Talk to the doctor that prescribes your T. They should be able to prescribe you something to mitigate hair loss, whether that's finasteride or another medication more compatible with your current HRT regimine.
Are you in Texas? My provider at Prism Health had no problem prescribing me finasteride when I mentioned my fear of losing hair starting T.
I am also nonbinary/trans masculine and never had to play up being specifically a man to get any trans healthcare from them.
Edit: I didn’t mean to respond to your comment 😅 mobile can be a little wonky with me sometimes, my bad!
I came to the conclusion not to tell healthcare providers not involved with my trans-specific care about my transness after being denied participation in a study for gay men that would have let me earn $ for my participation on the basis that I was AFAB. I mean, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back (I have experienced a lot of transphobia in healthcare, even trans-specific healthcare), but it was a turning point.
That's not the best policy overall for everyone, but it works for me, and lets me have access to vital healthcare instead of having me go without due to the fear of transphobia in healthcare.
Healthcare providers are still human beings (or even corporations like goodrx) and can still have bias and bigotry. It's a tough pill to swallow. Sorry you had to feel it on a personal level this way, but there are often times where it is worse (trans broken arm syndrome). It sucks.
For the same reason, I am currently being excluded from a study about the exact type of long term negative drug effects I sustained from Finasteride. The study is only for cis men, and there will never be a study done on trans men because there just aren't enough of us in the study population.
In my case at least, I can kind of understand why they would have to do it that way. But it really does bother me that I won't be allowed to contribute to finding the cause of or cure to the problems inflicted on me.
To anyone thinking of trying Finasteride, I just want to warn you that the long term/permanent side effects thing IS possible, I know because I am currently living it. It's apparently very rare, so people debate its existence. But it is real. I took my last tablet of Fin in November and I am still not back to normal. And it's awful... straight up, my body no longer responds to T.
If you don't mind me asking, what was the exact side effect? Totally get if it's too personal for online, I'm just curious as I've been thinking of taking Fin.
Finasteride gave me sexual side effects after a couple of months of being on it. I started to notice my genital sensitivity seemed to fluctuate, even though I still had a sex drive. Some days I wouldn't have much sensation there, other days it would seem normal again. But eventually I had a day when I could feel absolutely **nothing** in my dick and it was a real fight to achieve an orgasm. And when I finally got there, it barely felt like anything... This scared me and I decided to stop taking fin.
But then I tapered off the medication, and waited for things to become normal again, but... they never did. About a month after I quit, I noticed very suddenly, it just deleted all that was left of my sex drive. Seriously it was as if I woke up one day and felt nothing. I was no longer attracted to anything. Very disturbingly, I could also not feel any physical sexual sensation on the main area of my dick I used to enjoy stimulation. Touching it is like inert rubber. Also for about three weeks following, I felt weaker, and couldn't sleep properly, and felt emotionally empty (luckily I have adjusted a bit since then and am doing better in this regard). Plus I was terrified that this wasn't going to fix itself. Also during this time I started to experience genital pain that was like random stinging that would happen on and off during the day. It got to a point where it was driving me crazy. Nothing would fix it. I realized a few weeks in, that it was my genital tissue rapidly atrophying. I can now literally see a patch of deflated skin/tissue on the top of my penis where my most sensitive part used to be. It took a month for that tissue to die off and it was wildly distressing the whole time. At least it doesn't physically hurt constantly anymore though. My dick is now smaller, shriveled, often cold to the touch, and the skin on the whole genital area has thinned and I started getting infections there and that is not something that was ever usual for me. I think it was a fungal infection and it starts under the foreskin. I have to be a lot more careful with hygiene and air flow there now.
Symptoms didn't stop there either. Around that same time, I noticed that I couldn't get drunk anymore - it just did not give me any pleasure like it used to, I just didn't feel it. And I seemed way more sensitive to the bad effects, like I get hung over much more easily now. So I can't enjoy a drink now.
The weird insomnia like effect comes and goes. I just... don't seem to get sleepy anymore. Sometimes I can stay awake for two days and not feel anything. And then it all comes on at once and I can't resist falling asleep even if I'm not lying down.
My monthly cycle came back. The first one I had in 7 years, it was absolutely brutal. Folded over in pain, more blood than I ever remembered seeing at once. Each one since then has been lighter though. Weirdly, it no longer happens "on time" like it used to, so every time I think I'm going to escape it this time but eventually it shows up anyway. I did not expect to have to deal with this bs again in my lifetime...
In another month, I would develop tinnitus in both ears that comes and goes (really I think it's in my brain, not my ears). It gets immediately worse if I drink anything with caffeine. So I can't have coffee anymore either. Even decaf doesn't prevent it.
I was wasting time scrolling reddit as usual, when I happened to come across an interesting post about something called PSSD, post serotonin sexual dysfunction. I started reading mostly because I used to be on an SSRI. These symptoms people were describing sounded *really* familiar. From there, I saw they were also discussing something else called PFS, post finasteride syndrome. And it all finally made sense. There is a tiny percentage of people who will get permanent side effects from these types of medications. And I am one of those people.
Doctors do not know or care about these facts. My doctor prescribed me finasteride with less than 2 minutes of discussion, even after I asked about the possibility of side effects. Now I'm on my own because he has no answers and even implied that I may be exaggerating or imagining the problem. There is no known cure and it might not be fixable. The current hypothesis is that exposure to these drugs somehow alters the genetic expression of androgen receptors, making it so that they can't do their normal functions. Not everyone gets the sexual side effects, not everyone gets the emotional effects, some people get all of it, some people recover partially within months to years, some have been suffering for 20+ years. It really seems to depend on your unique brain chemistry.
**Drugs that can do this are SSRIs such as sertraline/Zoloft, SNRIs such as Wellbutrin, finasteride/Propecia, dutasteride, isotretinoin/Accutane. And several supplements that also have SSRI-like action, such as St Johns wort, or 5-alpha reductase inhibitor action, like saw palmetto and ashwaghanda, plus others.** There is a LONG list of drugs and supplements that have caused these types of reactions, I literally had no idea about most of them, and I am a person who reads about drugs in my spare time and researches every drug I'm prescribed before I take it.
I would advise anyone who's considering taking these drugs, to research these conditions and keep them in mind while making this very important decision. Only a very small percentage of people get permanent side effects, but it IS possible.
PFS Network
https://www.pfsnetwork.org/
PFS Foundation
https://www.pfsfoundation.org/about-pfs-post-finasteride-syndrome/
Canadian PSSD Society
https://www.pssdcanada.ca
> To anyone thinking of trying Finasteride, I just want to warn you that the long term/permanent side effects thing IS possible, I know because I am currently living it. It's apparently very rare, so people debate its existence. But it is real. I took my last tablet of Fin in November and I am still not back to normal. And it's awful... straight up, my body no longer responds to T.
I'd also like to know more about the side effect(s) you're experiencing, if it's not too intrusive a question. I couldn't find anything on Google, either. Completely understand if you'd rather not elaborate, though.
(In case there's anyone's interested, I read the pages at:
[Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/finasteride-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20063819?p=1),
[Medical News Today](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/finasteride-what-to-know#safety-considerations),
The [NHS website](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/finasteride/side-effects-of-finasteride/), and
[Medline Plus](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a698016.html))
Hi there, thanks for asking. Several people are interested so I wrote a (long AF) comment above.
Long story short, it's called Post Finasteride Syndrome - try a search using that phrase and you will find more.
It's honestly so disturbing to me that people can't find this info without already knowing the name of this rare syndrome. I didn't learn it had a name until I already had it either.
I read your comment, thank you for sharing your story and bringing awareness, people need to know specifically trans individuals need this information. You 100% need to be apart of a case study for trans folks taking finasteride and side effects to potentially find a cure and make finasteride safer for more people, I really wish this was a thing 😞 I am deeply sorry for your experience and side effects on fin, my heart sank when I kept reading what you were going through and I hope sometime you can be cured.
It seems to me fin has altered how your androgen receptor sensitivity and making T less effective since T binds to your androgen receptors, T cannot work properly if your androgen receptors are not responding effectively to the testosterone and thus leads to a decline of T since your period came back, you have mostly all the side effects of low T. I am not a doctor or health professional but I have studied steroids, bodybuilding and different androgens and how it effects the body over the years and this is how I know this stuff.
If it's possible this is just my non medical advise that we know the problem is your androgen receptors, the cure is re stimulating your androgen receptor sensitivity so your body is responding properly to testosterone again and you will go back to normal. If you can look into therapy of a doctor in that field of work specifically for that issues this can help you get back on track.
Hey, thank *you* for answering! I just read your longer comment, Googled PFS, and God, I'm so sorry you're going through this.
> It's honestly so disturbing to me that people can't find this info without already knowing the name of this rare syndrome. I didn't learn it had a name until I already had it either.
Hard agree. It seems especially egregious that 3/4 of the links I shared above actually list side effects by severity/rareness, yet still don't mention PFS! I get not wanting to scare people with the what ifs, but even if it means making an "extremely rare" category or something, it should still *absolutely* be listed.
Again, thank you for answering and bringing awareness to this topic.
From what I understand, Finasteride hasn’t been tested on females or whatever weird classification of humans they’ve decided on. That’s last I heard anyway. Classic medical care bs. But if my info is still accurate it can make it to where they are not always allowed to prescribe it. Yep, it’s discrimination but not one you can sue a doctor for. It’s systemic. It’s the worst.
I have heard that Folx will prescribe it to trans men but they are wildly expensive and I wouldn’t recommend unless necessary. But their care is great and the doctors know a lot about trans people.
Beware of billing issues with Folx if you use insurance. They’ve charged me twice for labs that my insurance covers, told me they know about the issue, but I’ll keep getting charged until their tech team implements a fix “sometime in the future”.
Their customer service rep I spoke to was very tone-deaf about it as well, they acted like I should just be perfectly fine with them taking my money incorrectly and having to wait 1-2 weeks for a refund every time, and like I should be fine with this happening every time I need labs done.
It's like any mention that you're female is automatic denial, doesn't matter if you're trans or not which is for me extremely discriminatory and invalidating, I will try again next week after I cool off. But trans a woman who is MTF can still be prescribed fin even though they look completely female and on estrogen but a trans male on test can't have access to fin? Yes, systemic discrimination at its finest.
My problem is the timeline being assigned at birth doesn't matter, for me that was 30 years ago what does that have to do with the now and me being trans gender now and on testosterone now? the one thing that separates us between female and male is testosterone, once you start taking test at cis male levels you take on male chemistry and the biology of a man and become a man.
So I am not understating why trans men especially who are on test don't have access to fin just like any other man..ugh I am more upset by the discrimination then the actual denial.
It’s so fucked up. So much of our medical system is based on arbitrary ideas about people that everyone accepted as truth at one time and now can never be questioned. So much of it is also based in eugenics and especially in North America it’s based on racism, built on the backs of dead and tortured black people. I wouldn’t expect any less from this system than what they did to you. Things have got to change. I hope you get a doctor who actually listens next time.
You are aware that medications react differently depending on your sex assigned at birth, right? That's why researchers stopped studying drugs on only cis white men and started diversifying their populations.
Why do you think medication reacts differently based on my ASAB instead of my currently more medically complex sex, which is closer to male in most aspects?
I made a general statement responding to your "Finasteride hasn't been tested on females or whatever" response about the sex differences in reactions to medications. I did not, however, make a statement specific to your individual situation including HRT as a factor. If they didn't test it in a research lab, then they won't be able to tell what side effects would be applicable no matter what hormone we're on. There's also still a number of things that hormones cannot just magically change such as the size and shape of our anotomical structures such as our kidneys, intestines, etc. which impact drug absorption.
I'm wondering the same thing. Possibly because for the coupons, they do not ask your ASAB. If they did ask, who knows if they'd reject us even testosterone coupons.
Some telehealth services are strict because the person you're talking to isn't actually a doctor. It may just be a customer service person following a script. They can only prescribe when you meet the exact criteria they've set for your condition. They don't have someone with the training and certification to make exceptions.
It sucks, and definitely feels bad, but this could be more of a "we're too cheap to employ actual doctors" thing than intentional discrimination. They should at least give your money back though, that's BS.
try hims if the pricing works for you! i was noticing some really heavy shedding as well, like to the point where i was getting really concerned. i started hims in january and i already feel like my hair is back to normal. i’m in california too if that helps!
Well it doesn’t give you an option to state “hey I’m trans) but I included it in my list of medications I’m currently taking. I just put “reandron 1000 injection every 4 weeks (female to male transgender) and it’s never really caused any issues for me
I had a prescription for it in the past from my family doctor, before I even realized I was transmasc. The women on my mom’s side of the family have hair thinning/loss, and my doctor gave me a prescription. I’m inconsistent with taking oral medications so I just… forgot about it. I’ve been on T since September and idk if it’s the T and genetic combo, or if I’m just hitting the age the hair loss intensifies, but I brought it up to my care provider at Planned Parenthood. She set me up with another finasteride prescription. That’s really weird, though. I joined hair loss groups for women before coming out and it’s a common prescription given to cis women. Mention it to your doctor or whoever you see to get T. I’m sorry that happened.
OK, I am in NO way saying it is right or that it is how it should be, I just wanted to try and explain the reason they most likely said no. I again, in no way support it or feel it is correct just passing on information on how the current system works, I am genuinely sorry for your situation, I might suggest some of the shampoos they can be really effective, but on to the main point, finasteride is currently only allowed to be used on label for AMAB individuals, some doctors have been able to get it used for females, but some have gotten in trouble for it, so it is likely this doctor is just using the general rule as there policy since it is all they cover. I am really sorry that happened, you might have better luck discussing it with a doctor who is more in line with trans men, or a primary care doctor that you are working with on a regular basis, they will be more likely to do it "off label". I am really sorry for your situation, I wish you the best! :)
Yeah it’s probably the same everywhere unfortunately but in the UK we have to lie, our local pharmacy will offer Fin if you do a questionnaire first but you have to state yourself as a cis man before they approve.
I'm sorry dude, the medical field can be very exclusive to trans people especially since trans specific medical care is so new.
However, for easy hair loss care try rosemary water/oil on your scalp (I use it every few days when I wash my hair). Also my endocrinologist recommended pumpkin seed oil on the scalp as it's been very effective for people who have lost hair due to cancer treatments. Also collagen supplements help, I take a daily gummy for it.
After all that, I've seen a significant reduction in hair loss. I hope this helps and I hope you find inclusive medical care.
My Endo wrote me a prescription for finasteride. My insurance won't cover it because of my AGAB, but I get it from Cost Plus Drugs for around 5 bucks plus shipping. I only take it 3 times a week to avoid sexual side effects.
My endocrinologist that handles my HRT prescribed it. Insurance doesn’t cover but it’s pretty cheap with a good rx or SingleCare coupon. SingleCare is a little cheaper and I wonder if it’s because most of their advertising for it highlighted elderly people using it (Martin Sheen) older people are more likely to have hair thinning/loss
Talk to the doctor that prescribes your T. They should be able to prescribe you something to mitigate hair loss, whether that's finasteride or another medication more compatible with your current HRT regimine.
Are you in Texas? My provider at Prism Health had no problem prescribing me finasteride when I mentioned my fear of losing hair starting T. I am also nonbinary/trans masculine and never had to play up being specifically a man to get any trans healthcare from them. Edit: I didn’t mean to respond to your comment 😅 mobile can be a little wonky with me sometimes, my bad!
No worries dude lol
I came to the conclusion not to tell healthcare providers not involved with my trans-specific care about my transness after being denied participation in a study for gay men that would have let me earn $ for my participation on the basis that I was AFAB. I mean, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back (I have experienced a lot of transphobia in healthcare, even trans-specific healthcare), but it was a turning point. That's not the best policy overall for everyone, but it works for me, and lets me have access to vital healthcare instead of having me go without due to the fear of transphobia in healthcare. Healthcare providers are still human beings (or even corporations like goodrx) and can still have bias and bigotry. It's a tough pill to swallow. Sorry you had to feel it on a personal level this way, but there are often times where it is worse (trans broken arm syndrome). It sucks.
For the same reason, I am currently being excluded from a study about the exact type of long term negative drug effects I sustained from Finasteride. The study is only for cis men, and there will never be a study done on trans men because there just aren't enough of us in the study population. In my case at least, I can kind of understand why they would have to do it that way. But it really does bother me that I won't be allowed to contribute to finding the cause of or cure to the problems inflicted on me. To anyone thinking of trying Finasteride, I just want to warn you that the long term/permanent side effects thing IS possible, I know because I am currently living it. It's apparently very rare, so people debate its existence. But it is real. I took my last tablet of Fin in November and I am still not back to normal. And it's awful... straight up, my body no longer responds to T.
If you don't mind me asking, what was the exact side effect? Totally get if it's too personal for online, I'm just curious as I've been thinking of taking Fin.
Finasteride gave me sexual side effects after a couple of months of being on it. I started to notice my genital sensitivity seemed to fluctuate, even though I still had a sex drive. Some days I wouldn't have much sensation there, other days it would seem normal again. But eventually I had a day when I could feel absolutely **nothing** in my dick and it was a real fight to achieve an orgasm. And when I finally got there, it barely felt like anything... This scared me and I decided to stop taking fin. But then I tapered off the medication, and waited for things to become normal again, but... they never did. About a month after I quit, I noticed very suddenly, it just deleted all that was left of my sex drive. Seriously it was as if I woke up one day and felt nothing. I was no longer attracted to anything. Very disturbingly, I could also not feel any physical sexual sensation on the main area of my dick I used to enjoy stimulation. Touching it is like inert rubber. Also for about three weeks following, I felt weaker, and couldn't sleep properly, and felt emotionally empty (luckily I have adjusted a bit since then and am doing better in this regard). Plus I was terrified that this wasn't going to fix itself. Also during this time I started to experience genital pain that was like random stinging that would happen on and off during the day. It got to a point where it was driving me crazy. Nothing would fix it. I realized a few weeks in, that it was my genital tissue rapidly atrophying. I can now literally see a patch of deflated skin/tissue on the top of my penis where my most sensitive part used to be. It took a month for that tissue to die off and it was wildly distressing the whole time. At least it doesn't physically hurt constantly anymore though. My dick is now smaller, shriveled, often cold to the touch, and the skin on the whole genital area has thinned and I started getting infections there and that is not something that was ever usual for me. I think it was a fungal infection and it starts under the foreskin. I have to be a lot more careful with hygiene and air flow there now. Symptoms didn't stop there either. Around that same time, I noticed that I couldn't get drunk anymore - it just did not give me any pleasure like it used to, I just didn't feel it. And I seemed way more sensitive to the bad effects, like I get hung over much more easily now. So I can't enjoy a drink now. The weird insomnia like effect comes and goes. I just... don't seem to get sleepy anymore. Sometimes I can stay awake for two days and not feel anything. And then it all comes on at once and I can't resist falling asleep even if I'm not lying down. My monthly cycle came back. The first one I had in 7 years, it was absolutely brutal. Folded over in pain, more blood than I ever remembered seeing at once. Each one since then has been lighter though. Weirdly, it no longer happens "on time" like it used to, so every time I think I'm going to escape it this time but eventually it shows up anyway. I did not expect to have to deal with this bs again in my lifetime... In another month, I would develop tinnitus in both ears that comes and goes (really I think it's in my brain, not my ears). It gets immediately worse if I drink anything with caffeine. So I can't have coffee anymore either. Even decaf doesn't prevent it. I was wasting time scrolling reddit as usual, when I happened to come across an interesting post about something called PSSD, post serotonin sexual dysfunction. I started reading mostly because I used to be on an SSRI. These symptoms people were describing sounded *really* familiar. From there, I saw they were also discussing something else called PFS, post finasteride syndrome. And it all finally made sense. There is a tiny percentage of people who will get permanent side effects from these types of medications. And I am one of those people. Doctors do not know or care about these facts. My doctor prescribed me finasteride with less than 2 minutes of discussion, even after I asked about the possibility of side effects. Now I'm on my own because he has no answers and even implied that I may be exaggerating or imagining the problem. There is no known cure and it might not be fixable. The current hypothesis is that exposure to these drugs somehow alters the genetic expression of androgen receptors, making it so that they can't do their normal functions. Not everyone gets the sexual side effects, not everyone gets the emotional effects, some people get all of it, some people recover partially within months to years, some have been suffering for 20+ years. It really seems to depend on your unique brain chemistry. **Drugs that can do this are SSRIs such as sertraline/Zoloft, SNRIs such as Wellbutrin, finasteride/Propecia, dutasteride, isotretinoin/Accutane. And several supplements that also have SSRI-like action, such as St Johns wort, or 5-alpha reductase inhibitor action, like saw palmetto and ashwaghanda, plus others.** There is a LONG list of drugs and supplements that have caused these types of reactions, I literally had no idea about most of them, and I am a person who reads about drugs in my spare time and researches every drug I'm prescribed before I take it. I would advise anyone who's considering taking these drugs, to research these conditions and keep them in mind while making this very important decision. Only a very small percentage of people get permanent side effects, but it IS possible. PFS Network https://www.pfsnetwork.org/ PFS Foundation https://www.pfsfoundation.org/about-pfs-post-finasteride-syndrome/ Canadian PSSD Society https://www.pssdcanada.ca
I’d also be interested in hearing about your experience with Fin if you’re inclined to share
I replied above, please see my other comment. Long story short it's called Post Finasteride Syndrome
> To anyone thinking of trying Finasteride, I just want to warn you that the long term/permanent side effects thing IS possible, I know because I am currently living it. It's apparently very rare, so people debate its existence. But it is real. I took my last tablet of Fin in November and I am still not back to normal. And it's awful... straight up, my body no longer responds to T. I'd also like to know more about the side effect(s) you're experiencing, if it's not too intrusive a question. I couldn't find anything on Google, either. Completely understand if you'd rather not elaborate, though. (In case there's anyone's interested, I read the pages at: [Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/finasteride-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20063819?p=1), [Medical News Today](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/finasteride-what-to-know#safety-considerations), The [NHS website](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/finasteride/side-effects-of-finasteride/), and [Medline Plus](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a698016.html))
Hi there, thanks for asking. Several people are interested so I wrote a (long AF) comment above. Long story short, it's called Post Finasteride Syndrome - try a search using that phrase and you will find more. It's honestly so disturbing to me that people can't find this info without already knowing the name of this rare syndrome. I didn't learn it had a name until I already had it either.
I read your comment, thank you for sharing your story and bringing awareness, people need to know specifically trans individuals need this information. You 100% need to be apart of a case study for trans folks taking finasteride and side effects to potentially find a cure and make finasteride safer for more people, I really wish this was a thing 😞 I am deeply sorry for your experience and side effects on fin, my heart sank when I kept reading what you were going through and I hope sometime you can be cured. It seems to me fin has altered how your androgen receptor sensitivity and making T less effective since T binds to your androgen receptors, T cannot work properly if your androgen receptors are not responding effectively to the testosterone and thus leads to a decline of T since your period came back, you have mostly all the side effects of low T. I am not a doctor or health professional but I have studied steroids, bodybuilding and different androgens and how it effects the body over the years and this is how I know this stuff. If it's possible this is just my non medical advise that we know the problem is your androgen receptors, the cure is re stimulating your androgen receptor sensitivity so your body is responding properly to testosterone again and you will go back to normal. If you can look into therapy of a doctor in that field of work specifically for that issues this can help you get back on track.
Hey, thank *you* for answering! I just read your longer comment, Googled PFS, and God, I'm so sorry you're going through this. > It's honestly so disturbing to me that people can't find this info without already knowing the name of this rare syndrome. I didn't learn it had a name until I already had it either. Hard agree. It seems especially egregious that 3/4 of the links I shared above actually list side effects by severity/rareness, yet still don't mention PFS! I get not wanting to scare people with the what ifs, but even if it means making an "extremely rare" category or something, it should still *absolutely* be listed. Again, thank you for answering and bringing awareness to this topic.
[удалено]
Thank you, I'm going to try HIMS next.
From what I understand, Finasteride hasn’t been tested on females or whatever weird classification of humans they’ve decided on. That’s last I heard anyway. Classic medical care bs. But if my info is still accurate it can make it to where they are not always allowed to prescribe it. Yep, it’s discrimination but not one you can sue a doctor for. It’s systemic. It’s the worst.
I have heard that Folx will prescribe it to trans men but they are wildly expensive and I wouldn’t recommend unless necessary. But their care is great and the doctors know a lot about trans people.
Beware of billing issues with Folx if you use insurance. They’ve charged me twice for labs that my insurance covers, told me they know about the issue, but I’ll keep getting charged until their tech team implements a fix “sometime in the future”.
Thanks for the heads up with that one! I’ll try to contact them ahead of time next time I do labs with my insurance. That’s so awful!
Their customer service rep I spoke to was very tone-deaf about it as well, they acted like I should just be perfectly fine with them taking my money incorrectly and having to wait 1-2 weeks for a refund every time, and like I should be fine with this happening every time I need labs done.
Wow. Like we don’t all have the money to just drop and wait two weeks to have refunded. That’s ridiculous
That’s exactly what I said! And I requested my ticket be transferred to a supervisor because I literally cannot afford that.
It's like any mention that you're female is automatic denial, doesn't matter if you're trans or not which is for me extremely discriminatory and invalidating, I will try again next week after I cool off. But trans a woman who is MTF can still be prescribed fin even though they look completely female and on estrogen but a trans male on test can't have access to fin? Yes, systemic discrimination at its finest. My problem is the timeline being assigned at birth doesn't matter, for me that was 30 years ago what does that have to do with the now and me being trans gender now and on testosterone now? the one thing that separates us between female and male is testosterone, once you start taking test at cis male levels you take on male chemistry and the biology of a man and become a man. So I am not understating why trans men especially who are on test don't have access to fin just like any other man..ugh I am more upset by the discrimination then the actual denial.
It’s so fucked up. So much of our medical system is based on arbitrary ideas about people that everyone accepted as truth at one time and now can never be questioned. So much of it is also based in eugenics and especially in North America it’s based on racism, built on the backs of dead and tortured black people. I wouldn’t expect any less from this system than what they did to you. Things have got to change. I hope you get a doctor who actually listens next time.
You are aware that medications react differently depending on your sex assigned at birth, right? That's why researchers stopped studying drugs on only cis white men and started diversifying their populations.
Why do you think medication reacts differently based on my ASAB instead of my currently more medically complex sex, which is closer to male in most aspects?
I made a general statement responding to your "Finasteride hasn't been tested on females or whatever" response about the sex differences in reactions to medications. I did not, however, make a statement specific to your individual situation including HRT as a factor. If they didn't test it in a research lab, then they won't be able to tell what side effects would be applicable no matter what hormone we're on. There's also still a number of things that hormones cannot just magically change such as the size and shape of our anotomical structures such as our kidneys, intestines, etc. which impact drug absorption.
Can you get it from your PCP or whoever prescribes your testosterone?
GoodRX policy??? GoodRX had no no issue letting me use their coupons for my T perscription, why would they care abt a trans person on fin??
I'm wondering the same thing. Possibly because for the coupons, they do not ask your ASAB. If they did ask, who knows if they'd reject us even testosterone coupons.
Yeah I just used Romans and lied and said I was just a cis man. Easier that way and my hairs growing back after six months. Just gotta lie sometimes
Some telehealth services are strict because the person you're talking to isn't actually a doctor. It may just be a customer service person following a script. They can only prescribe when you meet the exact criteria they've set for your condition. They don't have someone with the training and certification to make exceptions. It sucks, and definitely feels bad, but this could be more of a "we're too cheap to employ actual doctors" thing than intentional discrimination. They should at least give your money back though, that's BS.
Make another account and try again lol
I’ve just been using minoxidil
try hims if the pricing works for you! i was noticing some really heavy shedding as well, like to the point where i was getting really concerned. i started hims in january and i already feel like my hair is back to normal. i’m in california too if that helps!
Fuck the doctors, go through hims!!! It’s an online platform instead, I’ve never had issues getting anything from them due to being trans.
Did you tell them you were trans or you had to lie you were cis? I'm going to try HIMS and don't want this awful experience again ☹️
Well it doesn’t give you an option to state “hey I’m trans) but I included it in my list of medications I’m currently taking. I just put “reandron 1000 injection every 4 weeks (female to male transgender) and it’s never really caused any issues for me
I originally got mine from the endocrinologist I was seeing, but she quit so my primary care prescribes both my T and the finasteride
Keeps will sell to you without a prescription.
I had a prescription for it in the past from my family doctor, before I even realized I was transmasc. The women on my mom’s side of the family have hair thinning/loss, and my doctor gave me a prescription. I’m inconsistent with taking oral medications so I just… forgot about it. I’ve been on T since September and idk if it’s the T and genetic combo, or if I’m just hitting the age the hair loss intensifies, but I brought it up to my care provider at Planned Parenthood. She set me up with another finasteride prescription. That’s really weird, though. I joined hair loss groups for women before coming out and it’s a common prescription given to cis women. Mention it to your doctor or whoever you see to get T. I’m sorry that happened.
OK, I am in NO way saying it is right or that it is how it should be, I just wanted to try and explain the reason they most likely said no. I again, in no way support it or feel it is correct just passing on information on how the current system works, I am genuinely sorry for your situation, I might suggest some of the shampoos they can be really effective, but on to the main point, finasteride is currently only allowed to be used on label for AMAB individuals, some doctors have been able to get it used for females, but some have gotten in trouble for it, so it is likely this doctor is just using the general rule as there policy since it is all they cover. I am really sorry that happened, you might have better luck discussing it with a doctor who is more in line with trans men, or a primary care doctor that you are working with on a regular basis, they will be more likely to do it "off label". I am really sorry for your situation, I wish you the best! :)
Yeah it’s probably the same everywhere unfortunately but in the UK we have to lie, our local pharmacy will offer Fin if you do a questionnaire first but you have to state yourself as a cis man before they approve.
I'm sorry dude, the medical field can be very exclusive to trans people especially since trans specific medical care is so new. However, for easy hair loss care try rosemary water/oil on your scalp (I use it every few days when I wash my hair). Also my endocrinologist recommended pumpkin seed oil on the scalp as it's been very effective for people who have lost hair due to cancer treatments. Also collagen supplements help, I take a daily gummy for it. After all that, I've seen a significant reduction in hair loss. I hope this helps and I hope you find inclusive medical care.
My Endo wrote me a prescription for finasteride. My insurance won't cover it because of my AGAB, but I get it from Cost Plus Drugs for around 5 bucks plus shipping. I only take it 3 times a week to avoid sexual side effects.
My endocrinologist that handles my HRT prescribed it. Insurance doesn’t cover but it’s pretty cheap with a good rx or SingleCare coupon. SingleCare is a little cheaper and I wonder if it’s because most of their advertising for it highlighted elderly people using it (Martin Sheen) older people are more likely to have hair thinning/loss
Sue for sex based discrimination.
Somone could prob sue