Does finasteride block dht or cause the body to produce less dht?

[fab]

unfortunately it doesnt look like they checked any baseline estrogen levels, just testosterone and DHT. these figures werent mentioned specifically, but they just said that men who started in the study showed no difference in testosterone/DHT levels regardless if they had sexual problems or not.

No, this is a good theory.. I unfortunately dont even know much about hormones, but I did read that estrogen levels might go up a bit when taking finasteride because DHT has been lowered. Im not sure if this would cause side effects, but it might! Maybe some guys (2&#37 just cant handle high estrogen, or maybe their estrogen levels are already high and propecia pushes it up over the edge? I really dont know.. I havent seen any studies that can really explain even why propecia causes side effects.. It would be nice if we could get some input from some medical experts in here!

I have taken Finasteride for years. If this serves any purposes, I got my estradiol levels checked and it's very high, not just a bit. (as you all know estradiol is a dominant estrogen, produced as an active metabolic product of testosterone)

Also, my free T was below range. I don't have the numbers here right now, I'd like to post them

but the thing is this: Estradiol is way up high, much much higher than range, although doctor said it's normal, well, i have ED. Free T is low, but not very low, just below range. Doc said it's ok too but told me to work on this, so what I'm trying now is to p[ut those numbers in the range (optimal), so what i'm doing is changing my eating habits, exercising more. Although I've always exercised, I'm a fit guy, visit gym daily, never took any drugs other than fin. My total prolactin was in range. Not sure why they didn't check free prolactin. My total testosterone was in range. (although when it comes to ED what is really important is free T)

Chrisis, please check your estrogen and/or estradiol (E2).

Does anyone know why this study is not available? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1281461

When you google "estradiol in men", harshly speaking, you will see basically two things, sites that talk about men in steroids and sites that talk about aging men. High estradiol should never be a problem for someone in our age and out of steroids.

More info about estradiol: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/...ing-Men_01.htm

[chrisis]

are you still experiencing the sides? have you had any tests done on your hormone levels?

Yeah still got sides. I'm trying to ride it out a little longer but I'm at the end of my patience really. I am going to get some hormone levels checked if nothing improves in the next couple of weeks.

[chrisis]

No need to be glib. I've been on it over a year and have never had a single problem. There is obviously something about YOU that makes all the difference.

You implied I'm suspect for checking out a forum that relates to my problem, what reaction did you expect? You stated that I'm making out that it's the center of the world and I haven't considered other possibilities - both incorrect. I am not ANTI Propecia, I am PRO education about Propecia, and that's why I describe my experience. There's no way that there is something fundamentally wrong with me; I was fine before finasteride, and I'm by no means alone in this. There are many guys who are, although less vocal, still either short term or long term victims of this drug.

Those are the facts. Take or leave them.

[MackJames]

By the way, I also successfully impregnated my face while on Propecia. You should consider seeing a therapist to determine whether what you are experiencing is not a byproduct of a greater problem.

[MackJames]

I start taking Propecia and within 2 months I get serious sexual side effects. I'm 28 and have always had a high sex drive up until now.

What else could it possibly be, Dr MackJames? Diagnose me.

PropeciaHelp is a legitimate forum for people with sexual health problems after taking a drug that is prescribed with the intention of disrupting your hormones. It is a genuine website as far as I can see.

I'm honestly quite tired of dealing with idiots.

Take your drug, but I'm entitled to voice my experience - which is all I've done.

No need to be glib. I've been on it over a year and have never had a single problem. There is obviously something about YOU that makes all the difference.

[gutted]

I start taking Propecia and within 2 months I get serious sexual side effects. I'm 28 and have always had a high sex drive up until now.

What else could it possibly be, Dr MackJames? Diagnose me.

PropeciaHelp is a legitimate forum for people with sexual health problems after taking a drug that is prescribed with the intention of disrupting your hormones. It is a genuine website as far as I can see.

I'm honestly quite tired of dealing with idiots.

Take your drug, but I'm entitled to voice my experience - which is all I've done.

are you still experiencing the sides? have you had any tests done on your hormone levels?

[chrisis]

bob13, not prepared to debate with you any longer. I avoid crazy people in real life, and I need to learn to avoid them online too.

[chrisis]

He is not willing to consider that the problem he is experiencing could be unrelated to Propecia.

I start taking Propecia and within 2 months I get serious sexual side effects. I'm 28 and have always had a high sex drive up until now.

What else could it possibly be, Dr MackJames? Diagnose me.

PropeciaHelp is a legitimate forum for people with sexual health problems after taking a drug that is prescribed with the intention of disrupting your hormones. It is a genuine website as far as I can see.

I'm honestly quite tired of dealing with idiots.

Take your drug, but I'm entitled to voice my experience - which is all I've done.

[bob13]

Thanks for the supportive comments. Unfortunately bob13 is a rude person and pretty useless to the forum really, but tolerated nonetheless for whatever reason.

Im just not convinced Im rude. I just can't see how you people blame propecia
for everything. Even if you didn't have side effects supposedly you would still
blame it on something else.
It's just goes on and on. You searching for something that you will never find or be satisfied in this forum.

Many people have told you the same thing. See you need support . This is the wrong place to get the help you need.
If you go to a good doctor instead trying to figure out what's wrong in a forum or the internet you may find the problem.

I hope so.

[MackJames]

I completely agree. His comments and points have devolved to a point where he seems to have no other objective other than to provoke other members and unsuccessfully attempt to delegitimize the claims that finasteride has associated risks.

The problem is that he thinks his problem is the center of the world. I feel for the guy but he is one person who has had problems out of many who have not. He is not willing to consider that the problem he is experiencing could be unrelated to Propecia. Anybody who uses propeciahelp as a reference for their opinion is automatically suspect in my opinion.

[chrisis]

Gotta be honest man: that was an incredibly f*ckin' dick thing to say.

He would probably love for finasteride to have worked fine for him. Are you seriously making fun of him for balding and suffering side effects from one of the only treatments? Usually I try to be pretty positive, but QUIT BEING A C*CK.

I'll try to be double positive for a while to make up for that.

Thanks for the supportive comments. Unfortunately bob13 is a rude person and pretty useless to the forum really, but tolerated nonetheless for whatever reason.

[the_charger]

So far Merck has responded to the FDA warning by denying any connection between finasteride and persistent erectile dysfunction which is agitating but unsurprising.

I honestly dont give two craps about these big pharma companies, but like we have been arguing there isnt (much) proof in terms of hard evidence that propecia actually causes persistent erectile dysfunction, other than the one PLESS study we are still debating.. but other than that there isnt much, so if Merck doesnt have any proof that it happens, why would they admit it? also they are being sued right now so the second they admit it, they would automatically have lost all these lawsuits right?

its not surprising to me that they are keeping their mouth shut... you are right, these companies dont care about people, they care about profits... I dont even take merck brand propecia so they arent getting any money from me thats for sure.

[bob13]

Gotta be honest man: that was an incredibly f*ckin' dick thing to say.

He would probably love for finasteride to have worked fine for him. Are you seriously making fun of him for balding and suffering side effects from one of the only treatments? Usually I try to be pretty positive, but QUIT BEING A C*CK.

I'll try to be double positive for a while to make up for that.

Yeah whatever man. Millions of people are bald. Big deal.
It's just a dumb drug. get over it.

[the_charger]

Why don't you directly answer the questions? What are your objectives for obsessing over the risks of Propecia and are you employed by the pharmaceutical industry in any direct or indirect way?

I already answered it, check the other nocebo thread, and answer my last post while you are at it unless you are done that debate?

[SoothSayer]

I bet what with these new FDA rulings and the few people who suffer being so vocal about it, Merck will want to get this figured out. And hey, guys, let's go easy on people who are suffering. You gotta understand why they may be a little passionate about the subject, even if they number very few. I mean, shouldn't you want this talked about. Wouldn't you like it if they figured this out and 100% of people could be helped by finasteride instead of 98%?

And hey, if they figured it out, you'd get to quit hearing all this whining. There's a plus, right?

So far Merck has responded to the FDA warning by denying any connection between finasteride and persistent erectile dysfunction which is agitating but unsurprising. They will not do so unless the court system/ FDA legally forces them to since they don't really have a culture that cares about patients but is more concentrated on profits. Lawsuits, executive action, or money are really the only few things that motivate such a callous company. They especially would not like to publicly admit anything due to the fact these side effects seem to be permanent since very, very few recover or improve from them, even as far as ten years off the drug.