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Latest verdict on Finasteride and developing advanced prostate cancer

Posted , 12 users are following.

mike75537
mike75537

Hi folks. I have been thinking about using finasteride 1% for hair loss treatment. After searching the internet I'm half afraid to. Some say it increases risk for developing advanced prostate cancer and others say it cuts the risk. Proscar for prostate is 5% finasteride while propecia for hair loss is 1% finasteride. I don't know what to believe. I asked my oncologist and all he said was he wouldn't reccomend it but then again he has a full head of hair. I currently use saw palmetto for my enlarged prostate because Flomax side effects were to many for me. Any opinions please.

0 likes, 29 replies

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  • Vibes
    Vibes mike75537

    Posted

    Probably finasteride no worse than FloMax for side effects.  I switched to Finasteride for my BPH.  It took about 9 months to kick in so I could quit FloMax.   Not helping my hair loss though.   

    How long Have you been using saw palmetto?   I considered saw but medicare won't pay for it.  How severe were your BPH symptoms?

     

    • mike75537
      mike75537 Vibes

      Posted

      I been on saw palmetto extract for about 4 years. So far it has worked great with no side effects. Costs a fraction of the price of what my deductible was for Folmax.
    • hank1953
      hank1953 Vibes

      Posted

      How long have you been on Finasteride and how long since you quit Flomax ? I have been on doxazosin, just started finasteride 5 months ago. Hoping to quit doxazosin one of these days.

      Also, did you try to halve the finasteride ? One study indicated that you can do that after a year, and still remain most of its benefits.

      Thanks. Hank

    • Vibes
      Vibes hank1953

      Posted

      I tried cutting back on finasteride dosage by skipping every 4 days but quit skipping when I started having problems.
  • paul29249
    paul29249 mike75537

    Posted

    I took those meds for about 15 years and finally I went to Mayo Clinic in and got a Holap laser surgery by Doctor Humphreyand now I pee like a 15 year old, Still have wet ejaculation and off the meds,

    Can't believe I suffered with that for all those years

    BPH is a thing of the past,

    Get it done is all I can tell you.

    • hank1953
      hank1953 paul29249

      Posted

      Hi paul, was it HolAp or HolEp ? Did not know that Dr Humphrey does HolAp.

      Also, post surgery, how long were you incontinnent ? Thanks. Hank

    • paul29249
      paul29249 hank1953

      Posted

      Hank

      Never incontinnent , and was Holap. I wanted Holep but prostate not that large, just Long and plugged up, just couldn't pee and not emptying,dripping, got up 5 times a night.

      Had procedure done on a Friday morning and home for dinner,no pain,no bleeding, urine looked like clear water,had Cath over weekend,removed Monday morning, only little Pink when removed.Iwent to TGIF for lunch, wore padded pants for two weeks, only one accident on a 2 mile hike after 10 days on in coconino national forrest, so I decided to take it easy for a little longer and no problems after that scare.

      Now up only 2 times, after 4 hour's.

      Actually dream now,only a dime spots from Time to Time when I get in hurry and don't completely empty.

      Holap is similar to Green light, they open prostate butt don't completely core as in Holep.

      Humpreys say not as much heat and ,more control,Not as hot as greenlight which May damage other tissues,

      Orgasms is about a third of duration,but still feels good.

      About half as much semen as before,

      Pee light a teenager,had to step back 2steps or so.

      Cost,3900 out of pocket,40000to Humpreys and 15000 To Mayo and 4500 anatesia people.

      Probably never had it done had I not been out of Job , Force out by Honeywell cuts at 62 and insurance running out this month. Going on ACA in 2018 after being insured for 40 years thru work.

      Wanted to get everything done while my good insurance Still in affect.

      Wish I had done 25 years ago when BPH first diagnosed in1992 in Akron Ohio.

      When you're pipes are plugged get them cleaned out, chemicals don't work for the Long run

    • hank1953
      hank1953 paul29249

      Posted

      Thanks Paul. I am glad things worked out well for you. If you had gone Holep, it might not have turned out as well. I read about men suffering incontinence for months. Also, if you did have surgery 25 years ago, what could it have been like ?

      Btw, what was your insurance when you had the Holap ?

      Hank

    • paul29249
      paul29249 hank1953

      Posted

      Thanks

      Im happy with results.

      Your correct,

      Just Wish Holap was around then,just old surgical TURP back then.

  • lester90053
    lester90053 mike75537

    Posted

    Hair loss these days has become quite fashionable and saw palmetto is the same as a placebo. It does nothing which is why it has no side effects. You can take it for years and believe it is doing some good but you will be the same as if you did not take it. Save your money.
    • derek76
      derek76 lester90053

      Posted

      I have read that In Germany it is prescribed by doctors. I took it for years and although it helped my symptoms (what's wrong with a placebo !!) I took it in the form of a tincture from a herbalist not in powdered capsules.

    • mike75537
      mike75537 lester90053

      Posted

      I take the saw palmetto extract for my prostate and it has worked great so far.  It may not work for everyone but so far for me it has. None of the side effects that Flomax gave me.  I am thinking about finasteride for my hair loss.
  • brian34488
    brian34488 mike75537

    Posted

    All I know is  my urologist admitted finasteride can cause permanent impotence and when I also asked why do they promote its use he said the surgeons are under great pressure from the drug companies to do so, by the way many webb sites say saw palmetto has no side affects however after using it I noticed an increase in the ringing noise in my ears which began when I used another so called harmless natural herb to help with my bph prostate issues, so I decided to put words into the computers mouth about saw palmetto causes hearing damage and up came a site that said it causes hearing damage to 100% of men over 60, hope this helps all.
    • derek76
      derek76 brian34488

      Posted

      I have never heard of that before but in this age we get so many strange theories on the net. Nothing wrong with my hearing and I took saw palmetto for about ten years. 
  • jimjames
    jimjames mike75537

    Posted

    Finesteride and Flomax completely different animals with different side effect profiles, etc. From what I've read, Finesteride can have more long term and potentially permanent sexual side effects.

    Jim

    • Grunthos
      Grunthos jimjames

      Posted

      Hi JimJames,

      I have to agree with you about Finasteride.  I tried it for three months and, as well as giving me palpitations at night (I was waking up in the middle of the night with a heart rate of 120+), it totally destroyed my sex life and made me feel as if I had been chemically castrated.  I have since found out that Finasteride lowers the testosterone level by 80%.  I wouldn't touch Finasteride again with a barge pole.

    • hank1953
      hank1953 Grunthos

      Posted

      Hi grunthos, finasteride is not well known for causing palpitations. Alpha blockers like flomax, Doxazosin are. Were you taking an alpha blocker with finasteride at the time ? Also, finasteride raises testosterone, not lowers it. Hank

    • Grunthos
      Grunthos hank1953

      Posted

      Hi Hank,

      My Mistake.  Finasteride increases the testosterone level in the bloodstream but decreases the testosterone level in the prostate by around 80%.

      From Wikipedia: "Finasteride is a 5a-reductase inhibitor, specifically the type II and III isoenzymes.  By inhibiting 5a-reductase, finasteride prevents conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the type II and III isoenzymes, resulting in a decrease in serum DHT levels by about 65–70% and in prostate DHT levels by up to 85–90%, where expression of the type II isoenzyme predominates.  Unlike triple inhibitors of all three isoenzymes of 5a-reductase like dutasteride which can reduce DHT levels in the entire body by more than 99%,[3] finasteride does not completely suppress DHT production because it lacks significant inhibitory effects on the 5a-reductase type I isoenzyme, with 100-fold less affinity for I as compared to II."

      From Netdoctor: "Side effects, Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

      Common (affect between 1 and 10 out of every 100 people)

      Difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection (impotence).

      Decreased sex drive.

      Reduced volume of ejaculation.

      Uncommon (affect between 1 and 10 out of every 1000 people)

      Rash (allergic reaction).

      Breast tenderness/swelling (see also warning section above).

      Ejaculation disorders.

      Unknown frequency

      Allergic reaction (hypersensitivity), including swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or face.

      Depression.

      Palpitations.

      Hives or itching.

      Pain in the testicles."

    • hank1953
      hank1953 Grunthos

      Posted

      You are almost correct. What is decreased is actually dihydrotestosterone (DHT), not testosterone. 
    • derek76
      derek76 hank1953

      Posted

      From an NHS Hospital site:

      Dihydrotestosterone testing is used to monitor patients receiving 5 alpha – reductase inhibitor therapy or chemotherapy, it can also be used to evaluate patients with 5 alpha – reductase deficiency.

      Background: The principal prostatic androgen is Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Levels of DHT remain normal with aging, despite a decrease in the plasma testosterone, and are not elevated in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). DHT is generated by reduction of testosterone by 5 alpha-reductase. Two isoenzymes of 5 alpha-reductase have been discovered.

      Type 1 is present in most tissues in the body where 5 alpha-reductase is expressed, and is the dominant form in sebaceous glands.

      Type 2 is the dominant isoenzyme in genital tissues, including the prostate. 

      Androgenetic alopecia (AGA; male-pattern baldness) is a hereditary and androgen-dependent progressive thinning of the scalp hair that follows a defined pattern. While the genetic involvement is pronounced but poorly understood, major advances have been achieved in understanding the principal elements of androgen metabolism that are involved. DHT may be related to baldness. High concentrations of 5 alpha-reductase have been found in frontal scalp and genital skin and androgen-dependent processes are predominantly due to the binding of DHT to the androgen receptor (AR). Since the clinical success of treatment of AGA with modulators of androgen metabolism or hair growth promoters is limited, sustained microscopic follicular inflammation with connective tissue remodeling, eventually resulting in permanent hair loss, is considered a possible cofactor in the complex etiology of AGA. 

      Currently available AGA treatment modalities with proven efficacy are oral finasteride, a competitive inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase type 2, and topical minoxidil, an adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener that has been reported to stimulate the production of vascular endothelial growth factor in cultured dermal papilla cells. Currently, many patients with prostate disease receive treatment with a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor such as finasteride (Proscar) to diminish conversion of DHT from testosterone.

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