Spencer Kobren Discusses Post Finasteride Syndrome 5/5/12

[the_charger]

This was a great show, thanks a lot Spencer! Its very refreshing to hear from a doctor that hasnt picked a side one way or another about finasteride.. This doctor takes the drug, but he also thinks there is a danger involved, which shows he is unbiased either way.

I think a lot of what he said is good news for a lot of us. It is interesting he said that most of the guys that have only been on finasteride for a short time who have symptoms that wont go away are possibly experiencing them because of other causes, and one thing I have said (and studies have shown) is that the nocebo effect could cause the symptoms.. This sort of goes with what other doctors have said also, which makes sense.

But also what was really interesting is when people take it for a long time, like 5 or 10 or 15 years, DHT levels rarely might not return to normal. This is good to know, but also has this been seen in any studies? I am going to talk to my doctor first, but I might take 2 weeks off every 6 months or so just to let my DHT levels go to normal. Does anyone know if this would effect my hair significantly?

Something else interesting he said is that men who have these problems usually respond well to hormone treatments, but from what I have seen on propeciahelp, almost nobody benefits from this. This is a little confusing to me...

Anyways, its good to hear that the consensus from doctors and the FDA is that finasteride is a safe drug. Even Dr Bellman, who recognizes there might be some long term problems in some men, still thinks its safe when managed properly.

does anyone have any thoughts on how to find this "sweet spot" without getting regular hormone tests? I havent had any side effects and my hair is doing great, so I guess I dont need to worry?