Final year medical student here - interested in PFS

General Discussion
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#21

I’m not sure if there are studies comparing PFS CSF levels to others who have taken the medication. It isn’t easy to conduct the study or find control patients willing to participate.

Also not clear to me that Jacobs has done a U-turn. I haven’t look at the paper he published in years, but I think he was suggested certain psychiatric/personality factors would predispose one to developing PFS upon exposure of Propecia treatment. It is controversial because it sounds like he is suggesting PFS is not physiological, but it really isn’t the same thing. Given so many factors impact the human endocrine system (bio/psycho/social), it isn’t too unreasonable to think that some guys would be less able to withstand the shock of taking Propecia. It is also why this has gone under the radar so long.

#22

Welcome to this forum. I am an administrator in this forum and one of the founding members of the Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation. As such, I was involved in various PFS research projects over the past ten years. I appreciate your interest in our subject. Unfortunately, a lot of nonsese theories have been tossed around over the years, specially also so from doctors. PFS is part of a bigger picture which is at the bleeding edge of current scientific understanding. Whatever they currently teach at medical school (I have taken some courses myself) will mostly not be useful for understanding this problem. The misdiagnosis rate from doctors regarding PFS is approaching 100%, and their track record in understanding this problem is extremely poor. Medical school is a big part of the reason for this. It may be possible that your involvement can benefit us, but you first need to get up to speed with the most current scientific knowledge on the subject. I can brief you, and help you in getting there. Write me a pm and let me know exactly what you have in mind and what your intentions are.

If you are just trying to make up your mind if you should take finasteride or not, then the answer simply is: Don’t do it. If you are genetically predisposed to getting PFS and take fin, you may be in for a very rough ride, which in the worst case will last for the rest of your life. I don’t think you’ll find anyone in this place who wouldn’t give all of his hair in return for a restored health.

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#23

100 % agree. there are so many possibilities and the fact that many people get pfs after theyve gone on and off the drug multiple times make it much harder to guess how many people would be affected that take the drug every day without any break.

#24

What have they taught you about the function of DHT and neurosteroids in med school? I know some people that went through pretty recently and they really don’t say much.

You’ve probably seen mention of a smallish biotech company called Sage Therapeutics which is working on some drugs that are allopregnanaolone or an analog of allo. They seem pretty close to approval so we’ll see if that works for PFS guys.

#25

This has nothing to do with DHT as low DHT doesn’t cause these symptoms. This has everything to do with complex changes to our phenotype due to ligand deprivation in susceptible men.

For example, two days in a row I administered 5mg finasteride to a 75 year old male for BPH and he was an absolute pleasure to be around. He was still quite muscular and vascular. He’d been on finasteride for awhile. I didn’t even screen him for depression as per protocol because he couldn’t stop smiling and talking to me. There is clearly a genetic predisposition to experiencing adverse side effects for this medication which is what makes it completely unsafe for anyone to use since we have no clue what it is

#26

I just took this drug a month ago thinking exactly what you were thinking, I experienced a crash and then weeks of the worst side effects I have and still am experiencing. When going through that much mental and physical suffering, hair loss becomes completely irrelevant. Many guys are bald and or have thinning hair and have great and beautiful women, in my experience any women worth your time couldn’t care less about it.

tl/dr: don’t take it

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#27

For Gods sake DO NOT systematical alter your hormones and nuerosteroids, so that you can have thicker hair.

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#28

Please respond to this so I know I have at least saved one soul from potentially falling into the depths of hell

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#29

You didn’t even take 5-alpha reductase inhibitor so I’m not sure why you are comparing yourself to PFS patients, especially on a Propecia forum. Low DHT is known to cause some PFS symptoms like gynecomastia and others. But more importantly is the Melcangi study which shows allopregnanolone levels undetectable in PFS patients which isn’t altered by arimidex.

#30

you clearly don’t understand the suspected pathophysiology of PFS if you don’t know why i am comparing myself to PFS patients… which i wasn’t even doing in my previous post.

anyway, i am fully aware low DHT can cause gyno but that’s a minor symptom compared to what i am referring to… such as penile atrophy pain and degradation, muscle wasting, prostate degradation and pain, severe neurological symptoms such as psychosis, and paradoxical worsening when androgens are increased.

and for the record, i could give a rats ass about melcangis study. it does nothing to explain to above paragraph.

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#31

You’re clueless and shouldn’t even be on this forum. It’s particularly rich that you admit to administering finasteride to patients as a nurse without even following protocol.

You are wrong about Melcangi’s study. Allopregnanolone is a mediator for human response to stress and sexual function so it is definitely conceivable that it could cause any of those symptoms you mentioned.

I’m really am truly sorry that you too are suffering from health but you don’t have post finasteride syndrome because you didn’t take finasteride. My concern with you being on here is your arrogance and the fact that you muddy the pool of data that we have for people who took PFS. We don’t yet have answers, only clues and suggestions. Because we are already a small population, we need as clean data as possible.

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#32

It is increasingly evident that not finasteride alone, but possibly any substance with endocrine disrupting properties, can cause what we probably inadequately call “PFS”. Progressive scientists (whom we are in contact with) and the management team of this site, are clearly seeing things move in this direction. I am in contact now with the medical student via pm and will take it from there. I am closing this topic as it is turning sour and there is nothing further to discuss.

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#33