Is finasteride really as awful as the internet makes it out?

[TD500]

Just my two cents. Don't knock it till you try it. If you experience sides and depending on the severity its your choice to continue or stop treatment. Reading a lot of posts here and elsewhere watery ejaculate and low libido are the most common. There are tons of drugs that give you side effects.

Some meds that gave me pretty bad sides

terazosin: a couple years ago for constant urination. Gave me retrograde ejaculation. Scared the **** out of me because nothing would come out and I would piss it all out afterwards. So I immediately stopped and everything returned after a week.
various anti-depressents: I think I've tried 3-4. One gave me really vivid nightmares even when I took a nap. Others gave me extreme drowsiness and weight gain.
Paxil (still currently on) for anxiety issues: No side effects from the get go, but I did try to discontinue it awhile ago and gave me SSRI withdrawals. I would get these "brain zaps" or shocks in conjunction with alot of other horrible symptoms. To be honest I'm scared ****less when I decide to try to get off it this because I know I will experience withdrawal again.

As for propecia I've been on less then a month only things that I know for certain it gave me are diarrhia, backpain (both subsided after the 4th day) and water ejaculate. I do have low libido but I think its from depression/anxiety more then propecia. Maybe I'm just really sensative to medication.

**** I'm still in my early treatment phase a couple months down the road I could be one of those propecia fear mongers who knows, but as of now I'm glad I made the choice I did.

 

[shookwun]

Well I'm lots of things but stupid isn't one of them. And do you know why you are so grumpy all the time it is because your testosterone level is too low and estrogen to high.
You may think I'm a troll but there is simple and cheep way to confirm it take ZMA pill each evening for one week and see if your mood will improve. ZMA is magnesium zinc and B6 that boosts body natural T production.

How much more anecdotal bull**** you want to talk :laugh:

Want higher T - Inject exogenous testosterone

Want to save your hair - Finasteride


All this saw palmetto, ZMA and healthy fat diet is all garbage.... zero concrete evidence. T levels fluctuate so much that taking simple fats, sleeping and ZMA couldn't maintain let alone give accurate results. What can? taking actual testosterone.

 

[diablodh]

How much more anecdotal bull**** you want to talk :laugh:

Want higher T - Inject exogenous testosterone

Want to save your hair - Finasteride


All this saw palmetto, ZMA and healthy fat diet is all garbage.... zero concrete evidence. T levels fluctuate so much that taking simple fats, sleeping and ZMA couldn't maintain let alone give accurate results. What can? taking actual testosterone.

I hope your not that stupid in real life as your post suggests as trying to think with your *** maybe hard sometimes.

 

[jaxbrah]

thanks for the replies guys. this thread is exactly why this decision is sondofficult. theres two very strong and loud opinions on finasteride and its very difficult to know which is more accurate. i guess its because everyones body is just different and also people who experience bad sides are more likely to be on forums complaining.

but i guess ill just trt for myself. i have no thining on the crown or anything just on the hairline so im not too bad off. most people wouldnt even notice if they were monitoring it on a daily basis like i have been for the past few years.

the effects that finasteride have on testosterone levels does not concern me considering i take exogenous testosterone. im assuming the people with libido and erectile issues are experiencing low t as a result a finasteride. so im not worried about that. but i am curious about gyno.

what exactly is the reason finasteride causes gyno? is it esteogen related? because i already take arimidex to keep e2 in check

 

[themiz1234]

I was scared to take it for years due to all the "horror" I read. I went to my college health center, talked to the doctor there, he told me he'd prescribed propecia over 200 times with no bad stories ever lol. I've been on it almost 3 months now and am completely A-OK! Sure, my libido dropped a little bit, but I was way too god damned horny before lol.

 

[killme]

I'm taking dutasteride, and have no side-effects of any kind. In my opinion, it is only a small minority (and also a very vocal minority) of finasteride users who experience side-effects. In the adult male, DHT is of little importance. DHT is only essential during puberty and adolescence. I disagree entirely with the person who said that 85% of finasteride users have some unwanted sides. That is an absurdly high estimate. I would say that at most, 20-25% experience some degree of side-effects, about 2% of whom experience side-effects severe enough that treatment needs to be stopped.

Whats more absurd is saying "DHT is of little importance in adults".
Why do people keep repeating this absurd nonsense?
There's a reason the most powerful steroids are DHT based, and the results are amazing.
You cant remove 70% of a main male hormone and except that magically nothing happens.

- - - Updated - - -

I was scared to take it for years due to all the "horror" I read. I went to my college health center, talked to the doctor there, he told me he'd prescribed propecia over 200 times with no bad stories ever lol. I've been on it almost 3 months now and am completely A-OK! Sure, my libido dropped a little bit, but I was way too god damned horny before lol.

You are 3 months in and your libido already dropped " a little bit".
**** that ****. It's not worth dropping your libido a single bit. Plus wait what happens after years of being deprived of DHT.
****, we are trully ****ed, this is a living nightmare.

- - - Updated - - -

thanks for the replies guys. this thread is exactly why this decision is sondofficult. theres two very strong and loud opinions on finasteride and its very difficult to know which is more accurate. i guess its because everyones body is just different and also people who experience bad sides are more likely to be on forums complaining.

but i guess ill just trt for myself. i have no thining on the crown or anything just on the hairline so im not too bad off. most people wouldnt even notice if they were monitoring it on a daily basis like i have been for the past few years.

the effects that finasteride have on testosterone levels does not concern me considering i take exogenous testosterone. im assuming the people with libido and erectile issues are experiencing low t as a result a finasteride. so im not worried about that. but i am curious about gyno.

what exactly is the reason finasteride causes gyno? is it esteogen related? because i already take arimidex to keep e2 in check

finasteride RAISES T. I don't think people is having sides due low T, because finasteride doesnt lower T, in any case raises it a bit. What it does is cutting your DHT by about 70%.

 

[makeveli1]

The most powerful steroids are not dht based this is wrong, testosterone is the primary active androgen in muscle tissue. Dht has a very small impact on muscle mass. More than one study has shown that the addition of Finasteride or even dutasteride to testosteone therapy had little or no impact on strength or muscle size.


http://www.bu.edu/news/2012/03/07/s...ts-metabolite-dihydrotestosterone-dht-in-men/

http://www.ergo-log.com/finasteridetestosterone.html


In no way am I saying dht is not important to an adult male, but in terms of muscles its far less important than testosterone.

 

[JDub87]

I'm taking 1.25 every other day and have zero sides. The reason I take it EOD is due to there being no difference in body DHT levels between 24-48 hours, not because I worry about sides or the dangers of the drug.

I've had zero issues since starting it last June. Libido is good, head is clear.

That said, I eat very healthy and exercise regularly which helps. I feel like a lot of people who suffer from issues treat their body like garbage and then blame the drug for their issues. (I realize that's not always the case)

I remember making the mistake of visiting that Post Finasteride forum one time before taking it. They had a "questionnaire" section to ask the sufferers about their lifestyle...it was a depressing read. Under what they drank daily one guy, who apparently had issues immediately, listed that he "Doesn't drink water...mostly lemon soda".

I mean, come on.

 

[Notcoolanymore]

On finasteride for 1.5 years. No sides and plenty of regrowth.

The ONLY reason the horror stories are the loudest is because most guys on finasteride don't come to message forums to post their success stories. They stabilize their hair loss, move on and enjoy their lives. No doubt there are plenty that have suffered sides, but the forums are definitely NOT a good representation of all the guys that are taking finasteride. Guys having success on the drug are not here posting every day, they move on. What is left is usually a high percentage of guys that are out of options and angry because they cannot effectively treat their hair loss. They are so pissed that they wish sides on others or try to scare them away from treating their hair loss. They are not hear to help anybody but themselves. Don't take my word for it. Read their posts and decide for yourself.

Most of the "facts" that they post, they don't even understand. They just usually quote other garbage that they have seen in the past. It usually sounds technical enough that most will not question it and think it is legit. I have exposed diabloh as an anti propecia troll. He posted this a couple of week ago:

New look at finasteride side effects:

Recent preclinical data indicate that the subsequent

3á-reduction of DHT, DHP and DHDOC produces steroid metabolites with rapid
non-genomic effects on brain function and behavior, primarily via an enhancement of
ã-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibitory neurotransmission. Consistent with their
ability to enhance the action of GABA at GABAA receptors, these steroid derivatives
(termed neuroactive steroids) possess anticonvulsant, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects
in addition to altering aspects of sexual- and alcohol-related behaviors.

http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_125030674.pdf

Notice the title of his post: "New look at finasteride side effects". This title was a lie and if you look at the document he posted, which obviously he didn't even read himself, you will notice the information is from close to a decade ago, some of it dating back to the 90's. His post was meant to put the idea into users and potential users minds that there was another new finding about how propecia can harm you. It was nothing new. It was just the usual garbage.

Bottom line, if you are concerned about finasteride sides and want to find out facts about the drug talk to your doctor, check clinical data and scientific studies. Don't place your future in the hands of random guys on the internet.

 

[saintsfan92344]

Im not a finasteride advocate by any means, I tried and had sides within a month, and Im not talking just a slight libido slide I ave it 6 months and the sides never went away. I don't think it affects everyone that way an you never know till you try. Im one of the unfortunate ones, even rogaine gave me all the written sides like raccoon eyes and wrinkles but sides from both went away

 

[Notcoolanymore]

Im not a finasteride advocate by any means, I tried and had sides within a month, and Im not talking just a slight libido slide I ave it 6 months and the sides never went away. I don't think it affects everyone that way an you never know till you try. Im one of the unfortunate ones, even rogaine gave me all the written sides like raccoon eyes and wrinkles but sides from both went away

I am sorry to hear that you had sides and were screwed up. I am more likely to believe somebody like you that doesn't spend the majority of their time here trying to scare people. There is a huge difference between somebody like you telling your experience as opposed to these guys(some of which have never taking the drug) coming on here and saying stuff like "OMG you've taken one pill, it maybe too late", "It is just a matter of time before you get sides", etc. These guys just take their BS message way to far and the sad part is many guys fall for it.

 

[RU serious]

yeah same here actually... but i think if i would have ceased treatment when i first noticed my nipple itch i def would have avoided it.. anyways im stuck with it too so i get it.. is yours bad.. mine is just slight

It's not too bad, but it's there. I wouldn't even consider going swimming anymore.

 

[hellouser]

If SET works out the way Cotsarelis suggests, finasteride will be completely useless.

 

[shookwun]

mild medication for most.

 

[abcdefg]

The only that thing that works for male pattern baldness is awful? If it wasnt for propecia male pattern baldness would not be treatable at all. A lot of doctors like mine wont prescribe any drug though for anything unless its a health threatening issue like say high blood pressure or something. Hair loss is not worth the risks of an internal drug to most medical professionals and I can see the logic in that. Why risk changing things that work well (endocrine system) for cosmetic issue? That being said its your only option

 

[BiqqieSmalls]

Honestly, if you do NoFap while on finasteride, you'll be fine. I've been on finasteride for the past month ED while also taking dutasteride .5mg 1x a week and I don't have any sexual side effects. I have as much energy as the energizer bunny. finasteride and dutasteride haven't stopped me at all.

I bet that the people who get sexual side effects from finasteride fap nonstop and watch p**rn.

 

[archdemon123]

mere lol to the last comment...

Safe medication, seriously, way worse stuff out there.