Finasteride while on TRT Questions

Thank you!

The other reason I asked about personal E2 numbers is because I looked up my original labs right before starting TRT. Though I came to TRT because I was starting to have muscle loss and pain, my sex drive and performance was still excellent. I had zero complaints there (and of course no acne), and my E2 was 29 then. So I was wondering if my optimal E2 may be where it was, regardless of what my current T numbers are?

Per the fin dose-response, here’s what I was going off of (hopefully links are allowed). My memory was a bit off, but fairly close.


Thank you @DK1

It would indeed appear that half a milligram twice a week would keep someone at a nice reasonable level…even once every 5 days. DHT is responsible for so many things, it’s not something I would want to simply obliterate.

I had something weird happen recently. During the same time that I reduced my test cyp dose, I took one of the finasteride pills…just 1mg, one time.

Since then, my strength and muscle tone has dropped off significantly. I don’t know if it’s the lower dose test cyp, or the finasteride, or both.

Either way, it seems I’m going to have to dissolve and make micro-dosing drops for the finasteride as well.

Despite the info in those graphs, I have not been able to get any relief with low dose EOD administration of finatseride and so have moved to 1mg/day. I will soon see if it has any effect.

In the meantime I was wondering…it may be a coincidence, but it seems the acne problem for me got worse about the time I switched over to SQ injections. That got me to wondering if fat tissue has any effect on 5-alpha reductase activity? I did find one rat study that seemed to suggest it, but it wasn’t clear if it was applicable.

Another thought is that SQ injections “seem” to have the opposite effect on me than most others, in that I seem to feel a spike right away and a fade before my next injection 3.5 days later. I didn’t feel that when injecting IM.

Very odd. But like I said it just feels that way. Not exactly quantifiable.

“get any relief” meaning? Your DHT levels are still high in blood work?

Meaning relief from the relentless onslaught of deep acne. I have since switched to 1.25mg finasteride a day and think it’s starting to help, but hard to say as it’s only been about a week and a half. Certainly hasn’t gotten worse.

When someone has problems with feeling well on TRT, low energy etc:
First thing that comes to mind is that body cannot keep up with increased/restored metabolic demands of TRT. That can be from low thyroid function and/or low cortisol. As thyroid/iodine issues are so common here one should take advantage of the zero cost/wait oral body temperatures to assess thyroid function.

Acne and some other things can be transient and time may be more important than another drug intervention. The idea that you would take a 5-alpah reductase inhibitor for life is not good.

I feel fantastic on TRT and I’ve always been conscious of maximizing the ability of my body to meet its metabolic demands via high amounts of high quality magnesium, decent levels of iodine, MK4, etc.

I haven’t however checked my thyroid via your temperature method because I don’t currently have a precise enough thermometer to trust for the job.

The only complaint I currently have regarding TRT is the acne. I’ve come to realize that people’s skin can have two primary responses to high DHT…acne, and/or hair loss. For me, I’ve realized that the type of acne that I’ve been getting on TRT is the same type I’ve occasionally tended to get my whole life. That is to say, the deep painful kind that comes from way below the skin surface. I don’t really get surface pimples or blackheads.

So my guess is that I’ve always been sensitive to DHT that way, because while on TRT it just simply got worse and snowballed. On the other hand, even as bad as it is, my hair has been unaffected. So my hair genes apparently tell DHT to go fuck itself, while my skin says, “Oh hey lets build some deep and painful scarring acne!”

I’ve since upped the finasteride higher and the acne has stopped. Maybe like you said, the acne could be transient. Perhaps I’ll cut back or stop using it after a while and see if the acne returns?

How has it gone with the finasteride and TRT?

@bitty

I’m still on the finasteride at 3.75mg/day. I tried to lower it, but the acne returned. I was going to talk to my doc about fixing the problem in some other way because I dread the negative possibilities of finasteride.

However, my doctor actually died recently, but his office had been continuing to supply me with prescriptions in the meantime. Even more recently he has been replaced, and the new doc is keeping the same office and staff, so that’s a plus. Not only that, but this guy is an anti-aging doctor and apparently is very good and very thorough. It’s just that I haven’t had a chance to make an appointment to see him yet.

To make matters even more complicated, on the other side of things, I have a new health insurance company and a brand new primary care doctor. Previously I’ve been paying cash to my TRT doc, but I’ve been hoping to get my new insurance company to start paying. However, I told my new primary care doc about my TRT protocol and doctor, and she (yes, “she” groan) said that if I had low T that she could prescribe me T and that I wouldn’t need to see that doctor. I told her I also am on hCG. She straight up said hCG is not necessary and that should would not have the insurance cover that at all, let alone my other doctor. So she’s about to become a wrench in the gears. I may just have to continue to pay cash for TRT forever.

What also makes me nervous is that she ordered that all the labs from my TRT doc also go to her. And she is obviously going to freak out that this office uses levels beyond the arbitrary numbers that are deemed, “normal”.

Any update here Gtron? May doc wants me to take 2mg a week split into 2 doses to control deep cystic acne on my face. Slways would get cystic acne but TRT made it non stop. I can’t take it anymore. I know how bad antiobiotics are for gut health, but tetracycline controls it. But might give Finasteride a try first. Sigh.

Unfortunately no, I still have to take 3.75mg a day to keep it under control. I tried tapering it down gradually but the cyctic acne came back. Once I went back to 3.75mg it stopped. 2mg a week seems rather low. You may have to experiment with how much it will take for you.