Proscar and testosterone levels

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After taking Finasteride there are a few hormonal events that unfold in the body.

The first thing that happens is Finasteride inhibits Type II 5-alpha reductase.

5-alpha reductase is an intracellular enzyme that regulates the conversion of the androgen testosterone into the more androgenic metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

If you take Finasteride, or you are planning on taking it, you should be aware that DHT is the byproduct metabolite of testosterone.

It is another hormone entirely and it is significantly more androgenic than any other anabolic hormone in the body, hence why it has the ability to miniaturize hair follicles to a much greater extent [R].

The more androgenic a hormone is the more havoc it can wreak on your hair in a dose dependent manner.

DHT is far more androgenic than testosterone, and when there is enough of it circulating in someone prone to male pattern baldness (almost every man on earth) it results in the growth phase of the hair cycle becoming progressively shorter.

The individual hairs in androgen affected areas of the scalp are unable to grow to full size as a result of this shorter window of growth, and the end result is their progressive decrease in size.

This process is referred to as “hair follicle miniaturization” and is the primary mechanism responsible for the progression of hair losses.


The goal of Finasteride is to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT.

By inhibiting 5-alpha reductase, Finasteride effectively prevents a significant amount of testosterone to DHT conversion that would have otherwise occurred.

How Finasteride Increases Testosterone And Estrogen Levels​

After Finasteride inhibits 5-alpha reductase, a significant amount of conversion of testosterone to DHT that would have otherwise occurred is no longer going to happen, so that testosterone remains present in the body as unaffected testosterone.

Inhibition of Type II 5-alpha reductase blocks the peripheral conversion of testosterone to DHT, resulting in significant decreases in serum and tissue DHT concentrations.

As there is now a much greater portion of testosterone that the body cannot convert into DHT, serum testosterone levels are raised indirectly simply due to the fact that the testosterone has nowhere to go because 5-alpha reductase is inhibited from completing the job it normally does.

Within 24 hours of oral dosing 1 milligram of Finasteride, serum DHT concentrations in the body are suppressed by 65%, and mean circulating levels of testosterone and estradiol increase by approximately 15%

What Actually Causes Low Libido And Erectile Dysfunction Side Effects​

If someone has a crash in their libido as a result of Finasteride, it is most often the result of their systemic androgen load going down.

Not their testosterone levels going down.

It is typically the DHT suppression that causes libido and erectile dysfunction in a minority of users.

The elevation in Estrogen levels can also play a role, but typically this is only a concern secondarily to DHT suppression.

Finasteride does not inherently decrease sex drive or lower libido; it is the inhibition of DHT and concurrent elevation of aromatization, which largely influences erectile function if there isn't enough free testosterone present in the body to fill the void of those physiological mechanisms.

This is why post finastride syndrome
is more often than not essentially just the result of a low systemic androgen load.

Even if someone has in range Total Testosterone levels, a significant amount of that may be bound up by sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).

Reference ranges are also not based on a young and healthy population, so falling within a physiologic reference range may mean nothing at the end of the day if your body needs more of a certain hormone than the next guy.

Another possible scenario is that an individual’s free testosterone levels are simply not high enough to fulfill the androgenic void left by an absence of DHT.

Also, if estrogen levels are pushed too high from increased aromatization and that goes unaddressed, that can cause severe erectile dysfunction as well until those levels are managed correctly via lifestyle changes, diet, losing body fat, supplements, or in worst case scenarios, manual estrogen management via an AI. (not something you want to be using long term).

Finasteride Myths​

A very common misconception about Finasteride (also known as Propecia and Proscar) is the belief that it lowers testosterone levels.

This is typically derived from the fact that Finasteride can lower libido and cause erectile dysfunction in a minority of users

Another common misconception is the belief that it increases Estrogen and can cause gyno on its own.

Also, it has become apparent to me that many doctors who are prescribing this drug aren’t properly educated on its mechanism of action and will commonly tell their patients that one of the side effects of Finasteride is lowered Testosterone.

It's actually the complete opposite.


What is the success rate of finasteride for prostate?


In the updated analysis, men taking finasteride had a 30 percent decrease in the relative risk of developing prostate cancer compared with men who took a placebo: 10.5 percent of men in the finasteride group were diagnosed with prostate cancer versus 14.9 percent of men in the placebo group.Aug 28, 2013

Finasteride for Prostate Cancer Prevention

A summary of results from a phase III trial that tested whether the drug finasteride could help prevent prostate cancer in men age 55 and older.

www.cancer.gov