FINASTERIDE, lets talk hard facts and evidence HELP

[Finco]

Hi there, im new and I hope this isnt a topic that gets posted all the time.

Im 18, been balding for probally about two years now, been on and off minoxidil just started again using kirkland as it is alot cheaper. Ive got longer hair though, so it is hard to apply most of it probally gets soaked up into my hair but Ive just had a shed so Im guessing its working again, but this isnt enough.

I want to talk hard facts about going onto finisteride, propecia, proscar.

Ive read the horror storys, permenant erectile dysfunction, mental problems. But I cant seperate whats facts and what is scaremongering alone, I need your help and advise.

Anyone on here with serious side effects that would advise an 18 year old not to go on it? The FDA wouldn't approve a drug unless it had passed rigorous tests, so I don't understand.

Thanks for your time and help.

 

[Rawtashk]

Here's some reading

My finasteride/Rogaine story
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65594

A post I made about being scared of finasteride sides
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=65750

 

[Finco]

That helps loads, could find anything like that on the web. What does paxil treat?

I suppose news companies latch onto these cases and blow them well out of proportion for the sake of entertainment.

So you personally have had no sides?

 

[Rawtashk]

Paxil is for depression and anxiety
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paroxetine

I really didn't/don't have any sides. I had some ball ache, but that was just due to the testes figuring out the new testosterone production, and it went away after a while (kinda like how sore muscles are a side effect of working out). Every now and then I have some watery semen, but that is just random, and I feel like I wouldn't even really notice if I hadn't heard that it was a possible side effect of finasteride.

It's not really the companies that latch onto the sides and freak out, it's more the people that get the sides. But, like I said in that one post, everyone is different and everyone reacts to things differently. Also, people are more apt to complain than they are to praise.

Think of it this way....You take propecia w/o knowing about the sides or being afraid of them:
You take Propecia, everything goes well. No sides, and you get some regrowth. Are you going to go online and talk about it, or are you just going to be happy that it worked as advertised?
You take Propecia, things don't go well. You get sides and you are really worries about it. NOW you're going to go online and post about it and do whatever you can to treat it or get over them.

THAT is why there are more negative things on forums than there are positive things about propecia. The people with the problems are the ones that scream the loudest (and with good reason).

 

[Finco]

Yeh I guess that's true, the statistics in your thread are appealing. But propeciahelp worries me, why someone would go to all that trouble.

What do you think the period would be to stop i.e. go on finasteride monitor your sex drive over a few weeks then say in your third week if you see side effects stop and there would be no damage.

 

[Rawtashk]

I'm not a doctor, and I didn't personally experience the sides, so I can't give you a real concrete answer. Everything is different for everyone. I would say that my ball ache went away in a few weeks, and my libido leveled out in about the same time period.

I would say that you shouldn't really try and look too hard for sides, 'cause your mind will associate anything with a potential side if you look hard enough. Take it and go about your normal life. You'll notice something if there's a legit side (like a total loss of libido, problems getting it up, etc).

I'll give you a personal example. A few months ago I decided to up my dosage from .5mg to 1mg to see if I could get some more regrowth. Soon after that I started getting really tired all of the time and I had a much reduced desire for sex. I was afraid that it was due to the increased (for me) dosage, but I thought I'd try to ride it out.

I went in for a physical a few weeks later (I get a free one every year with my health insurance) and mentioned to them that I had been really tired recently. They did some bloodwork and found out that I had mono! So, my mind was telling me that finasteride was the problem, but in reality it was something completely different. Today I am much less tired, and my sex drive has come roaring back.


The reason that propeciahelp exists is because there are some legit cases where the side effects stick around. Those cases are few and far between, but they are real, and some people do need help. It is NOT indicative of a majority of the population. There are several people here who will tell you that they suffered from sides, but they went away within a few weeks of stopping finasteride.

In the end, it's a decision you must make, "How much does keeping my hair mean to me?" Is it worth the small chance that you might get sides?

I'll give an example from Michael Jordan's life:
In 1982 the Chicago Tylenol murders occurred when seven people died after taking pain-relief capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. Michael Jordan had also broken his foot, but wanted to keep playing. The Bulls owner didn't want to risk it being damaged further, and asked Jordan "Would you take Tylenol from a Chicago store?" Jordan replied "Well, it depends on how bad the headache was."

 

[Wuffer]

I’ve been on finasteride for 4 months. I had problems with sides about a month in; sexual sides, brain fog, fatigue, etc. It was all simply caused by my mind, because I was spending so much time on these forums and on propeciahelp, reading about these problems and engaging in negative talk that reinforced my beliefs at the time.

I still need to take breaks from these forums, because the symptoms start up again the more I read about it all. I believe I am more susceptible to this nocebo effect than the average person, but it can really affect anyone negatively.

The jury is out on these persistent problems. At first, I outright thought it was impossible and it was all in these people’s minds. Since then, after talking to some of these people, I’ve realized it’s really happening to them and ‘something’ is going on here with a lot of guys. I can’t hazard a guess on exactly what’s happening, but whatever it is, it’s quite rare.

If you look at the facts, there is almost no substantial evidence (other than circumstantial and anecdotal) that supports the fact that Propecia can cause persistent problems. However, that’s not to say it isn’t possible. If the condition is rare enough, it can easily be missed during clinical trials and a small number of men may be affected by it without the medical community observing it.

Other than me freaking myself out, I’ve had a great experience on Finasteride. I’ve had some good regrowth and I would and have recommended it to my family and friends. Several of my friends went on it a few months ago and they are having an equally good experience.

All that being said, make sure you are taking it with a positive mindset. Get a full blood workup done before you start on it. Monitor your body, but don’t obsess about every little thing that feels ‘off’. This is exactly what I did, and I drove myself insane with worry, and this worry caused these symptoms to manifest.

You can probably expect the following common symptoms to occur: Change in Ejaculation consistency and testicle ache. I had a testicle ache for 3 days after the first couple weeks, but that went away as suddenly as it came. I haven’t had any other symptoms.

Good luck!

 

[Finco]

I think your right, people on here read about side effects the nocebo effect kicks in and then they post then someone else reads it and the cycle continues and escalates,

Just trying to do some budgeting, where do you get your finasteride from? Where's the best place in the UK?

 

[Sebastien]

To be quite honest I think that there is truth to the horror stories you read. Personally I found out about them after 4 months and it ment that I would be fcked over anyway by that time. It sure as hell is a risk, even though it is a tiny one. It is also a reason why I would never 'recommend' finasteride to anyone. Some people just act extreme or different towards different things, like my gf's face blows up when she eats an apple.

My personal mindset is that life isn't without risk, and any of the people that complain about permanent sides would have stayed on the drug if it was working properly. Only you can decide if you take the plunge.

 

[Rawtashk]

Just trying to do some budgeting, where do you get your finasteride from? Where's the best place in the UK?

Check out 4rx.com. They actually have a price match guarantee, so I'd even go through them if you found somewhere else for cheaper.

http://www.4rx.com/online-pharmacy/cate ... pecia.html

I've been taking Finasteride from them for the last 3 years. My hair loss went from 200 hairs a day to about 25, so I know it wasn't just a sugar pill or something like that. They have online support for questions, and they told me this: "We have more than one supplier for the same medication and we ship out according to the availability of the stock. We carry generic Propecia manufactured by GenPharma, Sunrise, Cipla and Intas Lab Pvt."

If you're worried about budget, then I would suggest going for 90 1mg caps first. If you don't have a problem with sides then make your next order the 5mg caps and you can quarter them (1.25mg) to save some money.

2 money saving tips if you go there...
1: Let's say you want 90 caps. Add the 30 caps to your cart instead. It will take you to a checkout page, but it will also give you a chance to upgrade your order to 90 pills for $7 cheaper. Same goes for if you want to get 360, add 180 to your cart first

2: Use the promo code Q52EM37T during checkout for another 10% off. That's my promo code that I got for being a return customer, so feel free to use it

 

[Finco]

Right worked it out abit 3 months on finasteride alone would be £41 for 90 1mg pills roughly, yet if i ordered 90 5mg pills for £48 and quartered to make 360 pills that would last me a year for just £48, have I added that up wrong?

 

[Ende]

Believe what you want. However, I suggest you do a blood test before you begin treatment with finasteride, to map LH, FSH, testosterone (total and free), estrogen, prolactin and SHBG. This will be your baseline values, and if things goes to hell, you'll have proof, and more importantly - values to aim for with corrective treatments.

 

[kthxbi]

i started finasteride while i was 18, nearly 19. my thread is here. i had maybe 3 weeks of mild sides- watery semen, brain fog and nausea. and then they died out. as soon as they came. i'm just about 6 months in now so i'm hardly a veteran but i'm doing fine now and i think i'm seeing some progress.
so far i'd definitely recommend it. the peace of mind it gave me is almost indescribable compared to how i felt before. sure, ill still feel crap sometimes but it's a lot more rare and not as bad as it was before. personally, i'd fully recommend it so far.

maybe things'll change in the future but yeah. i'm happy with my decision so far.

 

[Wuffer]

Your progress is looking good kthxbi. You and I started around the same time, so i'm racing you

 

[kthxbi]

wuffer, dyou have a thread of your own? lets check it!

 

[Wuffer]

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=64824

Though you seem to be working on your hairline, and me on my crown.. So it's hard to compare!

Either way, we're both seeing good results and that's awesome! No sides for me either.

 

[kthxbi]

oh sh*t, i remember your thread! your progress is amazing man, really great i've said it before but it can't do any harm to say it again.
take it easy bro
f

 

[Finco]

i started finasteride while i was 18, nearly 19. my thread is here. i had maybe 3 weeks of mild sides- watery semen, brain fog and nausea. and then they died out. as soon as they came. i'm just about 6 months in now so i'm hardly a veteran but i'm doing fine now and i think i'm seeing some progress.
so far i'd definitely recommend it. the peace of mind it gave me is almost indescribable compared to how i felt before. sure, ill still feel crap sometimes but it's a lot more rare and not as bad as it was before. personally, i'd fully recommend it so far.

maybe things'll change in the future but yeah. i'm happy with my decision so far.

Thats cool man, im pretty much in the same situation as you, long hair and young, so minoxidil isn't easy to apply. Makes me feel better to see youve had some success though, ill keep you posted on how I get on.