So I’ve thought about donating blood for some time now. Had it put on the back burner until recently. Not even to “clean me out”, as suggested on this board. Mainly due to high rbc. Face is red when on cycle. Whenever Ive gotten a cut, blood looks way too red and thick. Been experiencing other odd symptoms and though it be a good and easy place to start.
If you try donating blood at a Canadian Red Cross donor clinic, will they be able to detect you’re using “illegal substances”? Illegal meaning don’t have a prescription for. And will this cause any sort of trouble for you?
I’m only on testosterone right now, sustanon, 750mg per week.
[quote]TheTaskmaster wrote:
So I’ve thought about donating blood for some time now. Had it put on the back burner until recently. Not even to “clean me out”, as suggested on this board. Mainly due to high rbc. Face is red when on cycle. Whenever Ive gotten a cut, blood looks way too red and thick. Been experiencing other odd symptoms and though it be a good and easy place to start.
If you try donating blood at a Canadian Red Cross donor clinic, will they be able to detect you’re using “illegal substances”? Illegal meaning don’t have a prescription for. And will this cause any sort of trouble for you?
I’m only on testosterone right now, sustanon, 750mg per week.
Answers and experiences appreciated[/quote]
I’ve heard of people donating before but I wouldn’t do it and wouldn’t recommend it. You are asked if you’ve used any injectable drugs etc. You are asked about steroids. You would have to lie. Which I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with. Furthermore while I’m positive they wouldn’t check for AAS.
It would be in the blood and depending on who gets that blood it could be a good or bad thing. (Think about an 8 year old girl with leukemia and spiked test) Probably wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to her but I don’t want to responsible for complications in someones surgical recovery. Just my opinion for whatever it’s worth.
[quote]TheTaskmaster wrote:
So I’ve thought about donating blood for some time now. Had it put on the back burner until recently. Not even to “clean me out”, as suggested on this board. Mainly due to high rbc. Face is red when on cycle. Whenever Ive gotten a cut, blood looks way too red and thick. Been experiencing other odd symptoms and though it be a good and easy place to start.
If you try donating blood at a Canadian Red Cross donor clinic, will they be able to detect you’re using “illegal substances”? Illegal meaning don’t have a prescription for. And will this cause any sort of trouble for you?
I’m only on testosterone right now, sustanon, 750mg per week.
Answers and experiences appreciated[/quote]
I’ve heard of people donating before but I wouldn’t do it and wouldn’t recommend it. You are asked if you’ve used any injectable drugs etc. You are asked about steroids. You would have to lie. Which I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with. Furthermore while I’m positive they wouldn’t check for AAS.
It would be in the blood and depending on who gets that blood it could be a good or bad thing. (Think about an 8 year old girl with leukemia and spiked test) Probably wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to her but I don’t want to responsible for complications in someones surgical recovery. Just my opinion for whatever it’s worth.[/quote]
While a moral case can be made, wouldn’t they test for anything known to be harmful?
Would the issue with steroids be more about the worry of people sharing needles, unsafe practises etc? I have no idea just guessing here.
I think that is the issue (who shares needles for AAS anyway???) but the thing is… we don’t know. AAS in the blood might lead to complication in some cases. I wish we could know as I’d like to give blood as well.
BTW you can go through the process and put a sticker anonymously that states not to use your blood. Good for you but you use their system to do so… Otherwise you can draw blood yourself at home. My GF has done it to me before. Do NOT try this alone though.
The blood goes through a testing process youll be fine. Its not like they are just going to take everyone’s word for it that their blood is healthy and clean. Plus some people arent even aware of their health problems and end up donating blood so im sure a little test is the least of their worries
[quote]eatliftsleep wrote:
The blood goes through a testing process youll be fine. Its not like they are just going to take everyone’s word for it that their blood is healthy and clean. Plus some people arent even aware of their health problems and end up donating blood so im sure a little test is the least of their worries[/quote]
Not for steroids to my knowledge. (Wife works in medicine) Its tested for diseases and illicit drugs. (heroin, cocaine, crystal meth) To test for AAS is an expense that is not likely deemed necessary. This may not be true everywhere but to my knowledge it is in the states and therefore most likely in the great white north as well.
FWIW I think you’d be fine to donate as far as legal issues. I just have a moral issue personally. i also won’t judge someone else for doing it. I do as I wish and live by my personal code. Everyone else has to do the same.
Well I went into the donor clinic and spoke to the nurse. Told her that I wanted to donate blood, but was using non-prescribed testosterone for TRT uses. Asked if it would still be okay to donate and if this information would be shared with my family doctor. She looked it up and testosterone was not among the drugs/medications not allowed by donors. The information would not be shared with my doctor. Only if a serious health concern was detected ie. HIV, shit like that
She seemed to think it would be perfectly okay for donation, it just needs to be cleared with their on-call doctor. Didn’t donate today, but I will be notified once I’m okay’d for donation.
My other option would be to see my family doctor, get my rbc/iron levels checked. If they are too high, I will be given a request to go to a hospital or clinic and have some blood volume taken. Not sure if this would set off any red flags for the doctor.
May ask to have cholesterol checked as well. Been having some minor chest pain the last few days and wondering if any of this is related.
At some points I wonder if disclosing my mild testosterone usage to my doctor would be the best idea. No more tiptoeing around, upfront about it so that they can run the necessary medical tests to keep my health in check. Besides testosterone, I’ve only ever used a little bit of deca, which I would leave out. Its been 6 months. I have medical coverage already through work, and don’t really care about life insurance at this point. Noone to leave money to anyway besides parents lol
I think if you try to apply for life insurance, they look at your medical records and talk to your doctor. It may make getting it harder or more expensive. As far as medical benefits, my contract states coverage does not include “self afflicted injuries”. Not sure if AAS use falls into that category. Even testosterone alone.
In the US if you go to donate blood and you tell them you’ve injected anything other than if it’s prescribed by a physician, they’ll ban you from donating blood for life. They group you in with all intravenous drug users. You’ll be labeled as though your a junkie…
Be careful with what you disclose to your Dr. Anything you say gets reported to your insurance company. They’ll use anything to not pay a claim. Now I’m not saying if you suspect something’s wrong with because of gear use that you not say something. Health always comes first. Do your blood work if you use gear. You can go online and get a test setup by the same lab your Dr. sends you too. Very important.
Just an update on the eligibility to donate for AAS users. Received a follow-up letter in the mail from Canadian Blood Services.
“Our Medical Office has reviewed your file and has determined that you are eligible to donate…Your acceptance file indicates: Using anabolic steroids with single use needle, okay to donate.”
I am not using any AI or SERM at the moment, but I’d imagine donating with those drugs in your system may not be allowed. I’ll donate prior to start of SERM use and again when I’m off completely. Maybe this will turn into a regular thing since it’s helping others.
Wish I lived in Canada. Would love to donate blood. You have to lie or be banned for life in the US. You don’t have to worry iron levels if you eat meat in a regular basis. Eight weeks is plenty of time between donations.
Pretty sure my iron levels are way too high, one reason why I want to donate. My blood is a verry dark red, and it shows through my skin especially face.
[quote]TheTaskmaster wrote:
Pretty sure my iron levels are way too high, one reason why I want to donate. My blood is a verry dark red, and it shows through my skin especially face.[/quote]
You can have high rbc but low ferritin, mostly due to donating blood too frequently and aas increasing rbc too quick for ferritin to normalize