Does Finasteride use cause Vitamin B12 deficiency ?

Thank you.

I wonder why we canā€™t absorb it from food by the way.

GI inflamation? Gut disbiosis? Go figure.

Thatā€™s a good question. At the moment, apart from flatulence, I donā€™t have any major intestinal problems (no constipation, no gas, no stomach or bowel pain). Perhaps I am genetically burdened in some way, because I remember that 15 years ago I ran 10-15 km a day, after some time I had to supplement with vitamin B12 (I had a low B12 result then, but still normal). PFS is such a strange condition that itā€™s hard to say what might be causing it. And look at how different the methods of recovery or improvement are - there is no one that fits all of us.

Thanks for the kind words. I will keep you updated in this thread.

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I have none of the symptoms you listed (a little flatulence, thatā€™s it), but I have worms in my gut and dysbiosis.

It could be worth taking a look.

If my financial situation improves, Iā€™ll have my intestines checked. Although I would be surprised if my intestines were in bad condition (I have done a lot of water fasts and juices, and also eat very healthy, with very rare exceptions).

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Again, good luck man :slight_smile:

When are you starting your supplementation?

As soon as possible. I think my vitamin will reach me next Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. And I hope that the Germans packed it so well that it will not be damaged in transport. Vitamin B12 should be stored at room temperature, up to 25 degrees Celsius (thank God for a cool spring in Central Europe).

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Just wanted to let you know that I got my first injection of 1.5 mg of hydroxocobalamin (exactly hydroxocobalamin acetate) yesterday. This is a bit surprising because this form of B12 worked like sleeping pills for me. Even now, when I wake up, I am still very sleepy. Besides, I have a slight headache (but much less than after the cyanocobalamin injection). Surprisingly, increased sleepiness, which is not an uncommon effect of this treatment, was also experienced by @lakehouse. In any case, I am going to continue the therapy (2 injections a week for 3-4 weeks, and then one injection for 1-2 months) and wait for the results - I hope positive.

I have mid-normal range vit B12 and still supplementing it, because i suffer of

So, as I understand correctly, for you this type of anemia is caused by a deficiency of folic acid (I assume that then folic acid supplementation is more important to you than vitamin B12)? If so, what form do you take folic acid in? This is important because a lot of people here have a problem with methyl.

Folic acid and/or vit B12 deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia. But my folic acid is just higher thaan normal, so to me vit B12 (is normal mid-range) should be supplemented

Keep us updated.

Is it helping with sleep?

Itā€™s hard to say because I have had no problems falling asleep for several years. And with sleep duration as well - I sleep about 8 hours a day. The bigger problem is waking up my mind in the morning. Most of the time I feel like I am not sleeping at all.

At this point in time my situation in pretty similar to yours, sleep-wise.

I get my 8 hours, but itā€™s not as resting as it was before FIN.

Iā€™d have to say though, sleep is probably one of the few things thatā€™s been progressing for the better

I want to clarify my sleepiness

Before I started hydroxycobalamine treatment I had chronic fatigue symptoms and was drowsy in the afternoons and would pass out/sleep

Then I would wake up and still be tired

The b12 injections made this symptom worse for the first month

Then the symptoms suddenly went away and never came back

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Thank you @lakehouse for explaining more about your response to B12 treatment. I cut it down excessively - someone might think the hydroxocobalamin just made you sleepy, with no benefit. Anyway, my second injection didnā€™t make me very sleepy. Admittedly, I donā€™t feel any benefits yet, but I understand that I really need a little more time.

I would add that yesterday I had an appointment with a doctor who (surprise) does not link my health problems with the use of finasteride, especially since it was 9 years ago. Funnily enough, I also printed and showed the most important research from the PFS Foundation, but it didnā€™t help. The doctor said that ā€œthis is just some research from America, and they invent various strange things thereā€. So, since these studies are not from Poland, we do not recognize them. He only forgot that Polish universities and Polish scientists have essentially no meaning in world science (I mean mainly the Shanghai Ranking or Highly Cited Researchers). In fact, the only good thing about this doctor was that he took my time and promised to find a good neurologist.

I would also like to add that I got my homocysteine ā€‹ā€‹result, which is 4.83 Āµmol / l (5.46 - 16.2).

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Science at its finest.

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Hey man, howā€™s your B12 supplementation going?

So far, the results are at least promising. I have already taken 7 injections of 1,500 mcg each. I wrote elsewhere that vitamin B12 gave me more energy to run. Before, I felt like I was choking while running. I donā€™t know if itā€™s because of the B12 or itā€™s because of running every day, but Iā€™ve made a few notable improvements:

  1. I almost got rid of my anxiety;
  2. the body is much warmer, especially the hands, feet and testicles;
  3. begin to show the veins on the hands;
  4. the digestion rate has increased;
  5. flatulence is less;
  6. fat on the face, chest and abdomen decreased;
  7. headache has decreased;
  8. daytime sleepiness is not so troublesome;
  9. I am starting to feel a kind of relaxation and pleasure.

So maybe all of this is due to aerobic training, but on the other hand, if it wasnā€™t for B12, I wouldnā€™t have the ability to run every day. In any case, I try to be patient as the full effects of treating neurological degeneration may not become apparent until several months after receiving the injections.

I hope you are better too.

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Thatā€™s very great to hear, man, Iā€™m glad itā€™s benefiting you.

Keep us posted.

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