Baseline testing before starting Propecia?

[ben88]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for advice. I recently got a prescription for Propecia, which I haven't yet filled. I've started to read up on Propecia a bit, and there's enough horror stories floating around to make me at least cautious about starting finasteride. From what I've gathered, a small percentage of people may respond in a negative way to finasteride (reflex hyperandrogenicity). So, I'd like to go back to my doctor and get some blood tests to establish a baseline that we can later check against to see just what propecia is doing to my system, just in case it seems like it's not working like it should. Since it doesn't seem like my doctor actually knows too much about propecia (he did not suggest this when he wrote the prescription), does anyone know exactly what I should ask to have tested?

Thanks!

 

[bubka]

liver enzymes, possible problems, though i have never heard of anyone having a problem

 

[Mew]

Type of blood tests to get:

Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
Bioavailable Testosterone
DHT
Estradiol (E2)
Estrone (E1)
Estriol (E3)
Total Estrogens
LH
FSH
DHEA-s
Cortisol
SHBG
Prolactin
Progesterone
Albumin
ACTH
PSA
Aldosterone
Androstanediol glucuronide (Adiol-G)
Androsterone glucuronide
TSH, Free T3, Free T4
CBC or FBC (Complete Blood Count/Full Blood Count)
LFT (Liver Function Test - AST, ALT, etc.)

If he won't test for all of it, make sure you get at the least:


Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
Bioavailable Testosterone
DHT
Estradiol (E2)
LH
FSH
SHBG
Prolactin
TSH
Aldosterone
CBC
LFT

 

[RaginDemon]

wow I should print out this thread and show my Doctor

 

[ben88]

Thanks Mew.

That's a long list! How did you come up with it?

 

[Mew]

It's from Propeciahelp.com, cuz some guys like me got screwed by the drug by having our Testosterone levels crash a few weeks after quitting, and our side effects not resolve.

We've been trying to figure out how and why this happened, to try and fix things... and bloodtests are the only way to see whats going on with your hormones.

So -- I recommend getting baselines BEFORE you start the drug, also getting tested while ON the drug, and AFTER you quit (if you quit) if you have problems, to see what changed thanks to Finasteride.

Although unlikely you will experience such problems (hopefully!!), these blood tests will be the only proof you'll have to convince docs any persistent side effects aren't "in your head" should you have them after quitting, because they will likely claim they are.

Also, this post isn't to scaremonger, its to make sure you take precautions for your health in the unlikely event something should go wrong thanks to your use of a drug that affects the endocrine system.

 

[ben88]

Thanks, just visited that site. How did you cut down the list to get a shorter version?

Also, what are:
LH
FSH
SHBG
?

 

[Mew]

I listed the tests that are often impacted by Finasteride, for those of us that have issues after stopping the drug there seems to be a common trend with those tests. Suggest you GOOGLE them to learn more.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understan ... /test.html

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding ... /test.html

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding ... /test.html

etc...

 

[malibujoe]

You should simply get your DHT tested before starting propecia to see if the DHT is even high. If it's normal, than your male pattern baldness can possibly be something else? Like fate?

 

[abcdefg]

Malibujoe is wrong. You could have somewhat low DHT and still be going bald due to DHT. Its all about the sensitivity to androgens and not the levels themselves. I think thats been posted about 2000 times.

 

[ben88]

That's true. I'm not trying to find out the cause of my male pattern baldness. I just want to get a good baseline to monitor the effects of finasteride on my system, so that 1) I can see if it's doing what it's supposed to (reduce DHT) and 2) in case it causes any worrysome side effects, see exactly what's going on

 

[ben88]

Well, thanks to everyone who responded. I'll take the list to my Doctor and see what he says. At the very least I'll get testosterone and DHT levels tested, then again in three months after I've started..presumably I'll see DHT levels drop. I think I'll start on 0.5 mg and see what that does before going to 1 mg.