Considering starting Propecia (Please read)

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#1

Hello, first time poster here.

I am in my late 20s and my hair has been shedding for roughly 7 years now. I have gone on hair loss forums where people have had success with Finasteride, and I was wondering if it would do the same for me. I was thinking of starting a small dose of 0.25mg per day to see what the effects are and see whether it’s worth taking on the risks.

The funny thing about my situation is that I currently suffer from ED, and have been suffering from ED for 5 years now. I don’t know why, but I need to take either Viagra or Levitra to hold an erection. I don’t know what started my Erectile Dysfunction, as I live a healthy lifestyle and have never taken hair loss medication.

I recently went to a Men’s Clinic and my doc says that everything is normal, recommending me to simply just stay on the Viagra.

I figure that since I already have ED problems, then trying a small amount of Propecia per day wouldn’t hurt. I realize that I may get flamed for that statement. I think I may have low testosterone, though I’m no expert with blood test results, so I’ll post them here:

Testosterone-Free
Result: 42.6 Reference Range: 31.0 - 94.0 PMOL/L

Thyrotropin (sensitive TSH)
Result: 1.26 Reference Range: 0.35 - 5.00 MIU/L

Lutropin (LH)
Result: 4 Reference Range: 2 - 6 IU/L

Prolactin
Result: 11 Reference Range: 2 - 18 UG/L

Glucose-fasting
Result: 4.2 Reference Range: 3.6 - 6.0 MMOL/L

Creatine
Result: 94 Reference Range: 60 - 125 UMOL/L

eGFR
Result: 95

I have a solid amount of body hair, in addition to a thinning head of hair, so I would assume my testosterone is high. My test result seem to show that they are low (I think, as I am no expert in reading these). Also, has anyone who already had ED before taking Finasteride, made their situation worse?

Any educated feedback is much appreciated. I’m a newbie on this forum, so take it easy on me.

#2

I would stay away from fina. It has many other sideeffects that may touch you and it can also make things related to sexuality even worse. It is my opinion only.

#3

Brave of you to post such a question here, no doubt.

I’d say if you have baseline hormone tests and after having read everything on this site considering the negative effects of Fin, and you STILL want to decide to go ahead, then by all means be oru guest… hope nothing bad comes of it for you – but there are more than just sexual side effects to this medication, there mental and physical ones as well.

If you still want to go ahead, all that we would ask is that you please keep track of your hormones to see what effect Fin is having, especially after you come off.

In that regard I would suggest adding Free/Bioavailable Testosterone, DHT, Estradiol, Estrone, FSH, SHBG, Adiol-G, AST, ALT at minimum to your current baseline tests, and others as outlined in the FAQ of this site.

#4

Thanks for the response. I will definitely try and get another blood test, and have them measure my DHT and all others. The reason I had a blood test done was for my ED, but maybe I could sway my family doc to test me again. I’m especially interested in knowing what my DHT levels are at.

Also, I was hoping if you, or anyone, could give me some feedback on my current tests. Is my free testosterone considered low at 42.6 PMOL/L? How about my Thyrotropin at 1.26? Could these factors be the reasons for my ED? I hear that too much estrogen can cause hair loss and ED too. Could this be a factor?

#5

My bad, I didn’t notice you had Free T tested already.

I should have said get TOTAL Testosterone checked in previous statement.

Regarding your Free T, it seems pretty low for a guy in his 20s by my guess, from my understanding it should be in the upper 3rd of the range. Free T is especially critical as only 2% of T is unbound at any point in time in the body, the rest of it is bound up to SHBG or Albumin, hence why those tests are important to see where Free T is being bound.

Estrogen does not cause hair loss, but it can lower Total T levels via negative feedback on the HTPA, and lead to ED. You do not have Estradiol or Total T tested so you don’t know if in fact you are low on Total T or high in Estrogens .

Your TSH seems fine to me but if you really want more detail on your thyroid status, get Free T3, Free T4 and Thyroid Antibodies tested for.

#6

Wow, thanks. The level of education on this forum is much higher than I thought. Doctors are just so lazy nowadays and don’t tell you anything. Mine just told me that I am in the normal range and that I should just take the ED drugs. It’s ridiculous.

While browsing this forum I found this interesting quote:
“Men with androgenic alopecia typically have lower levels of total testosterone, higher levels of unbound/free testosterone, and higher levels of total free androgens including DHT”

So far, I seem to be on the contrary, having low free testosterone (but I don’t know my total Testosterone and DHT levels yet). Judging by my hairloss, body hair, and muscle development (even though I don’t work out), I would assume that my testosterone is above average. But if that were the case, the Erectile Dysfunction and Hair Loss wouldn’t be so prominent. Kind of confusing.

#7

You could be suffering from other imbalances which have not been tested for as of yet, ie maybe its not DHT that’s your issue… perhaps Prolactin (I have read Dr Shippen likes it no higher than 5, yours is 11 though still within range) which is a known libido/erection killer (Prolactin is released after orgasm, providing you with refractory period)… or other things like Cortisol or low total T.

Right now it seems to me your Free T is an issue, without more investigation (via SHBG, Estradiol, Estrone, Albumin, Bioavailable T) you won’t know why.

Also, the fact your doc thinks its normal for a guy in his 20s with no prior drug use to have to rely on ED drugs as a normal thing is very concerning… I’d find other docs/endos/Uros to investigate the cause of your erectile dysfunction via extensive blood/metabolic/physical workups.

Have you had a doppler ultrasound to check for bloodflow/venous leakage/fibrosis in your penis? Or a Rigiscan or Nocturnal Penile Tumescence test to determine whether its psychological or physical?

There are things you can investigate rather than just blindly accepting your condition, but you will likely need to fight for it with medical professionals who don’t care.

#8

Yes, when I went to the Men’s Clinic, they injected my penis with something that was supposed to cause it to erect and they measured the bloodflow (though I don’t know if it was an ultrasound machine) and the printout said it was normal.

I have to make a doctor’s appointment asap. I can’t believe these Men’s clinic doctors. It’s such a shady business. They are just salivating to give you prescriptions, yet they barely test you on anything first. No full hormonal blood test, no rigiscan, no nothing.

I don’t even know what a Nocturnal Penile Tumescence test is. Also…DHT doesn’t affect your ability to hold an erection or libido does it?

#9

I hope that’s a joke… of course it does, that’s why the majority of us on here are in this mess, thanks to Fin’s inhibition of DHT.

Look through the “Other Studies” section to see the connection between DHT, Nitric Oxide and other necessities.

#10

Sorry, but I always thought that Testosterone was what controlled your libido and erection. I always thought DHT was a byproduct of testosterone, which caused you to lose your hair and increase your prostate…but I didn’t think DHT directly affected ED. Since I am losing my hair, I shouldn’t be low in DHT anyway. Correct?

Also, is there anything else you can tell me now that would be useful in my push to get fully, and properly, tested for my ED?

#11

This is strange. I just went to my doctor yesterday, and he told me that so long as I get “morning wood” and so long as I can obtain an erection, that I don’t have any physical ED problems. He thinks that they are totally psychological.

He also said that it’s normal for my Free Testosterone being in the bottom third of the range. He says that there are many people who are below the range that sustain erections. Hmmm.

I don’t really know what to think now. I thought that NOT being able to maintain an erection is a part of Erectile Dysfunction. Though, my new doctor here seems to believe that ED only stems from not being able to achieve and erection.

Can anybody on this board enlighten me?

#12

Well, morning wood is a good indicator. But tell us, how often do you get morning erections? How hard are they? Are they as hard as it used to be back when you didn’t have any ED problems? Have you taken any drugs in the past that may have led you to this condition?

I think you are in need of some good testosterone boosting.

You’d think doctors would be more thorough and not so idiotic with all that education they’ve had.

#13

He he, no kidding. The funny thing is, that he spent a good 10 minutes trying to explain to me all the different kinds of foreplay that would be effective (while I was trying to hold in my laughter from hearing a 65-year old man talking about this). Though I didn’t like the fact that he wasn’t really listening to what my problem was and just continued on with this talk.

To answer your question Big Softie, I’ve never taken drugs in my life. My morning wood, though not happening every night, are pretty solid in terms of hardness.

I guess some testosterone boosting would be one solution. I haven’t worked out with heavyweights in months, and I think I should try and get back into it. The reason why I have been hesitant is that every time I work out with heavy weights, my hairloss tends to accelerate (yet it doesn’t seem to help the ED either).

I am still slightly considering trying out Propecia, though I am definitely still heavily favouring NOT taking it (probably in a 75:25 ratio in favour of NOT taking it). I am just very worried about the fact that I ALREADY seem to have ED problems, and I am not taking it. I definitely don’t want to send my ED problems spiralling into the phantom zone (to the point of not return).

Are there any testosterone supplements out there that are safe? Any that won’t accelerate hairloss, yet help give the libido a boost (and perhaps some muscle development)?

#14

Well, like Mew said earlier you should have some more thorough tests done first of all. Having ED out of nowhere could be indicative of a much more serious health problem. Your prolactin is pretty high, and yes this might cost you some money but getting an MRI scan to check for a pituitary tumor might be something to consider. (My prolactin wasn’t even as high as yours but a doctor said that maybe I should consider an MRI scan). Get a urinalysis and even a stool sample test if you can. There’s a lot of serious things that ED can be an indicator of which include prostate problems, thyroid problems, adrenal problems, and even cancer(I’m hoping you don’t have this one).

Two of the top doctors you could see would be Dr. Crisler and Dr. Shippen. It might cost you a plane ticket to see them, but it could be well worth it.

ED doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, check your diet and environment. Make sure you don’t use a shampoo containing Tea Tree oil.

As for supplements, there are quite a few, some being better than others. Two of the best ones I can think of would be Diesel Test Hardcore which contains a whole plethora of ingredients to help you out and Sustain Alpha which contains resveratrol which is something that is known to have a lot of value. The people who make Sustain Alpha also just came out with something that claims to both raise testosterone and help with hair loss, though no one really knows whether the stuff works or not since it just came out this month, which brings me to my next point…

Do not under any circumstance take finasteride, the last thing someone like you needs would be to mess around with their hormones. There are alternate ways to combat hair loss. Consider minoxidil, more specifically the type sold at minoxidil.com which contains azelaic acid in it. There is also Spectral DNC which contains some other known to be effective ingredients such as procyanidin.

Also check out a quality bodybuilding/supplement forum such as anabolicminds.com If you want, you can do your own research looking into supplements and stuff.

Viagra is only a band-aid solution and it does not give you your libido back. Sex is just not as pleasurable without the libido part. The fact that the doctor casually told you nothing is wrong with you and just gave you a prescription to viagra is indeed disturbing.

Also when I was suffering from ED, I too would get decent morning wood from time to time. Just because your T is low doesn’t mean your dick is completley dead, and the fact that you get morning wood might mean that it is even easier to get your libido back. Once I recovered I’ve noticed my morning erections are a lot more consistent and much more like how they used to be.

Good luck!!!

#15

My personal advice would be this:

avoid finasteride like the plague. I wish someone had told me that when I considered taking it (for several years on end, unfortunately) but I never heard a negative word until I ended up in the ER. And the doctors still haven’t blamed it… I had to find out on places like this.

As a side note, I never got sexual side effects from it, except maybe decreased ejaculate (semen); I had plenty of erections and sex. However, I did get the following:

  • depression
  • brain fog
  • gynecomastia (man boobs; “bitch tits” as the bodybuilders say)
  • liver damage
  • severe panic disorder
  • who knows what else, because the doctors refuse to check out or test my internal organs, other than a basic blood test. I could have cancer or cirrhosis or something wrong with my pancreas for all I know.

I DO know that nowadays if I drink ONE cup of coffee I might have a major panic attack, and if I drink ONE cup of wine I might feel sick. That NEVER used to be the case. So clearly there is something wrong with my body’s chemistry, organs, and/or metabolism or processing of toxins and substances. And I’ve been off of propecia for MORE THAN A YEAR now. I’m better than I was a year ago, but not 100%. Not even 90%.

#16

I too would advise against. I think the majority will be fine taking this drug, but it has potential to change your life completely. Suicide has been on my mind daily due to the physical and mental changes this drug did, so do you really want to risk it? A receding hairline was my biggest problem when starting with this, now it is the least.
And it’s not as simple as to stop taking the drug if you encounter sides, my major sides started when I quit and have never been so afraid in my life than I was at that point. I’m sure you would be too if your dick was numb, pointing to the left and your eyes and chest would hurt like hell…among other things. Had I read this site or askapatient.com, I would have ordered some minox foam instead. I suggest you do that too.

#17

Yea, I don’t think I’ll be taking Finasteride ever. Even though my libido is virtually non-existent… I would be devastated if I lost it completely. I managed to have sex with my gfriend today (after popping 100mg of Viagra), so that’s kind of a plus. My doctor thinks I have a only have a libido problem, and that it’s nothing physical.

He states that “if I can achieve an erection, then it’s not a physical problem”. The problems are physical when you can’t achieve that erection in the first place.

I told him that my problem is not achieving, but rather, holding that erection for more than a minute. He said that THAT is psychological.

I kind of disagree with this. Am I supposed to believe that there is nothing wrong with a person, physically, who can’t hold an erection for over a minute (or not achieve a full blown penetrating erection)? I am in a great relationship with a very, very attractive girl, and for some reason I can’t keep it up? There has to be something wrong physically.

#18

Have you been tested for diabetes?

#19

No. What are the symptoms? Are diabetics able to achieve, yet no hold, erections?

#20

ED is common among diabetics, yes. My blood sugar was high(within range though) so will investigate even this possibility further…
mayoclinic.com/health/erecti … on/DA00045