What to expect from beta-sitosterol?

Hi guys

Is beta-sitosterol just as potent and effective as Finasteride? I am taking 125 mg two times a day.

I read somewhere (unfortunately I cannot remember where) that beta-sitosterol only lowers DHT locally around the prostate and follicles, so if I ever get my blood tested, I shouldn't expect to see an overall lowering of DHT. Is this correct?

Best,
Jim.

How long you been taking beta sit? I'm thinking of getting some.

For 5 days now.

Lambaugh wrote:Hi guys

Is beta-sitosterol just as potent and effective as Finasteride? I am taking 125 mg two times a day.

I read somewhere (unfortunately I cannot remember where) that beta-sitosterol only lowers DHT locally around the prostate and follicles, so if I ever get my blood tested, I shouldn't expect to see an overall lowering of DHT. Is this correct?

Best,
Jim.

Beta-sitosterol seems to displace estrogen (and to some extent DHT) from SHBG, thus increasing its metabolic clearance. It also balances the immune system, lowers LDL-cholesterol, and prevents cholesterol absorption in the intestines.

misterE wrote:

Lambaugh wrote:Hi guys

Is beta-sitosterol just as potent and effective as Finasteride? I am taking 125 mg two times a day.

I read somewhere (unfortunately I cannot remember where) that beta-sitosterol only lowers DHT locally around the prostate and follicles, so if I ever get my blood tested, I shouldn't expect to see an overall lowering of DHT. Is this correct?

Best,
Jim.

Beta-sitosterol seems to displace estrogen (and to some extent DHT) from SHBG, thus increasing its metabolic clearance. It also balances the immune system, lowers LDL-cholesterol, and prevents cholesterol absorption in the intestines.

So it is naive of me to believe that it can halt hairloss?

I saw a blog with pictures of a guy claiming to reverse hairloss with beta sit.

This has been covered before, fortunately.

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/natural-hair-regrowth-f1/beta-sitosterol-t1251.htm?highlight=beta+sis

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/natural-hair-regrowth-f1/beta-sis-saw-palmetto-t2076.htm?highlight=beta+sis

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/natural-hair-regrowth-f1/beta-sitosterol-regime-t1708.htm?highlight=beta+sis

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/natural-hair-regrowth-f1/immortal-why-no-beta-sis-t289.htm?highlight=beta+sis

Does it block 5ar?

I don't think so. Everyone seems to say it does but I've yet to see any evidence that it directly inhibits 5 alpha reductase. In fact on poster over at HLH got blood tests while on Beta-sitosterol and his DHT actually went up. I think it acts by blocking the receptor site. I had good results at stop shedding when using it in conjunction with finasteride but I wouldn't put any faith in it as a stand alone.

I experimented w/beta sit a while ago & it gave me side effects comparable to those of finasteride. Be careful with this stuff.

From my experience and readings, beta sitosterol will do nothing to stop your hair loss. In fact, it may actually increase your scalp inflammation, and cause side effects similar to those of Propecia users (e.g. loss of libido).

What do people think of it as a topical?

The Natural wrote:From my experience and readings, beta sitosterol will do nothing to stop your hair loss. In fact, it may actually increase your scalp inflammation, and cause side effects similar to those of Propecia users (e.g. loss of libido).

How could it possibly increase scalp inflammation? Anyway if causes sexual side effects, that means it is lowering/interfering with androgen activity which will benefit scalp hair.

As someone mentioned sides are comparable to fin, do the sides definitely cease once stopping using beta sit? Unlike fin in some cases.

baller234 wrote:How could it possibly increase scalp inflammation? Anyway if causes sexual side effects, that means it is lowering/interfering with androgen activity which will benefit scalp hair.

If I recall correctly (from the numerous comments that I read at Regrowth), many posters complained of increased itching when using high doses (say over 2-300 mg. per day) of beta sitosterol. It's one of the reasons IH dropped it.

I don't think itching or inflammation for that matter is always a bad thing. Inflammation is involved in wound healing. Have you ever noticed when a cut is healing it often itches? When I was on high doses of oral Spironolactone and finasteride, I had intense itching after applying copper peptides and yet I got tons of regrowth.

The Natural wrote:From my experience and readings, beta sitosterol will do nothing to stop your hair loss. In fact, it may actually increase your scalp inflammation, and cause side effects similar to those of Propecia users (e.g. loss of libido).

If that is the case, then why on earth is CS recommending it for younger people? https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/natural-hair-regrowth-f1/buying-beta-sitosterol-t3586.htm?highlight=beta

baller,

Apparently, this "itchiness" was unbearable for these people. And in many cases, it was followed by the shedding of hair. Again, from my readings, I am inclined to believe that this (scalp) itchiness/shedding is not a good thing.


Lambaugh,

It is not a question of if "that is the case." Unfortunately, it is the case. I believe IH now recommends a small dosage of beta sitosterol for young people.

Yeah CS, recommended I take low dose beta sit. So does beta sit internal or external do nothing for hair?

tooyoung - what is classed as a small dose? also what brand beta sit do you use?

The Natural wrote:It is not a question of if "that is the case." Unfortunately, it is the case. I believe IH now recommends a small dosage of beta sitosterol for young people.

Why only for young people? And for the record, I still don't understand why IH recommends beta sitosterol if it doesn't do anything.

Best,
Jim.

I won't speak for CS but maybe he recommends it because it *may* help young people, despite its potentially negative side effects in sensitive users.

With finasteride, side effects can appear almost overnight. Plus, with all the negative attention it gets on the forums, there's a nacebo factor too. Its side effects are sensational and alarming. The side effects with beta sit, on the other hand, tend to be gradual and insidious.

Intothewest- 50-100mg, I haven't actually ordered any yet, i'm waiting until nid and CS's supplement line comes out before deciding what to do. If beta sit does nothing for hair loss I won't get any of that, but it must do something or CS wouldn't recommend it.

Somebody said ketoconazole works synergystically or something with beta sit, would crushing some tabs of beta sit into a bottle of nizoral make the shampoo more beneficial to my hair?

I also experiencing some itching, but I also dermaroll, so... I dont think that itch and shedding are always a sign of recession; in fact, finasteride and other hair regrowth/maintenance agents, tend to cause sheds in their users. I´ve been using beta-sitosterol for quite a while (6 months), but last month I raised the dosage to 113mg twice per day.

I can see a lot of little hairs around my hairline, like a shadow of a hairline that i´ve a lost quite a while ago - so it´s difficult to say that it´s regrowing hair; I never know if those little dark hairs and vellus are regrowth or recession.

Never liked beta sitosterol.

It's from the old days of hair loss when people just randomly blocked DHT and didn't know what to do.