Finasteride: keep hair & prevent cancer

[rxcats]

I'm one of the "guinea pigs"; I've been on finasteride >10 years to stop my hair loss (it worked!) and now I can feel better about prostate health too.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Hematolo...=1235711222576

 

[MetroStyles]

Sounds like this lowers your testosterone levels.

 

[why]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Sounds like this lowers your testosterone levels.
It blocks 5-a-reductase, an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes back and ear hair growth, male pattern baldness, enlarged prostate and prostate carcinoma.

 

[rxcats]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Sounds like this lowers your testosterone levels.

It actually raises your serum testosterone by 15%. This happens because it blocks 5 alpha reductase which is the enzymatic pathway for conversion of testosterone to DHT. Still there can be sexual side effects in around 2% of men taking it; this is about the same as the placebo control group however. As far as anabolic/muscle development is concerned, this is thought to be controlled by testosterone in humans and not DHT. Finasteride has a very short half-life and is not stored in the body; any adverse effects one might experience will quickly disappear if you quit taking it. Avodart (dutasteride), a similar drug, has an extremely long half-life and would take many months to completely clear after discontinuing it.

 

[thekunk07]

DHT, i have it. i'm comfortable bald but kinda wish i'd taken some quasi-preventative measures.

Originally Posted by why

It blocks 5-a-hydrogenase, an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes back and ear hair growth, male pattern baldness, enlarged prostate and prostate carcinoma.

 

[dusty]

What's the deal with Proscar? Do any dermatologists prescribe it if you ask? Can you buy it from overseas without a prescription? Is that legal?

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Probably, yes, no (at least not in the US). To elaborate on the first answer, the closer you are to middle age, the more realistic it is that a dermatologist will prescribe you Proscar. You likely will have a better chance with a general practitioner. To answer the open-ended question about Proscar requires more specifics.

 

[why]

I had a client who took it and it gave him gyno because all the excess testosterone that was being converted into DHT was being converted into estrogen instead.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Zinc might help with that.

 

[why]

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

Zinc might help with that.

With what? Even if his zinc levels were low (they aren't), adding zinc doesn't stop the aromatase enzyme. Not to mention you're dealing with endocrinology which is a hell of a lot more complex than most metabolic sciences and way beyond anyone's comprehension on this board no matter how much of a meathead they are.

 

[Sharlatan]

Damn why, breaking out the science skillz...actually, iirc there are some aromatase-inhibiting drugs, though I've never heard of them used for gynecomastia. They're basically just for a certain subset of women with responsive breast cancer.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

With gynecomastia. Some say zinc helps. Adding a little is unlikely to do harm.

 

[why]

Originally Posted by Sharlatan

Damn why, breaking out the science skillz...actually, iirc there are some aromatase-inhibiting drugs, though I've never heard of them used for gynecomastia.
Arimidex et. al, I know. I realize aromatase inhibitors exist, but they're not zinc and zinc will not produce the same effect. Besides, adding an aromatase inhibitor to fix what was caused by a 5-a-reductase inhibitor can cause metabolites of who knows what and seriously mess up the endocrine system -- perhaps permanently.

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

With gynecomastia. Some say zinc helps. Adding a little is unlikely to do harm.
While things of this are of interest to me because I need to know what medications are and such, I never prescribe anything to clients. Like I said, the endocrine system is very complex and very powerful. Adding zinc can help with gynecomastia caused by natural hormonal imbalances (too little free T, too much estradiol, pituitary issues, whatever) but I doubt it'd reverse damage done by finasteride which if I remember correctly is a suicidal inhibitor and therefore completely shuts down the enzyme as long as it's in the system.

 

[iamprov76]

Is it true that finasteride may give you man-boobs?

 

[tiecollector]

Originally Posted by iamprov76

Is it true that finasteride may give you man-boobs?

yup.