DHT "useless"? wwwhhhaatt? not true says article

[chrisf]

Hi all,

Alright so I've been perscribed propecia but am holding off on getting it yet. Often times when things dont seem logical or right to me...they arent. Now I hear people say (and have been told by a reputable doctor endorsed by Spencer Kobren) that basically..DHT doesnt do much in the adult male so..its ok to suppress it. This doesnt make sense to me...by many descriptions DHT is a very powerful hormone. I dont understand how suppressing it with finasteride could be just no big deal..or how it could be considered "useless"

Check out this article that i thought was pretty good at explaining the function of DHT and then tell me how its just "ok" to suppress it and that DHT is "useless"

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/reform8.htm

let me know your thoughts

[Fixed by 35]

I don't think DHT is useless which is why I don't think suppression of it is harmless (although I do anyway!) Every man produces DHT; the problem for us is that our hair follicles are more sensitive too it (bear in mind we all have hair that isn't sensitive, e.g. back and sides. We just have less of the good hair than men who don't go bald!)

[KeepTheHair]

I would probably be a norwood 4-5 right now if I hadn't started propecia in April.




Few things would have sucked more than that in life... few things. It's still a long way till a cure is out. Still years. I can't imagine living life as a norwood 4 or 5 when I am 20 for a few years. That would be completely crap.


I have no choice but to take the drug. Especially given the low instance of side effects.

[Fixed by 35]

I thought I had it bad being Norwood IV at 27 (having started losing hair at about 20) but to be a Norwood V at 20 would be truly soul destroying.

[Paul Straub, MD]

Side effects of finesteride

With intense interest I read the post "Facts and Myths about DHT". The author appears to have many good, well researched points. I also have felt uncomfortable with the theory that DHT has no known function in the body and that it appears to be a break-down product formed to enable the liver to dispose of testerone. However we must also examine the history of patients who have taken 5 alpha inhibitors for long periods of time.

Before we begin to discuss my study let's agree that all medications have some good or positive effects and some negative or side effects. We have to question ourselves whether the frequency and/or seriousness of the possible side effects justify the use of the product.

I personally have been taking oral finesteride for approximately 13 years, ie. 1 year before Propecia was released for sale to the public. I have had no significant side effects.

I recorded the first 1,000 patients to whom I prescribed Propecia and reviewed the reported side effects. One patient stopped the medication for sexual side effects. He took it for three years with no side effects. Then another physician perscribed Prozak for him and he suffered sexual side effects. He stopped both medications. No other patient reported to me that they stopped because of sexual side effects. I did not poll the patients to determine if any had stopped without reporting it to me.

All patients should be totally informed about potential side effects and each should make the decision whether to take finesteride. It is reported that symptoms subside after stopping the substance, but I have never had to recommend that any patient stop.

[yup]

I think Prosak is a rapper and Prosac is a drug.