14 Years On finasteride, Side-effects Slowly Creeping Up

[memoryboy]

Hey comrades!

I have taken finasteride for 14 years. Most of the time 1mg daily. I have had a little break or two here and there but very largely kept it up all these years. My hair loss is only from the front/temples (so far). I have kept all my hair since starting finasteride, actually even at some point gained a little I think (that I might have lost with my little breaks).

The issue I have are side-effects. I thought I don't have any big ones. Maybe only watery semen and poor fertility. But recent breaks of taking finasteride showed I probably had. They have most likely crept up slowly making it hard to notice.

When I didn't take finasteride for two weeks, my morning erections and nocturnal erections returned. Something I hardly had any more and had forgotten about.

I've managed to have erections normally but I noticed they were stronger with Cialis, so I occasionally took some Cialis.

Without finasteride, my erections went stronger, in just a week or so and I have not needed Cialis any more at all.

Also, my penis and testes feel and look bigger and fuller, just a few weeks off of the finasteride.

There are some other side effects too, that might be related to finasteride but also might not be. As there are many factors at play. Like problems with sleep, anxiety, not able to stay calm in stressful situations, concentration issues. Small gyno, penis and testes changes, mood issues, prostate issues...
Weird hormonal profile. Low T but high Free T.

I think I feel better off finasteride in my mood department.

Some of these things are subtle and they could have crept up to me very slowly, becoming the new normal.

I know there are many things that could be the cause for the very large profile of possible (subtle) symptoms and some of my other lifestyle changes could also be a positive cause for improvements. But the fact remains, that when I quit finasteride for a few weeks, I've noticed a difference in several areas.

One strange thing is – after being off of finasteride for a few weeks my DHT levels have remained very low.
(Even though I've lost more hair having breaks in taking finasteride earlier).
My dermatologist even said it could take a year for the DHT to bounce back (??).

I will go and measure my DHT and other hormones again tomorrow.

I have become way more informed and knowledgeable about health, hair loss mechanics, biohacking, and medicine than I was and I have started to think it's quite a bad idea to mess with 5-alpha-reductase. And not only related to DHT but it has a way bigger role affecting Gaba, metabolism, and many more things.

But I have been stuck with finasteride as many of the men here. As I don't want to lose my hair within a year. So, I've been an idiot and continue taking it. (Recent break is two weeks as I needed to do a break for an unrelated reason).

I have been telling myself, some new treatments are here soon. So I just need to hold out a little longer. But as everyone here knows, they are always 5 years away (They were 5-10 years away also when I started taking finasteride 14 years ago).

What and if any options do I have when I don't start up finasteride again?
Currently, it's just been finasteride and some Nizoral here and there for me.
I'm thinking to try minoxidil and dermarolling? I have done some stretches of minoxidil (up to 8 months or so) but it seemed to do more harm than good to my hairline.
Topical finasteride? For what I've read – shaky results? And if the results are good, then it goes systemic anyhow and could have the same side-effects?

Thanks guys!

 

[blancodb]

In a similar situation. I'm 29 and been taking finasteride since I was about 23 and I've realized I never get morning wood now, even though I am otherwise healthy, eat well, exercise, little stress right now, no other meds. I hate that I have to mess with my hormones like this. Not sure how effective topical finasteride is either or if it goes systemic anyway, but seriously considering this route. Hopefully someone can chime in..

 

[memoryboy]

Any good places to get topical finasteride in Europe?

I haven't now taken oral finasteride for almost a month and my hairline has started to go....

But I'm having morning and nocturnal erections again all the time.

It sucks to lose my hair but I don't wanna mess any longer with my (sexual) health.

 

[memoryboy]

Found this study about it, the guys in it replaced oral finasteride with topical with good results

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4314881/

and this one https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jdv.15171

 

[BigOl'BaldingHead]

Any good places to get topical finasteride in Europe?

Farmacia Parati, that's where I get it from. You'll need a prescription though.

 

[memoryboy]

Thanks man! I'll check it out. It's in Italian tough

Would it make sense to find a solution where finasteride and min are combined?

Are you happy with the treatment ?

I can get a prescription, although in my country they only have oral finasteride, so I don't know if my doctor can give one for topical.

 

[memoryboy]

What do you guys think of this?

Topical dutasteride?

https://fuehairdoctor.co.uk/topical-dutasteride-dr-lupanzula/

And it suggest there's less danger with systemic side effects because

"The idea behind topical dutasteride has to do with the chemical properties compared to finasteride. At the molecular level, dutasteride is more difficult to deliver as a topical agent to be absorbed through the skin due to the size of dutasteride molecules. They are larger than those of finasteride. This difficulty however becomes an advantage as the difficulty to get past the subcutaneous layer may prevent systemic absorption. The molecular size prevents deep penetration. In addition, dutasteride has a high lipophilicity of 4.94, compared to 3.03 of finasteride, which means it is less water soluble than finasteride or more “greasy”. This higher lipophilicity can in theory help dutasteride to remain in the skin longer as these properties tend to preclude the paracellular and follicular routes of ingress into the skin."

 

[HTHM]

I haven't now taken oral finasteride for almost a month and my hairline has started to go....

Can't be true and is just probably your fear of losing hair. Tissue Half-life of finasteride is about 1 Month, so you will not lose any ground at least up to 2-3 months without taking finasteride.

 

[Manochoice]

@memoryboy so how are things? Say you lose half of your hair in the next 6 be months... Would u go back in propecia pill? Am curious how u see those side: bearable or not. Thanks

 

[TomRiddle]

This thread is the perfect example of how unknown the sides from this treatment are, how many years it could take before they start really bothering you and at what risk you are putting yourself with every pill swallowed... I even saw a dude a couple of days saying that his father was recently diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer after many years of finasteride, exactly what the studies say, it diminishes the risk of easier cancers but there is a higher risk of getting an aggressive one. Not saying it will happen for sure, but at least you have to know that there is a probability...

The Dark Side of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors' Therapy: Sexual Dysfunction, High Gleason Grade Prostate Cancer and Depression

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4064044/

Very sad and even if know that hairloss is bothering all of us i can't really understand how these people that make these drugs are allowed to give them to kids and so on, i really don't understand but i realize that it's a personal choice, if you are willing to f*** your health and life just to save your hair, what can i say, this forum is full of freaks who do it and even cut their balls off, so yeah, finasteride must be a sugar pill for them, it's understandable...

 

[Derelict]

I guess i must be lucky in regards to the cognitive sides of these drugs, im on dutasteride and suffer from severe depression and anxiety, dutasteride is like taking a sugar pill, no mental sides at all, my symptoms don't get any worse at all, the only side from duta that annoys me is weak orgasms. I had zero problems with finasteride in that department.

 

[TomRiddle]

I guess i must be lucky in regards to the cognitive sides of these drugs, im on dutasteride and suffer from severe depression and anxiety, dutasteride is like taking a sugar pill, no mental sides at all, my symptoms don't get any worse at all, the only side from duta that annoys me is weak orgasms. I had zero problems with finasteride in that department.

Nobody knows how your future on these drugs looks like, so yeah, maybe you will be alright or maybe not, maybe after you stop if you ever stop and so on... Nobody knows exactly, as i said it many times and i'm not the only one saying it, it's a russian roulette, nothing more...

And your kind of contradicting yourself, first you say that it's like a sugar pill and after you say that the only side that bothers you are weak orgasms so yeah, even if you accept it or find it risk worthy that does not mean that it's a sugar pill and it has no sides. No saying also that it might even keep your depression at a constant level and maybe if you would get off it the depression symptoms would disappear or maybe lessen, you never know but you can believe what you want...

 

[Derelict]

Nobody knows how your future on these drugs looks like, so yeah, maybe you will be alright or maybe not, maybe after you stop if you ever stop and so on... Nobody knows exactly, as i said it many times and i'm not the only one saying it, it's a russian roulette, nothing more...

And your kind of contradicting yourself, first you say that it's like a sugar pill and after you say that the only side that bothers you are weak orgasms so yeah, even if you accept it or find it risk worthy that does not mean that it's a sugar pill and it has no sides. No saying also that it might even keep your depression at a constant level and maybe if you would get off it the depression symptoms would disappear or maybe lessen, you never know but you can believe what you want...

I meant like a sugar pill in terms of mental sides, not my sexual function, sorry if it looked like i was saying it was like a sugar pill in terms of all things. It's not.

 

[1982man]

I'm in a similar situation. I NEVER had ANY sides with Finasteride. I never had any side effects with Minoxidil. I never had any side effects with Nizoral shampoo. I've been taking all three of these in my regimen for 13 years.
My only side effect was more hair. It's wearing off now though, so I'm starting dutasteride tomorrow. Have you considered it?

 

[jazz1]

Any good places to get topical finasteride in Europe?

I haven't now taken oral finasteride for almost a month and my hairline has started to go....

But I'm having morning and nocturnal erections again all the time.

It sucks to lose my hair but I don't wanna mess any longer with my (sexual) health.

check my thread they ship to europe, I’m in the United Kingdom and the pharmacy I use in America sell Topical Dutasteride and Finesteride.

Details how to order:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...asteride-minoxidil-mixture-check-here.128666/

 

[jazz1]

Hey Memory Boy well done maintaining the hair, try horny goat weed and relax the mind as this worked for me with added zinc when I had side effects.

 

[memoryboy]

Can't be true and is just probably your fear of losing hair. Tissue Half-life of finasteride is about 1 Month, so you will not lose any ground at least up to 2-3 months without taking finasteride.

I wish you would be right and your argument is totally logical (I have read similar stuff) but the fact is, my hairline has receded a ton after being off finasteride for 1,5 months. I cannot deny what I see.

Some theories: it could be that I have very aggressive hair loss in the hairline area or it could be that minoxidil and microneedling cause hair loss (as I started minoxidil and microneedling a month ago after quitting finasteride). Or it could be catch-up hair loss from earlier on when I took less finasteride (0,5mg).

 

[memoryboy]

@memoryboy so how are things? Say you lose half of your hair in the next 6 be months... Would u go back in propecia pill? Am curious how u see those side: bearable or not. Thanks

If I lose half my hair, I most definitely just shave it all.
The hairline is already looking crappy. I have very thick hair on top and everywhere else, so keeping it a bit longer and styling helps for now but nor very long. It's going.

 

[sonictemples]

Maybe look at RU58841?

 

[Derelict]

Maybe look at RU58841?

Im not sure about RU, it's still experimental and not well tested. I know a lot of people have been using it for years with no ill effects but i would still worry about using it.