Long name or other long name S= ( spirinolactone or finesteride)

[Guest Tifanni]

Im wondering. Ive been on finesteride for like... two months now. No changes whatsoever. I was given the choice between it and spirinolactone, which apparently would have more visible effects on my body. I chose The huge f word because there was a notice that spirinolacton caused... er, lumps or tumours or somthing in animals, but at much higher doses. Yet, as i said, months later i still grow a darn beard and have hairy legs . Now i told my doctor, who is awesome, yet is completely inexperienced about how to go about transition, and she said we could either up the dosage of finesteride, or try out spirinolactone. Im not sure what to do, go with the far more awesome sounding spirino-longname-stuff, or get bigger tablets of finesteride. On one hand, i want to get boobs, which aparently spiro (im lazy as hell) will help with, but on the other, i dunno how to hide them, or whether itll be healthy to use... Plus, if i up the dose of finesteride, maybe ill get actual results... GAH, so confusing to explain... Do any of you ppl have any experience with finesteride or spirinolactone? PLEEEASE help if you do, this is suuuuper important to me )=

Edited January 9, 2012 by MaryEllen
Dosage edited out

[MaryEllen]

We're not medical experts so we really can't advise you. You need to find a doctor who is familar with these drugs. What they will or won't do.

MaryEllen

[Guest Jaded1]

Well I take spiro and my father in law take finasteride for two very different reasons.

Finasteride was developed as a prostate tumor drug and spiro as a blood pressure medication.

I don't know where you heard about tumors in lab animals with spiro, it is actually finasteride that has been known to potentially cause that as a side effect and as such is not on any doctors top 5 list for that purpose. In RARE cases (5% of subjects) long term use of finasteride can lead to some minimal breast tissue growth (which my father in law actually did experience) but neither of those drugs are what will allow your body to develop significant female physical traits.

For OUR purposes, both are used as an anti-androgen, solely to reduce the amount of testosterone in our bodies so that we can then replace that male hormone with female hormones (primarily estrogens).

The introduction of the female hormones are what allow (in conjunction with the significant reduction of testosterone) our bodies to start developing all of the female secondary physical traits that you hear and read about.

I agree with the above post that there are no medical professionals on here that specialize in this field (although you would expect there to be one LOL) but also that you should seek the professional advice of a trained endocrinologist that can better guide you with your HRT if you feel the doctor you are currently seeing is just taking shots in the dark.

Hope that helps.

[Guest Donna Jean]

I agree with the above post that there are no medical professionals on here that specialize in this field (although you would expect there to be one LOL)

No...no...no.....

If there were one here and they gave out medical advice, there would be huge liability issues....We can't allow that to happen.....

Dee Jay

[Guest Jaded1]

I agree with the above post that there are no medical professionals on here that specialize in this field (although you would expect there to be one LOL)

No...no...no.....

If there were one here and they gave out medical advice, there would be huge liability issues....We can't allow that to happen.....

Dee Jay

That is a good point. I keep forgetting how we would rather run to the courts rather than exercise any semblance of personal responsibility in this country.

[Guest Tifanni]

so.. Im not allowed asking advice? s=

There arent any endocrinologists around here i can ask... And finesteride can cause tumours? Great... Im so confused.. Why cant you just give advice? I mean, Im not going to bite or somthing... i just need help, and this is the only place i know i can trust... im srry of im just causing problems..

[Carolyn Marie]

You're allowed to ask for advice, Tifanni. The thing is, we can't tell you which medicine is best for you, because there are many factors involved in making those decisions, and a lot of it is based on blood tests, pre-existing medical conditions and other factors. The most we can do is explain what our experience has been, which may or may not apply to you.

For example, my doctor started me on Finesteride, because she was concerned that Spiro might cause issues with my diabetes. After a year, and with my T-levels still fairly high, she switched to Spiro, but monitored me closely for 3 months. All turned out well, I tolerated the Spiro well, and my T-levels went down. But like Jaded mentioned, Spiro is a diuretic used to treat high blood pressure, and there could be risks in taking it.

One last thing: two months is not very long to gauge the effects of these drugs. You are not likely to see dramatic changes in two months, regardless of which T-blocker you use.

Which takes me back to the original advice: talk to your doctor, please.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Shy]

Just reading the thread, and I didn't have much to add. Then I saw this.

...Spiro is a diuretic...

So... does HRT make you have to pee a lot? Between my 4 cups of coffee at work and potential HRT regiment, I imagine myself running to the bathroom every 15 minutes. eek

[Guest Robin Winter]

Just reading the thread, and I didn't have much to add. Then I saw this.

...Spiro is a diuretic...

So... does HRT make you have to pee a lot? Between my 4 cups of coffee at work and potential HRT regiment, I imagine myself running to the bathroom every 15 minutes. eek

Yea, it does, but it's not as bad as I expected. I only have to go a little more than I used to.

[Carolyn Marie]

So... does HRT make you have to pee a lot?

For me, YES! Plus, when I do have to go, its usually urgently.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Robin Winter]

Don't take this as medical advice...like the others have said, I have no idea which would be better for you, but I really don't think you should expect that your facial and leg hair will disappear no matter what you take or for how long. You might slow it down and thin it out a bit...but the chances of either going away completely are incredibly low. I just don't want you to be disappointed.

You should really find a doctor with a bit more experience or at least better resources to draw from.

[Guest Shy]

I think anyone here who's had laser can probably tell me more than any doctor simply because it's unpredictable. I know everyone's experiences are different; no one is getting my hopes up. I don't have any expectations at this point, but it can't hurt to see what others have experienced. I don't mind shaving, but I do have these free treatments to use. So all of this info is useful. The diuretic revelation is a little troubling, but everything has it's price I suppose. Right before I got my first laser treatment, I was filled with hopeful anticipation. I was thinking, "Hey, I got over the fear of even being here, now the rest is pie!" I smiled big, and then ZAP! Oh yea, I forgot about all the actual physical pain we have to endure just to end our psychological and spiritual pain. It's kind of ironic actually.

[Guest Shy]

I am such a dink! I confused this with another thread I was on regarding laser hair removal! Sorry folks!

[Guest Robin Winter]

I am such a dink! I confused this with another thread I was on regarding laser hair removal! Sorry folks!

Hehe, I thought your line of thought was a bit out of place, but still familiar. Now I know why.

[Guest Leah1026]

Nobody has bothered to point out that Finasteride is NOT a testosterone blocker. It blocks one kind (about 80% of the total) of DHT and is a weak testosterone blocker at best. Spironolactone, although developed as a blood pressure medication, has the side effect of being a testosterone blocker. So it is not surprise that it is much more effective than Finasteride. The people who benefit from Finasteride are people with thinning hair. In case you didn't know Finasteride is the active ingredient in Propecia.

I can't believe the number of people out there are are being sold a bill of goods as far as Finasteride goes.