Finasteride, or any other 5AR inhibitor, is not inherently "bad". These drugs do exactly what they were designed to do.. which is to completely inhibit multiple isoforms or specific isoforms of the 5AR enzyme. The problem is that doing that is not an appropriate solution for hair loss because you need5AR expression for normal bodily function and these drugs cannot differentiate between 5AR in your hair follicles or your scalp vs your vascular tissues, digestive tissues, connective tissues, or even just a specific area of the body. Using these drugs is like using a nuclear weapon to kill one person in a large city of other benign people. You'll get the target your aiming for, but you'll also cause a lot of other carnage along the way.
We're at the genesis of an age of "smart" drugs and human genetic engineering that will solve most of these problems that tradition drugs can't fix. Traditional drugs lack the ability to have specificity for their targets. They affect whatever is in their path if the shoe fits... and for drugs that alter steroid receptor activation or steroid metabolism, they usually cause changes that negate the positive intended effects of the drug. If there were a drug that targeted 5AR with perfect specificity in the hair follicle, hair loss would no longer be a problem for most people, with the exception of those that still can't produce sufficient levels of intrafollicular estrogens.
When I first took finasteride (at the recommended dose of 1mg) it had a dramatic effect on my hair. It totally stopped falling out within 2-3 weeks and the diameter of my hair shaft became much thicker... like close to double the previous volume (it was thicker than it had ever been for me naturally). However, finasteride also made me feel horrible, but I continued using it anyway because I didn't think I had any other choice. Since finasteride is like that nuclear weapon I described, it didn't affect my endocrine system the positive ways that I wanted it to. It also caused my body to adjust to the unsafe environment caused by systemic 5AR inhibition throughout the body (your body really needs 5AR). The body's reflex to these enzymatic changes is to do whatever it takes to negate the damaging effects of finasteride. Finasteride will cause a sharp increase in systemic synthesis of estrogens and the body's recourse for this is to reduce steroid production and reduce aromatase and estrogen receptor expression... whatever it takes to lower estrogenic activity to lower levels. So, the net result of finasteride (lowered overall steroid synthesis) is worse than where you started to begin with.. before taking finasteride.
However, as I said, I continued to use finasteride because I didn't have the understanding of the pathology of hair loss that I currently have. I gradually became used to how shitty I felt. I became normal. When I changed my dietary and lifestyle habits and accelerated my body's ability to heal itself, I was able to realize just how awful the effects of finasteride can be. I became a completely different person when I recovered. I felt so damn good that, at this point, I would prefer being completely bald and feeling that way than to feel even just average with a full head of hair. Luckily, I don't think I have to compromise. I think I can have both once I've fully recovered from finasteride for the second time, which coming soon.
Finasteride use is simply not worth it. You trade your entire essence and holistic bodily health for marginally better hair (at least for most people that use it). Some can tolerate finasteride better than others because their genetic enzymology is different from others' and they're less systemically affected, but, I believe not only does it eventually catch up with them, finasteride is also less effective in people that don't experience as many side effects... and generally don't realize how it affects them because the change can be very gradual (again, depending on the person).
