Did you get blood work done before starting finasteride?

[bigwill2]

Hi everyone,

I’m about to start finasteride and debating whether I should get blood work done beforehand. I’ve seen arguments on both sides—some say it’s essential to establish a baseline for hormones like testosterone and DHT, while others say it’s unnecessary unless you develop side effects.

I’ve also seen that blood work may help predict the chances of developing gynecomastia by checking things like testosterone, DHT, estradiol, and SHBG levels. Has anyone found this to be true, or is it just speculation?

For those who have started finasteride: • Did you get blood work done before beginning treatment? • If so, did you find it useful in any way? • If you didn’t, do you wish you had?

Would I be stupid not to do it, or is it overkill? Looking for objective answers based on personal experience or medical reasoning.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[abovedagame]

Most docs don’t really recommend it. I mean, say you experience sides, what are you going to do besides get off the drug or titrate down? I guess you could check dht levels before and after to ensure they drop but even then, it’s kind of just info you sit with since it’s recommended you try finasteride for at least a year or two to guage effectiveness.