Dutasteride got me banned from the Red Cross, what are you guys doing for hematocrit now?

[Dutchman]

Started dutasteride six months ago for hair preservation. Good results on the DHT front but just been informed by the Red Cross that I am permanently ineligible for whole blood donation. Hematocrit has been climbing on blast - hit 53% last mid-cycle check. Plasma donation centres apparently have different eligibility rules so that is worth investigating. Curious how others are managing RBC without the donation route. Therapeutic phlebotomy script from a GP is theoretically possible but finding a hospital outpatient lab that accepts it is apparently difficult even in large cities.

[Mick AU]

Plasma donation in Australia has different rules for dutasteride - worth checking your local centre directly. I donate plasma now and it's been accepted without issue. Hematocrit above 52% is where I get concerned, been there twice on EQ blasts. The hydration trick is real - dropping from 53 to 49% through aggressive water intake is doable but you're basically adding 4-5L a day on top of normal intake which has its own issues.

[Beantown Rick]

Same problem here in Boston since I started finasteride two years ago. Blood centers follow the manufacturer's guidance on 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and the Red Cross flags them all. Found a hospital-affiliated outpatient lab that does therapeutic phlebotomy with a script from my GP - took three phone calls to find someone who would actually do it but it's now sorted. Worth making those calls rather than just writing off donation as an option.

[TEXMEX]

EQ is the worst offender for me on hematocrit. Ran it at 800mg for 20 weeks and needed to pull blood three times during the cycle. Without the donation option that becomes a real problem fast. Dropped EQ from the stack when I started finasteride and that combination was just not manageable. NPP and primo don't hit the RBC the same way - easier to live with when the donation route is closed.

[Davo]

Private phlebotomy services do exist but they're genuinely hard to find even in major cities. I spent two weeks trying to locate one in London and eventually got the GP script route working. The other option nobody mentions is just dropping EQ entirely if your hematocrit is already a problem without dutasteride. Easier to manage the stack than to fight the blood levels.