AAS and the immune system your input welcome

i think i have an undiagnosed rheumatic disease
i had a blood test to check for these things and my "sed rate" was very high
"The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) can be used to monitor inflammatory or malignant disease. Although it is a screening test (cannot be used to diagnose a specific disorder), it is useful in detecting and monitoring tuberculosis, tissue necrosis (death), rheumatologic disorders, or an otherwise unsuspected disease in which symptoms are vague or physical findings are minimal."
other tests and symptoms point me toward this conclusion
some synptoms are
ocasional very dark circles under my eyes(at times so bad that people have asked me if i had been in a fight)
red rash on nose and cheeks(got a diagnosis on that for Rosacea so i dont think i have lupus)
body and joint pain
lack of energy
my doctors have been unable to pinpoint my problem
some have had no idea where to begin and some have stated that a rheumatic disease is likely(do to the sed rate and other tests) but have been unable to determine what it was.
cortisone has been recomended but ill be damned if im gonna use that the rest of my life. i hate it.
ive talked about the multiple injuries ive had several times but i believe they are all connected to this
like my body is attacking itself

i believe that AAS helps with this as the only time ive felt good since my early thirties is while on and for a little over 6 months after pct

i havent been "on" for years because i always feel i should be in shape before i start back but every time i try to get in shape a new injury occurs. and this is with light weight and attention to form
i hurt my shoulder doing pushups for christ sake
and the other shoulder doing dumbell curls???WTF?

i tried to quit taking motrin(i take a lot. so much blood thinning i would get nose bleeds) i stopped for 2 weeks and two nights ago i was laying in bed for 2 hrs and couldnt sleep from pain in shoulder and i didnt even know why it was hurting.
also my knuckles have swolen to the point i cant get my wedding ring off any more.

i still feel strong and i dont think this is an illusion. while rebuilding my house after katrina i had a carpenter helping me with an engineered beam to support the ceiling where we planned to remove a wall. the beam was 17ft long and very heavy(think 8 17 foot long 2 by 4s glued together)
i lifted one end and put it in place when i noticed the guy helpin me struggling
i ran over and grabbed it because he was off balance and looked it trouble, and put it in place. the guy looked at me and was kinda suprised. he said "your a lot stronger than you look."

so now you have the info
heres the question

is it my imagination or do AAS help with imunological illnesses like this
are they supressing my imune system like cortisone would and therefore providing relief or simply balancing a raging violent self distructive imune system. is this a good enough reason to use the anabolics that i have despite the lack of training ive had over the years due to pain and injury(since age 35 my bouts with non chemically assisted weight exercise have never lasted over 8 months without an injury stopping me)
not lookin for sympathy just some ideas
advice on this type of illness does not have to include AAS if thats the info you have
further medical advice is not available at this time since ive lost my insruance
no major injuries at this time just non specific pain
thanks in advance and sorry for the long post

anabolic steroids modulate the immune system, they can be suppressive. Recent studies indicate that testosterone supports the immune system response, however testosterone use has been linked with increase plasma cortisol which suppresses immune response.

DHEA supplementation may be an option.


GH therapy is known to help with rheumatic conditions.

you really need it a full blood panel and to see a specialist.

macrophage69alpha said:

anabolic steroids modulate the immune system, they can be suppressive. Recent studies indicate that testosterone supports the immune system response, however testosterone use has been linked with increase plasma cortisol which suppresses immune response.

DHEA supplementation may be an option.


GH therapy is known to help with rheumatic conditions.

you really need it a full blood panel and to see a specialist.

Click to expand...

wow quick thanks
the sed rate test was with a rheumatologist he did a full panel and was unable to give a specific diagnosis. he however felt confident that something was wrong and told me inability to give a specific diagnosis on problems of this sort were comon. he stated that fibromyalgia and mixed connective tissue disease were a possibility as well as lupus and recomended prednisone maintanance which i refused.
since the two cycles i refer to giving me relief included deca, that might have been the factor.

were you off cycle when you had the blood panel done? because hormonal status can skew results

Injuries are simply part of living,


I simply “feel” better on than off, all other variables aside,

But as I lower my BF and eat correctly, stay off booze and lift regularly I feel much better on than off,

I think I am older than you, I am 56, and planning a kick ass cycle starting in November.


I think it is helpful to maintain certain key benchmarks, weight, measurements and not overreact to life’s emergencies.

Two years ago, my B/P skyrocketed to over 220/? And I was hallucinating, now have it in check with Diovan EOD.


My key bench mark, besides weight and bf is my waist, always needs to be under 30 inches or something is wrong, regardless of my weight.

I am 5’5” 190#

macrophage69alpha said:

were you off cycle when you had the blood panel done? because hormonal status can skew results

Click to expand...

ah very good question
the rheumatologist was before i had ever tried anabolics
other tests since then have been much less specific (and by a gp)
executive panels where i forget the test mentioned by the doc but he mentioned rheumatoid arthritis as a possibility. those tests were 8 months post last cycle and 4 years post last cycle respectively.
i believe it was cortisol levels but its been 2 years so my memory could be way off
but the doc said that injuries effect that test i do remember that

solidspine said:

Injuries are simply part of living,


I simply “feel” better on than off, all other variables aside,

But as I lower my BF and eat correctly, stay off booze and lift regularly I feel much better on than off,

I think I am older than you, I am 56, and planning a kick ass cycle starting in November.


I think it is helpful to maintain certain key benchmarks, weight, measurements and not overreact to life’s emergencies.

Two years ago, my B/P skyrocketed to over 220/? And I was hallucinating, now have it in check with Diovan EOD.


My key bench mark, besides weight and bf is my waist, always needs to be under 30 inches or something is wrong, regardless of my weight.

I am 5’5” 190#

Click to expand...

i deffinatly feel better on and for some time after
yes your older im 42 and drink one beer usually on new years eve and thats about it
im seriously considering jumpin in and experimenting
its been a long time

Just do something simple


Test E
Primo or Deca
Fina for 5 weeks


Do 10-14 weeks and see if you don’t feel great.

solidspine said:

Just do something simple


Test E
Primo or Deca
Fina for 5 weeks


Do 10-14 weeks and see if you don’t feel great.

Click to expand...

yes what i have is test enathat some sus and deca. all are expired since i bought them several years ago but the guys on here said it shouldnt be a problem
i have already thrown out several bottles where the rubber stopper looked strange but the rest look pristene ive got enough for a long cycle and have my ancilaries and pct lined up and will purchace before i even consider starting

Lowered estrogen levels are synonymous with a lowered immune system, strong anti e's like letro can have a negative impact on your immune system. I don't believe testosterone impacts it much, if at all.