I am 27 years old and have been taking proscar and dutasteride to
prevent male pattern baldness since I was 18. Unfortunately, the
sexual side effects are terrible (no libido, etc.), and I can't take
it any more.

[I have always said "don't use Proscar..." I don't know what
dutasteride is... but it rhymes with finisteride... and I have
also said "don't use finisteride"... it has bad side effects,
it affects the libido... - Ellis]


My doctor actually presented the idea of giving me hgh, and he
did for a couple weeks 3 times a week (I'm not sure the dose
but I think he increased it up to 6 the last shot).

I honestly didn't notice much, other than sleeping better and
being in a slightly more positive mood.


[I would change doctors, if I were you... If he hasn't taken
away Proscar, he doesn't know his medicines well enough...
And trying to solve the problem with HGH is not my idea of
a good idea... Find another doctor. - Ellis]



I've read that igf-1 levels reach 20% of those during childhood
by age 30. I know I am young, but am I too young to take an I.U.
a day, and is it even worth it?


[It is worth it... but I don't know if it is going to reverse
whatever harm Proscar has done for your libido... - Ellis]



I'd like to look younger and my hair is my main concern, but also
I think I looked a lot better back at 19 than I do now.


[I looked a lot better at age 19 than I do now (61), too... but
I think I look better now than I will at age 81... so I take
growth hormone every day to try to help myself... It is a
matter of preventing deterioration. - Ellis]



Will I actually look younger if I take it?

[I don't think you will ever look like you did when you
were 19... but you might look better than you will when
you should look worse... - Ellis]



I have been smoking since I was 17 and had some uv damage as well
I'm sure.

[If you are smoking, I don't see why you should also take
growth hormone. You have to decide if you want to be good
to your body or if you want to be bad to your body. You can't
spend money to repair your body, and also spend money to harm
it. Decide. Which is it going to be??? - Ellis]


I've tried all kinds of supplements for the libido thing and
nothing works well.

[Your doctor gave you supplements for the libido thing???
He doesn't seem very bright to me... I'm not sure if it will
work, but you should stop using Proscar, and give your body
some time to get rid of it completely... Then you should
start using testosterone... Testosterone is the male
hormone... maybe your doctor doesn't know that yet, or maybe
he thinks it is bad and to be avoided... it is good, but
I don't think it will work yet, in your case, because of
the Proscar... - Ellis]


I had my hormone levels checked and the dr. said everything
checked out fine with the exception of igf-1 which he did not
test for.

[Good. He saved you some money by not testing for IGF-1...
but I don't believe everything checks out fine... did you
check for testosterone and for estradiol? - Ellis]


I don't want to stop taking the systemic hairloss drug
avodart, but I can't tolerate the side effects anymore and
I'm convinced that DHT plays a role in sex drive regardless
of what the clinical studies say about the incidence of side
effects.


[I don't know... I'm not a doctor (fortunately!)... - Ellis]


Someone suggested taking Arimidex to lower estrogen, but he
said I was in the normal range already and I don't have excess
body fat or other signs of excess estrogen.


[Who said you are in the normal range already? Did you
test for estradiol, and what is your result? I'm not
a magician, either, so I can't tell if your estrogen is
in the normal range, since you didn't tell me what it is.
- Ellis]



He sells vials of HGH so you can inject it yourself at home
daily. Should I try it?


[Didn't you say your doctor was giving you HGH? Who is
this other person... maybe he knows more than your doctor...
Ask him if you should take Proscar and HGH... - Ellis]


WOuld I notice anything after a month of 1 IU a day?

Thanks in advance


[What do you want to notice? I don't think it is going to
make a difference in your libido, if that is what you want to
notice...

By the way... who do you notice your libido, with?

What has that person told you about your libido? Does that
person like your hair?

If I were you... let the hair fall out, and get a wig if
it bothers you... or get a hair transplant... but stop taking
Proscar and other anti DHT medicines that are supposed to be
good for your hair... It is a matter of priorities...

You and I don't seem not to have the same priorities, and I
am not criticizing what you consider to be important... but
to me, libido comes first, second, and third... hair comes
somewhere far down the line...

Proscar is causing your problem... maybe dutasteride, too...
stop taking them... let the hair fall out, and start taking
HGH and testosterone... - Ellis]