Finasteride?

[Allison Wunderland]

Finasteride -- 5Alpha reductase inhibitor, whatever that means.

Medically it's Rx for cis-women and androgen linked hair thinning (alopecia). For cis-men used to treat BPH, benign prostate hyperplasia (enlargement).

Currently, finasteride is being Rx for MtF . . . androgen blocker, lowers male libido, reduces male pattern body hair.

We don't intend SRS, -- gonna hold out, pray incessantly that it just atrophies and falls off . . . *G*

Would be nice to have thicker hair. Would REALLY, REALLY be nice not to be stuck shaving (Hate it!) nose to toes every day, and still stubble. We don't need to be "female" . . . We'd just like to get rid of the body hair, get rid of the male sex drive (like riding a stallion in rut). We're not looking at estrogen! -- and maybe down the road, after 7 decades of it not falling off, we probably shall (OK, we are NOW), consider donating the testes to the Goodwill or something. I don't use them. They get in my way.

Reviews on Finasteride? -- Thanks!

[Laura_Squirrel]

I hated that friggin' drug. It made me severely depressed and highly suicidal.

BUT....a lot of other people take it without experiencing what I dealt with. Stuff affects everyone differently.

[marsh monster]

I have used fin for years and not had any real isues, but as Laura said, it can have some side effects for some people. Some have even not realized what it did to them until they came off it.

But it does help with head hair loss greatly. One thing you would have to take into consideration is that if you block testosterone without replacing it with estrogen, you will risk issues with osteoporosis. Our bodies need some kind of dominant hormone to keep functioning properly, you can't be depleted of both testo and estro and expect good health.

And as usual, consult a qualified physician.

[Laura_Squirrel]

I have used fin for years and not had any real isues, but as Laura said, it can have some side effects for some people. Some have even not realized what it did to them until they came off it.

Yeah. That's what happened to me. I was on it for around 3 years. Then, when I picked up the scripts for July of 09, I discovered that the makers of the finasteride screwed up and shorted me two days dose. (Sometimes, it came in a sealed white bottle. Other times it was in a generic orange pill bottle)

This particular time, it came in the sealed bottle. I remember those two days where I didn't have it in my system, I felt the best that I had in three years. Before that happened, I was on a fast downhill slide towards death. I was sleeping 18 hours a day, I wasn't eating. I just wanted to die.

But, after I discovered that this drug was the one that was causing these problems. I stopped taking it. Normally, I wouldn't do this without consulting my doctor first. But, chances are that it could've been two or three months before I could schedule an appointment. So, I just went cold turkey off it. I told the pharmacy, the insurance company and then my doc. (In that order). My doc wasn't too enthused about my going cold turkey off of it. But, I felt that given the situation, it would have been a bad idea to go back on it after that two day experience.

[Sydney_NYC]

I started using finasteride about 5 months prior to HRT. At 3 months I started noticing my hair improving. I was starting to get a bald spot on my crown and my temple had really descended. Now my bald spot is totally gone and thick again and my temples have really improved. Still slightly M shaped, but it looks more like a cis-woman's widow's peak and with the way I keep my hair, it perfectly feminine enough.

I had zero negative reaction to finasteride. The only side effect was ejaculation was more watery. (Now at 19 months HRT, nothing comes out ) My HRT upped my Finasteride a year ago since with the combination of HRT, it aided my transition even further and for testosterone dropped even lower as a result. (Increasing Finasteride with HRT, will not reduce it overall, but does lower DHT, which is the most powerful part of testosterone.

[Allison Wunderland]

Thanks!

Let's be candid here, now that the thread seems on track -- Besides everything else, PTSD (childhood sex abuse), dysphoria, substance abuse, paraphilia, etc, etc, etc. A large part of this litany is all interconnected -- I've now recently discovered that it's all interconnected and that if I integrate (integrity) my gender ID, most of the other issues go away. "Sex Addiction" and "Hypersexual" are classifications the DSM V (new, 2013) rejected for some political/social reasons. My therapist feels, and I agree, sex is an addiction for me. I don't see it as an aspect of a relationship. I only see sex as a means to control mood and hormone levels.

We have meds that control testosterone levels.

Thanks for the input on HRT -- two days out of the closet on 67 yrs of feeling like this, and I just may decide on HRT. Kicked the door open on the closet, and the sky is not falling. In fact, my friends are supportive and loving -- and I'm thrilled.

Just wanna be me, authentic, integrated, and still always already the me I've always been. Don't wanna let go of that, just want the genitals to go away!

[brianna1016]

I took finasteride for the first two years of my hrt. Never noticed anything besides zero ability to get an erection without the help of illegal drugs. Not that I wanted an erection, I just felt better after the orgasm.
Came off it 2 months ago..didn't even think about it until now.

[Wednesday]

Zero side-effects here too. A bit of regrowth and hair thickening used together with Rogaine.

[warlockmaker]

I had zero negative effects. Had a full head of hair but starting to thin, this has been completely reversed and now have abundant thickness of hair. After reading this I will be interested in my reactions when I stop all medication before GRS.

[Richenda]

Long story but I went all out on Spiro + Fin + Estrace. Had a bad health turn after 6 months and had to go cold turkey on everything. Curiously in the light of this thread, Fin's the one I began back on first because it's the one I felt was safest. Admittedly I'm now somewhere between the hair loss dosage and the prostate one (can't put the actual number but you should be able to work that out). I'm not noticing any side effects back on Fin at all. Once I've had a good run with this I'll be off to the Endo to see about the estradiol. Spiro's the one I'm most iffy about.

A lot of people recommend dutasteride though.

[Kathleenmarie]

ive been on fin for a year, since I have been on it, I have begun developing a female hair line on my head, super awesome!