A bottle of finasteride 5 mg tablets.

Can you still build muscle on finasteride?

by
  • You can still build muscle mass on finasteride.
  • Finasteride is unlikely to influence your ability to gain muscle.
  • Finasteride reduces dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, which has little direct anabolic effects on our muscle mass.
  • It can cause negative aftereffects that can hinder our ability to exercise hard such as headaches, dizziness, and muscle spasms.
 
 

 

 

Image of Proscar finasteride tablets.

Yes, you can still build muscle on finasteride since it’s unlikely to affect your ability to build muscle mass at all.

Finasteride is a medication primarily used to treat enlarged prostate glands and male pattern baldness by reducing the levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body. Fortunately, reducing DHT has very little direct anabolic effects on our muscle mass, which means it’s unlikely to influence your gains.

While there is no direct evidence to suggest that finasteride inhibits muscle growth, it may have some indirect effects that could potentially impact muscle development.

DHT is a hormone derived from testosterone and plays a role in the development of secondary sexual characteristics in males. Testosterone is an important hormone for muscle growth and maintenance. By reducing DHT levels, finasteride indirectly impacts the androgen signaling pathway, which could potentially impact the muscle-building processes.

However, it’s worth noting that the effects of finasteride on muscle growth are not well-studied, and the existing research does not provide definitive conclusions. Some anecdotal reports propose that individuals on finasteride have experienced reduced muscle strength or slower muscle gains, but this could be due to various factors and may not be solely attributed to the medication.

It’s possible to experience side effects such as dizziness and headaches that can affect your ability to work out and consequently, your capacity to gain size.

Does finasteride stop muscle growth?

Image of a man performing a dumbbell curl with his right arm.

Finasteride has not been shown to stop muscle growth, but can cause side effects that hinder your ability to train properly such as muscle spasms, dizziness, and headaches.

Does DHT affect muscle growth?

One particular study reported that inhibiting 5a-reductase, the enzyme that produces the androgen 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from testosterone does not significantly impact the muscle mass in men. Thus, DHT is unlikely to affect muscle growth, if at all.
 
While DHT is essential for getting the full performance benefits from testosterone, it actually has little direct anabolic effects on the muscle mass of men.
 

Final note

Image of a blackboard with the word “conclusions” written on it with white chalk.

Finasteride is unlikely to kill your gains, or affect your capacity to build muscle mass at all. Yet, it can cause some aftereffects such as headaches and dizziness that can influence your ability to train negatively in some rare instances.

Talk to your health care professional if you’re concerned about building muscle while taking finasteride. They can advise you about alternative treatments or adjustments to your current finasteride regimen to help you achieve your fitness goals while managing your medical condition.