Are finasteride's side effects REALLY worse than what Merck claims?

[stampede]

stampede have you given up your hair fight? bald and happy?

Yes fella, I have, I decided a while ago that there was too much hair lost for it to ever look reasonable - I started treatments too late.

So I shaved my head and have come to terms with my baldness.

Would still rather have hair but there's no point having half a head of it IMO.

 

[Guest]

stampede have you given up your hair fight? bald and happy?

Yes fella, I have, I decided a while ago that there was too much hair lost for it to ever look reasonable - I started treatments too late.

So I shaved my head and have come to terms with my baldness.

Would still rather have hair but there's no point having half a head of it IMO.

If it suits you man thats good.Get in the gym and get a tan and you should be set.

 

[stampede]

It doesn't really suit me though, that's the problem lol...

But the gym and the tan certainly do help.

 

[Guest]

But you said your happy,Thats all that counts.

 

[stampede]

But you said your happy,Thats all that counts.

I'm sort of resigned to it, and the relief that comes from that is a sort of happiness. Being bald is certainly not the end of the world.

I would still rather have my hair though, and am pleased for other people who manage to win the fight against hair loss

 

[Guest]

Do you feel liberated in a way because its not constantly on your mind?

 

[stampede]

Do you feel liberated in a way because its not constantly on your mind?

I still think how nice it would be to have a full head of hair; so it's not as if it's off my mind completely.

But I do feel liberated from unrealistic hopes about hairloss treatments and have come to accept myself with a shaved head

 

[abcdefg]

Its pretty obvious not all men posting about problems are making it up. Clearly propecia can cause problems which any medication can when it tries to fix a problem.

 

[FreeloaderUK]

as someone going through the early stages of hairloss I can say & im sure most will agree with me that it puts a HUGE weight on your shoulders.

I never used to have a problem with mirrors- now I do, I just cant help myself from looking at my hairline.

washing ones hair is a problem too- ur just looking for hairs all the time.

Styling the hair is a problem- atm im going thru the early stages so a bit of a fringe & im ok (for now) but I used to like spiking my hair up, now im self-conscious about doing it.

also as someone who wears glasses im now thinking more about laser-eye surgery, since being bald & wearing glasses puts you way down on a girls list. ive always wanted laser-eye surgery- but i guess its more on my priority list now. my optometrist says as soon as I turn 21 I should be good for it- so ill probly do that.

with regards to the topic- ive been taking finasteride for only a month & the only side effect ive had is acne. i stopped getting acne about 6months ago (ive only just turned 20) but the propecia has caused it to flare up again. ive got the usual acne meds to take so ill see if that puts it under control.

 

[ali777]

Back to the original subject. I used finasteride for about 10 days in June and I had all sorts of side effects, and I decided it wasn't worth it.

I've read somewhere that people experiencing the testicular pain on finasteride, can try again at another time and see no effects at all. So, I decided to take a break from finasteride and start again. I'm on my 10th day of low dose finasteride and apart from lack of libido I have no side effects. The lack of libido isn't a problem at the moment, and I hope it is a temporary thing. If my libido doesn't come back in the next 10-15 days, I might forget finasteride for good...

I don't know why I'm telling you this... I thought the subject is somehow relevant.

 

[bubka]

Sounds like more anecdotal evidence that supports this study.

 

[RP3X]

Having been on finasteride for 1 month now I can say ive had the odd slight ache in my happy sack but only for a few seconds.

I am not sure either but I have felt more tired/run down and circles around eyes however I have also been working like a donkey past month not to mention erradict sleeping patterns !

I had tad more spots/pimples on face but they sorta come and go....

Sexualy well wish I had a young lady here to take care of me alas I aint had any issues there.....however I dont mind having that issue

Its a catch 21 situation frankly u want hair and to look good and enjoy playing with pussy cats, or u just go bald and enjoy your happy comfortable sack.

 

[ali777]

I am not sure either but I have felt more tired/run down and circles around eyes however I have also been working like a donkey past month not to mention erradict sleeping patterns !

I think that's a side effect of minoxidil?? I have that too, but I thought that's from minoxidil and not finasteride.

It's nothing major.

 

[Guest]

Ofcourse they are worse than what merck claims....Remember Vioxxx?

 

[medmax84]

Yeah... and I may eat these words in a couple of days when I start finasteride, but DHT hormonal stimulation is an extremely small aspect of sexual function, if it is at all.

Hormones PREDISPOSE you to certain things. It is true DHT may predispose you to being more easily aroused, however it is almost laughable that it causes complete impotence. There are so many other factors that play an enormous role, such as the parasympathetic/sympathetic autonomic nervous systems. To be frank, while lower levels of DHT may make you feel less subjectively "horny" I have strong doubts as to whether propecia alone can cause impotence, inability to achieve erection etc. Other factors more likely to interfere would include partial or complete blood flow obstruction often caused by thrombosis linked to inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle and genetics. Something far more likely to be caused by low levels of DHT would be ejaculatory :agree: volume. Males, like females, have a reproductive cycle that is completely controlled by hormones. I think that this explains why this is a very common side effect and also one that is far less prone to placebo effect. It also makes the "nut" pain more likely, because that is where the epidydimis and seminiferous tubules reside...The site of sperm production, etc etc etc. More likely the "nut pain" is transferred from where the prostate encircles the urethra. Since finasteride is so active by atrophying the prostate, there is probably a good chance you get pain in that area as well at least initially.

When I begin finasteride, I will give daily updates for the first few weeks then probably post a picture up once per month in my "story" page. Best of luck to all in their struggle with hair loss! :firing:

I found the study below posted on another hair site, and I find it absolutely fascinating. The obvious implication is that if you plant the idea in the minds of potential finasteride users beforehand that there's even a possibility that they're going to be experiencing some sexual side effects from finasteride, they're much more likely to actually experience those side effects than if you don't say anything at all about it! Women would probably laugh at the idea that men are apparently so sensitive even to just a suggestion that something may go wrong with the male equipment down there!

"Finasteride 5 mg and sexual side effects: how many of these are related to a nocebo phenomenon?"

J Sex Med. 2007 Nov;4(6):1708-12

INTRODUCTION:
Sexual adverse experiences such as erectile dysfunction (ED), loss of libido, and ejaculation disorders have been consistent side effects of finasteride in a maximum percentage of 15% after 1 year of therapy. Such data could be seen as far from reality, if compared to a higher percentage that may be found in any common clinical practice.

AIM: This study aims to explain the dichotomy between literature's data and clinical practice data.

METHODS:
One hundred twenty patients with a clinical diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), sexually active and with an International Index of Erectile Function-erectile function (IIEF-EF) domain >/=25 were randomized to receive finasteride 5 mg concealed as an "X compound of proven efficacy for the treatment of BPH" for 1 year with (group 2) or without (group 1) counseling on the drug sexual side effect. The phrase used to inform group 2 patients was ". . . it may cause erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, problems of ejaculation but these are uncommon".

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The estimation of side effect was conducted at 6 and 12 months using the male sexual function-4 (MSF-4 item) questionnaire and a self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS: One hundred seven patients completed the study. Group 2 patients (N = 55) reported a significant higher proportion of one or more sexual side effects as compared to group 1 (N = 52) (43.6% vs. 15.3%) (P = 0.03). The incidence of ED, decreased libido, and ejaculation disorders were 9.6, 7.7, and 5.7% for group 1, and 30.9, 23.6, and 16.3% for group 2, respectively (P = 0.02, P = 0.04, and P = 0.06).

CONCLUSION: In the current study, blinded administration of finasteride was associated with a significantly higher proportion of sexual dysfunction in patients informed on sexual side effects (group 2) as compared to those in which the same information was omitted (group 1) (P = 0.03).

A scenario similar to group 2 of the current study is likely to occur in clinical practice, where the patient is counseled by the physician and has access to the drug information sheet.

The burden of this nocebo effect (an adverse side effect that is not a direct result of the specific pharmacological action of the drug) has to be taken into account when managing finasteride sexual side effects.

 

[medmax84]

Ofcourse they are worse than what merck claims....Remember Vioxxx?

Try using some logic. Guilt by association is weak.

I'd say it's likely that all ADRs are worse than what the manufacturer claims. They make more money if people arent' scared to take their drugs.

 

[stampede]

Agreed, any comparison to Vioxx is glib, to say the least.

Finasteride is not going to kill you, even if you eat the whole pack.

 

[ali777]

Yeah... and I may eat these words in a couple of days when I start finasteride, but DHT hormonal stimulation is an extremely small aspect of sexual function, if it is at all.

Now you sound like a proper medical student. Hope you hang around and give us more biology lessons.

 

[bubka]

It is a shame that Vioxx was pulled, it saved a lot more lives than the few lethargic obese people who were on the drug and wondered why they died.

 

[medmax84]

Yeah... and I may eat these words in a couple of days when I start finasteride, but DHT hormonal stimulation is an extremely small aspect of sexual function, if it is at all.

Now you sound like a proper medical student. Hope you hang around and give us more biology lessons.

One of the hardest things to learn is that the practice of medicine is at least as much of an art as it is a science. Things usually work the way they're supposed to but it always sucks to be the outlier that is "scientifically insignificant". ie. the one who had a bad rxn to finasteride and lost more hair...