Hi all,
I am trying to find some information relating to the
medication finasteride, that is used to treat prostate
cancer and is becoming a favourable hair loss treatment in
lower doses. My queries are listed below and I would
greatly appreciate hearing any thoughts or facts relating
to any of them.
1. Conversion pathway query: Finasteride has the effect of
blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Does this
mean that some individuals have a proportion of
endogenously produced testosterone that is effectively
biologically useless, as it does not get used for its
original purpose but rather is only converted to DHT? If
not, is it then the case that this testosterone is still
initially used for muscle growth/repair etc but after it
has been used for some biological function that it
converts to DHT in the later stages of its life cycle?
2. Testosterone level query: I understand that
administration of finasteride can decrease testosterone
production in the long-term. Is this correct, and if so
by what degree?
3. Implications for normal body function: If testosterone
production is suppressed while taking the medication,
what likely impact will this have on body functions
reliant on testosterone production and androgen ratios?
Specifically the following:
Maintenance of lean tissue mass (specifically skeletal
muscle)
Increased lay down of body fat
Body hair
Collagen laydown in the skin
Testicular atrophy
4. Risk of gynecomastia: Also, I understand that large
5mg/day doses of finasteride can increase the risk of
gynecomastia. If so, what is the associated risk with
such treatment and would it be minimised with lower doses
such as 1mg/day, even if taken over extended durations.
Kind regards,
David