Finasteride and Apoe4

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
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kayakmac08
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Finasteride and Apoe4

Post by kayakmac08 »

Hi all,

I've been taking finasteride (1.25 mg/day) for the last 10 years to combat male pattern baldness. And I'm wondering if maybe that's not the wisest idea for an E4/4. This concern is based on my vague understanding of how the drug works (inhibiting production of a testosterone subtype, DHT, via interference with a metabolic pathway necessary for its production, and presumably the production of other steroids) and a similarly vague understanding of the neuroprotective effects of testosterone (and presumably of its subtypes, like DHT), at least according to some theories. Anyway, it just seems reasonable to me--if not likely--that the drug at isn't contributing to the cause of Alzheimer's prevention, and could very well be undermining it.

And so I figured I'd turn my worry over to you all. Does anyone here have any experience with Finasteride or know of any E4s who take it? I'm also open to hearing your hunches or theories about whether it's probably not the brightest idea for an E4 to be taking Finasteride, unless it's necessary. For me, it's certainly not. In fact, since I discovered my E4 status and began reflecting on how to change my lifestyle accordingly, I've begun weaning off of the drug, having dropped at this point to 1.25 mg every 2-3 days.

Thanks, everyone!
  • 4/4 male, born 1989
  • Status discovery: 2020
  • Regimen: 14+ hr. fast/day; 200-300 min of mod-vig exercise/week; Med-esque diet; Supplementing with Trig DHA, B vits, D3
Fiver
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Re: Finasteride and Apoe4

Post by Fiver »

Hi kayakmac08, this is an interesting question. I've never heard or read anything about it, on way or another. In terms of the biochemistry, I'm not aware of any clear rationale why it would be bad for e4s. Might do a search later and see what is out there.
Fc1345linville
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Re: Finasteride and Apoe4

Post by Fc1345linville »

I am an APOE4/4, in my late 70s, and I have been takin Finasteride 5mg daily for at least 10 years for Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). By the way, it hasn't seemed to slow down my pattern baldness :-)) I have been following all of the recommended lifestyle patterns for sleep, diet and exercise for the past 40 yrs, and other than some minor memory issues, I (and my Neurologist son) think I'm doing fine. Hope that's helpful.

FC
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Re: Finasteride and Apoe4

Post by Mags »

https://www.pfsfoundation.org/news/fina ... the-brain/

I would say get off it completely!! :-D My Dad (90) has advanced vascular dementia and was on it, and tamsulosin, and anti-cholinergics, for 20 years (all linked to dementia) But I think Pharmaceuticles are all evil lol (they killed my mother, my father's brain and gave my brother terminal cancer (now in remission due to low carb diet) so I'm a bit biased.. BPH is also linked to insulin resistance - cut the carbs... Besides, bald is sexy - look at Vin Diesel! :-D
4/4 grateful to this community
Fc1345linville
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Re: Finasteride and Apoe4

Post by Fc1345linville »

Here is an abstract of a year old report, "Health Risks Associated with Long-Term Finasteride and Dutasteride Use: It's Time to Sound the Alarm". https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32202088/

From the abstract: "Finasteride and dutasteride are frequently prescribed for long-term treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms in men with BPH and in men with AGA. This treatment may result in development of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), dry eye disease, potential kidney dysfunction, among other metabolic dysfunctions. We suggest that long-term use of finasteride and dutasteride may be associated with health risks including NAFLD, IR, T2DM, dry eye disease and potential kidney disease."

I have suspended my intake of Finasteride until I can speak with my Urologist. Thanks, kayakmac08, for bringing this up.



Fc
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