BLOOD WORK_Dutasteride from ALLDAYCHEMIST

[trashkan]

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)	7.7	30 - 85	ng/dL	Reference Range is for an Adult Male
Testosterone, Serum	1188	348 - 1197	ng/dL	Adult Male Reference Interval is based on a population of Lean Males up to 40 years old.
Testosterone, Free (Direct)	26.1	8.7 - 25.1	pg/mL
Estrogens, Total	109	40 - 115	pg/mL
Cortisol	18.9	2.3 - 19.4	ug/dL	AM Cortisol Reference Range: 6.2 - 19.4 PM Cortisol Reference Range: 2.3 - 11.9
Prolactin	13.5	4.0 - 15.2	ng/mL
Cholesterol, Total	192	100 - 199	mg/dL
Cholesterol, HDL	70	> 39	mg/dL	According to ATP-III Guidelines, HDL-C > 59 mg/dL is considered a NEGATIVE Risk Factor for CHD
Cholesterol, LDL (Calc)	106	0 - 99	mg/dL
Cholesterol, VLDL (Calc)	16	5 - 40	mg/dL
LDL/HDL Ratio	1.5	0.0 - 3.6	Ratio Units
Triglycerides	82	0 - 149	mg/dL
Vitamin B12	386	211 - 946	pg/mL
Folate (Folic Acid), Serum	9.3	> 3.0	ng/mL	A Serum Folate Concentration of LESS than 3.1 ng/mL is considered to represent clinical deficiency.
Vitamin D (25-Hydroxyvitamin D)	10.9	30.0 - 100.0	ng/mL	Vitamin D Deficiency has been defined by the Institute of Medicine and an Endocrine Society Practice Guideline as a Level of Serum 25-OH Vitamin D LESS than 20 ng/mL. The Endocrine Society went on to further define Vitamin D Insufficiency as a level between 21-29 ng/mL.
Iron, Serum	86	40 - 155	ug/dL
Iron Binding Capacity (TiBC)	278	250 - 450	ug/dL
UIBC	193	150 - 375	ug/dL
Iron Saturation	31	15 - 55	%
Ferritin, Serum	179	30 - 400	ng/mL
Red Blood Cells (RBC)	5.02	3.75 - 6.10	M/uL
Hemoglobin (HGB)	15.5	13.0 - 18.0	gm/dL
Hematocrit (HCT)	44.2	40.0 - 55.0	%
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)	88.0	80.0 - 100.0	fL
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)	30.9	27.0 - 33.0	pg
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)	35.1	32.0 - 36.0	g/dL
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW)	12.4	0.0 - 15.0	%
Mean Platelet Volume (MPV)	10.0	0.0 - 99.9	fL
Platelets (PLT)	228	150 - 450	K/uL
T4, Free (Direct)	1.17	0.82 - 1.77	ng/dL
TSH	5.530	0.450 - 4.500	uiu/mL	The Endorine Society recommends AGAINST routine treatment for patients with ELEVATED TSH Levels BELOW 10.000 uiu/mL if Free T4 or T4 are NORMAL
Glucose, Serum	92	65 - 99	mg/dL
BUN	15	6 - 20	mg/dL
Creatinine, Serum	0.96	0.76 - 1.27	mg/dL
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (EGFR)	106	> 59	mL/min/1.73	Values are based on the NON-African American EGFR test and Reference Range
BUN/Creatinine Ratio	16	8 - 19	Ratio Units
Sodium, Serum	138	134 - 144	mmol/L
Potassium, Serum	4.0	3.5 - 5.2	mmol/L
Chloride, Serum	97	97 - 108	mmol/L
Carbon Dioxide, Total	27	19 - 28	mmol/L
Calcium, Serum	9.2	8.7 - 10.2	mg/dL
Protein, Total Serum	7.4	6.0 - 8.5	g/dL
Albumin, Serum	4.6	3.5 - 5.5	g/dL
Globulin, Total	2.8	1.5 - 4.5	g/dL
Albumin/Globulin Ratio	1.6	1.1 - 2.5	Ratio Units
Bilirubin, Total	0.4	0.0 - 1.2	mg/dL
Alkaline Phosphatase, Serum	76	39 - 117	iu/L
AST (SGOT)	24	0 - 40	iu/L
ALT (SGPT)	23	0 - 44	iu/L
White Blood Cells (WBC)	4.5	4.0 - 10.5	K/uL
Neutrophil Percentage (NE%)	62.0	40.0 - 70.0	%
Lymphocyte Percentage (LY%)	18.5	20.0 - 40.0	%
Monocyte Percentage (MO%)	14.6	1.0 - 12.0	%
Eosinophil Percentage (EO%)	4.2	0.0 - 5.0	%
Basophil Percentage (BA%)	0.7	0.0 - 3.0	%
Neutrophil Count (NE#)	2.8	1.3 - 7.0	K/uL
Lymphocyte Count (LY#)	0.8	0.7 - 4.0	K/uL
Monocyte Count (MO#)	0.7	0.0 - 1.2	K/uL
Eosinophil Count (EO#)	0.2	0.0 - 0.5	K/uL
Basophil Count (BA#)	0.0	0.0 - 0.3	K/uL

- - - Updated - - -

I have been on their Dr. Reddy's "Dutas" Dutasteride 0.5mg (1 cap daily for 16 months).
My hair doesn't look like an afro, but it has nearly completely stopped shedding. I'd be a Diffuse NW2.

Also, I'm at a University and the Winter was long in the Midwest, thus the crappy Vitamin D values. That morning was very stressful, though I know that doesn't really explain away the Cortisol levels. From my testosterone, Estrogen, high TSH, and relatively Low T4...you would think I would be tired all the time, but I'm not. My metabolism is insane. I'm about 5'10" and 160lbs. They measured my Blood Pressure that morning at 130/70.

The only sides I've had from the Dutasteride are a little bit of an increase in Muscle and about an equal increase in Chest. I don't have gyno by any means, but I can notice it is a little bigger than what it used to be 2 years ago. Then again, my biceps are bigger too. My sex drive is high like always.

 

[donyell]

Wow those are awesome bloodtest results. How much did that all cost you?

I've been on dutasteride a while and am gonna get some soon.

Thanks for posting this brother.

 

[trashkan]

No problem and thanks for the support. The reason why I got the blood tests was because I'm getting ready to make another purchase from ADC and I want to be positive my body was responding appropriately to the medicine. Like nearly everyone, I've got a healthy level of body dysmorphia. I wasn't sure if my chest was getting bigger and my arms were getting bigger or if it was only because I knew what to look for and how things 'should' respond. Ive also read anecdotal testimonies about people thinking Avodart damages the liver, so I got the truncated LFTs (i.e. AST & ALT).


To be honest, Im not in love with my hair right now and expected more from Avodart. That said, it hasn't progressively gotten worse since beginning Avodart. So, I have that to be thankful for. My brother is probably a NW4-6 and abruptly lost the majority of his hair around age 28-29. I'm 30 and began noticing more hairs in the sink around age 27-28. I did Finasteride for 6-9 months and then chose to stop wasting my time when there was something better out there.


As far as cost, I am fortunate to have insanely good insurance because I've got Student Insurance at a State University. However, they haven't sent the bill yet. If it is less than $1k, then I'll be fine with it. I know that seems very expensive, but I would rather spend it and move forward with confidence that my body is doing what I think its doing (for the most part). That said, my discussion with the doctor did not include anything remotely to do with hair. I crafted the conversation around diagnoses that my insurance was more likely to pay for (e.g. BPH, Anemia, Family History of Hyperlipidemia, etc). My father has BPH, everyone in my family has Hyperlipidemia, and Ive had lab tests that showed I was anemic in the past, so these weren't necessarily unreasonable requests.



The only tests in that thing that I was surprised about were TSH, Vitamin D, nearly all of my immune cell levels, and maybe to a lesser extent my Cortisol. I started taking Vitamin D and Calcium supplements the day I got the results back. Now that I'm on those and feel more confident about my Bone Mineral Density (though I was Asymptomatic) being rectified, it is tempting to try maybe 0.25mg daily of Anastrazole to lower my Estrogen a bit. I haven't made a decision though. I'll probably double, if not triple, my Avodart dose though. I want the DHT<5.

 

[zzzzz]

you got some high levels, my T is a third of yours. I am taking Dr. Reddy's as well and my DHT is too low to be registered (less than 5) although my reference range was 17-72. Maybe because of differences in age ranges (I am only 19)

 

[trashkan]

I don't think the huge difference in T Levels has much to do with the 11 years that separate us. I saw your bloodwork before posting my own and was confused at your test levels. You should get your Estrogen and Prolactin checked.

There are several things that could be going on, not the least of which is you having idiopathic Low T (and possibly me having idiopathic High T).

I've had body hair since I hit puberty. It is gone now because I've had electrolysis done. But, my body naturally makes a bunch of DHT. Because I shut that Testosterone--->DHT pathway off, equilibrium shifts. Now, the Testosterone that would have otherwise been converted to DHT has 3 options.
1. Remain as Testosterone in my body (which is obviously happening)
2. Increase the Testosterone that is converted into Estrogen (which is obviously happening)
3. Increase the concentration of Testosterone Precursors in my body, which as easily draw a connection. However, it would make sense if this were happening because of the High Cortisol, High Cholesterol (though I don't eat very cleanly), and High Estrogen.

This flowchart may help: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/synthesis-estrogen-chart.gif

Maybe the Testosterone that otherwise would have been converted to DHT is now being converted into Estrogen in your body. Labs would show this. I've been contemplating taking Anastrazole just because I love the feeling of have tons of T. If I were to take Anastrazole though, I would expect my Estrogen levels to dramatically drop while significantly increasing my Testosterone and Cortisol levels. If I were to take Anastrazole, I would expect my DHT to rise slightly too...unless I doubled (or tripled) the Dutasteride I take.

Honestly, I'd be worried about Idiopathic Low T if I were you and would want to see a baseline to compare it with (i.e. not on any meds). If you stop taking Dutasteride, it would make sense that your T Levels would decrease even further...which is a scary thought.

Last thing, I have labwork to show that the "Dr. Reddy's Dutas" from ADC are doing their job. This means that I can show the Dutas from that place are doing the job that I hoped they would do. Will my next batch from be as potent? Are mine the same potency as your? Yours may be messing up the 3Beta-hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (3B-HSD) enzyme or another enzyme earlier in the pathway. Getting further bloodwork could give you a better idea of what's going on.

 

[trashkan]

That big of a difference is not because of the age range. I can tell you that for a fact.

There are a number of things that could be going on in your body, but I would want further bloodwork to give me a better idea of what is actually happening. Getting Estrogen, Cortisol, and Prolactin would be a good start. If I had to guess, I would say you have Idiopathic Low T. If you got off Dutasteride, expect that T Level to drop further.

If I end up taking Anastrazole, my T Levels will be even higher.

 

[donyell]

Did you get baseline test done also or no? Would have been interested to see bioavailable T and DHEAI try to get all the tests my insurance can cover...I am most worried about my cortisol as it is naturally high even before dutasteride, test etc not even worried about but estrogen i gotta check i dont want it to slowly creep up over the years

overall though, you feel healthy?

also maintaence should be the goal with dutasteride in the long term, unfortuanlely regrowth would be a big bonus

 

[trashkan]

Unfortunately, I don't have baseline of the hormone stuff. I've had the Cortisol and Thyroid measured before. The Thyroid's numbers were fine. The Cortisol was on the higher-end of normal, though less than what it was with this test. I don't actually have the previous Cortisol value.

I feel great. I'm active and my energy levels are pretty normal. After getting the labs back, I began supplementing with Vitamin D, Calcium, and B12. Though my energy levels were always fairly normal, the 1mg daily B12 has really helped.

 

[LouReed]

I've been looking into lowering my cortisol with supplements, sort of as an experiment on myself.

Here are a few that lower cortisol without lowering T (a concern of mine):

- Ashwagandha (http://examine.com/supplements/Ashwagandha/)
- Rhodiola Rosea (http://examine.com/supplements/Rhodiola+Rosea/)
- Chamomille Tea

good luck dude

 

[trashkan]

The Elevated Cortisol is concerning but it isn't irritating to the point that I would want to address it. I appreciate your suggestions but I probably will just live with the elevated Cortisol unless it gets way out of hand.

I hope you find success though. If you take them for a considerable amount of time, you should get bloodwork and post it.

I'd like to hear a compelling argument with reasons why I should not take very low-dose Anastrazole (0.25mg daily) with my Dutasteride. I'm pretty close to buying some Anastrazole and I'm gonna do it unless someone is able to convince me otherwise.

 

[Agahi]

Do you have gyno? I thought that Anastrazole is for that.

 

[trashkan]

I got the bill for the 15 blood tests today. Insurance is making me pay $5 per blood test so a total of a $75 copayment. However, if I would not have had insurance the bill would have been $569 total.

 

[happychineseboy]

I got the bill for the 15 blood tests today. Insurance is making me pay $5 per blood test so a total of a $75 copayment. However, if I would not have had insurance the bill would have been $569 total.

how much blood did they have to take? 15 vials?

 

[trashkan]

It was actually 16 vials because I had to get blood drawn for a TB Test, which was completely paid for and required by the school. I'm not certain the actual amount but I was joking with the phlebotomist that they would probably have to take a giant volume of blood and she said it actually amounted to less than if I were donating blood (i.e. less than a pint). It took about 3-4 minutes of the needle being in my vein.

 

[Lennox]

my dht level is way to high during propecia when i make a break its going to a normal level whats going on??

 

[zzzzz]

my dht level is way to high during propecia when i make a break its going to a normal level whats going on??

if your DHT levels are high (still in the normal range) while on propecia/finasteride this is because of 1 of 2 things:

1. Your DHT levels were extremely/very high to start off with (if this is the case I would consider dutasteride)
2. Your finasteride is fake

 

[Rudolphus]

I'm also using Dr. Reddy's Dutas from ADC. So far I've had fantastic results from it. Very good regrowth, and shedding has stopped completely. On a separate point, by the way, the best thing to take for gyno is Tamoxifen. It is a lot better than aromatase inhibitors like Anastrazole. From what I've read, aromatase inhibitors are not capable of reversing existing gyno, but are only able to stop it from worsening any further. Tamoxifen is actually able to reverse existing gyno.

 

[preservationist]

Guys, I am considering getting my blood work done. I have only been on finasteride for four days. If I stop now, how long should I wait for the my levels go back to baseline? Also, what should I test for? I kind of would like to get a comprehensive test anyway.