuilders use 10 or 20 times as much T as you are using.

If you have some transdermals on hand, do your own trial and see if that changes anything. Might be better to not burn the injectable bridges down too fast. If that helps, I would take that as a lead to try T ethante, and not condem injectables at that point.

I think that your doctors are guessing and don’t have any answers.

3

[quote]KSman wrote:
Scott, Do you get any waves of “heat” or tingling - pins-and-needles? Any variation day to day or hour to hour? Are you feeling warm or overheated? When you do get overheated, do you feel distressed?

If an allergy, you could try some antihistamines. If they provide any relief, then there could be a issue of that sort. T cyp is made with cotton seed oil. I think that T ethanate is made with sesame seed oil. You could try that. It is not the T that is the problem, you get that from transdermals too.

I have trouble seeing that this is from the T as many young men have those levels and many bodybuilders use 10 or 20 times as much T as you are using.

If you have some transdermals on hand, do your own trial and see if that changes anything. Might be better to not burn the injectable bridges down too fast. If that helps, I would take that as a lead to try T ethante, and not condem injectables at that point.

I think that your doctors are guessing and don’t have any answers.[/quote]

Hey KSman,

Yes, I do get pins and needles when I start playing racquetball and then they go away. I changed the sheets on the bed this morning and the little exertion made me itch and get pins and needles. And the flushing is continuous, 24/7. Pins and needles, comes and goes. Mostly in the morning.

I’m not in bad shape as we played ball for almost 2 hours of partners but I have no desire to get back in the gym. Sexually I don’t exactly spring into action and mentally my head feels like mush.

As you know, I have been having problems for a while, but this is getting nutz.

I will try the lower dose and see how things go.

Thanks for the idea about an antihistimine. I will give that a shot tomorrow.

This would be easier if I wasn’t so f-cking nuts. LOL.

Thanks, and happy new year

Scott [/quote]

4

Everytime I use test I end up with a redding of the skin. Its almost like instatan in more or a red fashion. Less than a week after my first shot the redness comes.
Some regular tanning tends to help for me. I end up more of a red brown that just red.

5

[quote]LillGuy001 wrote:
Everytime I use test I end up with a redding of the skin. Its almost like instatan in more or a red fashion. Less than a week after my first shot the redness comes.
Some regular tanning tends to help for me. I end up more of a red brown that just red.[/quote]

I have a couple of friends that are on trt and I noticed that they are a little red as well. I have a feeling like my blood pressure is very high but it isn’t. 116/80 as of last week.

I can live with the color but the pressure is annoying. It’s like my face throbs.

My hemoglobin and hematocrit are both high. My MD didn’t mention that either of them could cause my situation.

hemoglobin 18.7 range 13.2-17.1
hematocrit 52.7 38.5-50.0
mch 33.3 27-33

thanks,

Scott

6

Could your MD not try giving you something to lower SHBG instead of lowering your dose?

Also I’m with KSman on this that it sounds as if you are having an allergic reaction to something and it is probably not the test itself.

[quote]olderguy wrote:
LillGuy001 wrote:
Everytime I use test I end up with a redding of the skin. Its almost like instatan in more or a red fashion. Less than a week after my first shot the redness comes.
Some regular tanning tends to help for me. I end up more of a red brown that just red.

I have a couple of friends that are on trt and I noticed that they are a little red as well. I have a feeling like my blood pressure is very high but it isn’t. 116/80 as of last week.

I can live with the color but the pressure is annoying. It’s like my face throbs.

My hemoglobin and hematocrit are both high. My MD didn’t mention that either of them could cause my situation.

hemoglobin 18.7 range 13.2-17.1
hematocrit 52.7 38.5-50.0
mch 33.3 27-33

thanks,

Scott
[/quote]

7

[quote]Cortes wrote:
Could your MD not try giving you something to lower SHBG instead of lowering your dose?

Also I’m with KSman on this that it sounds as if you are having an allergic reaction to something and it is probably not the test itself.

olderguy wrote:
LillGuy001 wrote:
Everytime I use test I end up with a redding of the skin. Its almost like instatan in more or a red fashion. Less than a week after my first shot the redness comes.
Some regular tanning tends to help for me. I end up more of a red brown that just red.

I have a couple of friends that are on trt and I noticed that they are a little red as well. I have a feeling like my blood pressure is very high but it isn’t. 116/80 as of last week.

I can live with the color but the pressure is annoying. It’s like my face throbs.

My hemoglobin and hematocrit are both high. My MD didn’t mention that either of them could cause my situation.

hemoglobin 18.7 range 13.2-17.1
hematocrit 52.7 38.5-50.0
mch 33.3 27-33

thanks,

Scott

[/quote]

My shbg is low which is good. Less to bind with t. Also, I’m pretty sure there are no supps to alter shbg, but I have the equivalent of a first graders knowledge so don’t quote me.

I have stopped any supps, digestive enzymes, fiber, anything I can. I stopped xanax and have only taken a total of about 2mg in the last 3 months. An eighth here, a quarter there. Who knows, it could be withdrawal from that. It would suck that it takes that long but I wouldn’t be surprised.

I was on xanax for 6yrs and trust me, it isn’t anything to screw with. It’s a mind/emotion numbing experience. Truly not to be taken lightly. But hey, most of us are adults. I paid a price for anything I took that made me feel different, and the older I got, the bigger price I paid.

Thanks,

Scott [/quote]

8

[quote]olderguy wrote:

My shbg is low which is good. Less to bind with t. Also, I’m pretty sure there are no supps to alter shbg, but I have the equivalent of a first graders knowledge so don’t quote me.

[/quote]

Proviron (mesterolone) binds to SHBG, rendering it largely ineffective.

9

I may be off track, but I though redness came from elevated blood pressure.

Have you done any cardio (not tennis) but actual elliptical, running or stationery cycling to asses your heart rate?

Some people get high blood pressure from exogenous T. Just in the cards.

11

[quote]LillGuy001 wrote:
Everytime I use test I end up with a redding of the skin. Its almost like instatan in more or a red fashion. Less than a week after my first shot the redness comes.
Some regular tanning tends to help for me. I end up more of a red brown that just red.[/quote]

You do? Maybe you are injecting something else. … Maybe it’s Olive Oil.

12

I’m not sure the cause either, but my face was quite red while on 400mg/week of test-e. After a bad injection, I went to the doctor and my BP was 120/80, so elevated BP doesn’t appear to be the problem.

13

Elevated bp is not an issue with me either. Just something that happens while on.

14

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
I suspect the redface is due to increased erythropoiesis. Afterall, you do have an elevated RBC count.

Other symptoms of polycythemia are intnse focal itchiness. Particularly in the extremities and brought on by heat (say exertion, but usually a hot bath or shower).

Its funny actually, since the guy who runs my gym gets the red face. You can easily tell when he’s on or off cycle just by looking at his ‘beefy’ face.

Bushy[/quote]

I’m impressed Bushy as I googled polycythemia and the symptoms were tinnitus, weakness and itching. I have all three. Now when I see my MD this week I can point him in the right direction, not that I should have to.

I don’t like some of the causes but WTF.

Thanks again,

Scott

16

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
olderguy wrote:
bushidobadboy wrote:
I suspect the redface is due to increased erythropoiesis. Afterall, you do have an elevated RBC count.

Other symptoms of polycythemia are intnse focal itchiness. Particularly in the extremities and brought on by heat (say exertion, but usually a hot bath or shower).

Its funny actually, since the guy who runs my gym gets the red face. You can easily tell when he’s on or off cycle just by looking at his ‘beefy’ face.

Bushy

I’m impressed Bushy as I googled polycythemia and the symptoms were tinnitus, weakness and itching. I have all three. Now when I see my MD this week I can point him in the right direction, not that I should have to.

I don’t like some of the causes but WTF.

Thanks again,

Scott

I suspect that the cause of your mild polycythemia is simply the test. That’s one of the things that happens when you take steroids, even in such small doses.

One poster here who is a doctor told me that he diagnosed 2 or 3 cases of polycythemia due to TRT.

Obviously this may not be thecase with yourself, but it seems likely. Don’t panic my friend.

Bushy[/quote]

Panic would be indicative of a degree of surprise and since I have self diagnosed a myriad of potential diseases for myself, nothing would surprise me as I am sure I have left no stone unturned.

To name a few, a variety of cancers, diabetes, prostate problems, on and on and on. I have been hoarse for a few months, forget about it. I’ve googled it 20 times.

At least I can laugh at myself.

And thanks to everybody for their imput and the intelligence of the guys on this site never ceases to amaze me. I’ve mentioned the “red face” to 3 different MDs, one in the HRT field, and not one mentioned polycythemia, and one of them saw I had high HCT. He told me to drink more water. Wow.

17

[quote]LillGuy001 wrote:
Elevated bp is not an issue with me either. Just something that happens while on.[/quote]

I don’t think Olive Oil will have any Effect on your BP…

18

[quote]cystum wrote:
LillGuy001 wrote:
Elevated bp is not an issue with me either. Just something that happens while on.

I don’t think Olive Oil will have any Effect on your BP… [/quote]

Sorry to put more crap in your thread olderguy, but is this douche cystum banned from here yet. Your attempt to poke fun at me have failed, grow up, get a life and move on. And just fyi, if you had been around here long enough to know better you would realize that I brewed own batch of test this time and im pretty sure that I would know if there was any olive oil in it.

Olderguy,
Hope all turns out well for you. Please do let us know when you get futher results.

19

[quote]LillGuy001 wrote:
cystum wrote:
LillGuy001 wrote:
Elevated bp is not an issue with me either. Just something that happens while on.

I don’t think Olive Oil will have any Effect on your BP…

Sorry to put more crap in your thread olderguy, but is this douche cystum banned from here yet. Your attempt to poke fun at me have failed, grow up, get a life and move on. And just fyi, if you had been around here long enough to know better you would realize that I brewed own batch of test this time and im pretty sure that I would know if there was any olive oil in it.

Olderguy,
Hope all turns out well for you. Please do let us know when you get futher results.

[/quote]

Thanks LillGuy,

At the suggestion of a friend, I donated a pint of whole blood today. I emailed him and told him I didn’t feel any better yet. Hell, it’s been 5 hours. LOL.

At this point, I’ll try anything and that sounded pretty good. I went to a donor center at the Staten Island Mall. There and back in an hour. I guess when you have something they need, as opposed to getting your license renewed, things go pretty easy.

I did read where they take a pint of blood a week until your reading gets to 45%??? The blood bank said you can only give blood every 53 days. But it is a start.

I’ll let everyone know what the MD says next Tuesday.

Happy New Year to everyone

Scott

20

[quote]olderguy wrote:
LillGuy001 wrote:
cystum wrote:
LillGuy001 wrote:
Elevated bp is not an issue with me either. Just something that happens while on.

I don’t think Olive Oil will have any Effect on your BP…

Sorry to put more crap in your thread olderguy, but is this douche cystum banned from here yet. Your attempt to poke fun at me have failed, grow up, get a life and move on. And just fyi, if you had been around here long enough to know better you would realize that I brewed own batch of test this time and im pretty sure that I would know if there was any olive oil in it.

Olderguy,
Hope all turns out well for you. Please do let us know when you get futher results.

Thanks LillGuy,

At the suggestion of a friend, I donated a pint of whole blood today. I emailed him and told him I didn’t feel any better yet. Hell, it’s been 5 hours. LOL.

At this point, I’ll try anything and that sounded pretty good. I went to a donor center at the Staten Island Mall. There and back in an hour. I guess when you have something they need, as opposed to getting your license renewed, things go pretty easy.

I did read where they take a pint of blood a week until your reading gets to 45%??? The blood bank said you can only give blood every 53 days. But it is a start.

I’ll let everyone know what the MD says next Tuesday.

Happy New Year to everyone

Scott

[/quote]

4 weeks into my test E cycle of 500mg/week I noticed an increased flushed face and also any kind of strenuous work would bring about an extremely flushed face and very warm to the touch. I donated a pint of blood and my symptoms have all but gone away. I am now in week 8.

Craig

1 Like