Lowering DHT

[KEVING]

Guys,
Trying to find out if lowering DHT in the body would CAUSE acne. I have been doing web searchs but its not really showing disadvantages.

Can any of you guys tell me them, the disavantages?

Thanks

 

[CCS]

lowering DHT will not cause acne. if your sex organs or other organs need a lot of DHT, then you will have side effects, but most people can get by with lower DHT levels.

 

[KEVING]

I have no problem with my sex organs while on finasteride. But when im on finasteride i seem to get increased acne

Thanks

 

[CCS]

sebum glands have 5ar1, not 5ar2. so finasteride should not cause increased oil production. amazing how so many people on here notice all these changes after taking a pill. i don't notice any at all, except that my hair was receding faster before I started, and stopped shortly afterwards, and now seems to be thinning a bit more, so i'm getting more aggressive with my treatments.

 

[KEVING]

Ok thanks ill jump back on finasteride. Just have decreased acne when im off it, maybe its something else

 

[beaner]

In the beginning finasteride causes a spike in testosterone, due to the prevention of binding to 5ar and conversion to DHT, which can lead to increased acne, libido, etc...almost like a milder version of puberty....very common from my understanding. Once the test. levels normalize you should see a lessening of the problem. I've read posts of guys saying their skin improved after being on finasteride for a while

 

[ANDREW_J_I]

^beaner, if the test levels go down after the initial boost, does that mean thise is the point when u may witness any side effects which are going to occur?

i been on finasteride for 7 weeks almost. when is the most common time to witness possible side effects of finasteride?

 

[bubka]

you would probably notice within the first month, as it only takes a few days to lower your ability to produce DHT

now you could experience some gyno, some pain or swelling in breasts... but i personally think that staying thin and exercise really helps with that, finasteride or not

 

[Bryan]

you would probably notice within the first month, as it only takes a few days to lower your ability to produce DHT

Just a few hours, actually...

Bryan

 

[Bryan]

In the beginning finasteride causes a spike in testosterone, due to the prevention of binding to 5ar and conversion to DHT...Once the test. levels normalize you should see a lessening of the problem.

Where'd you get the idea that it causes only a "spike" at the beginning, and then "normalizes" afterwards? Those are almost certainly permanent effects (as long as you continue taking the drug, of course).

Bryan

 

[CCS]

Yeah, that is why I told people to have topical vehicles last a few hours.

From the graphs I've seen, DHT levels don't have reactions. The testes and glands somehow react to testosterone blood levels, but DTH levels just go down to where these drugs put them and stay there, except for genetics changing stuff over the years.

 

[bubka]

you would probably notice within the first month, as it only takes a few days to lower your ability to produce DHT

Just a few hours, actually...

Bryan

well, yeah, but in terms of sides, he would not notice within a few hours

 

[arya]

^beaner, if the test levels go down after the initial boost, does that mean thise is the point when u may witness any side effects which are going to occur?

i been on finasteride for 7 weeks almost. when is the most common time to witness possible side effects of finasteride?

first 4 weeks.

 

[beaner]

In the beginning finasteride causes a spike in testosterone, due to the prevention of binding to 5ar and conversion to DHT...Once the test. levels normalize you should see a lessening of the problem.

Where'd you get the idea that it causes only a "spike" at the beginning, and then "normalizes" afterwards? Those are almost certainly permanent effects (as long as you continue taking the drug, of course).

Bryan

Don't know really....I got all my info pretty much from these boards...I'm sure I read that somewhere, but I could be wrong....or I guess if you're asking me that question, I am wrong. I thought I may have read that once serum test. increases due to 5ar inhibition, your body would actually start producing less to balance it out to pre finasteride levels. Personally, I experienced acne the first 3-4 weeks or so on finasteride, something that hasnt happened in 15 years, and since it was more than likely caused by the increased test. levels, I also assumed that when I stopped getting it, my test levels had dropped back to normal range.

 

[Bryan]

Don't know really....I got all my info pretty much from these boards...I'm sure I read that somewhere, but I could be wrong....or I guess if you're asking me that question, I am wrong. I thought I may have read that once serum test. increases due to 5ar inhibition, your body would actually start producing less to balance it out to pre finasteride levels.

It's ok, a LOT of people seem to make that same assumption, and it's one I've been speaking out against for a long time, probably without notable success!

Serum testosterone does in fact increase as a result of 5a-reductase inhibition, but probably not for the reason that most people think. DHT is a player in the brain-gonadal feedback loop that regulates testosterone production, so when the brain sees a sharp reduction in DHT, it sends a chemical signal to the testes to start making more testosterone. Voila! That's why there's more testosterone being produced, and more in the bloodstream! It's a true upregulation of testosterone production.

Bryan

 

[beaner]

Don't know really....I got all my info pretty much from these boards...I'm sure I read that somewhere, but I could be wrong....or I guess if you're asking me that question, I am wrong. I thought I may have read that once serum test. increases due to 5ar inhibition, your body would actually start producing less to balance it out to pre finasteride levels.

It's ok, a LOT of people seem to make that same assumption, and it's one I've been speaking out against for a long time, probably without notable success!

Serum testosterone does in fact increase as a result of 5a-reductase inhibition, but probably not for the reason that most people think. DHT is a player in the brain-gonadal feedback loop that regulates testosterone production, so when the brain sees a sharp reduction in DHT, it sends a chemical signal to the testes to start making more testosterone. Voila! That's why there's more testosterone being produced, and more in the bloodstream! It's a true upregulation of testosterone production.

Bryan

Gotcha. Thanks. I probably read my theory somewhere on these boards once or twice, sounded good so I took it as fact and never noticed any posts contradicting it.b Well, I for one, won't forget!

 

[triton2]

Serum testosterone does in fact increase as a result of 5a-reductase inhibition, but probably not for the reason that most people think. DHT is a player in the brain-gonadal feedback loop that regulates testosterone production, so when the brain sees a sharp reduction in DHT, it sends a chemical signal to the testes to start making more testosterone. Voila! That's why there's more testosterone being produced, and more in the bloodstream! It's a true upregulation of testosterone production.

But, at the same time, due to the fact that there's less DHT, estrogen begins to be more active and produces downregulation of testosterone production. So I think it's a matter of knowing which effect is more prevalent:

1) Upregulation of the HPTA axis due to DHT lowering
2) Downregulaion of the HPTA axis due to Estrogen "running free"

Perhaps there may be a tie and what's really raising T is that 10% of T that doesn't go thru the 5ar pathway anymore.

 

[Bryan]

But, at the same time, due to the fact that there's less DHT, estrogen begins to be more active and produces downregulation of testosterone production.

I'm not sure what you mean by "estrogen begins to be more active". In any event, we know that it doesn't downregulate testosterone production, because LH and FSH levels increase, they don't decrease.

Unless you're referring to a relative type of thing, meaning that without the estrogen production, testosterone levels would rise even more than they actually do. That's absolutely correct, of course, but I don't see what that has to do with the main issue we're talking about, which is that DHT is a player (along with estrogen) in the feedback loop that controls androgen production.

So I think it's a matter of knowing which effect is more prevalent:

1) Upregulation of the HPTA axis due to DHT lowering
2) Downregulaion of the HPTA axis due to Estrogen "running free"

Perhaps there may be a tie and what's really raising T is that 10% of T that doesn't go thru the 5ar pathway anymore.

That thing about estrogen "running free" is kinda funny, but in any event, the bottom-line is that estrogen parallels testosterone, and they BOTH parallel the increases in LH and FSH. I think that's the smoking-gun here: the fact that the body is signalling its desire for more testosterone production.

Bryan

 

[KEVING]

Sorry i have got lost with that conversation. So can i conclude that finasteride will not cause me acne after the first few weeks?