Finasteride Side Effects When Are You In The Safe Zone ???

[Andy26]

So, ive been taking finasteride for over 4 months now every other day. In the past 3 weeks to 1 month ive been shedding like crazy. I was barely shedding like 10 to 15 hairs in the sink whenever applying minoxidil before this shedding and in the past 3 weeks its more like 50 + hairs.

1) am i in the shedding phase now? i didnt really shed before this .... ive read in some places it can happen up to 4 months but idk


2) when are you in the clear in terms of side effects ? since ive been taking it for 4 months and havent had any sexual sides is the chance of me getting side effects lower now ? Or do side effects usually show up randomly ? How do those with E.D. usually notice it ? immediately or is it different for everyone ?

Only asking because im thinking of upping the dose to the normal 1 mg a day instead of every other day. Im hoping this will help with the shedding but im not sure if thatll increase the possibility of sides ?

 

[Feelsbadman]

How Finasteride works after you take it,

1. DHT drops
2. T increases by 20-40%
3. Dopamine increases and serotonin decreases in parts of brain
4. SHBG increases
5. E2 increases
6. FSH decreases (hence why people experience watery semen or lower sperm)
7. LH significantly decreases
8. Due to lower LH, difficulty to turn cholesterol into pregenolone
9. Increase in Cholesterol due to 5-ar action decreased in liver
10. Decrease in progesterone and its ability to convert to dihydroprogesterone
11. Increase in Cortizol / Decrease in Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s)
12. Disrupt in the production of all 5-alpha steroids (testosterone, 5a-androstan-17-diol etc)

This is a line of events. You won't find it in any online forum because people there are morons. Suffering or not, they are morons. Same goes for people spamming YouTube videos about random sh*t, some are Merc's employees, some are from other companies, some are depressed weirdos. Ignore them all.

This line of events shows why you feel what you feel and the testicular pain is also explained but I don't have the chart with me right now to post, however it isn't random or not to worry.

The cold, hard fact is that this drug can, at any time, permanently reverse the way the enzyme is produced and/or prevent its regeneration. Which is why you see people with permanent sides because when they experienced symptoms, they continued the drug, some in extremely high doses.

There is also research done for the dose and that 1mg is way higher than enough, which leaves more finasteride in the bloodstream and the theories about sides emerge.

Anyone who wants to start the drug needs to follow a specific recipe,
a. Have health insurance.
b. Prepare to have many blood tests done every month.
c. Monitor the hormones mentioned especially if you are a thyroid patient (Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto, T4 Levothyroxin therapy etc)
d. Have a secondary plan of action for hair loss (assuming you are the typical sebum/oily head with miniaturized folliclues), such as treatment with oils, sauna and lazer comb, cleaning the pores and strengthening your scalp. Basically, you keep your head as clean as possible at all times to prevent the damage done from within to kill the follicle.
e. Minoxidil, be prepared for mild to heavy sides depending on how you react to it. Don't sleep with it.
f. Have a healthy diet, sex life and exercise (running, swimming, not weights). Those are the actual "big three".
g. If you choose to take finasteride, take it before, during and after a hair transplant to at least prevent shock loss. After that, be prepared for a conservative method of preserving hair.

Taking the drug for years is clearly playing with fire. Apparently, and we don't need a research for that, some appear to be way more resistent than others. Some are hyper-sensitive. The drug also contains Lactose, to which some are also sensitive. If you look at the chemistry behind the drug and what it really does in detail, you're gonna get dizzy. Certainly not a drug to mess with if you're not sure. As far as the "2% anecdotal reports" that some surgeons mention, they do because they work with the drug (a ton of money behind the scenes). Not that they are wrong to want to have a stabilized scalp to work with. Drug can also cause the donor area to increase in density, due to the fact that some people suffer from random pattern alopecia (can't remember the term now) that "takes" hair from everywhere. If that is not determined by the doctor, hair that is transplanted will fall in the future (which is why you hear people complain that after 5-6 years many of their grafts fell permanently, even though they were from the "safe" zone).

In my humble opinion, trying out the drug means nothing. This, as well as Minoxidil, is a recipe that needs to be with you for 7 years (since it loses its efficacy around that time with most people). Either take it for years and be prepared to play heads or tails with your hormones OR have the transplant without it and play heads or tails with your existing hair / scalp. It's a double-edged sword and the realization of it alone will relief some of your stress. In the end, it's your call. I hope this was of some help. I myself am a Norwood 2 but blessed with pretty good bone/face structure and was contemplating on the drug for a mild hair transplant and will probably take it for a year if I am lucky enough to respond well to it.

 

[Itsmrdave]

Wow.....impressive

 

[Aldrich]

e. Minoxidil, be prepared for mild to heavy sides depending on how you react to it. Don't sleep with it.

Why not?

 

[HairForceOne]

@Feelsbadman , one of the best replies I have seen here, thanks for that.

 

[Secretlybatman]

I'm losing my leg hair to finasteride. That's about it.

 

[abcdefg]

I read testosterone spikes by about 15 percent. Also I dont think you need blood tests ever after starting it unless you have a problem. I would get baseline blood tests on your hormones before starting finasteride, but after that nothing. Unless you have issues which you probably wont

 

[Grasshüpfer]

Why not?

It will get into your pillow, face, eyes, mouth ect. As you can take it orally it's not that dangerous, but if you are worried about sides, leave some hours between minoxidil and sleep.

 

[Funkymonk1]

@Feelsbadman, all that sounds very informative and quite scary if it's all true. Where did you get all this information and knowledge?

 

[Andy26]

How Finasteride works after you take it,

1. DHT drops
2. T increases by 20-40%
3. Dopamine increases and serotonin decreases in parts of brain
4. SHBG increases
5. E2 increases
6. FSH decreases (hence why people experience watery semen or lower sperm)
7. LH significantly decreases
8. Due to lower LH, difficulty to turn cholesterol into pregenolone
9. Increase in Cholesterol due to 5-ar action decreased in liver
10. Decrease in progesterone and its ability to convert to dihydroprogesterone
11. Increase in Cortizol / Decrease in Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s)
12. Disrupt in the production of all 5-alpha steroids (testosterone, 5a-androstan-17-diol etc)

This is a line of events. You won't find it in any online forum because people there are morons. Suffering or not, they are morons. Same goes for people spamming YouTube videos about random sh*t, some are Merc's employees, some are from other companies, some are depressed weirdos. Ignore them all.

This line of events shows why you feel what you feel and the testicular pain is also explained but I don't have the chart with me right now to post, however it isn't random or not to worry.

The cold, hard fact is that this drug can, at any time, permanently reverse the way the enzyme is produced and/or prevent its regeneration. Which is why you see people with permanent sides because when they experienced symptoms, they continued the drug, some in extremely high doses.

There is also research done for the dose and that 1mg is way higher than enough, which leaves more finasteride in the bloodstream and the theories about sides emerge.

Anyone who wants to start the drug needs to follow a specific recipe,
a. Have health insurance.
b. Prepare to have many blood tests done every month.
c. Monitor the hormones mentioned especially if you are a thyroid patient (Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto, T4 Levothyroxin therapy etc)
d. Have a secondary plan of action for hair loss (assuming you are the typical sebum/oily head with miniaturized folliclues), such as treatment with oils, sauna and lazer comb, cleaning the pores and strengthening your scalp. Basically, you keep your head as clean as possible at all times to prevent the damage done from within to kill the follicle.
e. Minoxidil, be prepared for mild to heavy sides depending on how you react to it. Don't sleep with it.
f. Have a healthy diet, sex life and exercise (running, swimming, not weights). Those are the actual "big three".
g. If you choose to take finasteride, take it before, during and after a hair transplant to at least prevent shock loss. After that, be prepared for a conservative method of preserving hair.

Taking the drug for years is clearly playing with fire. Apparently, and we don't need a research for that, some appear to be way more resistent than others. Some are hyper-sensitive. The drug also contains Lactose, to which some are also sensitive. If you look at the chemistry behind the drug and what it really does in detail, you're gonna get dizzy. Certainly not a drug to mess with if you're not sure. As far as the "2% anecdotal reports" that some surgeons mention, they do because they work with the drug (a ton of money behind the scenes). Not that they are wrong to want to have a stabilized scalp to work with. Drug can also cause the donor area to increase in density, due to the fact that some people suffer from random pattern alopecia (can't remember the term now) that "takes" hair from everywhere. If that is not determined by the doctor, hair that is transplanted will fall in the future (which is why you hear people complain that after 5-6 years many of their grafts fell permanently, even though they were from the "safe" zone).

In my humble opinion, trying out the drug means nothing. This, as well as Minoxidil, is a recipe that needs to be with you for 7 years (since it loses its efficacy around that time with most people). Either take it for years and be prepared to play heads or tails with your hormones OR have the transplant without it and play heads or tails with your existing hair / scalp. It's a double-edged sword and the realization of it alone will relief some of your stress. In the end, it's your call. I hope this was of some help. I myself am a Norwood 2 but blessed with pretty good bone/face structure and was contemplating on the drug for a mild hair transplant and will probably take it for a year if I am lucky enough to respond well to it.

I am actually really glad you took the time to reply, that was great information. If you'd like view my first post,where i show my before and after pics, i just got a transplant 6 months ago and never wanted to even get on finasteride, hence the transplant. However, 2 months post op i suffered from pretty bad shock loss, and lost more non transplanted hairs. My surgeon told me finasteride every other day is an option to let your body adjust.I started that regimen 4 months ago and my hairs exploded with grow. Tomorrow will officially be 6 months and i look better then ever, only place i still look like im losing hair in the crown.it has slowly gotten better as well but i still got another 50 % of growth, hopefully i can get off finasteride in another 8 months or so. For now tho im taking finasteride every other day, LLLT every other day, and washing hair every other day with purador, plus a multivitamen with biotin, and minoxidil.


i didnt get baseline blood work but i do get my blood tested every year with my primary doctor so i guess il check that out in a few months and see if anything changed. I remember my testosterone being only 50 points away from being testosterone deficient, i can find the exact number. Are people with high DHT usually found to have low test ????

 

[dralex]

How Finasteride works after you take it,

1. DHT drops
2. T increases by 20-40%
3. Dopamine increases and serotonin decreases in parts of brain
4. SHBG increases
5. E2 increases
6. FSH decreases (hence why people experience watery semen or lower sperm)
7. LH significantly decreases
8. Due to lower LH, difficulty to turn cholesterol into pregenolone
9. Increase in Cholesterol due to 5-ar action decreased in liver
10. Decrease in progesterone and its ability to convert to dihydroprogesterone
11. Increase in Cortizol / Decrease in Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s)
12. Disrupt in the production of all 5-alpha steroids (testosterone, 5a-androstan-17-diol etc)

This is a line of events. You won't find it in any online forum because people there are morons. Suffering or not, they are morons. Same goes for people spamming YouTube videos about random sh*t, some are Merc's employees, some are from other companies, some are depressed weirdos. Ignore them all.

This line of events shows why you feel what you feel and the testicular pain is also explained but I don't have the chart with me right now to post, however it isn't random or not to worry.

The cold, hard fact is that this drug can, at any time, permanently reverse the way the enzyme is produced and/or prevent its regeneration. Which is why you see people with permanent sides because when they experienced symptoms, they continued the drug, some in extremely high doses.

There is also research done for the dose and that 1mg is way higher than enough, which leaves more finasteride in the bloodstream and the theories about sides emerge.

Anyone who wants to start the drug needs to follow a specific recipe,
a. Have health insurance.
b. Prepare to have many blood tests done every month.
c. Monitor the hormones mentioned especially if you are a thyroid patient (Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto, T4 Levothyroxin therapy etc)
d. Have a secondary plan of action for hair loss (assuming you are the typical sebum/oily head with miniaturized folliclues), such as treatment with oils, sauna and lazer comb, cleaning the pores and strengthening your scalp. Basically, you keep your head as clean as possible at all times to prevent the damage done from within to kill the follicle.
e. Minoxidil, be prepared for mild to heavy sides depending on how you react to it. Don't sleep with it.
f. Have a healthy diet, sex life and exercise (running, swimming, not weights). Those are the actual "big three".
g. If you choose to take finasteride, take it before, during and after a hair transplant to at least prevent shock loss. After that, be prepared for a conservative method of preserving hair.

Taking the drug for years is clearly playing with fire. Apparently, and we don't need a research for that, some appear to be way more resistent than others. Some are hyper-sensitive. The drug also contains Lactose, to which some are also sensitive. If you look at the chemistry behind the drug and what it really does in detail, you're gonna get dizzy. Certainly not a drug to mess with if you're not sure. As far as the "2% anecdotal reports" that some surgeons mention, they do because they work with the drug (a ton of money behind the scenes). Not that they are wrong to want to have a stabilized scalp to work with. Drug can also cause the donor area to increase in density, due to the fact that some people suffer from random pattern alopecia (can't remember the term now) that "takes" hair from everywhere. If that is not determined by the doctor, hair that is transplanted will fall in the future (which is why you hear people complain that after 5-6 years many of their grafts fell permanently, even though they were from the "safe" zone).

In my humble opinion, trying out the drug means nothing. This, as well as Minoxidil, is a recipe that needs to be with you for 7 years (since it loses its efficacy around that time with most people). Either take it for years and be prepared to play heads or tails with your hormones OR have the transplant without it and play heads or tails with your existing hair / scalp. It's a double-edged sword and the realization of it alone will relief some of your stress. In the end, it's your call. I hope this was of some help. I myself am a Norwood 2 but blessed with pretty good bone/face structure and was contemplating on the drug for a mild hair transplant and will probably take it for a year if I am lucky enough to respond well to it.

Why is everyone liking this post? Most of the stuff he listed is complete bullshit. This is how these shitty rumors about the drug starts. Spewing out bull sh*t without any sources or data to back this up.

 

[dralex]

Clinical Studies for PROPECIA (finasteride 1 mg) in the Treatment of Male Pattern Hair Loss
In three controlled clinical trials for PROPECIA of 12-month duration, 1.4% of patients taking PROPECIA (n=945) were discontinued due to adverse experiences that were considered to be possibly, probably or definitely drug-related (1.6% for placebo; n=934). Clinical adverse experiences that were reported as possibly, probably or definitely drug-related in ≥1% of patients treated with PROPECIA or placebo are presented in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Drug-Related Adverse Experiences for PROPECIA (finasteride 1 mg) in Year 1 (%) MALE PATTERN HAIR LOSS PROPECIA N=945 Placebo N=934
Decreased Libido: 1.8 (propecia) 1.3 (placebo)
Erectile Dysfunction: 1.3 (propecia) 0.7 (placebo)
Ejaculation Disorder (Decreased Volume of Ejaculate): 1.2 (0.8) (propecia) 0.7 (0.4) (placebo)
Discontinuation due to drug-related sexual adverse experiences: 1.2 (propecia) 0.9 (placebo)

Integrated analysis of clinical adverse experiences showed that during treatment with PROPECIA, 36 (3.8%) of 945 men had reported one or more of these adverse experiences as compared to 20 (2.1%) of 934 men treated with placebo (p=0.04). Resolution occurred in men who discontinued therapy with PROPECIA due to these side effects and in most of those who continued therapy. The incidence of each of the above adverse experiences decreased to ≤0.3% by the fifth year of treatment with PROPECIA

Source: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2011/020788s018lbl.pdf


Your chances of side effects as time goes on drops significantly according to the actual studies. If you listen to everything you read on these message boards, you're going to drive yourself insane.

 

[Funkymonk1]

Why is everyone liking this post? Most of the stuff he listed is complete bullshit. This is how these shitty rumors about the drug starts. Spewing out bull sh*t without any sources or data to back this up.

Lol, this is what I was trying to say but maybe not quite as blunt as yourself ! I did ask him where he got his "information" but I'm still waiting for a reply...............
Seriously though, this is one of the big problems with Finasteride. Ther's so much misinformation and everyone saying different things about the sides and what it can and can't do ect. It's hard to know what the truth is. I'm still not sure myself. Some people even say the studies are BS . I get to the point where I've actually stopped worrying because it is what it is and I havn't had any major sides yet anyway.

 

[dralex]

Lol, this is what I was trying to say but maybe not quite as blunt as yourself ! I did ask him where he got his "information" but I'm still waiting for a reply...............
Seriously though, this is one of the big problems with Finasteride. Ther's so much misinformation and everyone saying different things about the sides and what it can and can't do ect. It's hard to know what the truth is. I'm still not sure myself. Some people even say the studies are BS . I get to the point where I've actually stopped worrying because it is what it is and I havn't had any major sides yet anyway.

Anecdotal evidence can be useful, but honestly the best information to go off of is the studies. It is FDA approved for hair loss, so it has undergone rigorous studies to get approved. It's not like they throw together a bunch of random made-up data; it was extensively studied. Obtaining FDA approval for a drug is a very long and expensive process. Could side effects have been under-reported by users? Yes because erectile dysfunction and sexual side effects are one of those things that may not be noticed in full effect right away, but it is the best information/data we have available. Anecdotal evidence most definitely is not, and it should be used sparingly in making any decisions.

 

[JHCL1990]

Why is everyone liking this post? Most of the stuff he listed is complete bullshit. This is how these shitty rumors about the drug starts. Spewing out bull sh*t without any sources or data to back this up.

Lol this.

The cold, hard fact is that this drug can, at any time, permanently reverse the way the enzyme is produced and/or prevent its regeneration. Which is why you see people with permanent sides because when they experienced symptoms, they continued the drug, some in extremely high doses.

Don't buy this at all without evidence.

d. Have a secondary plan of action for hair loss (assuming you are the typical sebum/oily head with miniaturized folliclues), such as treatment with oils, sauna and lazer comb, cleaning the pores and strengthening your scalp. Basically, you keep your head as clean as possible at all times to prevent the damage done from within to kill the follicle.

Sorry but oily/dry scalp has nothing to do with male pattern baldness. Neither does keeping your head clean (minus serious dermatitis, which can cause hairloss that will return when fixed).

I do agree that DHT should drop and testosterone as well as cortisol should increase.

 

[Medina]

I'm losing my leg hair to finasteride. That's about it.

I'm losing leg hair too but I don't take finasteride. My father had severe leg hairloss that coincided with his m.p.b.

Might be worth researching

 

[nate30]

1. DHT drops
-5ar2 is responsible for the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Finasteride is a 5ar2 inhibitor.
2. T increases by 20-40%
-Because there is less testosterone being converted to DHT, the test level rises. I think it's more like 15-20%
3. Dopamine increases and serotonin decreases in parts of brain
-Not sure on Finasteride's impact on dopamine production. I've read people with PFS usually show inhibited dopamine levels
4. SHBG increases
-Not sure on the mechanism of this, but people with PFS do typically show elevated SHBG levels
5. E2 increases
-The body tries to maintain equilibrium in the test/estrogen ratio. As test rises, so does estrogen
6. FSH decreases (hence why people experience watery semen or lower sperm)
-Not sure on the mechanism of this. I've always thought watery semen was due to prostate shrinkage (which Finasteride does cause)

The biggest problem with Finasteride in my opinion is 5ar2's role in neurosteroid production (allopregnanolone). This is most likely responsible for the reports of "brain fog". Another type of 5ar (5ar3) was recently discovered, which Finasteride may also inhibit to some degree.

Medical science does not yet have a truly comprehensive understanding of endocrinology. Finasteride is not a "safe" drug in the sense of popping a Tylenol, and there isn't any safe window. I didn't get hit with sides severe enough to make me stop until about 3 years in. The 2% figure is ludicrous - it's not a "on or off" situation. Everyone will experience some degree of side effects (such as more watery semen), whether those sides are severe enough to the user and whether the body can adequately "compensate" are the variable factors.

 

[Medina]

1. DHT drops
-5ar2 is responsible for the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Finasteride is a 5ar2 inhibitor.
2. T increases by 20-40%
-Because there is less testosterone being converted to DHT, the test level rises. I think it's more like 15-20%
3. Dopamine increases and serotonin decreases in parts of brain
-Not sure on Finasteride's impact on dopamine production. I've read people with PFS usually show inhibited dopamine levels
4. SHBG increases
-Not sure on the mechanism of this, but people with PFS do typically show elevated SHBG levels
5. E2 increases
-The body tries to maintain equilibrium in the test/estrogen ratio. As test rises, so does estrogen
6. FSH decreases (hence why people experience watery semen or lower sperm)
-Not sure on the mechanism of this. I've always thought watery semen was due to prostate shrinkage (which Finasteride does cause)

The biggest problem with Finasteride in my opinion is 5ar2's role in neurosteroid production (allopregnanolone). This is most likely responsible for the reports of "brain fog". Another type of 5ar (5ar3) was recently discovered, which Finasteride may also inhibit to some degree.

Medical science does not yet have a truly comprehensive understanding of endocrinology. Finasteride is not a "safe" drug in the sense of popping a Tylenol, and there isn't any safe window. I didn't get hit with sides severe enough to make me stop until about 3 years in. The 2% figure is ludicrous - it's not a "on or off" situation. Everyone will experience some degree of side effects (such as more watery semen), whether those sides are severe enough to the user and whether the body can adequately "compensate" are the variable factors.

There's a theory that PFS may actually be a condition called Hormonal Axis Shut Down, which happens after a surge in hormones when a drug is stopped too quickly. This makes sense as most people with PFS say they have two weeks of extremely high libido after stopping finasteride and then their system suddenly crashes.

For safety, it might be best to slowly take the drug and work your way up in dose (0.1 mg, 0.5mg, 1mg) and then slowly taper yourself off it when you choose not to take it anymore (1mg, 0.5mg, 0.1mg)