PROPECIAHELP: Persistent Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & discussion forum

I'm a recently diagnosed type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed a month and a half ago. I took propecia for almost 2 years. I had had virtually every side effect on this board (minus the sexual side effects) before being diagnosed with the diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is basically an autoimmune disease and can just create itself in your body or be picked up as a virus. Since coming off of propecia 3.5 years ago, my body has not been the same. I can honestly say I think my propecia use is responsible for my diabetes. Propecia has ruined my life and I hope there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I haven't felt like myself in years and hope that I can somehow find a treatment plan to maintain the little stability that my endocrine system has left after enduring 2 painful years on the slaughtering drug.

There are links between immune disorders and low cortisol. Do some research on both this and kidney problems. I have had symptoms of low Aldosterone for some time. I agree that Fin can cause such imbalance but it may be a question of fixing it rather than being forced to only deal with diabetes problems.

hey trashman,

Check out this link I posted a couple of days ago. It shows a link between thyroid problems and insulin resistance. Have you tested your thyroid yet? If not I would recommend doing so.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4093

Martin, mentioned a link between low cortisol. I was unaware of this, but there is clearly a link between low cortisol and a low functioning thyroid. Many of the problems we experience appear to be tied in together.

I was thinking of something tonight I just wanted to throw out there.

People with Diabetes have ED or can have ED right?

From WebMD:

Why Do Men With Diabetes Have Erectile Dysfunction?

The causes of erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes are complex and involve impairments in nerve, blood vessel and muscle function.

To get an erection, men need healthy blood vessels, nerves, male hormones, and a desire to be sexually stimulated. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels and nerves that control erection. Therefore, even if you have normal amounts of male hormones and you have the desire to have sex, you still may not be able to achieve a firm erection.

Okay... so right now I am taking 200mg of Test-E and I know others are too. We are looking for everything that is off when nothing is off really (hormone blood tests). Right now I am trying to get my Estrogen levels down to 20. And when that fails (sigh) I know that is not it... I still have ED. Its the only side effect I have and its manageable. I have my libido and my thinking and my size and everything but I cant get a firm erection ... well actually I can but I can't hold it. There are days where I can get it up all the way and I was cured for a few weeks with the concoction we put together. I can have sex now but its not great sex like it was before or for that two weeks.

My thought is what if our ED is the same as the people that have diabetes. For better or for worse. For worse, as at least we can except it and move on and instead of SEARCHING AND SEARCHING AND SEARCHING or for best - what if a doctor can say "yes people with diabetes get ED for X,Y,Z so lets see if you have that and then we find that we do but it isn't permanent it just resembles the diabetes ED and we can fix it since I dont think any of us have diabetes I know they have looked for that already for me. And you know there is a PLETHORA if information about diabetes out there... so yeah that was what I came up

any thoughts? anyone know anything about this?

There are similarities but they may not share the same causes and effects. Also, the only reason the majority of people get diabetes is through poor diet. It can be controlled and prevented through other means than pharmaceuticals that treat it specifically. Thyroid meds, red rice yeast, marijuana, and a host of other things can have a positive effect on diabetes.

You bring up a good point though about the connection of the body's ability to generate and store energy and the ability to get an erection. We are all facing a lack of stamina and exhaustion problem. Most of the body's energy is stored in the form of glucose in the liver. The liver was overtaxed eliminating fin from our bodies. The kidneys work together with the liver to use the stored energy. We can link everything the question is where is the link broken and how do we fix it?

Honestly, I think that the liver has nothing to do with our situation. I had my liver enzymes tested before and after fin, and they have been all right ever since. The only real change has been a dramatic decrease of the alcohol enzyme, which happened because I stopped drinking. I can accurately tell you that fin didn't do anything at all to my liver.

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My story: viewtopic.php?t=3556
My blood tests: viewtopic.php?p=19897#19897

Really? How is that? You think your liver didn't work to eliminate fin? Search the site there are studies stating how fin alters liver enzymes.

Yeah, my liver worked so much to eliminate 4 pills of finasteride that it hasn't recovered yet (at 1+ year off).


Fin didn't change my liver enzymes -- I measured them before and after fin. It might have temporarily changed them for a few days, but not in the long run. In other words, my liver enzymes are now more or less like they were before fin, except the alcohol enzyme, which looks much better now. Anyway, I took a look at the finasteride studies and found out that a few people reported to the FDA an increase of a few liver enzymes caused by fin. I am not among these people.

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My story: viewtopic.php?t=3556
My blood tests: viewtopic.php?p=19897#19897

Diabetes has nothing to do with our problem. It's likely those of us with ed and shrinkage are suffering some prostate damage similar to guys who have a radical prostatectomy. I think that's our biggest crossover with another condition symptom wise and you'd be better looking at prostate cancer forums to see how they deal with it, ie regular use of viagra, even using vacuum pumps.

Some men seem to report ED clearing up 12-18 months after an RP, maybe that's because they are actively trying to fight it with ED meds and other stuff.

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Donate to the PFS Foundation or remain a eunuch for forty years, choice is yours.

http://www.pfsfoundation.org/donate/

You state fin didn't change your liver enzymes. Then you say "except for the alcohol enzyme, which looks better now". If your alcohol enzyme is changed, and it's a liver enzyme, your liver enzymes have changed. Furthermore, you don't state up or down, you just state a relative word of "better" after fin. Has it occurred to you that we don't have a handle on what all of our liver enzymes are or what better means in relation to the post-fin condition? Hormone ranges can be through the roof without symptom relief.

Fin is heavily metabolized in the liver. Fin disrupts the 5AR enzymes. The 5AR enzymes occur in the liver:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1470&hilit=liver+enzymes

Steroids are metabolized in the liver:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=45&hilit=liver+enzymes

This is primarily about type 1 AR, which is produced in the liver and was also inhibited by fin:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31&hilit=liver+enzymes

Glucose, the main source of energy in the body, is primarily stored and converted in the liver.

We all have sides but different variations of sides. I don't think you can discount the similarities between ED and metabolism problems caused by diabetes and those caused by finasteride. Most people don't know their liver enzymes altered after fin because they don't have baseline tests pre-fin so the number of people reporting altered enzymes will be understated. We've already been through this topic on this board.

[quote+"luckfax"]Diabetes has nothing to do with our problem. It's likely those of us with ed and shrinkage are suffering some prostate damage similar to guys who have a radical prostatectomy. I think that's our biggest crossover with another condition symptom wise and you'd be better looking at prostate cancer forums to see how they deal with it, ie regular use of viagra, even using vacuum pumps.

Some men seem to report ED clearing up 12-18 months after an RP, maybe that's because they are actively trying to fight it with ED meds and other stuff.[/quote]

Viagra and penis pumps are pointless without energy or libido. Furthermore many of us develop a tolerance to viagra rendering it useless.

Martin,
Not to sound like an ass, but I spent time looking up for the study on fin that you suggested; why didn't you spend some time to read my previous answer (the first one) where I say that it decreased because I stopped drinking? Or, better yet, a look at my blood test, where it shows an out-of range high GGT before fin, which slowly decreased towards the normal range?

Anyway, here it is: http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3070&start=20
Look at the evolution of GGT (10-40). From 60 (pre-fin) to 54 (4 months off) to 48 (5 months off) to 43 (6 months off).

The other enzymes did not significantly increase due to fin.

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My story: viewtopic.php?t=3556
My blood tests: viewtopic.php?p=19897#19897

I really do think the prostate has something top do with the shrinkage and unhealthy look of the penis with PFS. It worries me a lot though.

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19/ London.

Curious. Anyone diagnosed with Diabetes type 1 or 2 during PFS? This would not surprise me, as it seems pretty clear, that our metabolism's have been compromised thanks to Merck and Co.