WHY PROGESTERONE ACTION in the BRAIN IS DAMAGED by FINASTERIDE (and Dutatsteride probably even more)

Here new research unsurprisingly reveals how males using even modest doses of finasteride for male pattern hair loss, in an article entitled,

Patients treated for male pattern hair with finasteride show, after discontinuation of the drug, altered levels of neuroactive steroids in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma.

At the examination, post-finasteride patients referred muscular stiffness, cramps, tremors and CHRONIC FATIGUE in the ABSENCE OF CLINCIAL evidence of any muscular disorder or strength reduction.

Severity of the ANXIOUS/DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS were quite variable in their frequency, overall all the subjects had a fairly complex and constant neuropsychiatric pattern.

Assessment of neuroactive steroid levels in CSF show a DECREASE of PROG and its metabolites, dihydroprogesterone (DHP) and tetrahydroprogesterone (THP), associated to an increase of its Precursor PREGNENOLONE (PREG)

If you’ve been following our various posts here on our page you know the following to be true”

(1) PREGNENOLONE is “the mother hormone” and within the brain this neurosteriod is converted to a great extent to Progesterone

(2)That FINASTERIDE and Dutasteride which are both alpha-reductase inhibitors NOT ONLY PREVENT TESTOSTERONE from being converted to DHT but ALSO PREVENT PROGESTERONE from being converted to ALLOPREGNANOLONE

(3) This conversion process of Progesterone to ALLOPREGNANOLONE within the brain is essentially to the REGULATION OF ANXIETY and depression and PREVENTION of those symptoms

(4) When the PROGESTERONE METABOLISM/CONVERSION IS BLOCKED YOU WOULD EXPECT SUCH SYMPTOMS and you would expect a BUILDUP of Pregnenolone as the conversion process is backed up by the inhibition of the enzymes processing Progesterone.

(5) What we haven’t previously known is that EVEN AFTER DISCONTINUATION of the Finasteride there is a LINGERING IMBALANCE of altered levels of neurosteroid in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma. .

(6) The researchers state, "The present observations show that altered levels of neuroactive steroids, associated to depression symptoms, are present in androgenic alopecia patients even after discontinuation of the finasteride treatment.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24717976

Abstract

Observations performed in a subset of patients treated for male pattern hair loss indicate that persistent sexual side effects as well as anxious/depressive symptomatology have been reported even after discontinuation of finasteride treatment. Due to the capability of finasteride to block the metabolism of progesterone (PROG) and/or testosterone (T) we have evaluated, by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, the levels of several neuroactive steroids in paired plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from post-finasteride patients and in healthy controls. At the examination, post-finasteride patients reported muscular stiffness, cramps, tremors and chronic fatigue in the absence of clinical evidence of any muscular disorder or strength reduction. Although severity of the anxious/depressive symptoms was quite variable in their frequency, overall all the subjects had a fairly complex and constant neuropsychiatric pattern. Assessment of neuroactive steroid levels in CSF showed a decrease of PROG and its metabolites, dihydroprogesterone (DHP) and tetrahydroprogesterone (THP), associated with an increase of its precursor pregnenolone (PREG). Altered levels were also observed for T and its metabolites. Thus, a significant decrease of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) associated with an increase of T as well as of 3α-diol was detected. Changes in neuroactive steroid levels also occurred in plasma. An increase of PREG, T, 3α-diol, 3β-diol and 17β-estradiol was associated with decreased levels of DHP and THP. The present observations show that altered levels of neuroactive steroids, associated with depression symptoms, are present in androgenic alopecia patients even after discontinuation of the finasteride treatment. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Sex steroids and brain disorders'.

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

So basically those of us genetically predisposed to hair loss are f***ed... Either no hair or depression...

If your T levels are low and you have sufficient E, I would think that finasteride wouldn't do you much good anyways.

I took dutasteride for several years, and most of the effects of it I liked. My nipples grew and have become one of my most erogenous areas. It didn't get me back much hair, which was a disappointment. I had no depression at all as a result of taking it. My penis shrunk about an inch. While I could still obtain an erection, I no longer had spontaneous erections, even at night. Most of my prostate problems disappeared.

In a testosterone test, I had normal testosterone levels but very little free testosterone. I was having back pain and had got to where I couldn't sit for very long at a time. Although I can't be positive the dutasteride caused those problems, since stopping it (about a year, now) I'm much better. I work at a computer for 10 hours a day at work with little pain from sitting.