finasteride and Estrogen

[Hairport]

I am thinking of starting proscar in the coming week. I am very concerned about increased estrogen levels as a result of more available testosterone susceptible to aromatase.

I would like to prevent any negative effects of increased estrogen from the start of my finasteride regimen. I know there are multiple ways of going about this, and I am wondering if anyone has any advice for me as to what would be a safe yet effective supplement to stack with finasteride on a long-term basis to keep my testosterone as free as possible. I am starting with DIM Plus but am looking for a little more power. Rebound XT? EstroBlock? Transdermal Chrysin?

Has someone figured out a way to battle the risks of high estrogen as a result of treatment with finasteride? Like I said, I am looking to control my estrogen from the start of treatment, not after problems arise. Any suggestions?

 

[tpeter]

I am thinking of starting proscar in the coming week. I am very concerned about increased estrogen levels as a result of more available testosterone susceptible to aromatase.

I would like to prevent any negative effects of increased estrogen from the start of my finasteride regimen. I know there are multiple ways of going about this, and I am wondering if anyone has any advice for me as to what would be a safe yet effective supplement to stack with finasteride on a long-term basis to keep my testosterone as free as possible. I am starting with DIM Plus but am looking for a little more power. Rebound XT? EstroBlock? Transdermal Chrysin?

Has someone figured out a way to battle the risks of high estrogen as a result of treatment with finasteride? Like I said, I am looking to control my estrogen from the start of treatment, not after problems arise. Any suggestions?

If you find out let me know!!!

 

[drinkrum]

Finasteride at 1 mg/day hasn't been found to increase estrogen in the long-term. If you are concerned, get blood tests before using finasteride and after being on it for a couple of months. Test for estradiol, E2.

D.

 

[hair_tomorrow]

I don't know - but this stuff sounds interesting . . .

http://www.antiaging-systems.com/iassto ... g/dim.html

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Other e-blockers available at:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/anti-estrogen.htm

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DIM products:

http://www.theranaturals.com/products.html

 

[drinkrum]

Don't bother with DIM. If you want to reduce estrogen, the best stuff out there is letrozole (Femara) and anastrozole (Arimidex). If you can't get that (they are both prescription meds for postmenopausal breast cancer patients), then try Gaspari's Novedex XT or ALRI's Ultra H.O.T.(ter), both available from http://www.bodybuilding.com or http://www.bulknutrition.com for cheap. You will need to play with the dosage to find what works and taper on and off.

D.

 

[Hairport]

Don't bother with DIM. If you want to reduce estrogen, the best stuff out there is letrozole (Femara) and anastrozole (Arimidex). If you can't get that (they are both prescription meds for postmenopausal breast cancer patients), then try Gaspari's Novedex XT or ALRI's Ultra H.O.T.(ter), both available from http://www.bodybuilding.com or http://www.bulknutrition.com for cheap. You will need to play with the dosage to find what works and taper on and off.

D.

Thanks for the responses fellas.

Drinkrum: Do you have any experience with any of the products you mentioned? I am interested in something very longterm that is safe and effective.

I have already ordered Dim Plus because there is science behind it's use. On another board some people mentioned high lignan flax seed oil .. which I have ordered, but I also read where it raise SHBG activity which binds to testosterone and lowers you're free test. Even though it is also supposed to be effective at ridding the body of bad estrogens I am not looking to lower my free test so I am not sure about this one. I will give it a shot though.

Any other suggestions?

 

[HairlossTalk]

As the owner of this site I *strongly* discourage this logic. You guys scare the hell out of me sometimes. First you've got the guys who are so terrified of "chemicals" that they will dump any herb into their body before they use something clinically proven that works. Then you've got guys on the other end of the spectrum who want to double and triple up on chemicals just to avoid side effects.

How about some middle of the road thinking. Some "moderation in everything".

You are about to take a hormonal modulator. You should not be looking into taking two or three hormonal modulators at once. In fact you should be wary of taking even one. It sounds like you are. Great.

So be a responsible individual and do this the logical way: Get a baseline estrogen test and find out what your levels are without finasteride. Go on finasteride. Wait 3 to 6 months. Get another test. See if you even have any side effects, which you probably wont. If your estrogen is high to the point that your doctor feels it is unhealthy for you, reduce your dose of Finasteride and look into an alternative topical antiandrogen to offset the dose reduction, like Topical spironolactone Lotion.

Do not take an anti estrogen hormone drug on top of a DHT inhibiting hormone drug. Your endocrine system is an extremely delicate balance of feedback loops. Mess with it as little as possible.

Commence ignoring my advice...

HairLossTalk.com

 

[drinkrum]

HairLossTalk.com is right. That said, yes, I have used Arimidex, Novedex XT, the real Nolvadex, Vitrix (not worth trying), etc. Arimidex is the strongest stuff. Novedex XT is not bad either. Ultra H.O.T.(ter) is basically the same thing with a couple additives. They're both ATD based pills -- suicide inhibitors of aromatase, if memory serves me correctly.

But if you're going to screw with 'dex or 'zole, get bloodwork done before and during the experimentation. If you're going to use the ATD-based products, ramp up from 1-4 pills per day (taken at once at night) over the course of a couple of weeks, stay at 4 pills for a week, and ramp back down over two weeks. Don't try anything funny because you risk upregulating estrogen. And that would suck.

D.

 

[Hairport]

HairLossTalk.com .. I understand your warnings, and I appreciate your intentions behind them. That said, I am still very interested in controlling aromatase activity in my body.

You are correct in saying I seem wary of taking a hormone altering substance. I am, in fact, scared shitless. I am going under the blade for an hair transplant in a month, and it is crucial that I maintain the rest of my hair. Therefore, I am giving proscar a chance. We will see how it goes. I am fully prepared to switch to Revivogen/spironolactone should things go wrong.

That said, let's talk about estrogen. My understanding is small amounts of certain types of the hormone are needed in the male body. Large amounts equal bad news on multiple fronts. Increased levels of estrogen in a male can cause a drop in testosterone, both total and free, an enlarged prostate, increased body fat, and libido problems.

HairLossTalk.com, I know you have had problems with some of the other negative effects of high estrogen as a result of finasteride use. I am not interested in waiting for these problems to arise. I am not looking to get crazy with chemicals, but I am very interested in some safe, preventative medicine that can help keep my estrogen levels in check. I'm not saying that I'm going to stack 6-OXO with my finasteride for the rest of my life. I am talking DIM, and some other natural alternatives that could deliver some of the promises chrysin once gave us.

drinkrum -- thanks for the info. Have you used any of the non-prescription products long-term? Novedex sounds promising though I am a little wary of that as well.

I think I will start very conservative with the natural stuff, get pre and post finasteride blood levels checked and go from there.

HairLossTalk.com- Check my PM. I am interested if you gained any hair from propecia that was maintained by spironolactone/rev. Did you experience an increase in quality of the hair you had from finasteride? If so -- was that maintained by spironolactone/rev? Thanks.