July 27 2007, 3:33 pm PT | Posted in: Drugs + Other
Is DHT essential for proper genital tissue structure/function?
(more detailed: could lack of DHT lead to decreased AR expression in penile tissues & nitric oxide production… leading to tissue changes, ie fibrosis/collagen deposition which cause such shortening/lack of bloodflow?)
I know there is relevant posts to this issue where you dismissed finasteride in relation to a change in penis + testicle size but i thought it was important to bring forward my case to show that there is definately some relation with finasteride and penis size *in a flacid state*, aswell as testicle size. I am a 20 and a half yr old male who has been on propecia since about 19.
id like to point out im not saying that my penis has actually reduced in physical size due to finasteride, but in its flacid state it now resides alot different to how it use to - doesnt hang as much, looks like ive come out of a cold shower - which in turn gives the apperance of a smaller penis.
what ive experienced:
- testicle/scrotum shrinkage. they are no longer hanging as low as they use to, they are now tight and pulled very close to the body. scrotum could almost be described as empty and wrinkly
- reduction of how penis resides in flacid state. In the flacid state my penis is ALOT smaller then usual. penis doesnt “hang” nice and soft and move around loosely as it once did when to flacid. penis is now retreated /retracted as if in cold water, its almost withdrawn and seems it is lacking circulation/blood flow. penis once hung lower than the bottom of my testicles but is now actually pushed up and forward by how tight the testicles now are, and how reduced the size of flacid state is.i found another person who experienced similar side effects to me. he stated he experienced:
- penile/scrotum shrinkage, loss of length/girth
- loss of morning/spontaneous/nocturnal erections
- empty/wrinkly scrotum
- penis constantly retreating as if in a cold pool
- loss of sensation/numbness to both penis shaft and scrotum, both feel lifeless/not pleasureable
- penile tissue changes: narrowing, curvature, darkening, emergence of numerous varicose veins along shaftnow i have not experienced the severity of his symptons, or his loss of size during erections, but it is quite alarming there are others out there who have experienced this issue and there isnt any warnings out there regarding this alarming side effect
after reading through several links below, one must question - is it possible that lack of DHT leads to decreased AR expression in penile tissues & nitric oxide production… leading to tissue changes, ie fibrosis/collagen deposition which cause such shortening/lack of bloodflow???
the links:
http://finasteride.jconserv.net/viewtopic.php?t=146
http://www.asiaandro.com/1008-682X/5/33.htm
http://finasteride.jconserv.net/viewtopic.php?t=346thanks for any input you can share on this topic!
DHT is very important in the first trimester of pregnancy when the testicles and penis form. If DHT is not present (mother on finasteride or born with a defect where the fetus does not make DHT), then a hermaphrodite will probably develop. For more on hermaphrodites, see:
It is true that being exposed to DHT blockers before puberty can negatively affect the development of the male external genital system and other secondary male sex characteristics (beard and body hair even after puberty). DHT is essential for development and growth of the male genital system before they are completely mature and reach their final size. Our current understanding is that the use of finasteride after puberty when the amount of testosterone is very high with corresponding high DHT levels, should not impact these secondary sex characteristics and will still allow the penis and testicles to reach their maximum size. There is not much information on the use of this drug in young teenagers and I suspect that prior to the age of 16 when balding may start in a select number of boys, the decision to use finasteride is easier the further into the teens the person is.
You have referred to a study done on 3 groups of young rats. This study has shown that a lack of either testosterone or DHT can affect the growth and development of the external genital system negatively.
In the studies done on humans, there was no report of similar or any other negative changes on the external genitalia in adult men or boys in their late teens. I have been recommending and prescribing Propecia to a good portion of my patients, and as of yet have not heard any such complaints with regard to impact on penis size once the penis has grown to its final adult size. You have to remember that this medication has passed all clinical phases and was proven effective and safe for treatment of male pattern baldness (in adult males). If you are still concerned with the changes in your genitalia, you can see a urologist to make sure you don’t have any other medical problems that have been causing this issue.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
I am a guy who has experienced the same exactly the similar symptoms you’ve described.
1 shrinkage of penis
2 shrinkage of testis
3 loss of sensations from genital area
I ve used this drug for around a year.This drug is nothing but a big shit.All you folks out there listen up dont ever use this shit.I wish i have never used this in the first place.Using this drug is the biggest mistake of my life.I cant say any thing about FDA but definitely going through the same hell even thou nothing is mentioned about these side effects.
Hi, I am experiencing the same simpthoms, what did you decided to do? I dont want to leave propecia, I see that you posted this one year ago, please update me what did you do and specially if it was something temporal or what happened that I am having exactly the same shrinking penis in flacid state and morning erections went away
please advice!
I have been taking Propecia for a few years. I am convinced that Propecia has caused both a reduction in the size of my erections and a significant increase in breast tissue. (However, I would not discourage anyone from taking Propecia. It appears that cases like mine are a very small minority so I would tell any prospective Propecia user to take the drug and see how it works for them. We don’t all have identical bodies. Some of us react differently.)
I am well aware of all of the published results of drug trials on Propecia. I don’t need to be reminded. What I can say is that I personally have not had a positive experience with this drug. Can I prove Propecia reduced the size of my erections and increased the amount of breast tissue? No. I have seen several doctors, including specialists, about this and most of them react the same way Dr. Rassman has–they point to the drug trials. Again, I KNOW what the drug trials say. I KNOW they don’t support my hypothesis.
That being said, any doctor would be foolish to think these drug trials are the last word on the effects of a drug that was developed as recently as finasteride (Propecia.) When there is a long term study of 20 years or more that focuses DIRECTLY on erection size and breast size then, and only then, can a doctor point to drug trials with complete confidence.
In the past few years we’ve all become aware of the flaws that exist in the relationship between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. We all know the story of Vioxx. Even the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Marcia Angell, wrote a book highly critical of Big Pharma.
The public doesn’t see the results of ALL the trials that are conducted on a drug. Pharmaceutical companies can cancel trials if they’re not going the way they would hope. They then have the freedom to start trials again and you’ll never hear about the former trials. Often the only published results we see are positive ones. Negative ones go unpublished. We all have to remember that pharmaceutical companies are businesses first and foremost.
Bottom line: If I don’t like the effects of a drug I always have the choice to quit. Just don’t annoy me and point to drug trials when I can see with my own eyes that my body has changed. I don’t need a medical degree to measure my penis or notice that my previously flat pectorals are now pointy.