Unusual reason to want to wean off Finasteride - Alcohol

[Tellus]

Hello everyone,

I've been using finasteride for a couple years, following successful hair transplants too. I have a full head now.

I feel blessed to some extent when reading on the drug, because some people report horrible libido issues, weight gain, memory or mood issues. I've had little of that. My orgasms arent as potent as they used to be, which may be related or not, I dunno, but I have no issue with masturbation or sex.

However, I've always been a regular drinker. Some people will probably tell me this is a problem, but it's not something I've been wanting to change, I'm not trying to quit alcohol. Yet it's been increasingly hard to get a decent buzz these last couple years, and so I've drank alot more. I thought it was just alcohol tolerance kicking in something fierce, but no, it seems to have been the finasteride! Apparently through interaction on Neurosteroids and other γ-aminobutyric acids, finasteride lowers the 'subjective effects of alcohol'; meaning I'm just wasting more money and liver for less effect, and that's a problem for me. Some men report simply drinking less as a result, but for me, it increased my alcohol consumption to problematic levels. I feel with less finasteride, I could enjoy my drink without putting my health as risk again.

I'd like to know more on this reaction, specifically how finasteride impairs the sought-after effects of alcohol. Is this an effect that would likely occur less if I cut my dosage substantially? Instead of 1mg a day, I'm thinking 0.5mg EOD, as this is a dosage that many report lowered their sexual side effects without killing their hair? I'd also be willing to quit completely if I must, but I'd rather not; hair is nice. Are there supplements or pills or whatever that could counteract finasteride's effect on neurosteroids without completely undoing it's effects on my hair? I'd also like to know if anyone has any idea after how long tapering off or quitting finasteride would this effect diminish/disappear?

These questions may be difficult to answer, because this is a 'new' discovery about the drug, probably more misunderstood than the sexual dysfunction, but I appreciate any input. Thank you.

 

[Valiant]

If you wean off, wean off very slowly. Like over months, not weeks. I took finasteride for a long time and got sides after I quit. I was also able to drink a lot while I was on it. I could still get a buzz, but I was the last one standing usually among my buddies. I would tell you to reduce the dose first with the intent to stay on it and then see how you do. I would also say, from the drinking side, switch up what you drink. If you drink beer, switch to spirits and vice versa. You could also try some alloprenenolone nasal spray. But, I don't like the idea of taking one med to counteract another. Beware too that you are probably keeping some of your hair due to finasteride so when you quit it will likely start to thin again in a few months.

 

[Quantum Cat]

I've heard of this study too and it struck me - I've also noticed that alcohol doesn't have the same effects as it used to, and as a result I hardly ever drink any more. Maybe this is something to do with taking finasteride or maybe a coincidence, I don't know.


in the end you have to weigh up which is better: having hair or being able to drink.

 

[DoneWithIt]

in the end you have to weigh up which is better: having hair or being able to drink.

This should be a f*cking no brainer. Anyone who has to question themselves wether alcohol or hair is more important does not even deserve a full head of hair in my opinion...

 

[Tellus]

If you wean off, wean off very slowly. Like over months, not weeks. I took finasteride for a long time and got sides after I quit. I was also able to drink a lot while I was on it. I could still get a buzz, but I was the last one standing usually among my buddies. I would tell you to reduce the dose first with the intent to stay on it and then see how you do. I would also say, from the drinking side, switch up what you drink. If you drink beer, switch to spirits and vice versa. You could also try some alloprenenolone nasal spray. But, I don't like the idea of taking one med to counteract another. Beware too that you are probably keeping some of your hair due to finasteride so when you quit it will likely start to thin again in a few months.

Thanks for all the info, very useful. First, sure, tapering off slowly sounds good. I know I can keep my hair with a smaller dosage; when I started Propecia, I was doing half tablets because they cost 2.25$ a pill here and that was a little steep at the time for me (entry level job, expenses, etc). Even at 0.5mg the hair loss stopped completely. A bit later, my new work insurer amazingly agreed to cover it (someone had argued mental anguish over hair loss or something), so I started taking the full pills just because they were free now. So I know I can at least cut it in half, though that may not be enough. I'm hoping not to quit fully in order to keep hair more or less stable, I'm willing to experiment.

Ive never been into beer; wine I like but because of the issue we've discussing I've totally moved to hard liquors. A liter of wine can't get me tipsy.

"Alloprenenolone nasal spray"; this I need to research. Google isn't particularly enlightening on the topic, but it sounds promising, I'll look into it.

I've heard of this study too and it struck me - I've also noticed that alcohol doesn't have the same effects as it used to, and as a result I hardly ever drink any more. Maybe this is something to do with taking finasteride or maybe a coincidence, I don't know.

I have a doctor appointment this week, my guy has a strong medical chemistry background so I'll try to get a ballpark of how strong this effect is - but I'm guessing it's not a coincidence we both experienced it.

in the end you have to weigh up which is better: having hair or being able to drink.

This should be a f*cking no brainer. Anyone who has to question themselves wether alcohol or hair is more important does not even deserve a full head of hair in my opinion...

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm trying to find a sweeter spot dosage wise, and I'm a bit angry I never knew about this before, but I still value my hair. I'm not ready to do bald just for the liquor; but then again I know I'm taking too much finasteride for what my hair needs, and I want the best of both worlds. Also, if the finasteride is responsible for the 'weaker orgasms' issue I mentioned (and it fits timeline wise), that's also something I want to alleviate. Yes, I also have a mild drinking issue, coming from a proud lineage of Irish alcoholics, but I'm not thinking about this as a way to drink more. It's an harm-prevention issue; if I can get an acceptable "subjective" effect with less alcohol ingested, I'm doing considerably less harm to my body, and my wallet.

 

[Quantum Cat]

here's an article about it:

http://stophairlossnow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5467

apparently the study was authored by Dr. Irwig, so that raises some red flags as he has a reputation for conducting biased, flawed studies.

still, there could be something to it

 

[Tellus]

Yeah, I read something similar, which is what made me link finasteride with my ridiculous tolerance to alcohol's desirable effects.

It also made me discover that finasteride's side effects list is much longer than I thought.

As for Alloprenenolone, I'm looking at a nasal spray here that I might try to see if it helps any. But I'm also wondering if this prohormone is available in simple pill form with a script? Because if so, I could just as easily get that.

 

[Kev123]

I have been on finasteride 1.25 daily since 22 years old(I'm 24 now, going on 25 in a couple of months), I was on and off it from 18-22. I was on dutasteride from March 2013-September and will get back on it in a couple of days. With that said, maybe i'm just a very weak drinker(started at 16), but alcohol actually gets me more drunk now than it did in the past. It could be because I don't drink as heavily as I used to, I was drinking a lot so I slowed down drinking and even didn't drink for an entire year(2012). I only drink wine now and 2 cups get me buzzed. I guess maybe i'm a weak drinker because finasteride does nothing to my resistance. In fact i'm so weak, for the Floyd Money Mayweather vs Saul Canelo Alvarez - Showtime PPV fight I drank 4 full cups of wine and vomited at the end of the night and woke up with a hang over.

But like I said i'm not a heavy drinker, I used to drink Grey Goose, Johnnie Walker Black Label, lots of beer and could drink for a while, now I get drunk easily.

 

[9tfrizzco]

****ting **** this drug is going to cost me a fortune.

 

[prodigy]

Fake Finpecia Is Real , Is finax having any fakes

Hello every one i am new to this forum ....this is very very important so please give a read to what i am posting

I have been on finpecia (cipla finasteride) for 6 months .....during this time i had used 2 different batches of finpecia different drug stores

1st batch worked perfectly fine ....it thickned my hair...blah blah blah (ya little aches,brain fog ,dark spots etc etc side effects cuz of increased estrogen levels and fat)


2nd batch - ( same side effects+ ) the tablets looked same ...but the smell and taste were too strong which i didnt feel in the 1st batch , also after 2 days my hair started itching (it was kinda different its like some ones running a needle on my scalp...a sharp itch) which decreased after a week

Also some of the hair shed ...but the thing is my hair became less thick may be like my normal healthy hair ,also more oily (but still 1st batch is super solid hair cuz it made my hair as strong as tooth brush bristles)

i am one genuine guy who read lot of blogs....i am not here to defame finpecia but i feel this to be little weird (both taste wise also hair quality wise)

i think there are fake finpecia in real (fake works but orginal made my hair so thick that when hair fall out i could see white hair roots which means hair is improving quality wise)
so i think guys if u buy finpecia never ever take it in bulk

1st try 4-5 tablets ...then take the entire bulk package from drug store


now cuz of this fake finpecia i want to try finax ( which is cheaper also from fda approved cmpy that in dr.reddy's also i hope there wont be fake )

fake is nothing but product which is not properly made...some cheap ****


1st batch worked as every one wrote - > hair shed..new hair grow...super strong
2nd batch -> bull **** .....


i want to buy finax ... so can some one compare & help me with this ..

 

[Petchsky]

I think this study is BULL. I can't really offer a inteligent critique of it, other than my own personal experience. I love beer, and take finasteride.... never noticed any reduced effect from alcohol because of finasteride.

 

[Wuffer]

In typical Dr. Irwig fashion, this study appears to have more holes than a sieve. He keeps conducting his 'studies' on the same group of men who were basically hand-chosen from peopeciahelp. He states that there have been animal studies that show decreased alcohol consumption while taking finasteride, but no one in this study group is taking finasteride; they all discotinued. He's just jumping to the conclusion that their decreased alcohol consumption is because of some persistent effect on neurosteroids, which itself has not yet been demonstrated in any way shape or form.

But about the decreased consumption? That's pretty simple to explain. All these men have sexual dysfunction and are likely avoiding any activities that are known to contribute to these issues such as tobacco and alcohol use. Everyone on propeciahelp promotes a healthy lifestyle (cleaning up diet, exercising, cutting out drugs) in order to promote the body to heal.

Honestly, this study doesn't tell us anything except for the fact that propeciahelp members don't drink as much as the average person.

I like what Dr. Irwig is trying to do. I definitely think this whole thing needs a closer eye on it, but he needs to switch up his study group and introduce some controls. Start sticking people with needles and find out what's going on ffs! Get some blood samples and try to find some more compelling evidence. Up to now, his studies seem to be tailored for making headlines. That's great for internet hysteria (which is bad enough as it is) but I don't think these studies are accomplishing anything in the end.

 

[9tfrizzco]

got pretty wasted last night and always for me, a hangover has been accompanied with anxiety and depression, and it's pretty crippling. i hate thinking about the way hangovers normally make me feel. however, today i feel fine. ecstatic in fact, relatively speaking. i'm sure the finasteride has eliminated my chemical predisposition to that kind of hangover. i don't how or why but i'm sure it has done. hope it lasts.

i have wondered if maybe i wasn't as wasted as i thought (i just knew i was drinking a lot/placebo effect) and the finasteride simply makes me more tolerant as this thread alludes to. however, i still feel tired and run down, slight headache, just no anxiety and i'm not miserable.

as i type this i'm getting pains in my balls though. ah well that's life.

 

[abcdefg]

I would worry more about damaging my liver then either of those things alone. Just taking propecia taxes your liver so adding in alcohol is going to make it worse. Long term its not going to end well. Oh yeah I also think its not true or very minimal if it is but like most drugs its a guessing game what it actually does.

 

[Jlyncher]

Another B.S. study.

 

[LouReed]

I started on finasteride this month and the "altered subjective effects" of alcohol are apparent to me. The loss of motor coordination is still there, but the mental inebriation and elevated mood is running at about 50% of what it used to be. It's still fun to drink, but I can't tie one on as easily as before.

Tellus, speaking as an ex problem drinker, I think the real answer here is to cut your drinking off for a month and take a long think about what you really want: Do you want to be a bald drunk or a sober guy with hair? Seems like a no brainer. There are much healthier drugs out there if you really need alter your brain unit. Weed comes to mind.

 

[Dorasz]

1.Ramaker M, Ford M, Fretwell A, Finn D. Alteration of Ethanol Drinking in Mice via Modulation of the GABAA Receptor with Ganaxolone, Finasteride, and Gaboxadol. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research [serial online]. November 2011;35(11):1994-2007. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 13, 2014.

cant believe I stumbled in this. This has been a separate (minor) issue for me for the last two years. I never linked the two together. I very rarely get the buzz off alcohol that I used to. I have had my friends point this out to me on countless occasions referring to the difference in my behaviour when we go out drinking together ie my lack of ability to get drunk. I could never pinpoint why this was. I can tie-in the timeframe for both quite closely. I realise that this is could be looked upon as a positive effect of finasteride but used to enjoy my social drinks with my friends
I wonder if skipping a dose of finasteride on the day I go drinking would help?..might be worth a try!
finasteride inhibits allopregnanolone (ALLO) synthesis. Research on mice has shown that substances that alter allopregnanolone synthesis alter ethanol self-administration by mice-(1). I read in some other journal that alcohol consumption was decreased in finasteride users, this was in an article about adverse effects of finasteride

 

[Carlos Marcello]

A little amount of alcohol and finasteride are metabolised by CYP450 enzyme family. This reason can decrease to drinking alcohol capasity in some people.

I think some people who use to finasteride must make check up once a year. And they must be see liver enzymes.

If AST/ALT ratio is small from 1,0, your liver is intollerant to alcohol. Please be careful when you use to finasteride and alcohol together.

 

[hmm]

This is literally the dumbest **** I have a ever read in my entire life. Either you are a troll or a little slow upstairs.

 

[ladysmanfelpz]

This is literally the dumbest **** I have a ever read in my entire life. Either you are a troll or a little slow upstairs.

Many people have reported a decrease to alcohols effects. I one of them and would say I got similar effects to LouReed. Does anyone know if this effect is similar for all substances such as weed? Also people saying finasteride is hard on the liver, I thought finasteride was very easy on the liver?