another symptom that I have been experiencing is chest pains all around my chest, not constant but enough to be noticeable. Was on propecia for 5 years with no problems, only when I included high levels of zinc in my diet did the dryness and other symptoms start, when I quit everything the dryness went into overdrive. My theory is the zinc reduces my Estrogen and the increase in dht from not being on propecia also competed with my estrogen so my body isn’t getting enough. However my estrogen is in range which blows this theory out the water, it’s been a year and a half now, I expected my body to regulate it all by now
I’m sure you’ve read about post-finasteride-syndrome.
Yup, I don’t have the symptoms they have like limp penis etc
Looking at your labs there’s nothing that pops out as an issue. I was in a similar position as you at one point and went to discountlabs website, searched for their Fatigue Panel and took that list to the doc to have that tested. Turned out I had high cortisol and elevated RT3. It’s a good place to start.
TESTS INCLUDED IN THIS PANEL:
TOTAL AND FREE TESTOSTERONE
Low testosterone can cause low energy and mood.
THYROID FUNCTION:
Hypothyroidism is often an underdiagnosed cause of fatigue.
Tests:
TSH
Free T3
Free T4
Reverse T3
GLUCOSE CONTROL:
Hyper and hypoglycemia can affect energy levels.
Test: A1c
ANEMIA AND IMMUNE ISSUES:
Low hemoglobin or high hematocrit can cause fatigue. High white cell count can be indicative of infections which could also cause fatigue.
Test panel:
Complete Blood Count (CBC) Test
White Blood Cells (WBC)
A high white blood cell count likely indicates that an infection is present somewhere in the body, whereas a low number might indicate that an infection or disease has slowed the ability of the bone marrow to produce them.
Red Blood Cells (RBC)
A low red blood cell count can indicate anemia, which can lead to fatigue.
Hemoglobin (HGB) and Hematocrit (HCT)
A low hemoglobin number or hematocrit percentage are good indicators of anemia. A high value can cause blood thickening, high blood pressure and fatigue.
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
This test actually measures the size of red blood cells. Larger red blood cells may indicate anemia due to vitamin B6 or folic acid deficiency; smaller red blood cells may indicate anemia due to iron deficiency.
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
These tests measure the amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells. Both hemoglobin and hematocrit are used to calculate this number. Low levels indicate anemia.
Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW)
If anemia is suspected, based on other blood counts, RDW test results are often used together with MCV results to figure out what the cause of the anemia might be.
Platelets
IRON LEVEL, UTILIZATION, AND STORAGE:
Low iron and/or ferritin can cause fatigue.
Tests:
Iron
TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity)
Ferritin
ADRENAL FUNCTION:
Adrenal insufficiency is a common cause of fatigue.
Tests:
Serum Cortisol
DHEA (blood)
Not included but worth considering as a separate add-on to your shopping cart: Vitamin D and Vitamin B-12.