Finasteride and dutasteride shrink the prostate and reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer.
Dear Dr. Roach: I am 65 and have been taking 5 mg of finasteride for over one year to address benign prostatic hyperplasia . My PSA score has lowered from 11.4 ng/mL to 7.9 ng/mL, but I understand that this score should be doubled when taking finasteride. So, I think my PSA score has risen overall.
As you can see, I am on top of my condition. I have viewed the medical literature on finasteride and wonder if my PSA score should really be doubled when taking it.Finasteride and dutasteride block the formation of a type of testosterone that promotes prostate growth, so they shrink the prostate and reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer.
Of course, the end result of cutting the PSA score in half is just an overall estimate, with some men having a larger drop and others having a smaller drop. I wouldn’t take the first number after starting finasteride too seriously, especially since your doctor has done a very extensive job by looking at your prostate.
Finasteride and dutasteride decrease prostate cancer risk by about 25% to 50%. This is not high enough for me to recommend it to most men just to prevent prostate cancer, but it is reassuring when it is given to men with a symptomatic enlargement of the prostate.For any given person, air conditioning may make their arthritis symptoms better or worse. I have had many patients tell me that they feel stiffer after sleeping with air conditioning.
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