Doc just started me on 1mg/day Finasteride to drop my DHT levels. Inside of 1 week I felt very sleepy, and for the 1st time in a year of T therapy noticed that my testicles had shrunk. I also noticed at the same time a dramatic drop-off in my libido.
I’m prepared to chalk the ball shrinkage up to 4 months of no HGH catching up to me, and chalk the fatigue up to the drug dropping my DHT levels, and then chalk the libido loss up to anxiety that kicked in with the changes… but curious if anyone else has experience starting up with this drug.
My paranoia tells me I’m one of those unfortunate few who have a bad reaction to the drug and I should get off… but my gut (and doc) tells me it’s my hypersensitivity to changes getting the better of me.
Well I don’t think finasteride actually reduces DHT levels, it just blocks the receptor sites in the scalp.
Kind of like how a selective estrogen receptor modulator works. I have never heard anyone report they feel any different on finasteride when they are also on TRT.
When they are not on TRT yes, because it is highly suppressive.
Yeah, those side effects are a concern. Especially the notion that they can become permanent. Of course it’s hard to sift out what’s real vs what’s google scuttlebutt which is why I’m posting.
Also for clarity, I’m not taking this for hair loss, just to get DHT lab levels (which have gone up over the past few months) back down in range. It’s been prescribed to me for hormone balance, not baldness lol.
I hope you realize by lowering DHT you are also lowering your libido. This may be why your testicles shrunk which is common in PFS suffers and if you’re unlucky enough, the damage may already be done.
The crazy part is you took finasteride because of a high lab number with no symptoms. High DHT is nothing to be concerned about, I’ve seen men in the 5000 range with not a single symptom.
On the side I started going bald on the top and Im using some expensive bio shampoo that is anti-baldness and 3 months later my hairdresser said the hair on top is getting thicker. She also suggested I can have some ampules on the hair for further effect.
So there are other options instead of poisoning yourself.
The Post-Finasteride Syndrome is a serious state of permanent sexual, mental, and physical side effects which do not resolve after quitting the drug. Most often, it is accompanied by an acquired form of secondary hypogonadism and post-drug loss of androgenic action, which remains highly resistant to hormonal PFS treatment. This is aimed at restoring Testosterone/DHT’s effects in the male body to pre-drug virility levels.
It is also surmised by the few specialists in the medical field that a type of receptor or “brain damage” has occurred. As often seen with such damage, recovery is very slow or now questioned whether possible at all. Needless to say, men suffering from PFS are plagued with any physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that have led to long term depression, marital problems and divorce, and now several reports cases of suicide.
Ok, again - thanks for the discussion guys. So obviously scary sounding stuff and hard to read after taking a weeks worth of these pills.
I’m left wondering ‘can you get PFS after only a few pills (4 or 5 days in may case versus a few years of use)?’ It’s not been possible for me to find any definitive answer despite my extensive internet searching…
In fact I put some of systemlord’s “Finasteride is Poison” words in the search window and it lead me back to a previous thread that he posted here on Tnation
’
This is another thread that loudly decries the safety of Finasteride, but without explaining where the information is from or how to learn more. All nightmare no knowledge. Wondering systemlord if you could offer any more context - and what know of medical background there is as you seem to have a very strong sense of this issue.
Look at propecia help and you will find tons of people with semi permanent issues. Sexual, depression, etc. It’s not good. It does something to the bodies ability to process androgens in some patients so even adding testosterone for example doesn’t do anything. Others just end up with screwed up SHBG so if you add enough test you’ll be OK. I’m hoping I’m in the latter category.
Taking it for hair loss is bad enough, taking it for NO reason other than a lab result is even worse IMO. Please stop taking it.
The mechanisms behind how PFS happens aren’t clearly understood yet but there is starting to be enough research in the area that we will hopefully find out more in the coming months and years.
He’s said over and over he isn’t taking it for hair loss. It sounds like it was literally just high DHT on a blood test and that was it, but there could be more to it. I don’t want to put words into his mouth, but it def has nothing to do with his hair.
lol