5AR blocker+Aromatase Inhibitor?

[4chanhrn]

I'm wondering if anyone has tried 5AR blocker like Finasteride/Dutasteride combined with low dose Aromatase Inhibitor. The idea occurred to me and I was wondering why more people aren't doing this. The reason is ofcourse to minimise side effects. I am very prone to side effects on 5AR blockers. Lot of 5AR sides can be attributed to increase in aromatisation of free test, combined with decrease in DHT, which is actually an estrogen receptor antagonist. The double whammy is what possibly leads to sides for a lot of people.

When I Google, I come across people who are doing mild AI with 5AR blocker and it has worked for them, but not a lot of info. There's one guy who said he's been using the combo for 15 years without issues. Another person said his doctor prescribed dut compounded with 0.1mg Arimidex by default.

I'm wondering if something like Dutasteride 0.5mg 3x/week and Arimidex 0.25mg 2x/week could work for someone prone to side effects.

Has anyone tried something like this? Has it worked for you? Do you have blood work to show what's going on with hormone levels? Interested to know what you think.

Edited June 20 by 4chanhrn

[TakeAction]

I think dutasteride is so effective that you could even take it once per week. There was some study on dutasteride dosing that showed that a 0.1 mg daily dose of dutasteride was just about effective as 1 mg daily finasteride. So one dutasteride a week would be about 0.07 mg dutasteride daily and because of its long half life the once weekly frequency won't make a difference.

You could absolutely try taking a very low dose of dutasteride, check your e2 levels before and after and make sure they're staying in range. IIRC you tried Xyon and still had issues, did you get any bloodwork with that? Would be good to know how much it reduced your serum DHT/increased your E2 since in theory it should have a much smaller effect on those numbers than even a low oral dose.

[Chrisno]

Get bloodwork done. Before starting finasteride, and after 2-3 months. You can then assess how your estrogen levels have changed. You don't want to be on estrogen blockers / aromatize inhibiters unless you actually need it. Contrary to what many men believe, you need a healthy level of estrogens in your body to function properly (heart health, lipid profile, brain health, joint health, bone density, etc.). Taking an AI without actually needing it is just plain stupid. Remember that it's the test/estrogen ratio which is important. Normally 5AR blockers increase test and estrogen by 15%. So the ratio is more or less unchanged.

[4chanhrn]

7 hours ago, TakeAction said:

I think dutasteride is so effective that you could even take it once per week. There was some study on dutasteride dosing that showed that a 0.1 mg daily dose of dutasteride was just about effective as 1 mg daily finasteride. So one dutasteride a week would be about 0.07 mg dutasteride daily and because of its long half life the once weekly frequency won't make a difference.

You could absolutely try taking a very low dose of dutasteride, check your e2 levels before and after and make sure they're staying in range. IIRC you tried Xyon and still had issues, did you get any bloodwork with that? Would be good to know how much it reduced your serum DHT/increased your E2 since in theory it should have a much smaller effect on those numbers than even a low oral dose.

I think Dut 0.1mg can be as potent than Fin 5mg.

I think half life is high only after steady concentration in bloodstream after taking it everyday. Otherwise it's around 3 days afaik.

I'm planning to do bloodwork before/during treatment yes. Didn't do bloodwork for Xyon trial.

5 hours ago, Chrisno said:

Get bloodwork done. Before starting finasteride, and after 2-3 months. You can then assess how your estrogen levels have changed. You don't want to be on estrogen blockers / aromatize inhibiters unless you actually need it. Contrary to what many men believe, you need a healthy level of estrogens in your body to function properly (heart health, lipid profile, brain health, joint health, bone density, etc.). Taking an AI without actually needing it is just plain stupid. Remember that it's the test/estrogen ratio which is important. Normally 5AR blockers increase test and estrogen by 15%. So the ratio is more or less unchanged.

Yes, planning to get bloodwork done. The idea of small dose of AI is to put estrogen in range because I suspect that's what's is causing my sides. 0.5mg/week of arimidex won't tank estrogen, but lower it into range. You need much higher doses to tank levels. TRT patients take similar amount. If I can cut pills smaller, I would prefer to take lower dosage. Standard dosage for Arimidex is 7mg/week.

The ratio is unchanged with 5AR blockers, but free test can aromatise into estrogen and you reduce DHT which is an estrogen receptor antagonist. 

Edited June 20 by 4chanhrn