There is a drug called finasteride which can be prescribed to slow hair loss due to male pattern baldness. It works by reducing levels of dihydro-testosterone (DHT), which is the hormone that triggers hair loss in this case.
Supposedly there can be a link to reduced sexual drive - and I'm wondering if this might cause an increase in WDs!
I've been taking it for about 6 months or so and haven't seen any noticeable changes, though to be fair it's hard to know sometimes what would count!
Wondering if anyone has any experience of using finasteride themselves or knows someone who has - and if this had any impact on WD frequency or horniness etc? Or just anything else I should be looking out for as I take it. Thanks!
The best thing to do is search online for information about finasteride and its effects and side effects.
It appears that one side effect of the reduced DHT caused by taking finasteride is a lowered sex drive. Since WDs start at puberty and often ocur at a higher rate with higher testosterone levels (and thus higher DHT levels), taking finasteride would almost certainly reduce the liklihood and frequency of WDs.
After googling I knew something wasn’t right when I read that it decreases DHT (digydrogotestosterone) production.
It sounds like this might actually affect sperm production. Decrease of sex drive and lowering sperm production are both effects of the hormone changes.
Of course I’m not a doctor and these effects don’t apply to everyone, but this is just the information I can find quickly.
Thanks Aze and Texanguy - Thankfully I can report that my sex drive is still going strong! Though I do think it takes me longer to build up a strong horniness level. This is why I thought the Finasteride might actually make it easier to abstain and trigger a WD - as I'm less likely to relapse and MB in early stages, and then ongoing. Hopefully there's some logic in that!
"Ideal candidates for treatment are men under the age of 30 whose hair loss has not lasted more than 5 years. The effectiveness of finasteride treatment in older men diminishes as 5-α reductase activity gradually declines. After the age of 60, there is no point in prescribing the drug. 20-30% of men of any age do not respond to finasteride treatment. The effect of treatment on hair thickening can be expected only in 6 to 12 months. Therapy should last at least 5 years. After premature discontinuation, hair loss continues. Side effects of finasteride treatment include sexual dysfunction occurring in 4% of men. Finasteride reduces PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels, which are a marker of prostate cancer."
Hi hsmith, you’ve probably seen my post in the new members thread. I’m on finasteride and my WDs do increase in frequency when I’m on it. It’s exactly like what’s reported in the Reddit thread i89rt5 posted above.
It’s not all fun and games as sometimes I do get temporary dips in libido - but some weeks when I’m on it I get random boners throughout the day, which can be embarrassing in work. It’s exactly like being a teenager and first starting puberty, when I used to get random boners in school all the time.
Feel free to message me if you want to chat about it!
