I’m 33, male, low-ish libido (depends on the day), gym regularly, normal bodyfat (maybe 15 - 20%), 5’8 72kg.
Been using .5mg Dutasteride ED for like 6 years for hair loss. Take 5mg cialis ED, which helps with the mechanical aspects, but I don’t have the libido I did a decade ago (which I would like).
Bloods:
Item
Unit
Unit Alt
Total T
30 nmol/L
865 ng/dL
Free T
393 pmol/L
113 pg/mL
SHBG
70 nmol/L
Oestradiol
93 pmol/L
Prolactin
374 mIU/L
LH
4 U/L
My total T is high but due to high SHBG my free T seems low? Perhaps that’s why I’m experiencing low libido.
Where I am, there aren’t any good hormone clinics. I’m wondering if I would be a normal candidate for TRT.
Is it a good idea to trial proviron for a week or two to see if freeing up some T improves my wellbeing before deciding to commit to TRT?
You’ve been on dutasteride for 6 years and what you’re dealing with isn’t random, it’s from tanking your DHT. That hormone is key for sex drive, erection quality, mood, and overall edge. Killing it long term throws off your entire hormonal balance and your high prolactin is proof. Elevated prolactin is the same thing that causes deca dick aka numbness, low drive, weak erections. TRT won’t fix it if the root cause is still there. You need to get off dutasteride now if you want to feel normal again. There are better ways to manage hair like using topical minoxidil foam, which won’t mess with your hormones. Good Luck!
I’ll need to retake the test for prolactin because elevated levels could be a result of test timing among other things (like adderall which I take for adhd).
I’m also considering moving back to finasteride if the problems persist
That said, 5ar inhibitors are not shown to increase prolactin in studies. Though studies show it increases testosterone and but reduces neurosteroid concentrations which might be why it negatively affects libido.
I was just mentioning the prolactin cause it was high but the real issue is that drug crashes ur DHT….google the common side effects. It’s wild lol. I get u wanna stay on it but even if u were on trt u would still have no dht and I wouldn’t want to be a guinea pig at ur age adding all kind of compounds to offset it. I started losing my hair at 22, now I’m a cue ball lol
Hormonal/Libido Stuff (most talked about):
• Low libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Decreased semen volume
• Delayed ejaculation
• Some report a “numb” or disconnected feeling sexually
These can stick around even after stopping in rare cases (called post-finasteride syndrome, even though it’s more known with finasteride).