Couple questions about Finasteride

[DuchessBianca]

Hello! My doctor just prescribed me Finasteride a couple days ago and took my first dose today but I had a few questions. Hopefully the first question doesn't break any site rules as it's hard to ask without posting dosages (My apologies if it does) but my doctor prescribed me a dosage that typically is for BPH and not for hair loss is there really any negatives to this? I don't care about the possible further loss of libido/function as the less I have to acknowledge certain things exist until I can get surgery the better but is that really the only differences? My doctor works at a health center that's mainly for trans people and he has dozens of other patients so I have no reason to question him.

My second question is there any optimal time to take it? I take spiro twice a day morning/night about 12 hours apart, same with buspirone and estradiol 3x daily but I was wondering if there is any optimal time to take Finasteride? This morning I took my morning dose of Spiro/Buspirone and then daily Finasteride at the same time and I assume that's perfectly fine? I'm known to worry to much so I always worry that if I take everything at once some wont have the full intended effects haha Thanks!

[Michelle_P]

I was on finasteride for about 6 years due to BPH before I started spiro.  My urologist recommended I continue at that dosage for another year while spiro and estrodiol slowly shut down my testosterone production.

Once I stop trying to make T, there won't be anything for 5-alpha-reductase to use to make DHT, so blocking 5-alpha-reductase with finasteride won't be necessary any more.

It did change the nature of the fluids in ejaculate, but that didn't matter to me, as I wasn't interested in using that hardware anyway.  My hair loss stopped, alas, too late.  I still have Norwood Class VI pattern baldness, so my hair comes in a box these days.

It is best taken on an empty stomach, so I take mine right when I wake up, before breakfast.  Spiro can upset the stomach, and is better taken with food, so I take that right after breakfast and dinner.  (Split dose per doctors orders, helps slightly with blood pressure control.)

[Rachel]

I was on it for years and about 6 months ago discontinued its use. My T is less than 3 ng/dl.

I would take Fin with my morning Spiro and E.

I took Fin about 6 months before HRT and it did slightly reduce my libido and there was some gonad sensitivity.

[KayXo]

Hello! My doctor just prescribed me Finasteride a couple days ago and took my first dose today but I had a few questions. Hopefully the first question doesn't break any site rules as it's hard to ask without posting dosages (My apologies if it does) but my doctor prescribed me a dosage that typically is for BPH and not for hair loss is there really any negatives to this?

Higher doses appear, according to anecdotal reports from transsexual women, to decrease concentrations of a neurosteroids that have anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects which, in a few, can lead to depression, anxiety and even suicidal tendencies. This has been documented in studies. So, it would be wise to advise doctor if any of these occur while you are taking finasteride. Higher relative to lower doses, according to one study, appear to equally significantly reduce scalp DHT levels that are believed to be responsible for hair loss.

Once I stop trying to make T, there won't be anything for 5-alpha-reductase to use to make DHT, so blocking 5-alpha-reductase with finasteride won't be necessary any more.

Even after the testes are gone and T is significantly reduced in the blood, there can still remain quite a bit of DHT in tissues.

Prog Brain Res. 2010;182:321-41.

after castration, the 95-97% fall in serum testosterone does not reflect the 40-50% testosterone (testo) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) made locally in the prostate from DHEA of adrenal origin.