Any one here that have any experience with saw palmetto to keep your hair? Is it safe, do it work? And what about the side effects? And can it efect hrt when I start on that?
Saw Palmentto has very weak estrogenic effects. It is sometimes used for women who are going through menopause or for men who have mild prostate issues. We call plant based estrogens Phytoestrogens. Other Phytoestrogens include Black Cohosh and Soy bean products.
As a treatment for male pattern baldness, most people consider it to be ineffective. You may slow the loss of hair by taking Saw Palmetto, but it will not stop the hair loss. If the hair loss is due to something else, then the specific cause needs to be addressed.
If you are considering HRT, then an anti-androgen will definitely stop the hair loss because male pattern baldness is caused by Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone. Blocking T and DHT with Spironolactone or Finasteride or some other anti-androgen will be far more effective in stopping hair loss than Saw Palmetto.
Welcome to Susan's Place. Saw palmetto is something I wouldn't take. Most people can take it safely but there is a portion of the population that risk serious side effects from it. The side effects are permanent and there appears to be no medical treatment for them. If you should decide to use saw palmetto, my best advice is if anything feels off in your health, stop using it immediately. Unlike prescription medications, it's not well studied so it's side effects are not well understood. I spend a week studying it and there is a good deal of information about people who experienced the side effects on the internet.
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Saw palmetto contains a weak form of an Alpha5-reductase enzyme inhibitor. So it will reduce conversion of testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone). DHT is what builds muscle mass and causes male pattern baldness (aka androgen alopecia). It will not interfere with estrogen and androgen blocker medications but getting a prescription for Finesteride or Duteraside will be more effective. These medications are dosed amounts of alpha5-reductase inhibitors.
Now a warning. There is a seemingly permanent medical condition that some people have had caused by these medications and also saw palmetto. I've read about it and is sometimes called Finestride Syndrome. It is a permanent reduction in the bodies ability to produce alpha5-reductase enzyme. For men taking it for prostate issues or hair loss its a big deal. Also blocking the A5-reductase enzyme can have mental side effects so definately talk to your doctor about potential side effects.
I was using saw palmetto in the three months I was waiting for my letter from my therapist to begin HRT. For me it was fine. I had low enough T levels that just that and other diet related things to reduce T production caused me to drop into PMS land. :-\ I would strongly suggest not getting there! Your brain needs one of the sex hormones to function correctly. Without either, well lets just say it is bad mentally.