Finasteride (Proscar 5mg/Propecia 1mg)

Finasteride, originally developed to treat enlarged prostate conditions and later approved for male pattern baldness, is a medication that has drawn a significant amount of attention both from the medical community and the public at large. Here, we dive deep into what finasteride is, how it works, its benefits, potential side effects, and the scientific evidence supporting its impact on DHT levels.

What is Finasteride?

Finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor, a class of medications that block the conversion of the hormone testosterone into its more potent form, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT plays a central role in both prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia).

How Does Finasteride Impact DHT Levels?

Scientifically, finasteride works by inhibiting the 5α-reductase enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for the conversion of testosterone to DHT. By inhibiting this enzyme, finasteride effectively reduces circulating DHT levels. Studies have shown that finasteride can reduce DHT levels in the scalp by about 60%, which can significantly slow the progression of hair loss and promote hair regrowth in men with androgenic alopecia.

Some Pros and Cons of Finasteride:

Effective Treatment for Hair Loss Clinical studies have shown that finasteride can effectively treat male pattern hair loss in a majority of men. However, there are some people where finasteride has almost negligible impact yet still has side effects.

Well-tolerated
Many men take finasteride without experiencing any adverse effects.

Convenience
It's an oral medication, typically taken once a day. Cons and Potential Side Effects of Finasteride:

Sexual Side Effects
Some men report decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, and other sexual side effects. Although these side effects are relatively uncommon, they can be distressing for those who experience them. Mental and Emotional Effects: There have been reports, though infrequent, of mood changes, depression, and anxiety in men taking finasteride.

Possible Impact on Prostate Cancer Detection
Some studies suggest that while finasteride may reduce the overall risk of low-grade prostate cancer, it might increase the chances of developing high-grade prostate cancer. It also can decrease the levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which could affect the PSA test's accuracy, a tool used to screen for prostate cancer. However, the causation versus correlation is not well understood. The latest academic research shows that the cancer risk may have been exaggerated because PSA levels are impacted which makes it harder to detect cancer using the standard antigen tests. What this means is that the people afflicted with prostate cancer were not detected early because of the altered PSA levels and then incorrectly attributed to finasteride as a cause of high grade cancer. Some research suggests that finasteride in fact reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

Bitch Tits
Finasteride reduces DHT levels, and as these are reduced, the body tends to start storing higher fat levels than it did previously when there were higher circulating androgens in the body. This can lead to fat accumulation, typically in the breasts (bitch tits), and in the hips. One way to avoid this extra fat is to improve your diet and maintain a regular cardio regimen.

Limp Dick
As with other androgen blockers, Finasteride as well as Dutasteride (though the risk is greater with dutasteride due to its blocking of Type 1, Type 2 and possible Type 3 5-alpha reductase), there is the chance to develop erectile dysfunction. One of the side effects is reduced sperm count and reduced sperm motility, as the seminal vesicles undergo increased stress due to the 5-alpha reductase, which are mainly in the seminal vesicles. Some people have reported pain and ache in the testicle area as a result.

The mechanism of action that causes limp dick is a result of androgen starvation in the skin and cells in the testicular and perianal area. These parts of the body tend to have many androgen receptors and have a high concentration of DHT. Over time, the stromal cells in the penis convert to adipose cells as they are not needed. Once this takes place, the cell remains as an adipose cell, and provides the function that it was once used for (to gorge with blood during an erection).

Finasteride Resistance
The latest research shows that there appears to be finasteride resistance developing as a response to prolonged exposure to the drug.

Pregnancy
Needless to say, those considering having children should abstain from finasteride. Finasteride has a very short half life unlike Dutasteride which can stay in the system for 6 months or so. There are studies that show that finasteride traces in plasma are very low after only days of no longer taking the drug.

Teratogenicity
Pregnant women should not handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets due to the potential risk of a specific kind of birth defect.

Propecia Help

A community of people who claim to have been affected negatively by finasteride run a website called Propeciahelp.com. There are stories of some people having suicidal thoughts and suffering depression and others who claim to have limp dick syndrome. These tend to be a vocal minority (in this author's opinion) and the men with suicidal thoughts perhaps were prone to depression to start off with. As in all things, understanding and evaluating the viewpoints of these data should be treated with circumspect.

One study at Bingham University hospital studied men with post-finasteride reported sexual malfunction. What was intriguing was that the men had similar body composition, strength, nucleotide sequences of AR but had higher depression scores than those without sexual malfunction. Where the main differences between the men studied were exhibited in the brain circuitry that responded to erotic and nonerotic stimuli suggesting that sexual malfunction could be predominantly a psychological effect rather and a physical manifestation of it rather than limp dick syndrome causing the inability to 'get a hard on'.

Penis shrinkage

Penis shrinkage has been reported. A study measured shrinkage of 1cm on the shaft length after prolonged exposure to Finasteride. The study sample size was not large enough to be representative. As with all side-effects, these outcomes should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially when claims are made outside of a peer reviewed clinical setting.

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