Break from Internals: Advice for long time (~9 yrs) on finasteride?

[Nevis]

Looking to take a 6mo-1yr break from my long time finasteride regime. It's been a great 9 years, with near perfect holding pattern from when I started, but I'm finally starting to see some sides (most importantly loss of libido, which has been relatively low for a long time, but now it's pretty non-existent). I've tried the normal modifications to see if I can get rid of them, but to no avail. Time to reevaluate, take some time off and see if it's the finasteride that's finally causing all this or something else (it's been quite a rough year workwise/lifewise, so I need to unbundle some causal factors!), and if it's the finasteride, to make sure the sides do subside/heal.

I've been on minoxidil for nearly as long as internals (see regimen below) and will continue that in the meantime. But I'd love advice for any other topicals that I could add/beef up in order to do as much maintenance as possible.

To be clear, I'm not looking for any more regrowth. And really not even worried about going totally bald anymore. I do well with a buzz, and I got an extra decade with hair that mother nature never intended. Can't complain! So feel free to suggest regimens that you know won't be perfect. I'm fully expecting some significant backsliding on hair-appearance...if not within the 6mos-1year, then certainly after if I continue w/o internal 5ar-blockers. Just like to make that backslide as long as possible w/o internals. And, if I do decide to hop back on the finasteride wagon, to have as much left as possible.

Thanks in advance for all the great advice through the years. Happy Holidays To All and best of luck

 

[Petchsky]

Nevis,

Incidentally enough i'm in a similar place to you right now. Been on finasteride for 7 years, feel my libido has been slipping a bit, but more of late. I've taken up the weights and drinking a few protein supplements as these have good sources of amino acids, and this has helped. I've also ordered some progesterone which i think will help with the excess estrogen floating in my system that would normally have been converted in to DHT, this i feel is the reason for the side effects for me, and probably you as well. This is something that i think will catch up with a lot of propecia users eventually, especially the ones who got away without any sexual side effects the first few years.

I think propecia is a safe drug, but more than 6 or so years and i think the effects of the drug are manifested in the body in some way. For this reason i want to get off finasteride and find a new regimen to help me maintain. Done quite a bit of fishing about of late and have come up with this new regimen.

Proxiphen - contains minoxidil and spironolactone, along with copper peptides, SOD's etc...
Revivogen
Prostate supplement - saw palmetto, pygeum, nettle, beta stirol, lingans
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/le/prost.html - see this link for more details, alot of the ingredients are natural DHT blockers

Fish oils
Nizoral, an anti androgen
NANO shampoo

I'm confident this will work, problem for me is that i'm having 1800 graft transplant in Jan, so i don't want to lose control of my male pattern baldness and end up looking like a freak, so i'm staying on finasteride for another year then reverting to this new regimen...i'm confident it will work, or at worst lose a little then maintain.

 

[Nevis]

Great to find someone with a similar experience. I too find that sides are less when I'm in a good eat/workout regime. I'm pretty good about fitness, and I really do think that it kept the sides at bay or minimized for the 9 years that I've been on it. I recommend that to all my friends who are now starting finasteride. The sides for me are just creeping up in frequency/noticeability. I think that makes sense too, as you noted. But I want to try a while without it completely, before I start adding more herbs or other counter-acting agents for the sides. No point being on internal finasteride w/ sides if I can maintain *well enough* (i know there might be some cosmetic loss) without.

Incidentally, I've noticed recently (christmas pics etc) that I'm not as thick as I was a few years ago. Possible that sides creep up with decreasing effectiveness too? Or they may not be related, but rather both independently related to age itself.

Anyway, it's definitely gotten me to a place where I'm comfortable with my hair, my appearance, and my daily program. Which I think is the best one can hope for given the state of science. There was definitely a time where I couldn't even consider risking backsliding by taking out finasteride---the biggie of the Big 3---of my regime. Now I'm fine with the idea, and like that feeling. But, I'm ready to try something new and remind myself after a decade what life without finasteride in my bloodstream is like.

Thanks for letting me know your story, I feel better knowing I'm not over-reading or creating my own symptoms. Question though about your new regime. Are you taking the nettle/SP etc for prostate health or for DHT blocking? Any side effects similar to finasteride on those? Are there any concerns about prostate health going awry after so long on finasteride? Maybe the "finasteride-drip" will go away, that wouldn't be bad.

I'm looking at Proxiphen too, mostly for the SODs and spironolactone. Is it worth the cost? I always see a lot of posts asking about it, but rarely long-term users posting. (A problem in general for these boards I suppose, we only see the questions, and the people with a good regimen and good results only rarely check back in and update. I know I was absent for many years while enjoying my finasteride/minoxidil regimen). I suppose I should add Proxiphen or Revivogen, but both? I already use pure Aloe, which feels great, keeps any dryness away, and does a good job as a cosmetic thickener IMO. Also using nizoral 1-2x week, that's great for supplemental benefits too.

Thanks again for the post, and best of luck moving up to your procedure. (Wish I wasn't headed for a NW7, it's not even an option for me till they come up with some cloning/HM!)

 

[Petchsky]

Makes sure you come back and let us know how things work out for you.

I'm not taking the prostate pills on a regular basis as yet, but more every then and again, but i feel an increase in libido which i was not expecting. i'm taking them as a natural DHT blocker. The finasteride drip should definitely go when it leaves your system.

I've not heard of any prostate problems from quitting finasteride. Proxiphen should be enough on its own, with minoxidil and spironolactone in et al, revivogen as well is probably overkill.

 

[SoThatsLife]

Have you thought of just try EOD?

 

[Meddller]

Thanks for the post. I have been on Propecia for several years and it started to lose it's effectiveness, so now I'm on Propecia and Dutas which makes makes me worry about my libido. Sometimes I think it's in my head and sometimes I think it's really having an effect (I'm 33). How bad has your libido gotten? Please keep us posted on your results.

 

[Nevis]

@Petchsky- I'll be sure to check back in this summer after a solid 6 months and repost to this thread. Hopefully with good news on all fronts. Great luck to you and your hair transplant coming up!

@SoThatsLife- EOD might be a good middle ground for me. But I want to really clear out my system first and see how I feel. If the sides run away, then I'll be wary that it was all the finasteride. If not, then it's something else (old age!) and I can work on re-incorporating finasteride with EOD.

@ Meddler- I went back and forth for over the last year about whether it was in my head or not. And I still can't tell. It's been a hell of a few years, so there's no way for me to say it's all the finasteride. But my libido is damn near 0 these days, and I can't seem to pysch myself up for any action. Could totally be a lot of other complicating factors though! But as I can't remove job stress, lots of travel, etc. right now, I thought it would be easy to do a quick test if it is the finasteride by removing it. Can always add it in again later if I find my life needs more changing than my meds regimen. I'll post back then later.

Of course, other posts with advice for maintaining after removing finasteride are appreciated. Thanks and Happy New Year

 

[HT55]

And really not even worried about going totally bald anymore.

Make sure you mean that because you are no doubt going to lose alot of hair in the next year, probably won't show up for 4 months or so but when it does watch out. Been there done that, thank god I was able to grow everything I lost back and them some by adding Rogaine foam but it took 18 months to grow back what I lost in 6 months.

BTW , how old are you ?

 

[treeshrew]

anyone think maybe libido just drops naturally as you age?

 

[diffuse propecia]

when you are on finasteride, nothing that happens to you is natural.







j/k.

 

[Nevis]

Monty and HT55: I'm going to stay on minoxidil foam during the coming year. Just dropping finasteride. So i'm a bit confused by your comment that adding back in minoxidil foam helped you grow back. If I keep the minoxidil foam and other topicals, can I avoid the "threw away the toupee?" rapidity to hairloss?

Thanks for the warning though and to be sure I'm ready. I'm still keeping the idea of bringing finasteride back in (or EOD) after 6mos to 1 year if the "sides" (yes, they could just be age etc.) don't go away or aren't connected to finasteride.

I'm just looking for ways to loose the finasteride and loose the minimal amount of hair, given the "hair growth offset" limitations of minoxidil.

 

[Nevis]

I did not start them at the same time. I had a solid 3 years on finasteride before I played with minoxidil. Then dropped the minoxidil because I hated the liquid, and didn't see the results I wanted for that hassle. I went back on some 1/day minoxidil when I was on dutasteride, but dropped that too. I definitely saw losses during that period though. But I was also playing with my dutasteride dosage, so it's hard to say what was going on.

I hope the minoxidil though was playing a significant role, as ever since I've been back on it and using the foam regularly for the past year and my hair is cosmetically better. We'll see though! gonna be a bumpy new year...