On finasteride: Low testosterone , ED, depression, and anxiety

[rok]

Hi,

so this is gonna be a long story.

6 Months ago I was a 40 year old stud, looking late 20's, working out and being built, high sex drive. I got my testosterone tested in march and got 8,2. 8,3 being the upper limit for males aged 20 to 49 (these meassurements are from different European labs, don't know US standards).

I've also taken Finasteride for my hair for 15 years without any problems what so ever.

So, in May I thought that I saw a slight worsening of my hair after 15 years. Warented concern or not, this threw me completely off the rails, because I was a guy looking young and still bedding young chicks.

This escalated into a complete anxiety and depression, even though my hair didn't look bad. I was always prone to anxiety and depression, ever since I was a teen.

So this went on for a couple of months, me feeling down and a constant state of panic. In late August I suddenly felt that I didn't get erections anymore from one day to another. I immediately went to an urologist. He said that this was most likely caused by depression and put me on 5mg Cialis once a day for one month. I got better within days. My depression and anxiety got worse though. In early September I decided to add Dutasteride 1mg a week (0,5mg on 2 days) to the Finasteride to make sure my hair was doing ok. I also have OCD, so constantly thinking about my hair was a nightmare.

Within days I got spots all over my brow. Thought this might be hormons adjusting to the Dutasteride. 2 weeks after I started Dutasteride I deceided to do blood work. This is what came out:

E2: 54 (Normal Range 0 - 50)
Test: 10 (8,4 - 28,7)
Free Test: 0,94 (1,1 - 3,1)
DHT: <120 (300 - 850)
IGF1: 293 (88 - 245)
SHBG: 37 (10 -57)
DHEAS: 263 (40 - 400)
Serotonin: 263 (40 - 400)
Prolactin: 3,5 (2,5 - 17)

So basically my Test tanked from just 6 months before, my free test was way too low and my E2 and IGF1 too high.

At that time I thought whatever. I was so occupied with my hair. I stopped working out in late August because of my psychological state and was rapidly loosing muscle mass. I also was eating crap (fast food, sweets) because I didn't have any appetite and the healthy food I used to eat before I couldn't get down.

But I could still get an erection when I stimulated myself, or when I kissed a girl. I even remember some random erections. Morning wood was 0, but I don' remember having it every day before and I chalked it up to my depression.

2 weeks ago I started to feel that my erections where getting softer. I wanted to see if I got night time erections and did the paper test. While my dong got slightly bigger at night, it wasn't an erection at all. So this freaked me out big time.

I dropped the Dut 1 week ago and went to the Urologist again. He again put me on 5mg Cialis. He said it was good that I dropped the Dut, but said I could still go on taking Fin since I had no problems with it for 15 years.

I then showed him my blood work from September. He said that we could go on TRT. But I balked at the idea. Going from super high Test to TRT for life in half a year was something I couldn't stomach. He said there is no way to stimulate Test exogen, only TRT. I knew this wasn't true though, since I knew that Bodybuilders stimulate their test after a cicle.

Since then I think my ED has gotten better every so slightly. I wake up at night with a semi-hard penis and it also feels less shrivelled during the day. Getting and maintaining an erection is still hard work though, but could I already get a little better? I don't know, but maybe the low dose Cialis is working.

So what to do now? The thing is I can't go off Fin. Loosing my hair would literally kill me at the moment.

Could it be that Dut threw my hormones out of whack in 2 weeks?

Could stopping working out (before I worked out hard 6x a week), eating crap and my constant panic lower my Test that much (Cortisol?)


What can I do to get my test up again? I considered a SERM but 2 things worry me about it:

I already am depressed, how will this be on a serm.

I developed some minor eye floaters when I was 25. I practically don't see them ever except when I concentrade on them, the don't bother me at all. But will this highten my risk of getting eye trouble on Serms?

Would working out again and eating healthy do any good?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[CoastWatcher]

Welcome to Excelmale.

*Your lab results are incomplete. Was any effort made to check your LH and FSH? Was a full thyroid panel run?
*Those results posted certainly point toward hypogonadism, and I can't help but wonder if the finasteride that you've taken for 15 years (!!!) hasn't played a role in the onset of your erectile dysfunction. It's a drug that doctors on the leading edge of androgen replacement in North America will not prescribe due to the severe side-effect profile that it has. That said, some men certainly tolerate it, you seemed to, but has it caught up with you? Was the combination of dutasteride and finasteride enough to impact your endocrine system. This article paints a strong picture of what this class of drug can do in terms of male sexuality and depression.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4064044/
*Your depression and anxiety certainly can be contributing to your erectile issues. Have you discussed these issues recently with a therapist? The strong fear of losing your hair both occupies your mind and blocks you from considering other options. That's your choice, but have you looked at your health in a broader perspective at this point?
*Why is starting TRT something you "can't stomach?" That's a strong statement for a program that has restored the health of so many men? I can understand your wanting to avoid it if at all possible, it seems you're seeing it as a sentence of doom.
*An improved diet and exercise is certainly an excellent idea, whether it improves your androgen levels or not. So is a good night of sleep. Are you sleeping well? What other drugs and supplements are you taking?

 

[rok]

Hi,

my thyroid is in normal range. LH and FSH wasn't taken.

The onset of my ED problem just started when I was occupied with hair loss and also read about Finasteride all day. And just then I had them. I don't know, it seems such a coincidence.

TRT is something where there's no turning back. I want to try and start my hormones again. Also, I'm not a rich person.

I take a neuroleptic for my anxiety and also Arginin. Other than that nothing.

And no, I don't sleep well at all.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Hi,

my thyroid is in normal range. LH and FSH wasn't taken.

The onset of my ED problem just started when I was occupied with hair loss and also read about Finasteride all day. And just then I had them. I don't know, it seems such a coincidence.

TRT is something where there's no turning back. I want to try and start my hormones again. Also, I'm not a rich person.

I take a neuroleptic for my anxiety and also Arginin. Other than that nothing.

And no, I don't sleep well at all.

The term "normal range" is really meaningless (though doctors will always use it with patients). What thyroid tests were run? TSH, most likely, but was T3, T4, rT3, and a thyroid antibodies test run? In their absence, you get a very incomplete picture of how the thyroid is performing. LH and FSH are essential as any effort to use a SERM to stimulate natural production will be dependent on whether the hypogonadism you're dealing with is primary (testicular) or secondary (somewhere in the axis) in nature. If it's the former, if the problem is traced to your testicles, restart options are not available. Ask for these tests to be run along with any thyroid tests that were not performed. Has sleep apnea been eliminated? Oh, in addition to your ED, is your libido still high, or has your sex drive dissipated? To fully understand what you're dealing with you need more information.

 

[rok]

Yes, it was TSH. What about sleep apnoe? How do you eliminate that?

My sex drive isn't great. But with my constant panic and depression I can't imagine how it could?

That said I still enjoyed sex during the last months. It's not like it disgusts me. And I imagine if my psychological problems would go away my sex drive would go up again.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Yes, it was TSH. What about sleep apnoe? How do you eliminate that?

My sex drive isn't great. But with my constant panic and depression I can't imagine how it could?

That said I still enjoyed sex during the last months. It's not like it disgusts me. And I imagine if my psychological problems would go away my sex drive would go up again.

You need to speak to your doctor about your sleep habits/patterns. Typically, apnea is diagnosed with a sleep study, and, if found, treated with weight loss and a cpap machine at night (delivering continuous, positive air pressure). You also ought to pursue the question of additional lab testing - particularly your LH and FSH levels, along with a more comprehensive look at your thyroid. You need the LH and FSH studies in order to know what options are available to you in regard to a restart of your HPTA axis. I'd suggest you engage the services of a therapist, someone trained in cognitive, behavioural therapy (CBT) might well be able to help you lower your anxiety so as to engage with life on a calmer basis. I will add that part of those discussions ought to include the pros and cons of your ongoing use of finasteride. It is a volatile drug (to put it politely).

 

[Vince]

Looks like Finasteride tank your DHT, The Hidden Benefits of DHT and How to Increase & Reduce it.
https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...Benefits-of-DHT-and-How-to-Increase-Reduce-It

 

[rok]

I don't think I have sleep apnoe. I'm not overweight at all and the reason for my poor sleep is my anxiety.

Finasteride would have tanked my DHT 15 years ago, wouldn't it?

Is it so unreasonable to drop Dutasteride and see how I'm doing on Fin alone again?

 

[Nelson Vergel]

rok

You said:

"So what to do now? The thing is I can't go off Fin. Loosing my hair would literally kill me at the moment."

You could try a topical lotion instead and see what happens. Here are a few options that do not involve the use of finasteride:

Testosterone and Hair Loss: What You Need to Know

 

[CoastWatcher]

I don't think I have sleep apnoe. I'm not overweight at all and the reason for my poor sleep is my anxiety.

Finasteride would have tanked my DHT 15 years ago, wouldn't it?

Is it so unreasonable to drop Dutasteride and see how I'm doing on Fin alone again?

Both drugs are in the same class and have a confirmed history in some men, far too many, of causing persistent, hard to treat, erectile and libido issues. It seems that you want to be told that it can't possibly be one of these two drugs causing your sudden hormonal imbalance and erectile dysfunction. You may well be right. Nonetheless, when doctors I respect, my own physician and other leading practitioners in the field of male health, refuse to prescribe it and counsel new patients who are taking it to discontinue their use of finasteride and dutasteride, then I have to look at it and wonder just how coincidental your problems actually are.

I am am not without sympathy. One can't read your posts and not sense how anxious you are about these matters. Many of us have faced similar problems. I can only tell you that if it was me, I'd seek additional lab tests, the LH, FSH, and thyroid panels, I would discuss apnea with my doctor, you don't have to be overweight to be dealing with it, and I would stop finasteride and dutasteride. At once. At the same time, I would find a capable therapist to help with the emotional side of the picture. Anxiety and depression, the concern you have about hair loss, those are pressing you. There is help for that.