Dutasteride Induced Diabetes

Symptoms Physical
#1

Hello All,

So just rehash my story quickly, I was on finasteride for about 3 years with a 6 month stint on dutasteride toward the end. When I went back on fin I noticed my metabolism had slowed and it felt like I was carrying more water weight. I quit fin for good in the fall of 2018. About a month later i noticed my weight had shot up about 15-20 lbs.

Since this time my weight has only been manageable with a low carb keto diet. I have cycled on and off the diet, and my weight has hone up and down by about 20 lbs for the last 5 years or so. Well it’s a hard diet to maintain and at the end of 2023 I let myself go and just ate normally. In February of this year I started having diabetic symptoms like constant urination even in the middle of the night, skin rash, dry mouth, and even my right foot has been swelling. I’ve gone to eating once a day and cutting out carbs and it’s dramatically improved my symptoms. But I do notice even diet sodas and artificial sweeteners cause swelling and the skin rash to reappear.

I know there are papers written indicating fin and dut can induce insulin resistance in mice, but I’ve seen basically nothing to explain the mechanism of how this happens and nothing on how to possibly reverse it. I’m considering getting on TRT or clomid to see if that helps.

If anyone else has dealt with this or has any advice they’d like to share I’d be happy to hear. Thanks.

2 Likes
#2

The same genes that fin targets are also responsible for liver and pancreatic function.

Unfortunately managing the symptoms seems to be the best option at this time.

Fasting, low carbs, zero sugar, exercise if u can are
the best things u can do. Hopefully things stabilise.

Generally with this people either gain or lose weight both are features of insulin resistance.

Hope this helps a little.

1 Like
#3

I was on Saw Palmetto, not fin but one of the first things that crashed with me after my brain began too was the entirety of my digestive system. In fact it was one of the things that tipped me off first that something was horribly wrong and it wasn’t just a mental rough patch in my life, as that got worse so did everything else. I lost a ton of weight when it’s harder for me to keep it on in general, I felt much bigger because of the bloating but it kept dropping. By the beginning of the worst of my first crash I looked like a sickly skeleton. Didn’t matter what I ate for how long I waited in between eating. I felt what was either the severe live or pancreatic inflammation in my back. Didn’t do anything really to make that better, it was just one of those things that improved on its own though I’ve always had digestive issues so I’m use to even when eating what I can handle some low grade inflammation in there.

I also want to add that there was someone on saw palmetto on that Moral Medicine channel that had the same downfall as me with the mental and bloating issues and progressing. Only my case appeared to have gotten much worse than where they landed.