The nitty gritty on Saw Palmetto

[Thinneritgoes!]

So before I get the crap for posting this, I wanted to start a new conversation about Saw Palmetto.

I recently decided to give this a legit go around. Take a few months and try Saw Palmetto (off finasteride for a while due to financial reasons... need to save A LOT of money).

Now, when I read about this... everyone just says IT'S CRAP without any reason as to why. We know it inhibits DHT, so why doesn't it work?

And anyone I see who has tried it only gave it a couple months tops. Which we all know is not enough to see results.

Anyway... thoughts/experiences/concerns/witty jokes that you think are funny but really are not/hopes...

 

[Nashville Hairline]

I took it daily for about three years and went from NW2v to NW4v.

IMO: good for prostate, no good for hair. I have literally no idea why this is, at a guess it works on prostate tissue in a completely different way to finasteride (i.e. it doesn't inhibit 5ar despite claims to the contrary) and has no effect on DHT in the serum.

Better prepare yourself to lose whatever finasteride was helping you keep...

 

[dave_2010]

I took it daily for about three years and went from NW2v to NW4v.

IMO: good for prostate, no good for hair. I have literally no idea why this is, at a guess it works on prostate tissue in a completely different way to finasteride (i.e. it doesn't inhibit 5ar despite claims to the contrary) and has no effect on DHT in the serum.

Better prepare yourself to lose whatever finasteride was helping you keep...

i'm going to have to agree... I think people post about saw p so much because they are hoping someone will one day put yes I have got amazing results from it stick to it etc...

but unfortunately I haven't had good experiences on it... started saw p, minoxidil and nizoral around a year ago... great regrowth and hair around the 4-6 month mark now a year on i am basically back to square 1, seem to have lost any regrowth I got and temples have got worse... stuck to everything very strict as well.

I jumped on finasteride yesterday for the first time.

 

[anxious1]

ok heres my take on SP. Used it and combinations with it in for years, usually around 1000 - 2000 mg's, and i also did a year with just beta sitosterol, which is supposibly the active chemical in it.

firstly, the problem is because it has been shown in small studies to shrink the prostate in case of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and because finasterides first use was for that, (and still is at 5mg), then people have extrapolated that to mean that sp therefore must also block dht, and therefore stop male pattern baldness.

But, SP might work for enlarged prostate in a totally different way, other than blocking DHT, and even if it does work the same way, it doesnt mean it will block dht in hair follicles. So these myths perpetuated no doubt by SP companies, have all these companies claiming 'sp is equivalent to finasteride, but because it is natural it has no side effects'.

BS BS BS bullshit!

It hasnt been proven to work like finasteride, it hasnt been proven to have no side effects, and if it does block the conversion of T into DHT, then it should have the same side effects. Being natural doesnt mean there are no side effects.

When i used it i got nothing but shedding that never stopped, until i stopped using it, and no regrowth, and no noticeable change in hair status, other than less hair.

Having said that some people claims it works for them, and i believe them ( although there is so much corrupt testimonials, its hard to know which ones to believe) The problem, is u dont know if it will work, and most probably youll just keep shedding. And youll never know the correct dose cos of lack of studies, so u might just be taking the incorrect dose.

better off using finasteride where u know the dose, u know the response, and u know wat to expect with side effects.

----My opinion only------ i know some ppl swear by it.

 

[Todd]

It has some decent results for BHP (benign prostate hyperplasia), although not as good as the alpha reductase blockers, or androcur.

But for hair loss?
Nothing. One study claimed to see results i 6 out of 10, but it turned out later that the study was deeply flawed.

I say: give it a go. But keep your hopes and expectations modest.

BTW: I saved a LOT of money by switching from propecia to proscar (split in quarters). Most doctors will agree to change the prescription.