redbone said:
The justification to take the drug is that it is the only FDA approved treatment for Male Pattern Baldness. That is all you need to know.
Actually, minoxidil is FDA approved for Male Pattern Baldness too.
redbone said:
I spoke with many Physicians about Propecia from the ignorant posts here from people who bad mouthed it. I got no response from anyone in the medical profession about this drug. A 2% incidence rate for a doctor is alomost irrelevant.
So for anyone that is thinking of asking a doctor some of the silly crap that they read on this site think twice. I did and was looked at like a fool, that gentlemen is reality. A good doctor see's hundreds of patients a week, makes $300 an hour and has minimal time for stupidity- just the facts, just the facts.
Haha! I couldn't help but laugh when reading this, especially in light of some recent experiences I've had (see below). Doctors are in such a hurry, I don't even think they have time for the facts. All they have time for is quickly dispensing the little bit of knowledge they have and rushing you out of their office with a prescription for a drug they know almost nothing about.
Here's how my visit with my GP went a few months back:
Mr T: So what can you tell me about Propecia?
Doctor: Propesh-what?
Mr T: Er...Propecia. It's a drug. Um...it's the brand name of finasteride.
Doctor: Finasteride? Oh, you mean Proscar.
Mr T: No, I mean Propecia.
Doctor: Well, what do you want Proscar for?
Mr T: I don't want Proscar.
Doctor: Then why did you ask about it?
Mr T: I didn't. I asked about Propecia.
Doctor: Propecia?
So after 5 more minutes of this Abbot and Costello routine, I was convinced that I had just waited 25 dollars on this doctor visit to talk to a guy who knew even less than me about male pattern baldness treatments.
My derm's knowledge wasn't much more impressive. When I asked him about the side effects of Propecia, he said the only potential side effect is loss of libido. When I asked him about gyno and impotence, he said, "Propecia doesn't cause gyno or impotence." After I told him that I read about this online, he said, "I wouldn't trust anything that I read online." I then told him this was directly from the Merck website, which elicited the following response: "Oh. (pause) Then it must be true." Simply wonderful.
So long story short, I've given up on doctors and have decided that I can learn far far more by just doing some online research. I advise everyone else to do the same. Don't rely solely on your doctor's opinion. Doctors have their place (I guess), but you can learn a lot more on your own, with the help of internet sites like this one.
Cheers.
Jeremy