I am 37 and have bee blasting and cursing, though blasting more than I have been crusing for the last 4 years and stopped 3 weeks ago. I was blasting 800mg and crusing at around 400mg when I did cruse. I got labs done and they showed that my gfr was like 56 and the doctor said that this normally would indicate having stage 3 kidney failure, however I have no presenting symptoms of having stage 3 kidney failure and said that it could simply be a lab error. However, my second set of labs a week later showed that it went up 1 point. Now the doctor wants me to see a nephrologist. Does testosterone temporarily lower gfr levels?
No, at least that’s what I am saying. Interesting how testosterone gets blamed for everything. I suppose there can be outliers, 37 is young for those levels. I check eGFR twice yearly and just have not seen it. There are few studies showing otherwise, but they are very weak with multiple confounders. There are also some showing testosterone helps CKD, both in terms of slowing the progression and preventing death. Of note, women have a higher risk of kidney disease than men.
I do see the GFR drop in some of the guys. The typical story is they started TRT and decided to clean up their lifestyle, lose the belly fat, gain some muscle and work on being healthy. Now we’re talking hitting the gym and with it, dietary changes. That usually means a high protein diet. This is almost always the case when I see creatinine increase and GFR decrease. It’s common for guys to tell me they’re taking in 300-400g of protein daily. That is the reason I keep an eye on kidney function.
This guy isn’t on TRT, he’s essentially been on a permablast for 4 years (and perhaps has additional cyclic experience prior to BnC).
High dose AAS has the potential to irreversibly damage kidneys through a magnitude of differing mechanisms. With testosterone in particuar I’d assume to majority of said damage would be secondary to untreated hypertension, though direct nephrotoxicity through the use of high dose T can’t be ruled out; particuarly if one has a genetic predisposition.
Good point. However, I have a lot of patients who were heavy AAS users, and by that I mean synthetic anabolic steroids as much as testosterone, some dating back decades, and I am just not seeing it.
Then again, if you think you are healthy, you haven’t had enough tests.
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Are we referring to the AAS user or the average joe? Almost anyone will find “something” amiss if they run enough tests. Granted an eGFR of 57 for an otherwise at healthy 37y/old male isn’t common
If I may ask, how often do you see cardiomyopathy and/or sudden cardiac deaths within your practice. I’ve spoken to a few medical professionals about this within the context of AAS abuse. I’ve been told it doesn’t appear to be all that common within the recreational/lower dose user base, rather it’s more common amongst those using heavier dosages and/or those trying to get very big.
There appears to be a large discrepancy regarding individualistic response. Some are far more prone to negative outcomes.
The guys who make it on stage or have huge Instagram followings are the ones who are genetically blessed to be able to not die from abuse. Nobody has an Instagram account for all the dudes who tried to get huge and flamed out, stroked out, collapsed at the squat rack, or just plain had to stop before it killed them. There’s a huge survivorship bias when it comes to the fitness/gearhead people we see vs the ones we’ve never heard of.
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I… have an idea…
Average Joe. Kind of a sideways comment on health care in general. Think of the 90y/o who takes no meds, does not go to a doctor and has never been in the hospital. They’re healthy, so they never needed the above, or they never started down the health care route, so they are healthy?
I just do not see it. I would agree with what you’ve been told. That is not to say there are not some I worry about. But, not because they are on TRT, it’s because they have co morbidities which they are not managing well, obesity, diabetes, smoking, work stress, sedentary lifestyle, etc.
Yeah, over the years, there are a few I can think of, all powerlifters and heavy users. One, 5’7" 270lbs, couldn’t dead lift his bench because he had difficulty bending over to grip the bar (belly got in the way), crazy AAS regimen and he wasn’t even good. Obese, heavy smoker, heavy drinker, ignored severe hypertension, stroke in his late 40s. Another, 275lb and SHW classes, heavy user, heavy drinker, stroke in his 50s. Another, 242lb and 275lb classes, heavy user, cocaine, heroin, etc., diabetic and obese after stopping competitive lifting, 350lbs, fatal MI at 43.
in Belgium GFR values are considered ok when they are at least 60. So 56 would be a minor problem
I had GFR values once being dropped till 17, when having rhabdo. Not a pretty sight. After 4 day’s, they started to rise again. if not, kidney failure
Now being on TRT for seveal years, GFR always at least 85
That’s all the justification I need… 300mg/wk 4 life (kidding)
I typically use around 125mg/wk, gets me up to like 800ng/dl+, high range FT. Synthetics tank my HDL, no matter the dose.
How much variation is typical for an individual on eGFR? I’ve seen mine swing a bit, but I’m not sure how consistent these values should be?
I am at a higher altitude as I am in the mountains right now and that is where I got my blood work done. I read that the high altitude may be the reason for the low numbers. Possible?