Why is my free test so high?

[Bigbadwolf250]

So been on my trt at 160 mgs a week from my clinic. No ai. I will post my labs here. Why is my free test so high? I looked at labs from a year ago on my ugl stuff doing same dose and I had similar total t but my free test was 100 points less. Only thing I added was finasteride for hair loss. Which doesn't seem to be helping actually and making hair worse. Could it be the fin? Can free test make hair loss worse?



https://ibb.co/7SYSvCQ

[Cylon357]

So been on my trt at 160 mgs a week from my clinic. No ai. I will post my labs here. Why is my free test so high? I looked at labs from a year ago on my ugl stuff doing same dose and I had similar total t but my free test was 100 points less. Only thing I added was finasteride for hair loss. Which doesn't seem to be helping actually and making hair worse. Could it be the fin? Can free test make hair loss worse?



https://ibb.co/7SYSvCQ

It is absolutely the finasteride. Think about the various testosterone conversion processes that go in in the body. Well, there are three that we are concerned with here: 5-alpha reduction to DHT, aromatization into estrogen and the conversion to free t.

The short version is that if you block one of those, it leaves more available for the others. By blocking the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, you leave more available to convert to free t and also more to convert to estrogen. I don't need to see your bloodwork to know that your estrogen has also gone up (in the absence of an ai at least), or if it hasn't yet, it will. These things are perhaps not intuitive and need a little research to understand, but that is the gist of it.

This is not to say that finasteride is a performance enhancer. For some men, it is just the opposite. Those of us who do not handle bottomed out DHT well curse finasteride. Tread lightly with this drug as you may not fully know how you respond yet. That said, the problems encountered do not come from the fina molecule itself, but from the bottomed out DHT.

What you should know is that there is a potential shedding phase with fina when taken for hair loss. Your doctor SHOULD have been able to tell you that.

[Bigbadwolf250]

It is absolutely the finasteride. Think about the various testosterone conversion processes that go in in the body. Well, there are three that we are concerned with here: 5-alpha reduction to DHT, aromatization into estrogen and the conversion to free t.

The short version is that if you block one of those, it leaves more available for the others. By blocking the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, you leave more available to convert to free t and also more to convert to estrogen. I don't need to see your bloodwork to know that your estrogen has also gone up (in the absence of an ai at least), or if it hasn't yet, it will. These things are perhaps not intuitive and need a little research to understand, but that is the gist of it.

This is not to say that finasteride is a performance enhancer. For some men, it is just the opposite. Those of us who do not handle bottomed out DHT well curse finasteride. Tread lightly with this drug as you may not fully know how you respond yet. That said, the problems encountered do not come from the fina molecule itself, but from the bottomed out DHT.

What you should know is that there is a potential shedding phase with fina when taken for hair loss. Your doctor SHOULD have been able to tell you that.

Thank you! My estrogen surprisingly seems lower while being on fin as well. My dht without fin was 117. Well above the normal range.

So is the free test causing my hair shedding and oily scalp. I'm debating to stay on fin or drop it?

[Cylon357]

Thank you! My estrogen surprisingly seems lower while being on fin as well. My dht without fin was 117. Well above the normal range.

So is the free test causing my hair shedding and oily scalp. I'm debating to stay on fin or drop it?

Re-read the last sentence of my previous response, then if that doesn't provide enough info, google "finasteride shedding"

[Bigbadwolf250]

Re-read the last sentence of my previous response, then if that doesn't provide enough info, google "finasteride shedding"

Thanks brotha. I know fin can increase test values so wasn't sure if that's what was causing my shedding as I feel like it's gotten a lot worse than before I started it. But makes sense if there's a shedding phase. Just hope it doesn't last long. So you suggest staying on? Any proof that fin hinders gains and such?

[Cylon357]

Thanks brotha. I know fin can increase test values so wasn't sure if that's what was causing my shedding as I feel like it's gotten a lot worse than before I started it. But makes sense if there's a shedding phase. Just hope it doesn't last long. So you suggest staying on? Any proof that fin hinders gains and such?

Most of the information you will find about finasteride and athletic performance is anecdotal. So proof, no. Individual experience, yes, but you have to track that down.

Also, maybe consider that DHT is our primary androgenic hormone.

As far as staying on, that is your call. I had garbage luck with conventional doses, but have since microdosed finasteride (and am currently doing so) at 50mcgs per day. 50 MICROGRAMS is sufficient to cut DHT in half, which is typically enough to help with prostate and probably hair issues. Make your own liquid with 5mg of finasteride and 100ml of 80+ proof alcohol, like vodka or whiskey, to get 50mcg per ml if you want to go that route.

[Quester]

Nice, I appreciate this! Another question, I'm guessing the responses to be assesed in the areas where the DHT is produced? Fina-hair folicles and prostate; duta-hair, prostate and skin, or is this blood. Also, weird that conversion to DHT is happening in skin, hair follicle and prostate but the positive effects we care about, in a positive way, is likely happening in the brain. Wonder if the conversion is the bad part rather than the molecule or what else it is that makes love-handled, bald, zit-covered, frequent-pissers?

[Cylon357]

Nice, I appreciate this! Another question, I'm guessing the responses to be assesed in the areas where the DHT is produced? Fina-hair folicles and prostate; duta-hair, prostate and skin, or is this blood. Also, weird that conversion to DHT is happening in skin, hair follicle and prostate but the positive effects we care about, in a positive way, is likely happening in the brain. Wonder if the conversion is the bad part rather than the molecule or what else it is that makes love-handled, bald, zit-covered, frequent-pissers?

I operate under the assumption that DHT is DHT, regardless of where the actual 5-alpha reductase takes place. Once it is in the blood stream, it will go where it goes: hair follicles, prostate, etc, and have all the expected effects.

Thus you can likely infer, though I will make my belief explicit for clarity: the molecule itself and how we respond to it is the issue, not where the reductase took place. But, not all DHT is bad. For example, among other things, it can increase aggression and assertiveness, and can help with gynecomastia (dht cream used to be the go to for this).

Of all the hormones in our body, it seems to me that DHT is the one that is the most maligned and also the most subject to individual response. Sometimes you have to be your own lab rat...

[Quester]

DHT also promotes calm in middle-age, and older. Likely it has a variable effect, in many areas, at different doses. It seems to have earned both neg and pos reputation. I'm not sure if the skin, prostate and hair suffer because the reductase happens there or because of exposure to systematic DHT. I'll look into it and the pos benefits as well. I'll get back to this or another thread with a physiological, rather than a TRT advertisement type answer. I used to know stuff and made informed decisions in the past, maybe the wrong ones, but I don't retain things I don't use.

[Fireguy1990]

Appreciate it!