Post Finasteride Syndrome?? Help Required

[combover]

Hi all/Enden,

Just giving you an update on where I am:

I have now taken 50mg Zinc Picolinate for a week.

I am not yet having any morning erections, and not many daytime or spontaneous ones either. To be honest, i never got many daytime ones anyway, so that isn't a major problem! Just still no morning ones. I feel a little bit hornier in general.

I can get and maintain a full erection for sex and masturbation. There is no real difference in ejaculate - colour, form, etc. I feel since Propecia my penis, when flaccid, looks a little smaller. However, so far, it doesn't seem to have changed size when erect. It still leans slightly to the left.

Testicular pain has, in the majority, dissapeared. One testicle is still much much bigger than the other, and there are still a lot of spidery veins on both testicles and penis.

I have noticed a little bit more cracking of joints in the last week - all over thebody - and have had musle pains/aches in shoulder, neck and hip. these can, naturally, be totally unrelated to this issue. i have felt a decrease of muscle definition also, but again i have not done too much exercise over the last 2-3 weeks, when previously i exersizd 4-5 times a week for 45-60 mins each time.

I have noticed a little bit more hair falling out of my head this week - however, again, I feel I have standard male pattern baldness and at the minute am not treating it with anything (after the horrorshow with Propecia), so am still deciding what route to take and am unsure of the Zinc supplement is related to this.

Thoughts? Any help appreciated!

 

[combover]

I forgot to say, also, that I had my blood tests done:

serum testosterone 23.5
SSH level serum: 4.3
serum LH level: 6.2
serum prolactin: 140
glucose: 4.9
blood clarity: normal

The Doctor said these were all fine, but if they aren't glaringly out-of-sync then he will say that.

Last time I had my testosterone, it was 21-22, so that has in fact gone up. However, this time I took it at 9am after 14 hours fasting, whereas last time was at 4pm with no fasting. Don't know if that will make a massive difference?

Enden - thoughts on results?

 

[mpbsux20]

Testosterone seems to be in the normal range.You had mentioned that you noticed extra foreskin in your first post,is it still the same or have there been any improvements ? I hope you recover soon....Dont ever stop taking zinc until you recover completely.

 

[combover]

Hi,

I still feel I have some extra foreskin when my penis is flaccid - and it seems smaller in general then - but when erect it seems the same as it was previously?

This is obviously something that i'm not sure will change or go away?

And amidst all this, i'm still looking for a sensible and non-hormonal approach to my male pattern baldness that is getting worse with every day!

 

[captain_que]

Didn´t you say you had bloodwork done right before getting on finasteride? Yes, I´ve been told they´re supposed to be done in the morning.
Good luck to you, I´m trying to recover from the same issues myself.

 

[Ende]

LH, testosterone and prolactin looks good. Testosterone should be tested in the morning when the level is highest, so it definately makes a difference between 9 am and 4 pm.

have noticed a little bit more cracking of joints in the last week - all over thebody - and have had musle pains/aches in shoulder, neck and hip. these can, naturally, be totally unrelated to this issue.

This is most likely related to zinc. Have you considered trying creatine monohydrate, 25 g a day for one week? It'll raise your DHT level by around 50% without affecting the testosterone level.

I still feel I have some extra foreskin when my penis is flaccid - and it seems smaller in general then - but when erect it seems the same as it was previously?

This is obviously something that i'm not sure will change or go away?

More DHT will probably increase the flaccid size.

 

[mpbsux20]

A sudden spike in DHT levels could increase his shedding.Instead he can do some weights and continue taking zinc if he thinks zinc is helping.What do you reckon ?

 

[combover]

Didn´t you say you had bloodwork done right before getting on finasteride? Yes, I´ve been told they´re supposed to be done in the morning.
Good luck to you, I´m trying to recover from the same issues myself.

yep, bloodwork was all fine - similar to what i have now. best of luck to you too - are you having the exact same problems and have you recovered sufficiently?

LH, testosterone and prolactin looks good. Testosterone should be tested in the morning when the level is highest, so it definately makes a difference between 9 am and 4 pm.

have noticed a little bit more cracking of joints in the last week - all over thebody - and have had musle pains/aches in shoulder, neck and hip. these can, naturally, be totally unrelated to this issue.

This is most likely related to zinc. Have you considered trying creatine monohydrate, 25 g a day for one week? It'll raise your DHT level by around 50% without affecting the testosterone level.

increasing the dht will make my hair loss worse, will it not?

A sudden spike in DHT levels could increase his shedding.Instead he can do some weights and continue taking zinc if he thinks zinc is helping.What do you reckon ?

i have felt my muscle mass has decreased a little bit over the past few weeks, but, as i say, that may not just be related to these issues - i have done precious little exercize (less than 2 hours per week) for the last 3 weeks too, compared to 5/6 hours.

thanks for all your help, and any more answers are appreciated!

 

[captain_que]

Didn´t you say you had bloodwork done right before getting on finasteride? Yes, I´ve been told they´re supposed to be done in the morning.
Good luck to you, I´m trying to recover from the same issues myself.

yep, bloodwork was all fine - similar to what i have now. best of luck to you too - are you having the exact same problems and have you recovered sufficiently?

Yes. Loss of libido, soft erections, seem to have lost muscle, but like you it could be due to a drop in exercise... I guess I´ve been off finasteride for about six weeks or so after being on it for 5-6 weeks, and not much improvement yet. It takes focus and usually p**rn to get rock hard. It´s my number one priority to get this sorted out, before any hairloss issues.

 

[Ende]

A sudden spike in DHT levels could increase his shedding.Instead he can do some weights and continue taking zinc if he thinks zinc is helping.What do you reckon ?

50% increased DHT level would probably hit his hair pretty bad, but it would most likely restore the balance too. Exercising would definately burn testosterone and thereby stimulate production. Zinc will suppress estrogen and take care of the ratio. Symptoms of low estrogen level, like he's describing, isn't pleasant. That's why I suggested creatine instead. The serum concentration of estrogen is probably still to high, but his joints are whining about more estrogen.

 

[combover]

A sudden spike in DHT levels could increase his shedding.Instead he can do some weights and continue taking zinc if he thinks zinc is helping.What do you reckon ?

50% increased DHT level would probably hit his hair pretty bad, but it would most likely restore the balance too. Exercising would definately burn testosterone and thereby stimulate production. Zinc will suppress estrogen and take care of the ratio. Symptoms of low estrogen level, like he's describing, isn't pleasant. That's why I suggested creatine instead. The serum concentration of estrogen is probably still to high, but his joints are whining about more estrogen.

ok, so do you suggest i stay on the zinc for another week or so and see how it is then, before considering further options?

 

[combover]

[quote="captain_que":1qubrenf]Didn´t you say you had bloodwork done right before getting on finasteride? Yes, I´ve been told they´re supposed to be done in the morning.
Good luck to you, I´m trying to recover from the same issues myself.

yep, bloodwork was all fine - similar to what i have now. best of luck to you too - are you having the exact same problems and have you recovered sufficiently?

Yes. Loss of libido, soft erections, seem to have lost muscle, but like you it could be due to a drop in exercise... I guess I´ve been off finasteride for about six weeks or so after being on it for 5-6 weeks, and not much improvement yet. It takes focus and usually p**rn to get rock hard. It´s my number one priority to get this sorted out, before any hairloss issues.[/quote:1qubrenf]

i was on propecia for 11 days and found, after 3 or 4 days, i was totally back to normal. i have been off it now for about 10 weeks and it's only been the last month or so i have noticed these problems arising, although the 'no morning erection' problem has persisted since i started propecia.

to be honest, the lack of daytime/spontaneous erections isn't a problem to me! the morning erection problem is, and the veins/leaning penis are things i would like to think would get back to normal. my libido feels high in myself but, without p**rn or sex, i can't transmit this into an erection.

 

[Ende]

I would have tried creatine monohydrate in addition, but just keep going with zinc until you get solid morning erections, if you can handle the cracking/aching joints side effect.

 

[combover]

I would have tried creatine monohydrate in addition, but just keep going with zinc until you get solid morning erections, if you can handle the cracking/aching joints side effect.

i am just a little aprehensive about taking too many supplements?

is the cracking of joints, in your opinion, actually potentially dangerous, or just a side effect?

can i, therefore, expect the zinc to raise my testosterone - and my dht - so it may bring on more hairloss as the dht levels raise?

 

[Mens Rea]

I would have tried creatine monohydrate in addition, but just keep going with zinc until you get solid morning erections, if you can handle the cracking/aching joints side effect.

i am just a little aprehensive about taking too many supplements?

is the cracking of joints, in your opinion, actually potentially dangerous, or just a side effect?

can i, therefore, expect the zinc to raise my testosterone - and my dht - so it may bring on more hairloss as the dht levels raise?

low estrogen for short periods of time is no risk. It's long term imbalances that cause harm.

 

[Ende]

can i, therefore, expect the zinc to raise my testosterone - and my dht - so it may bring on more hairloss as the dht levels raise?

Yes. Low estrogen level isn't dangerous in short term, like Colin said, but it can be very unpleasant. I've not researched any long term risks.

 

[captain_que]

can i, therefore, expect the zinc to raise my testosterone - and my dht - so it may bring on more hairloss as the dht levels raise?

Yes. Low estrogen level isn't dangerous in short term, like Colin said, but it can be very unpleasant. I've not researched any long term risks.

Enden, can you tell from the sides if estrogen is too high or too low?

 

[Mens Rea]

Local UK news: "Baldness drug Propecia 'risking men's sexual health'"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12040303


Some coverage!!

 

[Ende]

can i, therefore, expect the zinc to raise my testosterone - and my dht - so it may bring on more hairloss as the dht levels raise?

Yes. Low estrogen level isn't dangerous in short term, like Colin said, but it can be very unpleasant. I've not researched any long term risks.

Enden, can you tell from the sides if estrogen is too high or too low?

Cracking joints indicates that you're short on estrogen locally, but the serum concentration of estrogen is most likely still too high, if you haven't had at least a couple of days with morning erections.

 

[combover]

I just read this from Dr Crisler in the 'BBC Coverage' message:


Of note, using estrogen lowering drugs/supplements to increase testosterone is a huge mistake. They are very bad for Lipid Profile, bone mineral density, brain function, endothelial function, etc. That is what happens when you lower estrogen too far.

Isn't that what I am doing by 50mg of zinc per day?

I have been on for nearly 2 weeks now, and no morning erections, and erections during sex have felt a bit weeker in the last 2/3 days?