Will Testosterone still masculize me if I take finasteride(propecia)?

[Dominick_81]

My doctor said she didn't need to up my dose if I took finasteride(propecia) b/c I'm in the normal male range. Well, was in the normal male range when I took the shots. Now I'm on the andro gel, not sure where my T levels are now...? I'm afraid if I take finasteride(propecia) that I'm not going to masculize anymore and I will not be able to grow any decent amount of facial hair. Will taking finasteride(propecia) just keep me were I am with masculization? I wanna be able to grow some decent facial hair.

[dalebert]

I would ask your doctor but I don't think finasteride affects facial hair or even most secondary male sexual characteristics. I am pretty sure it could impede body hair development though. I think I actually experienced a reduction in body hair over the years since I started taking it, though that's hard to tie directly to the drug or maybe it's in my head. I have heard it's a potential side-effect but I haven't heard anything about it affecting facial hair.

I will say that I don't know of any side-effects that actually bother me. I'm actually kind of stocky and seem to build muscle fairly easily. I have a very strong libido (okay, almost an absurdly strong libido for my age). I know that's a concern people have. I have way more hair on my head than my brother (which was the reason for taking it) and I don't mind the loss of body hair. I think I actually consider that a pleasant side-effect since I don't care to be a hairy guy. Just my personal preference. I'm sure lots of guys would feel differently about that though.

[cynthialee]

Yes.


Sevan has been on T and takeing propecia to prevent hair loss and there has been no slow down of masculinization.

[Dominick_81]

Thanks guys.

Less body hair would be great! I have back hair and I hate it!  I'd love to get rid of it if I could. I don't want to be a hairy guy either. Wish my doctor would have put me on this a year and a half ago. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten the back hair, and the hair loss is driving me crazy!

I still have to wait for my doctor to get  an authorization so my insurance will cover it.

I don't understand why my doctor didn't prescribe this for me a year and a half ago...? She knew how concern I was about hair loss.

[cynthialee]

If it is body hair you are worried about then look no further than spearmint!

Here is my standard F1 answer to body hair troubles:

http://candiussellcorner.blogspot.com/2011/06/spearmint-for-hair-reduction.html

(This is why it is cool when FTM and MTF folks compare notes.)

[peky]

My doctor said she didn't need to up my dose if I took finasteride(propecia) b/c I'm in the normal male range. Well, was in the normal male range when I took the shots. Now I'm on the andro gel, not sure where my T levels are now...? I'm afraid if I take finasteride(propecia) that I'm not going to masculize anymore and I will not be able to grow any decent amount of facial hair. Will taking finasteride(propecia) just keep me were I am with masculization? I wanna be able to grow some decent facial hair.

No problem at all. I took propecia for decades without changing my masculine traits (most unfortunately for me), however it did preserve my hair. So, yeah, nothing scientific here, just my experience.

[dalebert]

I still have to wait for my doctor to get  an authorization so my insurance will cover it.

If you do have trouble getting it covered, generic  finasteride tablets are pretty darn cheap. I don't have insurance and this is a pretty trivial cost for me. My dermatologist was the one who recommended this. I've never had any trouble getting other doctors to continue the prescription in that manner.

[dalebert]

If it is body hair you are worried about then look no further than spearmint!

Has this worked for you personally? If so, that's pretty interesting. I remain skeptical but it sounds like a pretty cheap and safe experiment to try.

[cynthialee]

Yes it does work, and for me it works rather well.

[geek]

i may just have to look into this next time i visit my doc, im pretty convinced im balding >_< and i love my hair ;_; but i still want facial hair and to get more manly looking as i havent been on T long enough for things to 'harden up'

[Jamie D]

Propecia has no demonstrable effect on facial hair growth.

[Dominick_81]

Thanks guys. I'm so mad my doctor didn't put me on this in the beginning. My has thinned out a lot and I lost a lot of hair in the middle of my head. I wish there was a way to get my hair to grow back. My doctor knew how concerned about hair loss, why didn't she do anything to help me? I told her in the beginning many trans guys go on Finasteride. Why did she tell me it was pointless to take? Sorry, I'm just so mad that I lost so much hair and my doctor not putting me on Finasteride early enough knowing my concerns.

[dalebert]

Don't be too distressed yet. If it hasn't been too long, some may grow back. There's usually a long period of time between when the hair falls out and the follicle dies completely. Some follicles that aren't dead might regrow after finasteride.