Blood work is more than values of T and E. SHBG, Prolactin, DHEA, LH, FSH, Thyroid function, Cortisol, list goes on. They are all connected. DHT doesn’t mean much as you can’t really find out how much of it is in your follicles when you’re on antiandrogens. Having no morning wood is the first step towards impotence. Everyone over 45 knows that. The prostate can also be damaged by these drugs (don’t confuse your healthy prostate with enlarged ones). DHT is vital, it’s health. I get it that when it chokes the hair out of your head its devil himself but facts are facts.
I stand against young people using a cocktail of medications they know nothing about and doing simple math and saying “it’s all good”. It’s not. This thread should at least be labeled dangerous and OP should put out warnings. There is nothing worse for a man than his penis not working. Believe me. Go talk to people after prostate surgery, they know.
As to what meds I took, I took propecia 1mg / day for three months and my miniaturization already was getting reversed, growing hair all over my head. Combined with minoxidil and dermaroller I would probably be where OP is now. But the sides were ridiculous. I’m probably one of the best responders to both minoxidil and finasteride. I think this is because my skin is rather thin. Thin probably because of my thyroid history (there are articles mentioning the skin changes to people with Hashimoto, how sebaceous glands change etc).
As far as liver goes, your endo isn’t the one to know. You have to perform an ultrasound on upper and lower belly area and sides, by a person who knows how to do it because they take pictures as they do it and they have to be super observant. Best case is your endo had you take blood work for sgot and sgpt (for liver) which I doubt. You know you can have hepatitis (the mild form that goes away in 3 months) and not even know it.
I think we need to draw a line on what is normal and what isn’t when it comes to fighting hair loss. But it isn’t his or your decisions that bother me. It is the confidence with which you spread false information around that bothers me. You read a few articles on hair loss forums, googled strategically a few articles about estrogen, did 1+1=2 and somehow thought you can do what? Trick your hormones? Dodge the bullet? The guy used to say “I take this and that and I’m horny and doing ok”, now look at him. He’s a woman for crying out loud... his eyelashes are bigger than my girl’s.
I don’t know what to tell you, it bothers me.
I have had those tested, and they were all normal. Besides my FSH, which is due to my use of estradiol. DHT isn't the only hormone to cause hair loss, it's androgens as a whole and that has been discussed thoroughly within this thread. Although, it's redundant mentioning that we don't know how much of the hormone is within our follicles, because that doesn't change the fact that castration does halt hair loss.
In regards to sexual side effects, I'm not denying that having a lack of nocturnal/random erections are sexual side effects, but I couldn't care less. I hold value with my hair, it's a value much more significant than the value held with my sexual 'health'. It's probably difficult for males on this website to grasp because it's different to themselves, and that's alright. You took finasteride, and you discontinued your use of it due to side effects. It's on-going that it's those types of people who have the greatest issues with us, e.g. HLV, Pigeon, ObsoluteTinker. I don't mean to throw some of those people under the bus since their concerns are definitely valid, though we have our disagreements.
It's alright that you stand against youth using these medications, but so far the only youth using these medications is myself. I started these medications at eighteen, and the benefits outweighed the negatives. I don't have regrets, besides not using these medications earlier. And, I was aware of the 'consequences' of these medications because I took the time to read the pages within this thread, and do my own research. It's not that hard to do research, especially when most of the concerns with these medications are mentioned within the first one-hundred pages.
In all honestly, I have difficulties believing that prostate cancer patients who have had an orchiectomy feel as if losing their penile function is the worst situation for a male. I mean, they suffered from something which could have been life-or-death, that's significantly worse than losing penile function. I can't speak for them, but being alive must hold greater value than maintaining normal penile function.
Furthermore, ALT levels are used to signal abnormal liver function. Prior to starting bicalutamide, I did have an ultrasound due to a negative reaction to isotretinoin, and it was normal. I was on estradiol for around two months during this time, and there was nothing worrisome to the practitioner and hepatologist.
Why do our decisions bother you?
