Thinking of quitting finasteride to get on with my life

[Guest]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of quitting finasteride to concentrate on getting on with my life. I had my hair cut the weekend end. Very short in fact. It looks good. Do I really need to worry about my hair anymore? My G/F does not give a sh*t. To be honest neither do I.

I want to concentrate of living and having a child. That's the plan in the next year. And to me that's far more important than hair any day.

I also think that finasteride is messing with my body big time. I just don't feel the same anymore since starting it. My mind is foggy all the time, very lethargic on some days. I just want to get back to how I was before I started finasteride. Super fit and confident. I just feel that finasteride has turned me into something different.

I might go down the herbal route, not just for my hair but also just to be a bit healthier. I'm on holiday next week so this will give me time to think about things a bit more. I did discuss this with my G/F and she was quite supportive.

finasteride definitely messes your body. You don't really realise it. It just creeps up on you. I think it can also affect the mood, which many members have reported. I seem to be so up and down at the moment with my moods and I don't want it to affect my relationship, which is very strong.

I can understand guys who are in there 20's and losing hair. I really can. But when you are coming up to 37 and I feel that I should just get on with life.

I will let you all know how I get on. Good luck guys....

I really mean it....

 

[asm]

Good luck very much.

That means for us you won't visit HairLossTalk.com anymore You've been allways very supportive.

:lol:

 

[Guest]

I'll stick around. I just won't worry about my hair so much. I still have not decided 100% that's what I want to do. But I know I need to get on with my life. That's that most important thing..

 

[Green Soap]

I think you are placing too much percieved emphasis on finasteride. There are probably other things you are doing too much or not enough of.

I live a healthy day to day life, work out, run,sleep right, eat right..and take 1.25 finasteride.

Tell you the truth, I feel great every day and when I'm with my GF I get as hard as a rock on a moments notice.

Make sure you've looked over every aspect of your life before you go off blaming finasteride for your troubles.

 

[Guest]

I think you are placing too much percieved emphasis on finasteride. There are probably other things you are doing too much or not enough of.

I live a healthy day to day life, work out, run,sleep right, eat right..and take 1.25 finasteride.

Tell you the truth, I feel great every day and when I'm with my GF I get as hard as a rock on a moments notice.

Make sure you've looked over every aspect of your life before you go off blaming finasteride for your troubles.

great shout.....

Maybe you are right....

 

[gonna_win]

Good Luck on whatever path you take.

 

[TourdeForce24]

Alot of people on this forum do not want to hear the truth that Finasteride does indeed alter the person you thought you were. Especially for people like you and myself, who were extremely fit and intelligent before we started popping finasteride pills, finasteride can cause major problems. I made the same decision you did about a couple of months ago because I couldn't take the brain fog and the depression anymore. I had no motivation for athletic endeavors, my college grades were not normally where they would be, and my dick honestly felt like it was detached from my body. That's no way to go through life. I got off the stuff and within a week or so I felt back to normal. I felt like a true man again- confident and witty. My brain power came right back in time for exams and I managed to get dean's list again. I'm getting lots of extra work again for my job because I have the motivation again to outwork everyone else. The stuff does have side effects for a great deal of people, and do not let anyone on this board tell you that it's all in your head. Always remember that Finasteride is blocking a hormone that was intended to be used in the body. Always trust YOUR mental and physical feelings, as it's quite possible that someone on this board telling you that finasteride didnt cause them to have any problems might already have been born with brain fog to begin with. I'd rather go through life bald, fit, and intelligent/funny than less bald, slow-witted, and moody like a pubescent girl. For the really severe balding people on this board, finasteride is their only resemblance of a hope, so they are willing to overlook or mentally block possible life altering consequences. I beg you not to do the same.

 

[md2002]

Traxdata -

I have to agree with you that at your age with a GF and wanting to start a family, I would probably quit if I was in your shoes. I have a GF now and she says she doesn't care if I go bald either but, until I am married and know I will be with someone I am not willing to go bald just yet. However, if I get into my late 30's I will quit finasteride. I have to agree with the poeple that say finasteride has an effect on you. It does cause a cloudy brain and it does make you moody. At this time I am willing to deal with that. I assure you that as soon as I have a wife and ready to start a family...goodbye Propecia!!!

 

[21gone]

Trax I have read your posts and you have gone through many tumultous ups and downs with your hair. As far as I see it you are now happy when just a couple months ago you were quite down about it, I just hope if you quite the finasteride you do not go back to that. Perhaps finasteride is not right but there are still other routes you could go to save your hair. This whole thing sucks especially in the beginning where there are many ups and downs, but I agree there are far more important things and if you are going to have a kid and settle down then that is fantastic and I wish you the best of luck.

 

[sam-]

traxdata,

after seeing this site, I've completely put Propecia out of my mind.
http://www.propecia-info.com/
:firing:

 

[VWdude]

You're amazing...

 

[Dimebolt3000]

Yep, right on....Theres no doubt i personally noticed a mental change and an overall weird feeling while on propecia. Lifes way more important than to waste it on a drug that alters your emotions and your confidence to "perform". IF it doesnt effect you, more power to ya....but the most (or many) of us that are/were effected, think about it!

 

[Red Rose]

I have to say, I do seem to be experiencing the same sort of brain fog as others have alluded to.

Although I am not going to say I'm 100% sure. Could be imagining it.

There is actually probably no way of knowing for sure.

Although we know at 1mg that finasteride does cross the blood-brain barrier and as some posters have pointed out before, has been demonstrated to affect HPTA.

 

[md2002]

What's HPTA

 

[drinkrum]

I have to say, I do seem to be experiencing the same sort of brain fog as others have alluded to.

Although I am not going to say I'm 100% sure. Could be imagining it.

There is actually probably no way of knowing for sure.

Although we know at 1mg that finasteride does cross the blood-brain barrier and as some posters have pointed out before, has been demonstrated to affect HPTA.

Finasteride at 1 mg/day has been shown to NOT affect HPTA. I've posted tons of studies about this, go read 'em.

D.

 

[oni]

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) try using this it will help with your foggy mind.

 

[Red Rose]

Finasteride at 1 mg/day has been shown to NOT affect HPTA. I've posted tons of studies about this, go read 'em.
D.

I'm going on what Brian Shelton and Dave001 have said before (and for the avoidance of doubt I clearly referred to "some posters", without making the claim myself) over at HLH:-

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Originally posted by: drinkrum
At the 1 mg/day level, finasteride does cross the blood-brain barrier, but is not known to interfere with the HPTA (hypothalamus-pituitary-testes axis).
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Oh, but I think it clearly DOES affect it! That's demonstrated by the fact that finasteride tends to increase not only testosterone, but also LH and FSH. It seems clear that DHT is a player in the feedback control of testosterone production by the HPTA.

...Also, here is an old but relevant comment on this issue by Rittmaster from a nice review article titled "Finasteride", from The New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 13, 1994:

"High doses of finasteride given over a long term to rodents cause Leydig-cell hyperplasia and adenomas, probably as a result of the two- to threefold elevation in serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) in these animals. In men, testosterone exerts negative feedback on the pituitary and the hypothalamus by acting both through androgen-receptor-mediated processes and after conversion to estradiol. The fact that serum LH concentrations are often elevated in men with 5alpha-reductase deficiency suggests that dihydrotestosterone may also be important in the control of gonadotropin secretion. A decrease in serum dihydrotestosterone concentrations with finasteride had no effect, however, on serum LH or follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations in young men who received 5 mg of finasteride daily for 28 days. In a trial in which more than 250 men received 5 mg of finasteride for 12 months, serum LH concentrations increased from a mean of 6.6 U per liter to 7.6 U per liter, a change unlikely to be clinically important. The 10 percent increase in serum testosterone concentrations may be due both to the inhibition of testosterone metabolism and to slightly increased LH stimulation of testosterone production".

 

[Red Rose]

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Originally posted by: drinkrum
Hiya guys,

It is well documented that finasteride not only converts testosterone (T) into estradiol (E2) but also progesterone into its metabolite, allopregnanolone (ALLO). ALLO regulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). And so, large enough doses of finasteride reduce GABA. This is why finasteride is indicated in alcoholism cases as finasteride reduces the effects of alcohol on the CNS.
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Finasteride is not nearly as versatile as you seem to believe. It is not an aromatase mimetic, and it most certainly does not convert progesterone to allopregnanolone. In fact, it inhibits such conversion! The enzyme conversion pathway from progesterone to allopregnanolone is as follows: progesterone is first 5 alpha-reduced to dihydroprogesterone (the conversion of which is inhibited by finasteride), which is further metabolized by 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase to yield allopregnanolone.

Since when was finasteride "indicated in alcoholism"? Medline did not yield a single result indicating its present use in clinical practice. What you're reading are speculative studies in a highly specialized field.


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That said, finasteride has been heavily studied in medical literature. I, myself, have talked to some of the top doctors and researchers in the country, and they mention they've never heard of finasteride having any central nervous system (CNS) effects at the 1 mg/day level. The 1

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Care to mention any names? I'd love to know who the "top doctors and researchers in the country" are.


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mg/day level, I believe, is not sufficient to exert any significant impacts on the CNS. And in the long-term, I would think the brain would respond to lowered levels of GABA by increasing progesterone through various methods. At the 1 mg/day level, finasteride does cross the blood-brain barrier, but is not known to interfere with the HPTA (hypothalamus-pituitary-testes axis). This leads me to believe that at the 1 mg/day level, finasteride should not really "screw things up" in the long-term. Libido-wise, it's another story.
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Bryan already corrected you on this blunder, so I'll leave it alone.


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Also, I don't know who said it, but finasteride is _not_ considered a pure anti-androgen (such as flutamide).
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No one said it was a "pure" anti-androgen (i.e., it does not bind to the AR). It has anti-androgenic effects by altering steroid metabolism via 5-AR.


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My $0.02,
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Keep the change.

Dave

 

[drinkrum]

I just posted a new topic with some evidence, read it here: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions ... p?p=143461

I've "proven" Bryan wrong on that claim that finasteride increases T, etc. before. I gave medical literature that discussed this. I posted about 10 articles. Finish reading that same thread until the end of page 5: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions ... 3&start=30


By the way, the doctor's name is Dr. Frances Hayes. She is a reproductive endocrinologist at Harvard. I went to her office and talked to her, and I correspond with her via e-mail. She even did a work-up on me and saw me as a patient. You can chose to take her word or Bryan's.

I didn't say finasteride converted prog. to ALLO -- 5-alpha reductase does. Finasteride inhibits that effect. Read about finasteride and alcoholism here: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions ... light=gaba

I don't make "blunders" -- I support my statements with careful research. I don't post things blindly.

My $0.10.

D.

 

[drinkrum]

You tend to believe everything Bryan says like it's gospel. Nice time, don't be so naive, and do some of your own due diligence. For your convenience, I am re-pasting that "blunder" you had mistakenly attributed to me:

Finasteride at the 1 mg/day level does not affect testosterone in the long-term. There are some studies that claim otherwise, but the preponderence of them agree with my statement.

Read the 5-year Propecia report, it says, "As in all clinical studies with finasteride, a marked and persistent suppression of serum DHT levels was observed in finasteride-treated subjects, but this was not associated with significant changes in serum gonadotropins (LH and FSH). These data are consistent with previous data on the lack of effect of finasteride on the hypothalamic pituitary-gonadal axis in young men".

If you don't believe Merck, which may be wise seeing the Vioxx scandal, confer:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Citation

"Finasteride caused a significant decrease in serum dihydrotestosterone after 6 and 12 months, but no effect on serum testosterone."

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/conten ... t/75/2/484

"Basal DHT fell from 1.1 +/- 0.2 to 0.15 +/- 0.04 nmol/L after 28 days of finasteride treatment. A significant rise in baseline testosterone from 17.6 +/- 2.0 to 18.3 +/- 2.3 nmol/L was seen at 14 days (P = 0.046), but not at 28 days. No significant changes were seen in either basal or GnRH-stimulated gonadotropin levels on any day. We conclude that suppression of serum DHT levels with 5 mg finasteride daily in healthy young men has no discernible effect on serum gonadotropin levels."

Another one: http://intl-jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/c ... /70/4/1136

"No change was seen in LH, FSH, cortisol, or estradiol levels. Serum lipids, including total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, and triglycerides were not affected by treatment. Results from part 2 again showed significant reduction in DHT at all doses. DHT levels returned to pretreatment values within 14 days of discontinuing treatment. Significant increases in T were observed only in the 1.0 mg group and only during the first 8 days of treatment. The T/DHT ratio increased with all doses and returned to baseline when drug was discontinued."

Another: http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/75/2/484.pdf

And yet another; it's done on hirsute women, however. But I believe the point is still relevant: http://intl-jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/c ... t/79/3/831

Don't call me out on something without having some concrete evidence. I contribute to this forum by posting ideas predicated on scientific knowledge and medical literature -- not hearsay ("Bryan said this, Bryan said that") nor opinions clouded by personal conviction.

Are we clear, Red Rose?

D.