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Finasteride, Creatine, and Boron: Balancing Hair Loss and Athletic Performance

A professional athlete explores the potential interactions between finasteride for hair loss and performance supplements like creatine and boron. The conversation covers hormonal effects, potential counteractions, and recommendations for maintaining both physical performance and hair health.

  • i have thinning hair and want to start taking finasteride, but im a professional athlete and im afraid its going to interfere with my other supplements / testoterone levels ( for example i take boron and creatine )

  • Finasteride and Performance Supplements Interaction

    Finasteride and Testosterone Levels

    Finasteride is commonly used to treat androgenetic alopecia by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a more potent androgen. This inhibition can lower DHT levels while keeping testosterone levels relatively unaffected1(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/). It has been observed that even with reduced DHT levels, physical performance and strength improvements from testosterone therapy remain effective2(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15572415/).

    Creatine and Testosterone/DHT Levels

    Creatine supplementation has been shown to affect the testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) ratio. A study indicated that creatine increases DHT levels by around 56% after loading and 40% after maintenance doses, thereby increasing the DHT to testosterone ratio1(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/). This means that while creatine does not appear to reduce testosterone, it does enhance the conversion of testosterone to DHT, which could interact with the mechanism of finasteride.

    Boron and Testosterone

    Boron supplementation has been noted to increase free testosterone levels. This mineral plays a role in the metabolism of various hormones and could potentially increase overall testosterone levels3(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712861/). Higher testosterone levels could theoretically lead to more DHT, which finasteride aims to reduce.

    Potential Interactions

    • Finasteride and Creatine: The interaction is noteworthy because while finasteride reduces DHT to counteract hair loss, creatine could raise DHT levels, potentially counteracting finasteride's effects.
    • Finasteride and Boron: Boron may increase testosterone levels, which subsequently could lead to more substrate for DHT production, indirectly interacting with finasteride's mechanism.

    Considerations for Professional Athletes

    Given your status as a professional athlete, any changes in hormone levels and their influences on performance supplements should be carefully monitored. It might be worth discussing these interactions with a healthcare provider, understanding that both creatine and boron affect androgenic profiles that could influence finasteride's efficacy.

    Recommendations

    1. Consult a Healthcare Provider: Given the complexity of how these supplements interact, a medical professional can offer personalized advice and monitoring.
    2. Monitor Hormonal Levels: Regular checks of testosterone and DHT levels can help in managing supplementation rationally.
    3. Monitor Hair and Performance Parameters: Observing changes in hair density and athletic performance can give practical insights into how these interactions manifest in real-world scenarios.

    Should you want product recommendations specific to these supplements, feel free to ask, and I will search for relevant products on Pillser.

    Footnotes

    1. Johann van der Merwe, "Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players", PubMed, CrossRef. ↩ ↩2

    2. Stephanie T Page, "Exogenous testosterone (T) alone or with finasteride increases physical performance, grip strength, and lean body mass in older men with low serum T", PubMed. ↩

    3. Naghii M.R., "The significance of dietary boron, with particular reference to its essentiality for humans", PubMed Central. ↩

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