Question about long term zinc use

[Chris87]

Hey all:

So I started taking finasteride again a month ago. This time I started on .25mg EOD and taking zinc every day to make sure my estrogen didn't mess things up for me. I had minor sexual sides the first couple weeks that have now pretty much gone away (except that I dont get morning wood as often and when i do its weaker..but i havent been worried because my libido is fine and my sexual function is fine). I've recently, in the last week or so, started taking .25 every day. No increase in side effects or anything..i feel fine.

Now, my question: i've been taking 50-100mg of zinc every night for a little over a month (usually closer to 100mg). I havent felt any side effect from this but I've read that its not safe to be taking high doses of zinc for an extended period like this. Does anyone have any experience with this or knowledge about it? Id like to keep taking the zinc to make sure my estrogen is kept in check..but of course i don't want to f*** myself up taking zinc if its dangerous.

Do you think if I stop my estrogen would rise and cause problems?

thanks

 

[BritishUser]

Hey all:

So I started taking finasteride again a month ago. This time I started on .25mg EOD and taking zinc every day to make sure my estrogen didn't mess things up for me. I had minor sexual sides the first couple weeks that have now pretty much gone away (except that I dont get morning wood as often and when i do its weaker..but i havent been worried because my libido is fine and my sexual function is fine). I've recently, in the last week or so, started taking .25 every day. No increase in side effects or anything..i feel fine.

Now, my question: i've been taking 50-100mg of zinc every night for a little over a month (usually closer to 100mg). I havent felt any side effect from this but I've read that its not safe to be taking high doses of zinc for an extended period like this. Does anyone have any experience with this or knowledge about it? Id like to keep taking the zinc to make sure my estrogen is kept in check..but of course i don't want to f*ck myself up taking zinc if its dangerous.

Do you think if I stop my estrogen would rise and cause problems?

thanks

Too much zinc can cause hairloss apparently.

 

[Timi]

poisoning-and nerve disease

 

[Chris87]

Well I think I'd have to take even larger doses to achieve zinc poisoning/toxicity, and i don't believe its making me lose hair (shedding has definitely slowed down since starting finasteride..in fact a lot of days i dont shed in teh shower at all).

What I'm really worried about i guess is effect on my organs or anything else like that with long term use.

I know Enden has read up on zinc quite a bit. Enden, if you're around..have you read anything about using high dose zinc for extended periods?

 

[wstef]

I think the RDA for zinc is something like 10 times less than what you are taking.

Do you really need 10 times more zinc to ensure testosterone isn't converted to oestrogen?

Here is an extract for you:

Zinc toxicity can occur in both acute and chronic forms. Acute adverse effects of high zinc intake include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and headaches [2]. One case report cited severe nausea and vomiting within 30 minutes of ingesting 4 g of zinc gluconate (570 mg elemental zinc) [80]. Intakes of 150–450 mg of zinc per day have been associated with such chronic effects as low copper status, altered iron function, reduced immune function, and reduced levels of high-density lipoproteins [81]. Reductions in a copper-containing enzyme, a marker of copper status, have been reported with even moderately high zinc intakes of approximately 60 mg/day for up to 10 weeks [2]. The doses of zinc used in the AREDS study (80 mg per day of zinc in the form of zinc oxide for 6.3 years, on average) have been associated with a significant increase in hospitalizations for genitourinary causes, raising the possibility that chronically high intakes of zinc adversely affect some aspects of urinary physiology [82].

Link...

I've read into zinc quite a lot because I thought it was one thing I was lacking in my diet (even before I started on hair loss treatment). I supplement zinc because I am pretty much a vegetarian (I eat chicken and fish, but red meat isn't appealing to my random taste buds) - people who don't eat meat often need double the zinc intake than meat eaters because it's not as easily absorbed from plant food.

I also believe it can assist with the onset of anaemia because of the interference with iron/

It's like most substances - too little or too much is generally not recommended.

 

[nohawk]

Find and talk to Enden, he's a zinc-master on these forums.