Elevated Estrogen Levels from Finasteride?

Hello,

I’ve been on finasteride for three years now with some moderate success. The medication didn’t give me any regrowth, but after three years the miniaturized area is only slightly thinner than baseline, so clearly I have responded to the treatment to some extent. The problem is that I have elevated estriol levels (I am a male, by the way), and my doctor believes it’s a side effect from finasteride and wants me to quit taking the medication. However, I am reluctant to do so. Have you seen high estradiol levels in your patients who are on finasteride? This is not listed anywhere as a side effect.

I do not order standard or special laboratory tests for my patients who use finasteride 1mg a day for hair loss, because there is no utility in ordering these tests. There are many variations in test values and there is no use in finding out a test result unless you know:

1. Why you are ordering the test
2. What you expect to learn from the test
3. How you will interpret the test result, and
4. What you will do as a consequence of the results

So no, I haven’t seen high estradiol levels in my patients. You should ask your doctor why those tests were ordered.