I've had excellent results with Finasteride...in fact I'm not sure I need any further progress. Do I lose what I gained if I remain on estrogen/AA's, but stop the Finasteride?


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Quote from: Mikaela on January 17, 2018, 05:26:02 PM
I've had excellent results with Finasteride...in fact I'm not sure I need any further progress. Do I lose what I gained if I remain on estrogen/AA's, but stop the Finasteride?


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Unclear, because your specific situation has not been studied.  It's going to come down to physician opinion, and in this one particular case, an endocrinologist might be preferred.  For basic hormone prescription and monitoring, an experienced primary care provider will generally suffice.

I was looking for information along the lines of general population studies and other's experiences. There are no studies on me in particular, and my endo is a nice guy, but when I told him I wanted to go on Finasteride initially, he went down the hall to another endo he knows and got advice for a dosage. Even if he was a leading expert, I would still do my own research, and one of my sources is talking to people on Susans. I find I often get excellent advice, information that can assist me in making my perfect decision.


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If your hormone levels are maintained at a typical female level, it seems like Finasteride would stop having an effect. Nothing much to inhibit and all that, just like a cis woman. What I was told was that as long as your testosterone is still being lowered by spiro or whatever, stay on finast, but that it is probably redundant later on. But then no one really seems entirely sure, which is pretty much par for the course with pharmaceuticals.

I'm trying to remember who, one of the other physicians on the forum, said they were on finast despite it not making much sense though. Sort of a can't hurt thing.

Is there a particular reason you are stopping it? (If cost, make sure you are doing the quarter proscar approach rather than propecia. Insanely cheaper.)

Quote from: Roll on January 17, 2018, 11:47:27 PM
Is there a particular reason you are stopping it? (If cost, make sure you are doing the quarter proscar approach rather than propecia. Insanely cheaper.)

Good question...the biggest reason, is that unless the results reverse themselves on stopping, I no longer need it. My hair has returned to how it was when I was in my 20's. I never did get a lot of hair loss, so restoring my slightly receding hairline and thickening it a little was all I needed. If I don't need a drug, I'd rather not take it. But if stopping right now means I lose the progress I've made, I'll keep taking it. I try to minimize pharmaceuticals wherever I can. 

If your doctor agrees, why not just stop it, wait and see ...and if you start to see hair loss again, restart. Btw, I came across a study that suggests that even very low doses of finasteride are effective. If you are interested in the study, PM me so you can share with your doctor.

Quote from: KayXo on January 18, 2018, 08:25:56 AM
If your doctor agrees, why not just stop it, wait and see ...and if you start to see hair loss again, restart. Btw, I came across a study that suggests that even very low doses of finasteride are effective. If you are interested in the study, PM me so you can share with your doctor.

I think this may be what I do...

Quote from: Mikaela on January 18, 2018, 08:20:14 AM
Good question...the biggest reason, is that unless the results reverse themselves on stopping, I no longer need it. My hair has returned to how it was when I was in my 20's. I never did get a lot of hair loss, so restoring my slightly receding hairline and thickening it a little was all I needed. If I don't need a drug, I'd rather not take it. But if stopping right now means I lose the progress I've made, I'll keep taking it. I try to minimize pharmaceuticals wherever I can. 

I know for my part I plan to keep taking it until I'm told outright by a physician that there simply isn't enough testosterone in my system to metabolize to dht and cause any effects whatsoever. And then some just to be on the safe side.

Quote from: Roll on January 18, 2018, 10:27:06 AM
I know for my part I plan to keep taking it until I'm told outright by a physician that there simply isn't enough testosterone in my system to metabolize to dht and cause any effects whatsoever. And then some just to be on the safe side.

I see nothing at all wrong with your approach. I have a personal preference to minimize medications if I don't feel they are really necessary. This is potent stuff we are taking! It magically changes our very bodies...incredible!

It's rare I find my hairs in the bath or shower, and that wasn't always the case. I think I'll probably ease out of it and watch closely for hairs or other signs.

I was taken off Finasteride because it was depleting potassium which is dangerous for a heart patient. I was also taken off lasix and was replaced with a higher dose of Spiro.

Quote from: DawnOday on January 18, 2018, 10:56:11 AM
I was taken off Finasteride because it was depleting potassium which is dangerous for a heart patient. I was also taken off lasix and was replaced with a higher dose of Spiro.

That's an important point.  In talking to a few endocrinologists, I have found that they are quite willing to prescribe finasteride under two conditions:

1.  There aren't specific potential interactions (such as in Dawn's case)
2.  There is an actual need for the drug (i.e. significant recession/baldness).  They are very wary to prescribe it to those who "just want to do everything" but really don't have a problem hairline.  Conventional HRT will pretty much stop the progression of male pattern recession/baldness.  It won't bring regrowth very often, but for those with a good hairline, it is unnecessary.  Doctor's never want to do something unnecessary merely to satisfy the desires of an uninformed patient.

In my personal case, I didn't ask for it because my testosterone levels settled to unmeasurable fairly quickly.  There was little or nothing to block.  I also backed off on spiro at that time, and don't sweat it if I miss a dose.

My doctor started me on Finasteride and Progesterone (10 days per month, only) at the same time and was amazed at the results. I've read the Progesterone may also have an effect on hair as well, so I can't say for sure which was the biggest contributor. The clinic I go to in the Tampa Bay Area has a pretty laid back attitude, and may also be less informed about trans protocols. I do research, discuss it with them, and sometimes my endo has to go and research what I've told him. It keeps me on my toes.


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