steroids and creatinine high

[alessa]

hello guys, I did blood tests all ok, except the creatinine

creatinine min. 60 - max 1.30 my result is 1.80

should I be concerned? I have a kidney problem? I have to suspend use of steroids?

I am very worried I'm afraid, what happens to my kidneys?

p.s. I've never used creatine

 

[srblan]

Creatinine can come out high the day after a workout. However, the reason that it's measured is to make sure your kidneys are functioning well - if your kidneys aren't clearing it out of your blood stream effectively, the levels will rise.

 

[napalm]

Make sure you drink a shyt ton of water. Dehydration will increase creatinine too.

Good luck...

 

[srblan]

Make sure you drink a shyt ton of water. Dehydration will increase creatinine too. Good luck...

yup, that will definitely help your kidneys too!

 

[Attila de Hun]

Mine was 1.46...i havent gone back to get retested yet but i had worked out about 4 hours before the blood draw and had creatine in my system. What did the rest of the blood work look like

 

[Matthersby]

Creatinine is simply put, the biproduct of muscle breakdown. It is on the higher range and sometimes out of range amongst most weightlifters or bodybuilders with or without steroid use. It is hardly an indicator of kidney function. B.u.n. isn't either amongst those with high protein diets. Rarely have elevated levels of these for decades been a problem for anyone without kidney disorder/hypertension/diabetes, ever.

However, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and heavy steroid use, and there can be problems. Especially with declining glomerular filtration rates.

Elevated creatinine/bun labs are something I usually glance right over with very little concern.

One of the smartest thing the Army seems to believe is, if there's a problem, drink more water. I find this to be true.

 

[blacklac]

It would be wise to take a few days off the gym before getting blood work.

 

[alessa]

hello guys

between test E, and anavar , which of these two is more harmful to the kidneys ?

 

[Matthersby]

hello guys

between test E, and anavar , which of these two is more harmful to the kidneys ?

I thought we were past this?
Your kidneys should not be a concern unless you have some other condition, such as the uncontrollable blood sugar, blood pressure or polycystic kidney disease. Please let this thread die and use Google for reiteration or reassurance that I didn't spend the time typing you a paragraph with information I pulled directly from my a s s

 

[DR.D]

If you're on creatine mono, your creatinine will likely test high. Orals will cause an artificially high value too.

 

[GreenEarth]

It can be difficult for bodybuilders to get an accurate reading on kidney levels...protein intake, red meat intake, and lifting weights all tend to increase creatinine and BUN levels in the body. One of the best ways to help is lots and lots of hydration...that creatinine is quite high, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you were dehydrated when you took the test. And this is not just a couple of days beforehand...water intake has to be habitual, 1.5-2 gallons a day (for your case, at least) for several weeks before getting tested.

Also, what was the ratio between your creatinine and BUN? Typically bloodwork results give you that ratio...although it's certainly not "good" for either one to be elevated, a lot of times my Doctor seems to care most about the ratio so that there's a balance present rather than the individual numbers. Again, in those who work out often, slightly elevated BUN and creatinine levels are to be expected. The level you posted, however, is far out of range. Next time you go to test, make sure to be drinking lots of water for a good few weeks beforehand, take a week off from lifting before testing, and consider lowering your protein intake in the week leading up to it as well.

 

[Mystere3]

There's a lot of factors that influence Cr.

It's not unusual for your Cr to be elevated due to muscle mass. That's why when calculating GFR from Cr, a different formula is used for African Americans.

I had Cr in a similar range and was unable to lift for a year due to a serious injury and at the end of that period my Cr was back to 0.8. It's now back in the high 1s.

 

[DR.D]

There's a lot of factors that influence Cr.

It's not unusual for your Cr to be elevated due to muscle mass. That's why when calculating GFR from Cr, a different formula is used for African Americans.

I had Cr in a similar range and was unable to lift for a year due to a serious injury and at the end of that period my Cr was back to 0.8. It's now back in the high 1s.

I assume you did a 24hr urine to get the data for that calc? I've found that to be the most reliable.

I once worked at a lab for several years where I could test myself at will (and I did, lol) and my Cr would consistently test ~1.7 after a single dose of 20g creatine mono. Like you say, more muscle means higher values, and just a calorie rich diet elevates Cr too, but CM and orals are the greatest culprit IME. (esters/injectables have the opposite effect though, almost always lower Cr) So forced hydration is good for the kidneys in general, but the apparent value normalization of analytes is obviously artificial by virtue of dilution.

 

[Mystere3]

Just serum, but 24h has similar results in my experience. I got my tests as part of routine panels; I'm comfortable enough with that data to not need to send 24h.

Most 24h collection is for protein, not Cr, or protein to cr ratio, or occasionally fe/na in patients who actually have aki.

 

[DR.D]

Yeah, that 24 is a pain in the butt, but it is a great test. We used to test for about 20 analytes, protein, etc.. so you get a good feel for metabolism and an excellent picture of kidney function. Na/K was also particularly more accurate and less time sensitive with urine instead of blood.

 

[alessa]

then, in principle, only use test E, however, is less harmful to the kidneys, compared to anavar, is this correct?

 

[DR.D]

then, in principle, only use test E, however, is less harmful to the kidneys, compared to anavar, is this correct?

It's really not that simple, but if you are prone to stones, or generally hypertonic (calorie rich diet) then you could make that argument ime.

 

[Whacked]

Why is that? (Esters/injectable lowering Cr)

CM and orals are the greatest culprit IME. (esters/injectables have the opposite effect though, almost always lower Cr)

 

[DR.D]

Why is that? (Esters/injectable lowering Cr)

It's not known for certain, but I think it probably relates to the actual mechanisms of creatine formation, rather than any direct effect on kidney threshold. Here are the basic mechanics:

Common methyl donors are Choline and Methionine.

Methylation of Glycocyamine results in Creatine.

Glycocyamine forms by reaction from Arginine and Glycine.

But Arginine and Methionine are required for both Creatine synthesis, as well as muscle protein synthesis.

So it looks like 17-methyl androgens (orals) work to stimulate creatine synthesis, while non-17-alkylated androgens (injectable esters) work to stimulate true protein synthesis. Anybody who has used both has surely noticed that their anabolic effects are qualitatively different, right? That's why stacking an oral and injectable with a high protein intake seems to work best.

But why, why do they act differently? I still didn't answer the question, lol. I'm not sure why pathologically speaking, but in studies with castrated animals it's observed that creatine levels increase greatly after castration. However, giving these castrated animals test injections normalizes this phenomena and restores creatine to previous levels. This suggests to me that the precursor aminos (involved in both anabolic mechanisms) are no longer available for creatine formation once test is reintroduced after castration, so test seems to have genetic priority in expression and precursor allocation. I also suspect it has something to do with thyroid hormone status and carrier globins, because thyroxine also jacks creatine levels (and subsequent creatinine excretion) but test injections also normalize creatine in animals with hyperthyroidism.

Perhaps increased creatine formation is a biological compensatory mechanism to help you stay "swole" and strong as test levels decrease with age, or if you somehow happen to lose your testicles? Only God knows, but it is fun to consider!

The bottom line as I mentioned earlier, after much observation and testing, is that oral androgens and supplementation with creatine mono seem to be the biggest culprits when creatinine values are out of range. It's a natural response so not necessarily a big concern, unless you're dehydrated or already prone to renal calculus.

 

[Whacked]

Thank u Doc