Accutane and Brain damage

[dgreene]

Finasteride treatment and neuroactive steroid formation.

Dusková M, Hill M, Hanus M, Matousková M, Stárka L. Source: Institute of Endocrinology, Prague, Czech Republic.

Abstract
Finasteride is the 5alpha-reductase inhibitor that received clinical approval for the treatment of human benign prostate hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia. The 5alpha-reductase is enzyme responsible for the reduction of testosterone to dihydrostestosterone, progesterone to dihydroprogesterone and deoxycorticosterone to dihydrodeoxycorticosterone, steroids modulating the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid on GABA receptors. These neuroactive steroids possess anticonvulsant, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of finasteride therapy on a broad steroid spectrum in men with benign prostate hyperplasia. A group of 20 men with benign prostate hyperplasia was involved in the present study. Finasteride in the daily dose of 5 mg/day was administrated for 4 months. In all individuals, their hormonal profile of steroid hormones was determined before and after 4 months lasting finasteride treatment. Finasteride treatment resulted in a significant decrease all alpha-reduced and increase of most 5beta-reduced metabolites of testosterone and progesterone as well as in an increase of 7alpha-hydoxyderivatives, which are known as neuroactive steroids acting by modulation of GABAA and NMAD receptors in the brain. In the course of finasteride treatment the decrease of the concentration of circulating steroids with known inhibitory activity on GABA-ergic excitation in the brain is very probably an important factors contributing to the development of the symptoms of depression seen in some isolated cases of finasteride administration.

[Len]

@Oscar

I think its a waste of time comparing Accutane to Finasteride. Three reasons.

1. Nowhere will you ever find any academic paper or text book describing Accutane as a 5-Alpha-Reductase inhibitor. That’s because it isn’t. Accutane reduces DHT and 5aR in the skin by inducing apoptosis of sebaceous glands.

2. Accutane (Isotretinoin or 13-cis-retinoic acid) has many different side effects than Fin, including permanent side effects. It is a different drug, with different mechanisms of action - its originally a chemotherapy treatment.

3. It is a waste of time for those with finasteride side effects and accutane side effects to assume they are related because they may have nothing to do with one another. This will confuse the search for real answers.

That is all.

people far more “in the know” than yourself strongly disagree … but i will leave it that, and do not bother asking me to elaborate

for everyone on this forum, you should not allow yourself to get sucked into postings such as these (or, for example, threads such as “why the androgen receptor theory is wrong”, authored by oscar himself) … on the surface, they do appear to be intelligent, but in reality they are greatly flawed, and a complete waste of time

nice to have you back oscar

that is all

[Papasmurf]

If anyone wants to verify if they have brain damage get a SPECT brain scan it’s not available to me. I had a friend that took one pill of Lexapro had an instant reaction, went for an MRI and was told he was fine and diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome but he knew there was something wrong, he then went for a SPECT brain scan months later and it showed that blood flow in certain regions in the brain tissue were no longer lighting up indicating brain damage and this was finally verified. I’m convinced without a shadow of doubt we have a brain injury, this may be a tool that could be used to diagnose PFS.