3+ Weeks off Finasteride

Cincinnati Kid

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I officially ended my use of Finasteride a few days prior to Thanksgiving last month after my doctor revealed concerning testosterone levels from blood work I had done mid-November. I just wanted to make sure I was in good health before my insurance lapses in January, so that's why I even bothered going to the doctor. I had felt pretty normal for months while on .625mg daily usage of generic finasteride. My morning erections had disappeared for the most part, ejaculations were on the watery side, and I was getting an excessive number of pimples on my face not seen since my days in junior high school, but otherwise I had felt pretty normal for the most part. However, due to the potential long term health implications of my very low T levels, I thought it best to discontinue the drug.

As time has passed, however, I'm happy to report that my new blood work is showing a slow climb back toward normal levels. My skin has also cleared wonderfully. My erection quality AND quantity is much better, I'm hornier more often, my energy levels are trending upward, and I feel like I'm a lot sharper mentally. My morning erections and semen quality have yet to return to normal though, but I'm hoping those will return soon as well.

Now, let me say this, anyone that may be reading this that's considering finasteride use, don't let this be a deterrent to you taking it. It's still the most proven drug out there to combat male pattern baldness, even though I happen to think the 2% side effect number is false. While on the drug, the side effects I felt were mild at worst, and I could have lived with them for the duration of my finasteride use. My body just didn't like the cut of finasteride's jib on a cellular level, hence my low testosterone levels. I'm not overly worried about post finasteride syndrome anymore because everything I've read on that subject points to a complete endocrine system crash at around the two week mark which I have now passed by more than a week. I have pretty much come to the acceptance stage of my hair loss. There's nobody out there that I've found has reputable information on the positives of RU58841 usage, so I don't think I am going to explore that option. I'll continue the use of biotin, minoxidil, and keto to maybe buy myself another year or two, but I think I'm done fighting genetics at this point.
 

Quantum Cat

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it's odd because finasteride usually raises Testosterone levels. did you get the levels checked before you started finasteride?

anyway good luck
 

Vim

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it's odd because finasteride usually raises Testosterone levels. did you get the levels checked before you started finasteride?

anyway good luck
Yep, by approx 9%. But I think he already had low T before using finasteride.
 

zzzzz

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i think your low T and finasteride are most likey unrelated
 

Cincinnati Kid

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Nope, blood work prior to finasteride in April usage showed completely normal t levels. Blood work in mid November showed abnormally low t levels. Just did a blood test the other day after finasteride discontinuation, and saw a slight climb in t levels. I'm not a doctor, but I can pretty much glean that finasteride was the most likely candidate for the fluctuation in t levels of an otherwise completely healthy 26-year-old male. My doctor and his partner that sat in and consulted both seemed to think that finasteride was the most likely candidate. Not all bodies react the same way to drugs. It's very well possible that while a lot of men see a boost in T levels, my body did not.
 

ssjpotato

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I'm with you, dude.
Except my T levels were fine but i had a high liver enzyme count. Doctor said my liver could be affected by the drug so i'm going off it for 3-4 weeks and then get blood work again to see if my liver enzyme count goes down. Apparently liver problems can cause sexual problems. the normal range for liver enzyme is around 40 but mine was 90.
What was your Test level? Doctor said normal range is between 9 and 60 and mine was 40.
 

Quantum Cat

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AFAIK Testosterone is a hormone that fluctuates on a daily, or even hourly basis. lots of things can temporarily increase/decrease the level (eg. exercise) So a one-off reading doesn't necessarily show a lot

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I had slightly raised liver enzymes a while back- look into milk thistle powder for livers. seems to be quite good at healing them
 

ssjpotato

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AFAIK Testosterone is a hormone that fluctuates on a daily, or even hourly basis. lots of things can temporarily increase/decrease the level (eg. exercise) So a one-off reading doesn't necessarily show a lot

- - - Updated - - -

I had slightly raised liver enzymes a while back- look into milk thistle powder for livers. seems to be quite good at healing them


Yes T levels do change throughout the day but that's why when you get a bloodtest for your testosterone they prefer you to get it around 8:30-10 in the morning because that when your T levels are at their most stable. I do agree one blood test isn't enough to confirm but i expect the doctor he's seeing would require at least one or two more bloodwork results.

Thanks for the tip about the liver enzyme thing.
 
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