propecia

[chuckt12345]

hey fellas, been awhile since posting. I've been on THT for a long time now and just recently noticed a significant amount of hair loss. My family has really thick hair history and so did i so im pretty sure test is the main cause. I run 200mg cyp every 10 to 12 days prescribed. I dont run cycles anymore and been on the above THT doses for about 4 years. Wanted to gets some thoughts on propecia and the sides. I've tried running out 200mg every 3 wks but my levels drop below 150ng and its not a good feeling. Almost feel like the swings in test levels are causing the hair loss since i didnt have as much when i was running 200mg every 7 days but could just be me. Anyways thanks for any input.

[kelkel]

Hi Chuck,

Hair loss can sneak up on us as we age unfortunately. Genetics do play a part as well. In your case your family has probably maintained their hair better because as they age normal T levels decline which results in less Test turning to DHT and thus potentially effecting hair loss. People like us who maintain higher levels of Test as we age are then more succeptable to DHT related issues such as MPB.

Whether your exact protocol is causing more of an impact who knows, but the initial spike you obtain from the 200 mg shot takes your levels quite high, thus more T to DHT turnover. Your levels then fade as you've noted. Test has a half life of about 5 days or so based on your individual metabolism. Take a look at this chart I post all the time to give guys a visual after a normal testosterone injection:



By injecting every 10-12 days your doc is putting you on a hormonal roller coaster. High T levels initially, as well as estrogen and then abysmal levels before your next injection. Your doc is dosing you based on the terminal life of test, not the half life. He needs to be educated on this. Most docs simply don't understand hormones as they're not trained in them in med school.

You'd be much better off going with 50 mgs x 2 per week. You'd sustain solid levels without the drop. Recheck bloods in 4 weeks and adjust if necessary. You will feel much better and be healthier in the long run.

Now, when it comes to propecia / finasteride. It's extremely effective at controlling DHT. For hair loss the normal dose is around 1 mg per day. For BPH it's 5 mgs per day, which is what I'm on. I've had zero issues with it and it's helped greatly. Others have struggled with it. As with all meds not everyone has side effects. There's another current thread in the HRT Forum regarding PFS Post Finasteride Syndrome that you may find interesting.

Finasteride blocks the 5-Alpha Reducatase Enzyme (Type II Enzyme) which inhibits test from turning to DHT at about a 70% rate. Dutasteride inhibits both the Type I and Type II and blocks around 90%. Here's a study you may find interesting:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472914/

I can't stress enough how a lower, more frequent dose of testosterone can do wonders for you. The lower overall amount and less swings may be just what you're looking for!

[iron.triangle]

Don't take it.

[Youthful55guy]

hey fellas, been awhile since posting. I've been on THT for a long time now and just recently noticed a significant amount of hair loss. My family has really thick hair history and so did i so im pretty sure test is the main cause. I run 200mg cyp every 10 to 12 days prescribed. I dont run cycles anymore and been on the above THT doses for about 4 years. Wanted to gets some thoughts on propecia and the sides. I've tried running out 200mg every 3 wks but my levels drop below 150ng and its not a good feeling. Almost feel like the swings in test levels are causing the hair loss since i didnt have as much when i was running 200mg every 7 days but could just be me. Anyways thanks for any input.

I'd do a lot of research before I ever put finasteride in my body. Iron.Triangle's experience is not isolated. There's a lot of guys out there posting on their regrets for taking the drug.

With regard to your dosing schedule, listen to Kel. I STROGLY recommend breaking that 200 mg dose up into much smaller and more frequent doses. I'd also consider dropping the overall dose way down to closer to 100 mg per week. You can do this, and feel better with fewer side-effects, with more frequent injections because your T level doesn't swing up and down so much. I'm sold on ever-3-day (E3D), which makes lab work easier because dosing is evening spaced. I simply program an E3D alarm in my electronic calendar to remind me.

I suggest starting at 40-50 mg E3D and then pull labs in 6 weeks and adjust up or down as dictated by the lab results. More than likely, you will find you have much lower DHT and E2 because these are driven by T levels, the higher T spikes in you body (as with that large weekly dose), the higher will be the side-effects from conversion to DHT and E2. Likewise, the smaller your E3D dosing, the smaller will be the side-effects.