crossingfingers
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can propecia raise androgen levels since it kills away dht levels which can cause testosterone levels to rise thus an increase in androgen activity?
propecia question
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This is an interesting and complicated question. Testosterone and its' metabolites (eg. DHT) each effect different androgen receptors in different target tissues to different degrees.
That testosterone levels may increase following finasteride is supported by the following study:
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Effects of finasteride on serum testosterone and body mass index in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Urology 2003 Nov;62(5):894-9 (ISSN: 1527-9995)
Roehrborn CG; Lee M; Meehan A; Waldstreicher J
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9110, USA; Collective Name: PLESS Study Group.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of finasteride on serum testosterone in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: The Proscar Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Study (PLESS) was a 4-year trial comparing the safety and efficacy of finasteride 5 mg with placebo in 3040 men with moderate to severe symptomatic BPH and enlarged prostates. PLESS included the prospective measurement of annual serum testosterone in a randomly selected subset of patients comprising approximately 10% of the randomized population (n = 301). RESULTS: Finasteride treatment led to a modest, but significant (P <0.001), increase relative to placebo in serum testosterone, with this increase greatest in patients who had low baseline testosterone levels. The larger testosterone increases seen in finasteride-treated patients in the lower baseline testosterone tertiles were associated with significant mean reductions relative to placebo at year 4 in body mass index (BMI), ranging from 0.6 to 0.8 kg/m2. No statistically significant between-group difference was found in BMI in the upper testosterone tertile. The sexual adverse experience profiles for finasteride and placebo were similar across the baseline testosterone cohorts examined. CONCLUSIONS: Finasteride treatment led to a generally modest increase relative to placebo in serum testosterone, with the greatest increases occurring in men with low baseline testosterone levels. The physiologic significance of these changes in men with low baseline testosterone levels is unclear, but the associated reduction in BMI is intriguing and may be related, because BMI is known to be negatively correlated with serum testosterone levels in men.
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That testosterone levels may increase following finasteride is supported by the following study:
<<
Effects of finasteride on serum testosterone and body mass index in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Urology 2003 Nov;62(5):894-9 (ISSN: 1527-9995)
Roehrborn CG; Lee M; Meehan A; Waldstreicher J
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9110, USA; Collective Name: PLESS Study Group.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of finasteride on serum testosterone in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: The Proscar Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Study (PLESS) was a 4-year trial comparing the safety and efficacy of finasteride 5 mg with placebo in 3040 men with moderate to severe symptomatic BPH and enlarged prostates. PLESS included the prospective measurement of annual serum testosterone in a randomly selected subset of patients comprising approximately 10% of the randomized population (n = 301). RESULTS: Finasteride treatment led to a modest, but significant (P <0.001), increase relative to placebo in serum testosterone, with this increase greatest in patients who had low baseline testosterone levels. The larger testosterone increases seen in finasteride-treated patients in the lower baseline testosterone tertiles were associated with significant mean reductions relative to placebo at year 4 in body mass index (BMI), ranging from 0.6 to 0.8 kg/m2. No statistically significant between-group difference was found in BMI in the upper testosterone tertile. The sexual adverse experience profiles for finasteride and placebo were similar across the baseline testosterone cohorts examined. CONCLUSIONS: Finasteride treatment led to a generally modest increase relative to placebo in serum testosterone, with the greatest increases occurring in men with low baseline testosterone levels. The physiologic significance of these changes in men with low baseline testosterone levels is unclear, but the associated reduction in BMI is intriguing and may be related, because BMI is known to be negatively correlated with serum testosterone levels in men.
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crossingfingers
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sooo basically, propecia will rise androgen activity? Also, if someone were to quit propecia, how long would it take for hormonal, testoterone, and androgen levels to return to baseline again? Basically, how long for propecia to be totally out of your system?
sooo basically, propecia will rise androgen activity? Also, if someone were to quit propecia, how long would it take for hormonal, testoterone, and androgen levels to return to baseline again? Basically, how long for propecia to be totally out of your system?
I wouldn't describe that way. Certainly those androgenic effects dependant on the testosterone metabolite DHT would be decreased. But then you have to take in to account the increased amounts of testosterone and whatever independent effects they may have. When you are talking about hair follicles, there is a net decrease androgenic effect when you are taking propecia.
I don't know exactly how long it takes for propecia to be "completely out of your system". I would guess it is out of the bloodstream in a couple of days, but that the effects on the tissues of its having been there would take 1 to 12 months (eg. the length of time to lose whatever hair regrowth or prevention of loss that it caused).
I don't know exactly how long it takes for propecia to be "completely out of your system". I would guess it is out of the bloodstream in a couple of days, but that the effects on the tissues of its having been there would take 1 to 12 months (eg. the length of time to lose whatever hair regrowth or prevention of loss that it caused).
crossingfingers
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thanks for your answer. Regarding the propecia question on how long it takes to be completely rid from our system, my question specifically is: It may take a few days for it to get out of your blood stream, but how long for your sex hormones to be completely back to normal from the affects finasteride. In other words, how long for the affects to wear off?.
thanks for your answer. Regarding the propecia question on how long it takes to be completely rid from our system, my question specifically is: It may take a few days for it to get out of your blood stream, but how long for your sex hormones to be completely back to normal from the affects finasteride. In other words, how long for the affects to wear off?.
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Finasteride is indeed pretty much out of your system a couple days or so after the last dose. However, it takes up to a couple of weeks or so for DHT levels to return to "normal". Check out this graph which was published in a medical journal article about finasteride...it shows the long-term effect on serum DHT after various SINGLE doses of finasteride:
http://www.geocities.com/bryan50001/graph8.htm
Bryan
http://www.geocities.com/bryan50001/graph8.htm
Bryan
I want to repeat that this topic is VERY complicated. For example, after "the hormone levels completely return to normal" it may take months for the effects of the normal hormone levels to completely stabilize.
Take for example someone who is found out to be hypothyroid. That person then starts taking thyroid hormone pills to replace the missing hormone. For practical purposes, the hormone levels are normalized almost immediately. However, the effects on the body of the newly normalized hormone levels will take months to a year or more for the effects of having had low levels of thyroid hormone for a long time to resolve.
Now for example, if you take finasteride for only one month, then your body has had only a partial amount of time to respond to the effects of it, so it should take a much shorter time for the effects on the body to reverse, perhaps one month. This compares to someone who took it for a year and regrew hair. It may take a year for the effects (eg. the regrowth of hair, etc.) to completely reverse.
Take for example someone who is found out to be hypothyroid. That person then starts taking thyroid hormone pills to replace the missing hormone. For practical purposes, the hormone levels are normalized almost immediately. However, the effects on the body of the newly normalized hormone levels will take months to a year or more for the effects of having had low levels of thyroid hormone for a long time to resolve.
Now for example, if you take finasteride for only one month, then your body has had only a partial amount of time to respond to the effects of it, so it should take a much shorter time for the effects on the body to reverse, perhaps one month. This compares to someone who took it for a year and regrew hair. It may take a year for the effects (eg. the regrowth of hair, etc.) to completely reverse.
HairlossTalk
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:doh:
Owl Jolson
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Asolof, Bryan, where do you get all this information? How do you do your research? I'd like to do some of my own.
need_hair04
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guys its pretty simple, depending on the length of time and the daily dose taken will define how long it takes finasteride to leave your system.
For example, my cousin who has been on Propecia for 6 years now and has achieved AMAZING results decided to see how long he can last without taking finasteride. At almost EXACTLY the 2 week mark his hairloss resumed to what it was before he started. However after he resumed taking finasteride everything stabalized back to normal with no shedding and pure maintanance as he approches his 7th year on finasteride.
For me I have realized that when I was on finasteride I actually was experiencing SLIGHT side affects after using it for almost 5 months at approximately 1mg a day! After about 8 days my erections were stronger than when on finasteride and the morning log is ALWAYS there now. Also I noticed a slight abdominal pain in my last month of finasteride which I assumed was not apart of finasteride, however since getting off of finasteride towards the 7th day this completely went away.
So Basically the 2 week estimate is very accurate overall!!
For example, my cousin who has been on Propecia for 6 years now and has achieved AMAZING results decided to see how long he can last without taking finasteride. At almost EXACTLY the 2 week mark his hairloss resumed to what it was before he started. However after he resumed taking finasteride everything stabalized back to normal with no shedding and pure maintanance as he approches his 7th year on finasteride.
For me I have realized that when I was on finasteride I actually was experiencing SLIGHT side affects after using it for almost 5 months at approximately 1mg a day! After about 8 days my erections were stronger than when on finasteride and the morning log is ALWAYS there now. Also I noticed a slight abdominal pain in my last month of finasteride which I assumed was not apart of finasteride, however since getting off of finasteride towards the 7th day this completely went away.
So Basically the 2 week estimate is very accurate overall!!
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Owl Jolson said:
I get the vast majority of my hairloss info from medical journal articles and studies, with occasional references to various textbooks and reference books. I'm lucky because I live fairly close to the medical library that serves the entire Houston Medical Center! :wink:
Bryan
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Owl, you'd be surprised how much accurate info is found in studies and abstracts, as opposed to the conjecture and opinion from forum posters, snake oil sites with pseudo studies, and all the fads that come and go. 
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crossingfingers
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thank you all for your answers, you've been very helpful and i appreciate that. One more question. Lets say hypothetically, that someone were to take propecia on and off. For example, take it for a whole year, get off it for a month, then take it again for two weeks, then get off it again, then take it again for another month and then to stop taking it ever. How will this sporadic intake of finasteride impact the hormones? The point im trying to get at is, again, due to the on and off of finasteride, will your hormones return to baseline in two weeks? Any damage down to the balance of hormones due to this on and off period of finasteride intake? Anyone want to take a crack at this one?
thank you all for your answers, you've been very helpful and i appreciate that. One more question. Lets say hypothetically, that someone were to take propecia on and off. For example, take it for a whole year, get off it for a month, then take it again for two weeks, then get off it again, then take it again for another month and then to stop taking it ever. How will this sporadic intake of finasteride impact the hormones? The point im trying to get at is, again, due to the on and off of finasteride, will your hormones return to baseline in two weeks? Any damage down to the balance of hormones due to this on and off period of finasteride intake? Anyone want to take a crack at this one?
Molecular Help
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asolof said:
Than you should have went back and edited it!
Molecular Help
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*Then