finasteride Side effect evalutation b4 starting...

[chancer]

Guys...

This website just worried me... and i was so looking forward to started finasteride !!

http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7

Do you think it would be beneficial to put up some sort of self assessment guide for new hairloss members to workout if they should start taking certain meds?

Like i said i was all looking forward to starting the med and now im deflated after reading that forum link...

I this the VERY VERY extreme? would it be worth the mods who run the board to post a self assessment evaluation on finasteride and other like minded drugs? With their experience they may be able to give readers the full low down on if its right for them... there may be a certain type of person who is susceptible to the side effects more than other? ive read overweight people are more prone to developing gyno and things like that.

There could be age groups that dont suffer side more than others and also genetic cultures ect...

The thing with evaluation a situation is we always judge the negative more heavier than the positive...

Negative.... extreme side effects... manboobs, penis -shrinkage, testicular ache, anxiety, depression

Positive - no side effects hair regrowth!

Also reading from the side effect lists on that side.... finasteride vastly reduces your DHT... what if your going bald but you clearly have little DHT naturally anyway? very little body hair, wont you be depleting your DHT level more than the avarage guy with average DHT?

alot of the side effects seem to be the same as anti-depressant drugs... people also report loss of libido or improved libido yet Anti-depressant drugs are a Class C in the uk (along with cannabis) Is finasteride in the category too?

Basically i feel that the side effect stories far outweigh the non side effect stories and i appreciate the minority shouting are louder than the silent majority that are content....

But what is the general consensus on people with side effects to those who haven’t?

Should everyone get a blood test before starting and then another test a few months into treatment?

i feel all these issues should be balanced and addressed for newbie’s to evaluation correctly and not one sided.

Further additions to this are most welcome!!!

 

[ttroy]

If you start, definitely get some baseline tests like T and check with a dermatologist that you in fact have male pattern baldness and not some other condition.
You can check my post history as to what happened to me on and after the drug.
You will most probably be fine, but I don't want to see you on propeciahelp.com as people there are in deep trouble. If a receiding hairline is depressing, try being impotent, having physical changes to your dick, having b**ch tits, painful eyes, a crazy weight gain...and be balding. As said, not a likely scenario, but can happen.

 

[treeshrew]

i had blood drawn before i started finasteride so my pre-finasteride hormone levels (specifically testosterone) were on file - cost $150.

all the hairloss forums, including propeciahelp, are heavily skewed towards people with sides. the people who experience side effects are the ones who come post on the forums, so you get a warped view of reality. these forums are not an accurate representation of the percentage of those experiencing sides.

the majority of people will not experience any side effects. for those that do quitting finasteride will make the sides go away. for a very, very, very small percentage there can by truly damaging sides - so i suppose it is a gamble to start, but in my opinion the odds are heavily in your favor and it is DEFINITELY worth a try to see how you respond.

i delayed starting finasteride for about 4 months while i freaked myself out over sides. i regret this terribly - i've been on 1mg/finasteride daily for 2 months and have had no side effects whatsoever.

 

[ttroy]

You are absolutely right. Although does not make one feel any better if they happen to fall into that last group. All official studies do suggest that the sexual sides are minimal, so I too was not expecting this. But I can assure you it sure did happen.
All the best.

 

[Jack23-]

I have been considering to begin treatment on finasteride and have spent the past few days surfing the net and reading for hours anything i can get on the drug and i have come to the conclusion of.....

Is it really worth the risk? Taking finasteride is a gamble and a very serious one at that, if things go wrong your pretty much fucked? And lets face it, no one knows the long term effects of finasteride, especially in the long long term. A lot of the youtube videos, posts on sites and message board reassurances i have seen look very suspicious. Has anyone considered this to maybe just people at the companies trying to re-assure the public? And why is finasteride 28.99 in the UK at 1mg when the 5mg for prostate is available on perscription? It looks like a great money making business propostion has overshadowed the fact that a major gamble has been taken on finasteride.

If you were 20 and started growing tits and your penis was shrinking would you be blabbing it to the world on the internet? Probably not. You would be seeing your doctor privately and having a nervous breakdown! At the end of the day it is only facts and figures that have proved finasteride to be safe. Tests where taken on only 1,800 men and can we be really sure they all took the drug promptly and regularly?

I have no doubt finasteride is very very effective but in my opinion it is just not worth the risk. I am 23 years old and my hair is thinning, i am taking Regaine and this seems to have slown the process down. I have decided to continue on Regaine and not take finasteride as my health and state of mind is much more important to me than risking it all to sustain my thinning hair.

 

[treeshrew]

4 months in for me, no sides, hair is looking great!

 

[Libido]

3 months use, no a single side yet I recon.
Just wanted you to know, we exist.

Its true though, the more secure I feel about finasteride the less I post about it. So yeah, if I go a year without sides I´ll definatly not shout about it.

Still checking for news every now and then. If anyone came up with some substantial proof about the dangers, I´d quite it. But despite 10 years of paranoia and 5 years of Extreme paranoia, no one has managed much more than speculation and here and there the odd possible long-time sufferer. That if anything points us in the "safe" direction.

Something Im still a bit scared of myself is reports about a drop in T after quitting. In a very anoying way it makes some sense.