Finasteride

I'm growing pretty concerned about finasteride. It seems to increase the risk of high Gleason-score (aggressive, dangerous) prostate cancers, even though it reduces the risk of low-grade ones. In fact, it was unanimously rejected by the FDA for treatment of prostate cancer.

It's also implicated in Post-Finasteride Syndrome, which can cause:


 * Lowered sex drive.
 * Reduced energy.
 * Brain fog / depression.

Neurosteroids
The 5α-reductase enzyme is responsible for the production and lifecycle of many crucial neurosteroids such as progesterone and allopregnanolone. Finasteride blocks this enzyme. In trans health, finasteride is used to block the metabolic conversion of testosterone to Dihydrotestosterone, which has a higher binding potency.

Unfortunately, the machine that finasteride *breaks* is how these natural, mind-helping steroids are produced and interconverted!

Why long-term side effects happen
There are only three brands *(isoforms)* of this enzyme. Each has a different structure, and plugs into different things with different adapters. Since finasteride blocks 5-AR forms 2 and 3, the cells decide to replace it with 5-AR form 1 instead. This is really bad news, because that isoform *simply wasn't designed* to work in those other gene regulatory circuits! This could be the reason behind PFS and the increased cancer risk.

Finasteride has demonstrated long-term effects well after discontinuation, so this may even be *irreversible.* Isoforms 2 and 3 don't get manufactured again once you withdraw the drug. Your cells keep churning out isoform 1!

I highly recommend everyone start pressing their doctors for answers about finasteride. Don't trust it. The doctors *simply don't know this research.*

Effects on hormone levels
Finasteride decreases scalp and serum DHT levels by about 70%:



As a result decreased DHT levels, PSA levels are also decreased by about 50%.

Related Papers

 * (December 2017) Negative Impact of Testosterone Deficiency and 5α-Reductase Inhibitors Therapy on Metabolic and Sexual Function in Men.


 * (October 2017) Therapeutic experience with oral finasteride for androgenetic alopecia in female-to-male transgender patients.


 * (July 2017) Neuroactive steroid levels and psychiatric and andrological features in post-finasteride patients.


 * (August 2016) 5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors and Combination Therapy.


 * (March 2016) Opposite effects of dihydrotestosterone and estradiol on apoptosis in the anterior pituitary gland from male rats.


 * (September 2004) Comparison of clinical trials with finasteride and dutasteride.