Got My Prescription. Still Afraid To Take It.

[baldandafraid94]

I'm probably not doing myself any favors by reading this forum and other "bald people" forums that are filled with horror stories. There are also others who say this can permanently f*** with you? How long will it take for me to see side effects? If I take it right now, is my dick going to be fucked up and am I going to start shedding?

I need to take it every day when I start taking it right? If I miss a day will it affect anything?

What was it like when you first started taking finasteride? How long has it been now and do you think it's done anything?

 

[davesmith420]

What was it like when you first started taking finasteride? How long has it been now and do you think it's done anything?

I've been on it for close to 2 years. Maintenance of my hair (I have very minor/nonaggressive male pattern baldness) and I've had no sides. Just take the drug.

 

[baldandafraid94]

I've been on it for close to 2 years. Maintenance of my hair (I have very minor/nonaggressive male pattern baldness) and I've had no sides. Just take the drug.

I am looking to use it for maintenance more than regrowth too. Did you have any sides when you first started taking it that went away? Also do you take 1mg or 5mg?

 

[razzmatazz91]

If you haven't already, get a full blood test. Make sure it includes serum testosterone and E2 Estriadol.
You could have a semen test done as well.

Then get on finasteride. 3 months after the first pill, get the same tests done again.
Then, you'll know EXACTLY what's changed. Well, any doctor you talk to will know anyway.
This will also give you peace of mind.
If you have sides, or messed up hormone profile, you can simply stop taking finasteride. Remember that very, very few people ever have permanent sides. This number is low enough for the FDA to approve the drug. It was approved long ago and still hasn't been taken off the market.

Keep in mind my friend that you have to start as soon as you can. Don't delay taking finasteride more than you absolutely have to.

 

[davesmith420]

I am looking to use it for maintenance more than regrowth too. Did you have any sides when you first started taking it that went away? Also do you take 1mg or 5mg?

No sides.

I use 5 mg that I cut into 4ths; I take 1.25 mg a day

 

[baldandafraid94]

If you haven't already, get a full blood test. Make sure it includes serum testosterone and E2 Estriadol.
You could have a semen test done as well.

Then get on finasteride. 3 months after the first pill, get the same tests done again.
Then, you'll know EXACTLY what's changed. Well, any doctor you talk to will know anyway.
This will also give you peace of mind.
If you have sides, or messed up hormone profile, you can simply stop taking finasteride. Remember that very, very few people ever have permanent sides. This number is low enough for the FDA to approve the drug. It was approved long ago and still hasn't been taken off the market.

Keep in mind my friend that you have to start as soon as you can. Don't delay taking finasteride more than you absolutely have to.

I had a blood test done a few months ago, so I'd have something to reference. How long would it take for me to go back to normal if I did experience sides? and how long typically does it take for sides to start showing up?

I know everyone's different, but I've got this fear that as soon as I take my first pill, my sex drive is going to be gone, my nipples are going to puff up and my dick is going to stop working.

 

[JeanLucBB]

I had a blood test done a few months ago, so I'd have something to reference. How long would it take for me to go back to normal if I did experience sides? and how long typically does it take for sides to start showing up?

I know everyone's different, but I've got this fear that as soon as I take my first pill, my sex drive is going to be gone, my nipples are going to puff up and my dick is going to stop working.

About a 3% chance your sex drive and dick will stop working and a tenth of that that it will last more than a week after getting off, maybe 2% for puffy nipples. 100% chance you'll go bald without finasteride. Personally I like those odds.

 

[IdealForehead]

As others have stated you have an over 90% chance of success and a less than 3% risk of side effects, and probably a less than 0.001% risk of "permanent" side effects.

Stick with it 6-12 months and if you have an obvious problem along the way stop it.

I did an analysis comparing different anti-androgenic drug regimens based on their risk of gynecomastia. I focussed on gynecomastia because it is a very OBJECTIVE type of side effect (meaning you can't bullshit your way into mantits), unlike erectile dysfunction which is highly subjective and can be affected by everything including depression, etc.

I think most of the guys with "permanent" sexual side effects just have undiagnosed comorbid mental illnesses.

This is a VERY weak antiandrogenic therapy, as evidenced by the fact that ONLY CASE REPORTS of gynecomastia exist for finasteride 1 mg. It was not seen significantly in the major studies and lots have been done.

Even finasteride 5 mg and dutasteride 0.5 mg can BARELY produce gynecomastia in studies.

This is a very safe drug. Anyone who lets themselves go bald without trying it is a fool, unless perhaps they are trying to get a girl pregnant in the next 6 months and want the highest quality sperm. Then I can understand delaying it. Otherwise it's ridiculous.

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...gimens-based-on-rates-of-gynecomastia.108990/

 

[jamesbooker1975]

lol, keep repeting merks numbers . What about readin reall studies on pubmed ? Name one hormone in your body where you can eliminate ot by 70:/: without hmgetting sides . Imposible .

 

[jamesbooker1975]

Safe drug ? lol . It change all your hormone profile , from DHT to estrogen , progrsterone , cortisol .

 

[jamesbooker1975]

I had a blood test done a few months ago, so I'd have something to reference. How long would it take for me to go back to normal if I did experience sides? and how long typically does it take for sides to start showing up?

I know everyone's different, but I've got this fear that as soon as I take my first pill, my sex drive is going to be gone, my nipples are going to puff up and my dick is going to stop working.

Let me ask you this, do you think you can eliminate 70:/: of an hormone and your body will say " ok, no problem " ? really ?

 

[jamesbooker1975]

No sides.

I use 5 mg that I cut into 4ths; I take 1.25 mg a day

Sure , give it some years and compare your all hormone profile to the average profile of your age, you will be surprise.

 

[IdealForehead]

If you guys want to save your hair which is being DESTROYED BY YOUR OWN HORMONES without accepting that you need a hormonal based treatment to stop it, good luck.

And if you expect a hormonal based treatment to induce 0% change in your hormones or your body's function, you are nuts as well.

Go ahead and go bald. No one's stopping you.

But 90%+ of guys who take finasteride are getting amazing results with no problems that at least those guys feel are worth losing their hair over.

Keep dreaming for a magic solution. In the mean time, all you're losing is Norwoods. What are a few more?

 

[jamesbooker1975]

If you guys want to save your hair which is being DESTROYED BY YOUR OWN HORMONES without accepting that you need a hormonal based treatment to stop it, good luck.

And if you expect a hormonal based treatment to induce 0% change in your hormones or your body's function, you are nuts as well.

Go ahead and go bald. No one's stopping you.

But 90%+ of guys who take finasteride are getting amazing results with no problems that at least those guys feel are worth losing their hair over.

Keep dreaming for a magic solution. In the mean time, all you're losing is Norwoods. What are a few more?

You have no idea on what you are talking about, the hormones are not the problem , the folicle is . There is nothing wrong in your DHT levels, you need to block it locally , no systemic . Say bye bye to your dick .

 

[jamesbooker1975]

You have two options :
1) believe Merck, ignore all the last 2 decades of new studies , easily search on pubmed .
2) Being smart, understand that this drug was approve more than 20 years ago and there are a lot of new studies showing how it lower testosterone in long term, low progesterone, increase estradiol and mess with tons of neurohormones .

It is up to you . But please, don't insults others who want to read the truth basement in real studies . Ask yourself this question, Merck did a 10 years study, made public the results with photos and all but did not check a single hormone level, do you think that this is honest ?
We know that the problem is not the DHT, so drop in a systemic way is real a none sense. It is better than simple cut your testicles, but not much better in the long term .

 

[IdealForehead]

You have no idea on what you are talking about, the hormones are not the problem , the folicle is . There is nothing wrong in your DHT levels, you need to block it locally , no systemic . Say bye bye to your dick .

Sure. And how do you propose to block DHT exclusively locally without any of the chemical you're using going into your circulation?

Daily minoxidil application was found in one study to be equal to 2.4 to 5.4 mg/day of systemic minoxidil:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/545803

ie. Applying minoxidil to your scalp is the same for your body as taking 2.5 mg or 5 mg of it orally each day.

The same absorption will happen for any topical anti-androgens you will apply. If they go to the follicles, eventually they will end up in the blood.

 

[jamesbooker1975]

Finasteride, Not Tamsulosin, Increases Severity of Erectile Dysfunction and Decreases Testosterone Levels in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26053014

 

[jamesbooker1975]

Sure. And how do you propose to block DHT exclusively locally without any of the chemical you're using going into your circulation?

Daily minoxidil application was found in one study to be equal to 2.4 to 5.4 mg/day of systemic minoxidil:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/545803

ie. Applying minoxidil to your scalp is the same for your body as taking 2.5 mg or 5 mg of it orally each day.

The same absorption will happen for any topical anti-androgens you will apply. If they go to the follicles, eventually they will end up in the blood.

There is nothing wrong with trying to manage hair loss topically, except that it is very difficult to do successfully.

You are just promoting unscientific fear mongering.

"The same absorption will happen for any topical anti-androgens you will apply. If they go to the follicles, eventually they will end up in the blood."

No, it depend on each drug. For example , levels of ketoconazole are undetectable after 6 month of daily use a 2% gel ( not shampoo ) .
Each drug is different.

How to do it ? Alpha estradiol + spironolactone + tretinoin + Ketoconazole .
None of this drugs go systemic in a meassurable amount and all are proven to work. Check the japanese study on daily use of 2 % ketoconazole cream, see the photos.

 

[IdealForehead]

"The same absorption will happen for any topical anti-androgens you will apply. If they go to the follicles, eventually they will end up in the blood."

No, it depend on each drug. For example , levels of ketoconazole are undetectable after 6 month of daily use a 2% gel ( not shampoo ) .
Each drug is different.

How to do it ? Alpha estradiol + spironolactone + tretinoin + Ketoconazole .
None of this drugs go systemic in a meassurable amount and all are proven to work. Check the japanese study on daily use of 2 % ketoconazole cream, see the photos.

Found it here:
http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/forum_entry-id-25116-page-0-category-0-order-last_answer.html

Pretty neat.

But the trouble with ketoconazole is as far as I know, no one really knows completely how it works. They state:

"Dermal papilla cells are the main targets for androgen in hair follicles, as evidenced by immunohistochemistry [6] and reporter assays [7] for the detection of AR. Deep penetration of KCZ into dermal papilla is therefore necessary to realize the suppressive action on androgen in vivo. The use of KCZ in combination with detergent containing shampoos in this study may enhance KCZ penetration. On the other hand, a recent study demonstrated that KCZ stimulates hair growth in mice [3], suggesting that its effect on hair is androgen independent. To summarize, KCZ may exert its effect on Androgenetic Alopecia in both an androgen-dependent and -independent manner."

For any compound (antiandrogen) to get to the dermal papilla, it must penetrate deep into the epidermis. At that point, the only way for your body to clear it is through circulation and hepatic metabolism.

This is the dermal papilla which is fed by a continual blood supply coming and going to keep all the cells there alive:

The minoxidil study was smart because they used radiolabelled minoxidil and measured the urine output of its metabolites. This is probably a more accurate way to test than just checking blood levels because blood levels are much trickier for tiny dose and easily broken down medications.

Ketoconazole seems to work at least partly even without absorbing into the skin. It seems to work at least partially independent of anti-androgen function.

But if you're using it to penetrate deeply to where your blood supply is running (ie. at dermal papilla depth), then I'm not sure where it's going to go except into the blood.

 

[abcdefg]

Let me ask you this, do you think you can eliminate 70:/: of an hormone and your body will say " ok, no problem " ? really ?

It does have sides though we already know this. Are those sides significant enough to ignore the drug and take male pattern baldness instead? Well 20 years later it doesnt seem so yet although nothing is for certain.
Castration does change those hormones by more then 70 percent forever, and so do the pseudohermaphradites. So yes models do exist for this change in the male hormones long term.
Yes, we should lower DHT just topically and locally. How do you do that? no one in the last 20 years has, but you propose we do that. How?