PFS - Applicable Blood Test or Medical Examinations

General Discussion
#1

I’ve been off Finasteride for over a 1+ year but was on it previously for 6+ years. During that time I wasn’t having consistent sexually activity, so I never had a barometer or regular partner to assess changes in libido. However, prior to getting off Finasteride I started feeling my libido decrease and minor ED issues. I was concerned enough to where it made me question if Finasteride had been gradually degrading my endocrine system for years and now all of my intimacy is just less potent.

Since my symptoms weren’t severe (but definitely notable) and I was on the pill for so long it’s difficult for me to assess whether this is actually from Finasteride or something else.

So, I’m trying to see what blood tests or medical exams I can take to see if this was directly from Finasteride usage. Is there any blood test that links or correlates to issues from PFS ?

I already monitor Total T, Free T, Estradiol, and SHGB. If all those come in normal range is there anything else that is indicative of PFS or is everything just based on symptoms? Ideally, I’d like to see some sort of test or exam that I can point to and know OK this is where my issues are coming from. Otherwise, it makes treatment really difficult.

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#2

Hello @n_flip_99 and welcome to the forum.

First of all, it is awful to hear you have been experiencing these symptoms for so long after quitting the drug. You will find many people here who sympathize with your situation who also suffer from decreased libido and other sexual issues after having taken finasteride (including myself).

Sadly however, there are no known definite biomarkers and there is no established etiology for this condition (yet). You can monitor your blood serum hormone levels if it makes you feel better and there may be slight changes compared to ‘normal’ if you happen to have that information from an earlier blood test. As far as I know, PFS/PAS/PSSD patients will usually report normal-ish blood hormone levels with perhaps a minor elevation or reduction here and there. In most cases these are not significant enough to explain the symptoms (or their severity) and you will probably not find relief from any hormone treatments.
You may want to rule out other potential causes for sexual dysfunction such as maybe diabetes or perhaps hyperprolactinemia, just to be sure, but if you are otherwise healthy there is no real reason to doubt that your persistent sexual symptoms are indeed caused by finasteride.

Based on current research, notably the recent Baylor College study, we believe that there are epigenetic changes involved that affect tissue of the sexual organs as well as the brain where androgen receptors are densely present which are hypothesized to be overexpressed somehow as a consequence of androgen deprivation. Rest assured, more research into this area is currently being organized.

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#3

I wish I could recommend you some sort of first-line treatment but sadly we have no such thing. Best would probably be to take good care of yourself, take it easy and try to eat healthy and exercise if your condition allows it.

For now, it would be great if you could create a new topic in the Member stories section of the forum and tell us your story with that template. It will give us all a bit more insight into your specific situation.

After that, it would be great if you could participate in our patient survey, which should take about 30 minutes of your time.

Also, please report the adverse effects you have experienced to your local agencies that collect such data, because they are likely underreported.

In any case, thank you for reaching out to us despite the taboo on the subject.
Feel free to ask questions, if you have any.

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#4

“ Rest assured, more research into this area is currently being organized”—good news :eye:

#5

Since androgen receptors are over expressed in the brain, do you think an herb such as Cistanche could help since it was proven to downregulate androgen receptors in the brain?

#6

I really don’t know. I’m just a messenger here. I don’t recommend anyone try anything before we know more with certainty.

You can look up the reports from people who have tried cistanche before and shared their experiences on the forum, but from what I remember I don’t think the results have been notably positive overall.

#7

Yeah I would check DHT especially. If it’s in the normal range, it could still be the case that it doesn’t have proper effect on tissues, but at least you know 5AR is working properly. Otherwise lack of dht could be a cause for sexual problems