Starting Finasteride this week - here are my lab results. Anything to consider before starting?

[BigTex]

Thank you for the responses. I appreciate them.

I have been doing research for over 2 months and have read about PFS. I have been reading up about both sides of the story and was planning to do a trial of topical finasteride. That said, I do agree that using it is a risk and might have long term consequences.

TBH, I'd rather not use it. Are there any alternatives to finasteride available that are better?

The antiandrogenic effect of finasteride against a mutant androgen receptor

Finasteride is known to inhibit Type 2 5α-reductase and thus block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The structural similarity of finasteride to DHT raises the possibility that finasteride may also interfere with the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Finasteride is known to inhibit Type 2 5α-reductase and thus block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

 

[Nelson Vergel]

As the title states, I'm gonna be starting Finasteride this week as I have been experiencing hair loss.

I would not use a DHT blocker orally. We know the risks.

Post-Finasteride Syndrome: Current Views and Where do we Stand?

Post-Finasteride Syndrome: Current Views and Where do We Stand? (2022) Ghadah I Alhetheli, Fahad Hamoud Alrashidi, and Saleh H Alhammad Abstract Introduction: Androgenetic alopecia is the most frequent cause of hair loss worldwide, affecting around 70% of males and 40% of females. Since the...

www.excelmale.com

I would explore minoxidil oral plus in foam form on the scalp.

What You Need to Know About Oral Minoxidil

Dr. Aguh was recently featured in a NY Times article discussing the use of oral minoxidil to treat androgenetic alopecia also known as male/female pattern thinning. Here, she goes into more detail about its benefits.

www.excelmale.com

There are other compounded topical solutions described in this link:

Hair Loss Test Panel for Women and Men

Hair Loss Test Panel for Women and Men: This lab test panel includes main blood test makers involved in hair loss.

www.discountedlabs.com

 

[DaveK22]

I want to keep my hair.

I hear ya...I started going bald at 18 yrs old! BUT STAY AWAY FROM Finasteride (Propecia)...you're better off shaving head, growing a goatee, and do some light tanning...and just accept it.

 

[Keepfit1]

Regarding post-oral finasteride: At one point I thought things were under control after I added progesterone to my TRT protocol, but in the end it was wishful thinking. Since then I've experimented with many things, including spironolactone, RU-58841 and clascoterone. All produce intolerable side effects, clearly going systemic. Spiro and RU give me classic anti-androgen symptoms—including plunging libido and degraded sexual function. Clascoterone seems to cause unrelenting anxiety. It's also very expensive. I've used minoxidil throughout without issues. For about a year I've been including topical finasteride, gradually increasing from 0.002 to 0.005%. My most recent blood test suggests a pretty minimal effect on serum DHT.

I actually first tried topical finasteride about 30 years ago. A doctor friend and I were experiencing some very minor recession and he'd read some early research on topical use on macaque monkeys. DMSO was the vehicle, and we both used it for a year or two without problems. I don't recall the dose, but it was probably more than I would dare to use these days. In the end I only quit because the DMSO bothered my girlfriend.

I tried oral finasteride about 16 years ago. The most constant side effect was GI discomfort. The sexual side effects came on gradually and mainly consisted of ED and PE. There may have been mood and cognitive issues as well, but I can't give an objective evaluation.

While it's easy for people to say "Just shave your head and be done with it.", not every head shape looks good without hair. I have friends in both camps. Some look great bald, others look awful. I tend to think I fall in the latter group, so I fight it harder. When all else fails there are more drastic measures that can give decent results, including hair systems and hair transplants. Look at Elon Musk, for example.

can I ask you how your low dose topical Fin is going, I’ve studied it carefully and heard varying views as how safe/effective 0.005% is. I also read that low low dose topical Dut applied once a week or so has less adsorption and better results , who knows

 

[Cataceous]

can I ask you how your low dose topical Fin is going, I’ve studied it carefully and heard varying views as how safe/effective 0.005% is. I also read that low low dose topical Dut applied once a week or so has less adsorption and better results , who knows

I was off by a factor of 10 in my finasteride concentration, which I have corrected. In fact I've been using 200-500 mcg/mL, with the usual volume being 1 mL. I can't say anything definitive about the efficacy. At best it may have slowed the rate of loss. I have to question whether 50 mcg/mL would do much. I know there's one study showing some effect from 100 mcg, but that in turn was less effective than the higher doses.

This isn't a bad summary of the little that's known about topical dutasteride. I might try it once I'm convinced that the 0.05% finasteride isn't causing any side effects. There's some skepticism about topical dutasteride because the molecule is over 500 Daltons, supposedly kind of large for topical use. However, there's some pretty solid research showing that even sirolimus at over 900 Daltons has quantifiable effects on dermal tissue.

 

[alantris]

Took some time off from everything to pause, reflect and think. Thank you all for responding and sharing your experience. It's been helpful and I have decided not to use Finasteride for now.

That said, I still want to look into other avenues to keep my hair. What they are, I don't know yet. Should anyone have any ideas on what I should try next, please let me know/feel free to PM.

I don't know what my next step to try and keep my hair would be. I have even considered drastic measures like a hair transplant but apparently even that requires finasteride/antiandrogen use.

 

[Keepfit1]

Took some time off from everything to pause, reflect and think. Thank you all for responding and sharing your experience. It's been helpful and I have decided not to use Finasteride for now.

That said, I still want to look into other avenues to keep my hair. What they are, I don't know yet. Should anyone have any ideas on what I should try next, please let me know/feel free to PM.

I don't know what my next step to try and keep my hair would be. I have even considered drastic measures like a hair transplant but apparently even that requires finasteride/antiandrogen use.

With a HT you don’t have to take fin although it helps, the HT doc will advise taking it but his job and interest is hair not our endocrine system, the transplanted hair stays but the original hair will continue to thin unless fin or similar, ive researched all the other so called ways to stop losing hair and so far fin and dut are the only relatively safe ones, derma rolling is getting good reports , RU safety profile is concerning in my and other informed opinions

 

[Hank Moody]

Accept it and bald gracefully. Too many men fight the inevitable, putting their self-esteem into their remaining locks. Get into shape if you are not, and buzz it. Bald gracefully.

FWIW - DS3 said it well. Get in shape (if you are not already) and consider shaving your head totally bald. I fought my MPB for almost 20 years (hats, sprays, drugs comb overs, etc) until my late-40's and then discovered I had low T, found this forum and Defy and got into shape. Random people often tell me I look like Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, etc. and I am not nearly in that kind of shape - just tall, bald and fairly fit for 57.

 

[DorianGray]

You might give topicals a try starting out. Such as PT-DBM Methyl Vanillate, Ghk-Cu and Minoxidil Foam. Investigate microneedling in conjunction with the topicals. Tailormade compounding carries the previously mentioned two. Need a Rx for them though.

 

[Seth]

Hi there,

I apologize if my post is not in line with the typical theme of this forum. I'm posting here because I feel that the members of this forum are more well-informed regarding hormone levels than other forums and I'm looking for input.

As the title states, I'm gonna be starting Finasteride this week as I have been experiencing hair loss. I have been diffuse thinning for nearly a year and finally getting on Fin. I'm 37.

I recently got labs done through Discountedlabs.com for the first time from the US. The entire process was very smooth and Discounted Labs support was very helpful and prompt in answering my queries.

Below are my results. Is there anything that jumps out or is there anything I should keep in mind/watch out for before I start Fin? I would be starting on topical finasteride rather than oral at 0.05% concentration.

TEST​	RESULT​	REFERENCE RANGE​
TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, MS​	588​	250-1100 ng/dL​
TESTOSTERONE, FREE (DIALYSIS)	75.9	35.0-155.0 pg/mL
DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE (DHT), LC/MS/MS	60	12-65 ng/dL
PROLACTIN	2.4	2.0-18.0 ng/mL
SEX HORMONE BINDING​ GLOBULIN (SHBG)	41	10-50 nmol/L
DHEA SULFATE	299	93-415 mcg/dL
ESTRADIOL,ULTRASENSITIVE, LC/MS	25	< OR = 29 pg/mL ​

I have also gotten a PSA test and a full blood and lipid panel. Those results should be in by the end of this week.





Thanks for your time!

I've been using it for 20 years. No observable side effects. I know there are a lot of negative articles on it, and a lot of guys won't take it because of this, but you have to keep in mind that there are also a lot of negative articles on testosterone supplements.
Just because some guys had bad experiences with it, doesn't mean everybody will.
BTW, I've still got a full head of hair, whereas my brother went bald.