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

Taken April 2008
Total Testosterone 14.4 (range 11 – 36) 5 months off propecia

Taken 28th May 2008
Total Testosterone dropped to 8.4 !!! (range 11 – 40) 6 months off propecia
(Mew, do you know of the progress of anyone with similar test results?)

Cortisol 378 nmol/L (range?)
Free T4 13 pmol/L (10-22)
TSH 1.08 mu/L (0.3 – 5.0)
LH 6.5 iu/L (1 – 8)
FSH 5.7 iu/L (1 – 8)
Progesterone 1.1 (range?)
Oestradiol 98 pmol/L (30 – 206)
Prolactin 169 mu/L (60 – 380)
Alkaline phosphatase 71 u/L (30 – 120)
Potassium 4.2 mmol/L (3.8 – 5.3)
Sodium 144 mmol/L (135 – 145)
Calcium 2.43 mmol/L (2.10 – 2.60)
Inorganic phosphate 1.3 mmol/L (0.70 – 1.34)
Corrected calcium level 2.31 mmol/L (2.1 – 2.6)
Creatinine 94 umol/L (55 – 108)
Urea 5.6 mmol/L (3.3 – 7.8)
Albumin 45 g/L (35 – 50)

GP hasnt had a reply yet from Merck (what a shock ).
I'm now seeing an Endo professor at the city hospital. Will keep you posted. Keep up the good work Guys - we all need each other.

How are your testicles Jay, are they the same size or have they shrunken? Your pituitary is releasing high enough lh and fsh but your nuts dont to be responding and producing the right amount of testosterone.You could be primary but I'm neither a doctor or an expert to say so.wait for another opinion.

my testicles have shrunk to at least a third of their pre-fin size, Nacle, and have not returned. What's been working for you mate?

With normal LH FSH and low Testosterone you look primairy hypo to me.
Your pituary is working ok, but your testes seems to be lacking.

Most have no other choice in such case than trt, but wait for other answers i could be wrong.

greetz

I suggest you consult with an endocrinologist,and make sure he is a very good one.It is likely you have primary hypogonatropic hypogonadism,lets say sure but im not a doctor to diagnose. You definately need testosterone replacement therapy and possibly human chorionic gonadotropin supplementation.

If your having troubles seeking help through nhs you may consider booking an appointment privately with the nearest endocrinologist specialized in reproductive endocrinology listed from this site
http://www.aace.com/resources/memsearch.php

cheers boys, popo & nacle what've been the biggest postives of your post-fin 'journey'?

Jay, I agree. Sign up with a good endocrinologist ASAP. But dont listen to what these guys are saying, with regard to all this primary hypogonadism shit. I went through that whole scare for about 1-2 months as well, and it sucked, and hadme in a constant panic attack. Primary hypogonasim is very rare, and also can be quite difficult. DOnt start thinking you have that just yet. Dude, its only been 6 months for you. You just gotta give it time. Most of us have significant improvements in the 6-12 month period.
TRUST ME.
Don't worry too much.
Have faith.

Best of luck, and again, dont jump on that primary hypo bandwagon, because its a bunch of bologne! You don't have it.

this maca powder (yellow) i bought from a health food store has really helped my libido and erections

it was pretty cheap compared to some of the other things i've tried for my condition as well

one teaspoon twice a day in water , i noticed an improvement within 2 weeks

Its probably good advice to wait and see what happens in these next months, you could use zink, garlic, and some other stuff to try and boost your test levels, weight lifting might be importent and a good lifestyle.

But i dont see your test climbing, if you got a good fsh and lh, since the lh is responsible for producing 85% of your test and adrenals the other 15%
But one will never know, unless you wait and make the best of it.
Boston your numbers were different.

do you think hcg would help?

Did you take these blood tests in the morning (i.e. before 9am)?

Testosterone levels peak in the morning and decline in the afternoon. I measured my testosterone in the afternoon and it was 287 ng/dl. I re-measured it 2 months later, but this time before 9am and it was above 400 ng/dl.

I am considering trying hCG, but my endocrinologist says my 400 ng/dl testsoterone levels are "normal beyond a doubt". Yet, my libido is non-existent...

they were taken after 12 noon, but what sickens me is that Ive got some gyno from this crap and yet my estrogen levels stayed within range. so many people (including docs) say that such blood results are famous for being unrepresentitive (and therefore misleading). And all this "you're in range so everything's fine" crap really gets me down. Especialy when docs ignore THE BIG PHYSICAL SIGNS like gyno (which looks ok to them - but you know what changes have taken place)....and shrunken dick and balls (again, that 'look normal').
Sometimes I feel like taking court action against my GP because he didn't do any baseline tests before me starting Propecia. In fact he'd never prescribed it before and just looked it up in a handbook. Then, after all this nightmare, he tells me he won't let me try xyrem!!! guess why?? (because he's never prescibed it before!)....yeah cheers Doc...nice one!

Yeah, I understand exactly how you feel. Our tests "look normal", yet we know there have been obvious physical changes.

Honestly, I don't blame anyone except myself for chronically using a hormone-altering drug just to slow my hair loss, especially when no one can know for sure what the individual, long-term effects will be. I have learned my lesson. In fact, I remember a couple years ago, I was in the shower and thinking to myself: "I am going to pay the price one day for using this drug for so many years without knowing what it is doing to my body. It's just a matter of time till I learn my lesson. I just hope it doesn't happen to me."

Yet, my vanity kept me from stopping the drug. But, we will figure out the cause together. For sure.

Fellas, I dont have much time, so Im not gonna go into detail and make long posts about it because I must go to work, but my prostate is getting better, and I'm almost normal now. I feel very close!! Its not shrinking up like it used too, and not even like it was a month agao. I am very close I think! You have to monitor your prostate and the way it feels. I firmly believe regular masturbation and sex also helps, along with a healthy diet, mind, and sleep. Its all very important. I think my adrenals are getting better. Everything. Now I must just get some cleansing product or something because my digestive is acting a little weird at the moment, but I feel its all working its way out though now..

Peace fellas!! Good luck

That sounds wonderful Boston, gives us hope. What is your diet right now?