Duration of testicle pain from finasteride

[neuromet]

I started Finasteride 1 mg on April 20th (a little over a month ago). I experienced no side effects until May 23rd. Then just before climaxing while masturbating I experienced intense pain in my left testicle. My testicles have hurt throughout the day since then. This is the start of the fourth day of pain. I didn't take finasteride yesterday.

For the people who have experienced testicle pain from finasteride but continue on it, could you please tell me how long it took before the pain subsided? I am wondering what is semi-common and what is a sign that this pain won't ever go away. (Whenever the current pain subsides I will try finasteride again at .5 mg).

 

[ateam505]

I started taking propecia about a week before you. I had testicular pain that started after about the first week then stopped about 2 weeks later. However, I stopped about 2 weeks after that as I also had sexual side effects that scared me away.

I should also mention that since quitting I have not experienced any testicular pain.

So that would be about 2 and a half weeks of testicular pain. Not sure that helps you but the more information you can get from more people the better.

 

[neuromet]

Wow, I'm surprised the pain went away after two weeks- meaning I would think that if you had pain that long it wouldn't ever go away. Did the sexual side effects first occur during the testicular pain or afterwards? I feel very fortunate that I haven't had any sexual side effects so far... maybe you should try a lower dose?

Now I am wondering if by interrupting my finasteride uptake I am just putting off my body's painful but necessary adjustment period*... My plan is still to go back on 0.5 mg. as soon as the pain subsides. If there isn't too long an interruption before I resume maybe I won't have to go through this adjustment/pain period again. From what I understand, the DHT suppression (finasteride's main effect) lasts 7 days. This being my third day without finasteride, I can't imagine that the pain should last too much longer, and it has already gone down somewhat.

Yes, of course, the more information the better!

*I read an explanation for the pain on one topic in the forum, which I now can't find. If I recall correctly it said that the testicular pain occurs because finasteride blocks the testicles' DHT production, causing them to produce more testosterone in response. I'm not sure why this leads to pain, though. I'm probably remembering it incorrectly. If anyone has an idea, please pass along.

 

[Mew]

If I recall correctly it said that the testicular pain occurs because finasteride blocks the testicles' DHT production, causing them to produce more testosterone in response. I'm not sure why this leads to pain, though.

Yes, due to nuts working harder to put out more Testosterone and loss of DHT, but also possibly due to Leydig cell hyperplasia.

http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/co ... t/22/2/211
http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/180/2/501


http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/330/2/120
" High doses of finasteride given over a long term to rodents cause Leydig-cell
hyperplasia and adenomas, probably as a result of the two- to threefold elevation"... (of Testosterone).


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_o ... cc990d7811

 

[neuromet]

Thanks for the info on Leydig Cell hyperplasia, Mew.

Could someone please explain the logic behind the testicular pain? Why are the "nuts working hard to put out more testosterone." Why does the loss of DHT cause pain?

 

[Mew]

Why are the "nuts working hard to put out more testosterone."

Because when you inhibit DHT, the pituitary sees that and outputs more Testosterone to compensate, since Testosterone converts to DHT via 5AR. But since you'r inhibiting that conversion with Finasteride, the testes keep working in overdrive to output enough Testosterone to try and make up for the deficiency.

We know that Testosterone production gets upregulated by up to 20% while taking Finasteride. What we don't know is (since we're not doctors) wether that upregulation is damaging to the leydig cells in the long term, via possible hyperplasia.

On the other side of the coin, loss of DHT is not good for your sexual health. DHT is required for proper fertility, penile tissue maintenance and function, the epidydimis, and prostate... all of which are interconnected via nerves and neural branchways.

Basically, pain is not a good thing. So if you are getting it while on Finasteride, pay attention and listen to your body, it's trying to tell you to stop damaging it.

 

[neuromet]

Why are the "nuts working hard to put out more testosterone."

Because when you inhibit DHT, the pituitary sees that and outputs more Testosterone to compensate, since Testosterone converts to DHT via 5AR. But since you'r inhibiting that conversion with Finasteride, the testes keep working in overdrive to output enough Testosterone to try and make up for the deficiency.

We know that Testosterone production gets upregulated by up to 20% while taking Finasteride. What we don't know is (since we're not doctors) wether that upregulation is damaging to the leydig cells in the long term, via possible hyperplasia.

On the other side of the coin, loss of DHT is not good for your sexual health. DHT is required for proper fertility, penile tissue maintenance and function, the epidydimis, and prostate... all of which are interconnected via nerves and neural branchways.

Basically, pain is not a good thing. So if you are getting it while on Finasteride, pay attention and listen to your body, it's trying to tell you to stop damaging it.

Interesting. Do you know of any articles documenting the testosterone upregulation on Propecia?



Based on what you sent, I had the impression that the Leydig hyperplasia was benign, i.e., not worrisome... Although, don't get me wrong, the testicular pain alone is enough to make me stop.

The loss of DHT may not be good for sexual health, but I don't see the association of that with pain... with ED and loss of libido, yes.



For what it's worth, I had a doctor check me out and he said everything looked fine. He thought I might have moved something funny and the pain would go away. He wasn't familiar with an association of finasteride and testicular pain. He said none of his patients had ever mentioned it.

 

[dezertfox]

I started Finasteride 1 mg on April 20th (a little over a month ago). I experienced no side effects until May 23rd. Then just before climaxing while masturbating I experienced intense pain in my left testicle. My testicles have hurt throughout the day since then. This is the start of the fourth day of pain. I didn't take finasteride yesterday.

For the people who have experienced testicle pain from finasteride but continue on it, could you please tell me how long it took before the pain subsided? I am wondering what is semi-common and what is a sign that this pain won't ever go away. (Whenever the current pain subsides I will try finasteride again at .5 mg).

Was curious if you persisted with finasteride and did the pain go away?