Proscar, Estratest, and Hair

Hair Removal Methods Prescription oral medications
#1

Mine is a tricky case. I’m a post orchiectomy male to female transsexual. Unfortunately, I have suffered with severe fatigue (I’ve been diagnosed with both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromylagia) for some time, and my doctor wants to try adding a small amount of testosterone to my hormone regimen to see if it will boost energy levels. I’ve been prescribed Estratest, which is both estrogen and testosterone, and should be starting it tomorrow. I also take plain estrogen and Proscar.

I am worried that I will experience a regrowth of body hair from the testosterone. The drug is meant for women, and supposedly the risk of this side effect is small since it’s very low dose testosterone. However, I really don’t want this to happen. If I weren’t so ill I wouldn’t even consider this treatment, but I don’t have much choice.

Also, I see that finasteride (such as Propecia and Proscar) can help with hirsutism in natal women. I did a Google on it, and apparently it blocks the DHT receptors at body hair sites (as well as on the head) which can help reduce body hair, and increase head hair. So, if I do have to stick wit the testosterone, might the Proscar prevent unwanted hair growth from it?

#2

Hi:

I think that as long as they maintain the testosterone levels within the normal range for women then you should not have any problems.

I can't see any advantage to taking proscar at the same time however. I would think it would be counterproductive.

I did take proscar at one time before I had SRS. I took it for the benefits to scalp hair retention and regrowth.
After the SRS the doctor didn’t see any need to take it any longer.

Did you feel more fatigued after the orchi?

I have found that regular exercise such as yoga has been beneficial after surgery such as that. It does take time to adjust to the hormonal changes.

Alicia

#3

Hi:

I think that as long as they maintain the testosterone levels within the normal range for women then you should not have any problems.

I can't see any advantage to taking proscar at the same time however. I would think it would be counterproductive.

I did take proscar at one time before I had SRS. I took it for the benefits to scalp hair retention and regrowth.
After the SRS the doctor didn’t see any need to take it any longer.

Did you feel more fatigued after the orchi?

I have found that regular exercise such as yoga has been beneficial after surgery such as that. It does take time to adjust to the hormonal changes.

Alicia

Since the orchiectomy, I have been diagnosed with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Was it caused by the orchiectomy? I doubt it. Is it made worse by the very low testosterone? Undoubtedly. My testosterone level was at 20 last time I checked, but natal women can have it all the way up to 80. So, I have some room to play around with.

The Proscar doesn’t affect T per se, but (I think) prevents the breakdown of testosterone to DHT at the cellular level. So, the Proscar won’t affect my overall testosterone levels but might prevent the receptor sites in the hair cells from being affected. This is why the Proscar works on both hair loss AND excessive body hair. I didn’t know this until I googled it. Apparently, it can sometimes work almost as well as spironolactone.

Anyway, I just took my first dose of Estratest. Wish me luck!

C.

#4

Hi:

I think most of us feel fatigued at first after either an orchi or SRS. Sometimes it takes time to adjust to the effects of surgery, and some people do need a tiny bit of testosterone.

I found it took at least 6 months till I wasn’t easily exhausted and started to get some strength back, slowly.
I am now at the 15 month mark.

This fall I took both a pilates and a yoga class and found that even though they were hard at first, that overall they are making me stronger and less fatigued.
We sometimes feel too tired to exercise, but if we don’t then it gets worse.

I wish you luck with the estratest and hope it works for you.

Alicia

#5

Well, that turned out to be a bad idea. Low dose or no, the Estratest triggered a LOT of hair-regrowth. It’s starting to thin out (again) after a few months, but it really set me back. I hope I get the same amount of reduction.

#6

Hi:

That really sucks! We’ll have to strike that from the list of remedies.

I personally found that taking regular yoga classes has improved my energy and stamina. Besides that it improves flexibility and teaches you to relax too.

I’m sorry to hear that other solution didn’t work out for you.

Alicia