EVERYONE Will Get Finasteride Side-Effects Eventually

[Jacoby77]

Unfortunately finasteride is your best bet to save your hair. I understand where @Pigeon is coming from, hell I spent months avoiding finasteride because of the fear of side effects. But the thing was my hair loss bothered me so much that I was lying in bed depressed and struggling with work. I'm more worried about losing my job and the hair loss depression is killing me. At least with this drug I have a chance. Ever since I started taking it I have calmed down more with occasional fear of the drug not working. I think once you hit that breaking point where you don't care about side effects you end up trying it. Could finasteride be killing me? Sure. But I'm willing to take the risk.

So minoxidil and microneedle won't solve my issue?

He listed about 20 side effects, liver damage, diabetes for fucks sake, that's nearly worse than the penis side effects. Liver damage, bone change, facial change. It's too scary

 

[Diffused_confidence]

So minoxidil and microneedle won't solve my issue?

He listed about 20 side effects, liver damage, diabetes for fucks sake, that's nearly worse than the penis side effects. Liver damage, bone change, facial change. It's too scary

I think those side effects are uncommon but if they are not worth the risk then don't take it and learn to accept hair loss

 

[Jacoby77]

I'm not going to try and convince you one way or the other but you shouldn't base your decision exclusively on what forum members like Pigeon are telling you. He has an agenda. And I don't mean that in a bad way; we all do. Going bald essentially means you have a choice to make, you either take finasteride (or dutasteride) and have a good chance of treating it effectively (but take the risk of side-effects), or you don't take it and go bald. There's other stuff you can try/do but in the end, 5ar-inhibitors are the best thing we've got. It's a shitty choice either way, and once you make that choice you have to justify it for yourself to keep your sanity. Campaigning for/against the drug can be part of that. It's human nature and I'm guilty of it myself. In Pidgeon's case, he suffered significant damage from finasteride, so the choice has essentially been made for him, but what I'm saying still applies.

Now, I'm not saying he's completely wrong either. These drugs definitely carry risks. At the same time, the potential benefit is significant. You have to weigh the balance and make up your own mind. Is finasteride as safe as Merck claims it to be? I personally don't think so. Is it literal poison that amounts to chemical castration? I don't think so either. He cites some interesting studies but the truth is that this doesn't paint the full picture. He's proven very little. The fact of the matter is that plenty of men are on the drug without suffering debilitating side effects. In the end you'll have to weigh the risks against the benefits and make up your own mind. Just realize that anyone that's presenting you with black and white viewpoints (finasteride is totally safe/finasteride is poison) probably has an agenda of their own.

@Pigeon, I know you'll be reading this and I hope you won't take offense because it's not my intent. But I felt compelled to give my own view.

Face, and bone changes, liver damage, brain damage, diebietes, gyno, ed.. You can't make it up. Only a sadistic psychopath would pretend about all these symptoms.

I wanted to take it but it literally can give me cancer or change my facial structure.. I'm only 20 man

 

[Diffused_confidence]

For me it's not as extreme as your case, but a very similar situation.

Like was stated above, if you're balding in your 20s you only have two options, finasteride/dutasteride or go bald (to some extent). In my situation, I'm a Norwood 3 at 27, which isn't as aggressive as some of the members on here. Regardless, the problem isn't necessarily where you are on the Norwood scale, it's where you're destined to end up based upon your genetics. Assuming no pharmacological intervention, I could hit a Norwood 4 in my mid 30s, get a hair transplant, and then potentially be fine with the possibility of touch up surgeries in the future. In contrast, I could hit a Norwood 5, run out of donor area with a first transplant, and then be done in with a harvested donor area and lacking full coverage.

Then you have to add in other considerations like the incidence of ED with age. Finasteride is obviously not your friend when it comes to ED, but a lot of men even as early as their 20s experience it. If you decide not to take finasteride, you could easily hit NW5/6/7 and then get nailed with ED in your 30s anyways. Then you're bald and you're stuck on something like tadalafil anyways... what a great combination!

I actually agree with @Pigeon that the incidence of side effects are under-reported when it comes to finasteride. I think the studies out there that aren't funded by pharmaceutical companies are much less biased, and they tend to hit around the 5-6% mark as opposed to some of the numbers people throw around like 1-2%.

At the end of the day it's a gamble, and given the odds of experiencing side effects, let alone persistent side effects, it's a good gamble for most people. Obviously people who have been on the raw end of that dice roll don't see it that way. I don't blame them. A part of me wishes that I could be like some of the people I know and "just shave it", then move on with life. Unfortunately I'm not in that camp.

I think the ED sides are underreported because it's an embarrassing side effect. However, keep in mind men on placebo also reported side effects. Ed is mental half the time. I try to give 5% chance as a conservative odds for finasteride sides.

 

[Jacoby77]

I think the ED sides are underreported because it's an embarrassing side effect. However, keep in mind men on placebo also reported side effects. Ed is mental half the time. I try to give 5% chance as a conservative odds for finasteride sides.

But bro the drug can apparently change your face, makin you literally look different. Like bone structure change, pigeon said this and that's terrible!! Holy sh*t I'm freaking out

 

[user394587]

But bro the drug can apparently change your face, makin you literally look different. Like bone structure change, pigeon said this and that's terrible!! Holy sh*t I'm freaking out

I can't even tell if you're trolling, but if you're freaking out this much about side effects prior to taking the drug, you probably shouldn't touch finasteride with a 10ft pole. You're going to experience side effects with almost 100% certainty, regardless of whether or not they're actually happening.

 

[Jacoby77]

I can't even tell if you're trolling, but if you're freaking out this much about side effects prior to taking the drug, you probably shouldn't touch finasteride with a 10ft pole. You're going to experience side effects with almost 100% certainty, regardless of whether or not they're actually happening.

I'm not trolling mate, I'm mentally exhausted but finasteride is probably the only option if min and needling won't save it.

Now you're telling me I'll have 100 percent side effects, false but this drug is no joke. You're mentally challenged if you can't see why it terrifies grown men. Bone change, liver damage, cancer, neurological changes, diabetes, ED, gyno, skin discolouration. Thanks Pigeon for all that, quite pissed tbh.

I wanted to take it bro but pigeon has left his bird dropping on this forum with about 9000 links to why finasteride will destroy one's life. I'm lost bro. No trolling here.

 

[whatintheworld]

I'm not trolling mate, I'm mentally exhausted but finasteride is probably the only option if min and needling won't save it.

Now you're telling me I'll have 100 percent side effects, false but this drug is no joke. You're mentally challenged if you can't see why it terrifies grown men. Bone change, liver damage, cancer, neurological changes, diabetes, ED, gyno, skin discolouration. Thanks Pigeon for all that, quite pissed tbh.

I wanted to take it bro but pigeon has left his bird dropping on this forum with about 9000 links to why finasteride will destroy one's life. I'm lost bro. No trolling here.

Like the guy above said, do not take it. You're not in the right mental state to take it, and may give yourself nocebo side effects.

 

[Jacoby77]

Like the guy above said, do not take it. You're not in the right mental state to take it, and may give yourself nocebo side effects.

Even if I'm in the right mindstate or wrong, I'm losing my hair. Some think I have BD though, my posts clearly show.

Let's say I get in the right head space, finasteride can cause facial and bone structure damage? That's insane and terrifying regardless of my mental state. If I get ED from it, I would not mind.. But that'll probably cause other health issues like unable to goto the bathroom properly or pain or something.

This drug is my only option I'm just scared genuinely at 20 years old. If finasteride does not work for me, idk what plan B is.. Duta?

 

[whatintheworld]

Even if I'm in the right mindstate or wrong, I'm losing my hair. Some think I have BD though, my posts clearly show.

Let's say I get in the right head space, finasteride can cause facial and bone structure damage? That's insane and terrifying regardless of my mental state. If I get ED from it, I would not mind.. But that'll probably cause other health issues like unable to goto the bathroom properly or pain or something.

This drug is my only option I'm just scared genuinely at 20 years old. If finasteride does not work for me, idk what plan B is.. Duta?

It can in theory do those things, a lot of over the counter medicines "can" have horrific side effects too. I think the data is pretty convincing that the chance of such side effects is very, very small.

 

[user394587]

I'm not trolling mate, I'm mentally exhausted but finasteride is probably the only option if min and needling won't save it.

Now you're telling me I'll have 100 percent side effects, false but this drug is no joke. You're mentally challenged if you can't see why it terrifies grown men. Bone change, liver damage, cancer, neurological changes, diabetes, ED, gyno, skin discolouration. Thanks Pigeon for all that, quite pissed tbh.

I wanted to take it bro but pigeon has left his bird dropping on this forum with about 9000 links to why finasteride will destroy one's life. I'm lost bro. No trolling here.

I'm telling you you'll get side effects with an 100% chance because some of the side effects associated with finasteride are suggestive like erectile dysfunction and libido. If you convince yourself you're going to get side effects, you will. It's called a nocebo effect.

There is zero peer reviewed statistical evidence that finasteride causes bone changes or skin discoloration. The only metrics available on that are self reported anecdotes, which are borderline worthless

Out of what you mentioned there, the only side effects with any statistical evidence associated with them are erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia and diabetes. Erectile dysfunction and libido reduction are by far the most commonly reported side effects and are present in nearly every major study. Both usually sit somewhere around 4-6%.

Diabetes has been indicated in one study, but it has limitations. With that said, it would be inappropriate to completely dismiss that study's statistics based on the limitations present. With regards to erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia and diabetes, I would wager that if an individual is living a healthy lifestyle during therapy, the instances of these side effects will more than likely be very low. Gynecomastia itself is fairly easy to predict if you know your E2 levels prior to administration, because it's extremely rare to develop gynecomastia unless you have elevated E2 (IE, outside of the male reference ranges).

The statistics on cancer are very subject. The two types of cancer that have been studied with regards to finasteride are breast cancer and prostate cancer. There is no statistical data to support a causal link between finasteride and breast cancer; no study to date has been able to establish one. The link between finasteride and prostate cancer is subject at best, because the way they screen for prostate cancer is by using the PSA level which fiansteride reduces. It's now thought that finasteride reduces the likelihood of prostate cancer as it is easier to detect when a biopsy is taken due to the smaller size of the prostate during therapy.

Studies regarding neurological changes contain a lot of speculation, and are lacking in many areas. This is what happens when the public gets access to scientific articles with zero statistics knowledge. Studies get thrown around with complete disregard for things such as biased sample selection, insufficient sample sizes, the lack of properly formulated controls and the absence of prospective study designs, to name a few. Then someone such as yourself comes along with no statistical background and reads the abstracts, justifiably freaks out, and then abstains from treatment while their hair loss condition deteriorates.

This is why if you don't have any background in medicine and/or statistics, you should leave interpretation of this information to professionals.

Some of the studies you have seen here contain useful information. A lot of them, not so much. It's not necessarily that the studies are "wrong", it's that they haven't provided enough statistical evidence to assert any sort of definitive associations.

If you want to be careful, go to your doctor and get blood work. Your blood test should have these items on it, with DHT being optional as blood DHT levels aren't very useful (https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...efore-taking-finasteride.132380/#post-1970712).

I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice, but that thread covers the basics of interpreting your bloodwork. The tl;dr is if you're in the green when it comes to total T and E2, the likelihood you'll experience any major side effects is probably very low. If you want to be even more careful, talk to an endocrinologist about your blood work before you start finasteride.

At the end of the day, you're left with the same option; take finasteride or you will lose hair to some extent. There's a 100% chance that if you have Androgenetic Alopecia you will continue to lose hair until you reach your inherited pattern. There's a low chance of getting side effects from finasteride, and an even lower chance of having persistent issues after discontinuing the medication. The odds are in your favor, but just make sure that you talk with medical professionals and aren't self diagnosing yourself. That's the worst thing you can do.

 

[Jacoby77]

I'm telling you you'll get side effects with an 100% chance because some of the side effects associated with finasteride are suggestive like erectile dysfunction and libido. If you convince yourself you're going to get side effects, you will. It's called a nocebo effect.

There is zero peer reviewed statistical evidence that finasteride causes bone changes or skin discoloration. The only metrics available on that are self reported anecdotes, which are borderline worthless

Out of what you mentioned there, the only side effects with any statistical evidence associated with them are erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia and diabetes. Erectile dysfunction and libido reduction are by far the most commonly reported side effects and are present in nearly every major study. Both usually sit somewhere around 4-6%.

Diabetes has been indicated in one study, but it has limitations. With that said, it would be inappropriate to completely dismiss that study's statistics based on the limitations present. With regards to erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia and diabetes, I would wager that if an individual is living a healthy lifestyle during therapy, the instances of these side effects will more than likely be very low. Gynecomastia itself is fairly easy to predict if you know your E2 levels prior to administration, because it's extremely rare to develop gynecomastia unless you have elevated E2 (IE, outside of the male reference ranges).

The statistics on cancer are very subject. The two types of cancer that have been studied with regards to finasteride are beast cancer and prostate cancer. There is no statistical data to support a causal link between finasteride and breast cancer; no study to date has been able to establish one. The link between finasteride and prostate cancer is subject at best, because the way they screen for prostate cancer is by using the PSA level which fiansteride reduces. It's now thought that finasteride reduces the likelihood of prostate cancer as it is easier to detect when a biopsy is taken due to the smaller size of the prostate during therapy.

Studies regarding neurological changes contain a lot of speculation, and are lacking in many areas. This is what happens when the public gets access to scientific articles with zero statistics knowledge. Studies get thrown around with complete disregard for things such as biased sample selection, insufficient sample sizes, the lack of properly formulated controls and the absence of prospective study designs, to name a few. Then someone such as yourself comes along with no statistical background and reads the abstracts, justifiably freaks out, and then abstains from treatment while their hair loss condition deteriorates.

This is why if you don't have any background in medicine and/or statistics, you should leave interpretation of this information to professionals.

Some of the studies you have seen here contain useful information. A lot of them, not so much. It's not necessarily that the studies are "wrong", it's that they haven't provided enough statistical evidence to assert any sort of definitive associations.

If you want to be careful, go to your doctor and get blood work. Your blood test should have these items on it, with DHT being optional as blood DHT levels aren't very useful (https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...efore-taking-finasteride.132380/#post-1970712).

I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice, but that thread covers the basics of interpreting your bloodwork. The tl;dr is if you're in the green when it comes to total T and E2, the likelihood you'll experience any major side effects is probably very low. If you want to be even more careful, talk to an endocrinologist about your blood work before you start finasteride.

At the end of the day, you're left with the same option; take finasteride or you will lose hair to some extent. There's a 100% chance that if you have Androgenetic Alopecia you will continue to lose hair until you reach your inherited pattern. There's a low chance of getting side effects from finasteride, and an even lower chance of having persistent issues after taking the medication. The odds are in your favor, but just make sure that you talk with medical professionals and aren't self diagnosing yourself. That's the worst thing you can do.

Best reply I've ever had regarding my fears with this drug thank you mate.

Yes, I have a lot of hair at the moment, but it's generally thinner so I'm in early stages with diffuse on top and juvenile hairline basically. Trichologist doesn't know if I have male pattern baldness, so I'm seeing a dermatologist August 22nd (they apparently don't specifically do hairloss issues often this person, I'm seeing them about my psoriasis, but maybe I should talk to them). Surely an average dermatologist can tell if its genetic vs natural hair, because it'll have a pattern right? And if it's unknown cause blood tests could probably figure it out although only my Vit D is severely low.

But yes, I will have to just take finasteride otherwise my b**ch *** will end up worse if I never tried. My next question is, if I developed ED, can I still use the drug if it doesn't bother me? Or will ED cause worse problems even if it doesn't bother me. I don't need a love connection, or a family to he happy.

I will try relax and when I'm better in my mind, I'll take the drug with a positive mindset and try not give myself sides by literally forcing them into my mind.

 

[user394587]

Best reply I've ever had regarding my fears with this drug thank you mate.

Yes, I have a lot of hair at the moment, but it's generally thinner so I'm in early stages with diffuse on top and juvenile hairline basically. Trichologist doesn't know if I have male pattern baldness, so I'm seeing a dermatologist August 22nd (they apparently don't specifically do hairloss issues often this person, I'm seeing them about my psoriasis, but maybe I should talk to them). Surely an average dermatologist can tell if its genetic vs natural hair, because it'll have a pattern right? And if it's unknown cause blood tests could probably figure it out although only my Vit D is severely low.

But yes, I will have to just take finasteride otherwise my b**ch *** will end up worse if I never tried. My next question is, if I developed ED, can I still use the drug if it doesn't bother me? Or will ED cause worse problems even if it doesn't bother me. I don't need a love connection, or a family to he happy.

I will try relax and when I'm better in my mind, I'll take the drug with a positive mindset and try not give myself sides by literally forcing them into my mind.

Well first of all, vitamin D deficiencies if they're severe enough are one of the few things outside of Androgenetic Alopecia that can cause hair loss. You should get that checked out, especially before you jump to finasteride.

I think that most dermatologists should be able to tell you if you have Androgenetic Alopecia, although early diffuse hairloss can be less obvious. Still, if it's evident they should see it.

As far as ED goes, that's a whole different ball game. If it's your only side effect, you can probably outright eliminate it with low dose daily tadalafil. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons there because like any pharmaceutical, it can have side effects. That said, they're usually mild when it comes to tadalafil. If you have libido problems on the other hand, that's more problematic as there's no easy fix there.

 

[Jacoby77]

Well first of all, vitamin D deficiencies if they're severe enough are one of the few things outside of Androgenetic Alopecia that can cause hair loss. You should get that checked out, especially before you jump to finasteride.

I think that most dermatologists should be able to tell you if you have Androgenetic Alopecia, although early diffuse hairloss can be less obvious. Still, if it's evident they should see it.

As far as ED goes, that's a whole different ball game. If it's your only side effect, you can probably outright eliminate it with low dose daily tadalafil. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons there because like any pharmaceutical, it can have side effects. That said, they're usually mild when it comes to tadalafil. If you have libido problems on the other hand, that's more problematic as there's no easy fix there.

Okay but what if I don't care about sex, because I'm asexual lol? Will not being able to produce.. cause other health issues, or can I just life on if it doesn't bother me?

I am on vitamin D supplements, so far 0 regrowth and it's been 6 weeks. I just hope vit d hair thinning doesn't look the same as diffuse, the pattern. As if it does I could have Vit D deficiency that mimics genetic hairloss and the dermatologist might say take finasteride!

 

[user394587]

Okay but what if I don't care about sex, because I'm asexual lol? Will not being able to produce.. cause other health issues, or can I just life on if it doesn't bother me?

I am on vitamin D supplements, so far 0 regrowth and it's been 6 weeks. I just hope vit d hair thinning doesn't look the same as diffuse, the pattern. As if it does I could have Vit D deficiency that mimics genetic hairloss and the dermatologist might say take finasteride!

Well, you might change your mind later and then and have social or psychological issues due to it. I'm personally not aware of anything major, but I'm not a doctor and I haven't researched that specifically. That would be a question for a doctor. Particularly a urologist.

 

[Jacoby77]

Well, you might change your mind later and then and have social or psychological issues due to it. I'm personally not aware of anything major, but I'm not a doctor and I haven't researched that specifically. That would be a question for a doctor. Particularly a urologist.

I understand but what other options do I have? Stop taking finasteride if I get one side and it doesn't go away? Isn't waterery semen sometimes a common side effect that goes away after a week or two sometimes?

I just don't know also like I said, if a dermatologist can see under a scope if it's vitamin d deficiency hair thinning, or genetic, I mean I've contacted heaps and they say they can't, lost what to do rn because balding doesn't run in my family bro that's why I'm clinging on to this hope that it isn't genetic.

But yes, if I take finasteride and sides keep going, honestly I have no plan B. finasteride is the only reliable genetic hair prevention.. Min and derma rolling will only help my hair for a short period probably.

 

[Stating facts]

I agree completely with Pigeon. Finasteride is so complicated and yet under researched to name it safe. I have been on both finasteride and dutasteride for several years before finally deciding to stop taking it.

Not only has my ED got cured and libido improved, the general quality of life is far better. The most amazing thing happened to me personally was the activeness experienced through the entire day. While on finasteride, I always use to blame it on my diet for feeling fatigue, specially in my calves, stopping 5ari has changed that for good. Even my liver enzymes AST is in control after ages.

I strongly believe that 5ari has many side effects that are still to be researched but are given less importance as it does not hinder a layman's daily life.

 

[user394587]

I understand but what other options do I have? Stop taking finasteride if I get one side and it doesn't go away? Isn't waterery semen sometimes a common side effect that goes away after a week or two sometimes?

I just don't know also like I said, if a dermatologist can see under a scope if it's vitamin d deficiency hair thinning, or genetic, I mean I've contacted heaps and they say they can't, lost what to do rn because balding doesn't run in my family bro that's why I'm clinging on to this hope that it isn't genetic.

But yes, if I take finasteride and sides keep going, honestly I have no plan B. finasteride is the only reliable genetic hair prevention.. Min and derma rolling will only help my hair for a short period probably.

None of us have a plan B. Finasteride and dutasteride are the only clinically proven treatments to work in the long term. There's things in the pipeline like pyrilutamide, but this goes back to the old meme "another treatment will be out in a few years". Some of the treaments in development by Kintor are promising, but I wouldn't bet on them.

If you get side effects from finasteride then it's going to be up to you to weigh the pros and cons of if they're worth dealing with. Some people continue with side effects, some don't. If I had the side effects that @Stating facts had, for example, I'd quit the medication as well. That would not be worth keeping my hair over.

With minoxidil, the most you can hope for is probably somewhere around 3-5 years, but it also depends on how aggressive your hair loss is.

I think the only thing you can do in your case, if dermatologists can't tell the difference between vitamin D thinning and DPA, is to monitor your vitamin D levels and the quality of your hair. If it continues to decline, then you know it's not related to a vitamin D deficiency and you should follow up with a dermatologist about finasteride. If you worry about this day in and day out, you're going to drive yourself insane.

 

[Micky_007]

On a more serious note, I do not refute that people suffer with pills such as finasteride, what I am unable to reconcile is the amount of people taking it versus the amount of occurrences noted.

Sure, from a business standpoint, I would minimize the effects of the pill, but being out for 20+ years (If I am not mistaken), would I continue to risk my business? Again unless I am missing something.

Why even produce something that is possibly going to lead me liable?

Or

Are we men less likely speak up.

Men are FAR less likely to speak up about the side effects on Finasteride.

 

[Micky_007]

Someone call the ambulance
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Pigeon just massacred all those pro-Finasteride people who don't believe in Finasteride sides.

Well done Pigeon on that excellent load of evidence. Also glad to see mostly likes on the OP's post. Shows a lot of people share the same sentiments.