Poll - Are Propecia/finasteride Sides Really Only 2%

[freddieb80]

I guess it depends who you ask. I feel like a lot of hair restoration specialists downplay the potential for side effects far more than a doctor who is monitoring your overall health. The issue with Propecia that I don't think a lot of people even know about or know very little about is that it was originally tested and used as a drug to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia which isn't typically an issue in younger men who are still sexually active. If you tell a 75 year old man he may lose desire in sex when taking Propecia he'll probably tell you he hasn't had sex in a long time so it doesn't really make a huge difference but if you tell a 25 year old man he may lose interest in sex then it becomes a much bigger deal. Sexual health is just as important as the health of any other part of your body and mind. Another side note I'd like to mention is that the use of Propecia to help prevent hair loss was initially an off label use of the drug as it was and still is used primarily for prostate issues. There are many, many natural DHT blockers on the market that don't pose the same risk of side effects as Propecia but ultimately it's up to each person to decide if the benefits outweigh the potential risks. If your biggest concern in life is keeping a head full of lucious locks and potential sexual dysfunction doesn't really phase you then yes, jump in with both feet and try it. For myself though I value sex and my ability to "perform" well over my vanity of wanting hair (not to mention I've gotten way more play as a bald guy than I did before I started shaving my head). The last thing I want to mention about Propecia is that the current medical thinking is that if you do happen to be unfortunate enough to experience sexual side effects they typically disappear within 2-4 weeks after stopping the medication. However, there is currently a large group of men in Canada who currently have a class action lawsuit against Merck (the pharmaceutical company that produces Propecia) and are claiming that even after stopping the medication they have been left with severe and permanent sexual dysfunction including loss of libido, impotence, and inability to experience orgasm. As far as the actual "safety" of Propecia (meaning it won't cause an entire array of severe health problems) I can't really find a lot of instances where it's caused harm to a person outside of the know potential side effects. But, I'll step off my soapbox now. I'll end my bit by saying that I think providers, whether they are a family/general practitioner, dermatologist or hair restoration specialist, need to do a much better job of informing their patients of potential side effects of Propecia so that they're better able to make the best decision on how to treat their hair loss.

 

[Trichosan]

To each his own as they say. Personally, I'd be in the same camp as you were I twenty-five years old. But most importantly you said:

"...(not to mention I've gotten way more play as a bald guy than I did before I started shaving my head)"

Why is that? I mean, do you look better completely without hair than you would with hair?

 

[Razzabo]

I guess it depends who you ask. I feel like a lot of hair restoration specialists downplay the potential for side effects far more than a doctor who is monitoring your overall health. The issue with Propecia that I don't think a lot of people even know about or know very little about is that it was originally tested and used as a drug to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia which isn't typically an issue in younger men who are still sexually active. If you tell a 75 year old man he may lose desire in sex when taking Propecia he'll probably tell you he hasn't had sex in a long time so it doesn't really make a huge difference but if you tell a 25 year old man he may lose interest in sex then it becomes a much bigger deal. Sexual health is just as important as the health of any other part of your body and mind. Another side note I'd like to mention is that the use of Propecia to help prevent hair loss was initially an off label use of the drug as it was and still is used primarily for prostate issues. There are many, many natural DHT blockers on the market that don't pose the same risk of side effects as Propecia but ultimately it's up to each person to decide if the benefits outweigh the potential risks. If your biggest concern in life is keeping a head full of lucious locks and potential sexual dysfunction doesn't really phase you then yes, jump in with both feet and try it. For myself though I value sex and my ability to "perform" well over my vanity of wanting hair (not to mention I've gotten way more play as a bald guy than I did before I started shaving my head). The last thing I want to mention about Propecia is that the current medical thinking is that if you do happen to be unfortunate enough to experience sexual side effects they typically disappear within 2-4 weeks after stopping the medication. However, there is currently a large group of men in Canada who currently have a class action lawsuit against Merck (the pharmaceutical company that produces Propecia) and are claiming that even after stopping the medication they have been left with severe and permanent sexual dysfunction including loss of libido, impotence, and inability to experience orgasm. As far as the actual "safety" of Propecia (meaning it won't cause an entire array of severe health problems) I can't really find a lot of instances where it's caused harm to a person outside of the know potential side effects. But, I'll step off my soapbox now. I'll end my bit by saying that I think providers, whether they are a family/general practitioner, dermatologist or hair restoration specialist, need to do a much better job of informing their patients of potential side effects of Propecia so that they're better able to make the best decision on how to treat their hair loss.

There are various class action lawsuits in different countries against Propecia..

It's common sense you are gonna get sexual dysfunction by lowering the most potent sex hormone in the male body.. Basic science..

I don't believe any guy who claims/says he has no side effects. They are all bullshitting.

The dysfunction may not be as severe as some others. That's it.

 

[freddieb80]

To each his own as they say. Personally, I'd be in the same camp as you were I twenty-five years old. But most importantly you said:

"...(not to mention I've gotten way more play as a bald guy than I did before I started shaving my head)"

Why is that? I mean, do you look better completely without hair than you would with hair?

I think it's because my thinning hair made me look older and I was less confident in my appearance when I was still trying to mask my hair loss before I decided to start consistently shaving my head. I initially shaved it as a show of solidarity with my niece while she was fighting cancer and I immediately noticed that I felt much more confident because I was no longer worried about someone saying something about my thinning hair. With that being said I'm currently experimenting with numerous products to see if growing my hair back is possible. I started taking a few different natural DHT blockers that my doctor recommended as a way of preventing future prostate issues and I noticed 6 months in that I had new hair growth in areas that had been completely hairless for a few years. I'm calling it an experiment because honestly if I'm not able to grow my hair back I'm more than happy with my bald head.

 

[freddieb80]

There are various class action lawsuits in different countries against Propecia..

It's common sense you are gonna get sexual dysfunction by lowering the most potent sex hormone in the male body.. Basic science..

I don't believe any guy who claims/says he has no side effects. They are all bullshitting.

The dysfunction may not be as severe as some others. That's it.

I both agree and disagree with your comment to varying degrees. Yes, I do believe that the manipulation of any hormone in the body can lead to a host of unwanted side effects from sexual dysfunction to gynecomastia to just acting shithouse crazy. However, Propecia doesn't necessarily lower any of the body's hormones that are typically associated with a healthy sex drive. I also actually DO (believe it or not) have a friend who has been taking Propecia for over a year now and is still the biggest man-wh*** west of the Cascades. What Propecia is supposed to (and claims to) do is it's supposed to inhibit enzyme 5-a reductase from binding to testosterone and converting it to DHT. My biggest and most guarded issue with Propecia and its producer, Merck, is that they now market and got approval to market Propecia to guys as young as 15 years old. If a bigger mistake was ever made on behalf of a pharmaceutical company I'd love to hear it because what doesn't seem to be discussed a lot in hair loss forums is that DHT is absolutely vital to sexual function and sexual maturation and taking medications to block it's production before the end of puberty (around age 25 for most men) can cause permanent reproductive organ damage. In a nutshell all men have varying amounts of DHT in their bodies from birth. At the beginning of puberty your body starts ramping up conversion of testosterone to DHT because DHT is what signals your prostate gland and testicles to start growing to the size they need to be to ejaculate and reproduce properly. After puberty ends, as far as I've been able to research anyway, DHT is a useless hormone that ends up wreaking havoc on your hair follicles and prostate gland. This is because although you don't really need huge amounts of DHT after puberty has ended your body continues to convert testosterone to DHT at the same rate it did when you were going through puberty and this is what leads to Androgenetic Alopecia and numerous prostate conditions including benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is a noncancerous overgrowth of the prostate gland due to DHT constantly signaling it to continue growing even after puberty ends, and different types of prostate cancer. I find it infuriating that a drug like this can be marketed and prescribed to guys who haven't yet finished going through puberty without being told it can halt the maturation of their reproductive organs. As far as WHY Propecia can cause sexual dysfunction I can't really find a clear answer. Some reports I've read state that it's directly linked to the decrease in DHT (which I find REALLY interesting considering natural DHT blockers like Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin Seed Extract are used to treat sexual dysfunction) while other reports blatantly claim that there is absolutely no correlation between taking Propecia and sexual dysfunction (even though multiple double blind studies using Propecia and a placebo prove otherwise). But, with all of that being said...to each their own. For some guys sex isn't really a huge deal and the thought of losing their hair has a bigger impact on their life than the idea of having any sort of sexual dysfunction. I'm not one of those guys. I REALLY enjoy sex and masturbating so I'm willing to give up my precious follicles if it means I'm still able to have a good time in bed (with or without another person present).

 

[Ray1988]

I both agree and disagree with your comment to varying degrees. Yes, I do believe that the manipulation of any hormone in the body can lead to a host of unwanted side effects from sexual dysfunction to gynecomastia to just acting shithouse crazy. However, Propecia doesn't necessarily lower any of the body's hormones that are typically associated with a healthy sex drive. I also actually DO (believe it or not) have a friend who has been taking Propecia for over a year now and is still the biggest man-wh*** west of the Cascades. What Propecia is supposed to (and claims to) do is it's supposed to inhibit enzyme 5-a reductase from binding to testosterone and converting it to DHT. My biggest and most guarded issue with Propecia and its producer, Merck, is that they now market and got approval to market Propecia to guys as young as 15 years old. If a bigger mistake was ever made on behalf of a pharmaceutical company I'd love to hear it because what doesn't seem to be discussed a lot in hair loss forums is that DHT is absolutely vital to sexual function and sexual maturation and taking medications to block it's production before the end of puberty (around age 25 for most men) can cause permanent reproductive organ damage. In a nutshell all men have varying amounts of DHT in their bodies from birth. At the beginning of puberty your body starts ramping up conversion of testosterone to DHT because DHT is what signals your prostate gland and testicles to start growing to the size they need to be to ejaculate and reproduce properly. After puberty ends, as far as I've been able to research anyway, DHT is a useless hormone that ends up wreaking havoc on your hair follicles and prostate gland. This is because although you don't really need huge amounts of DHT after puberty has ended your body continues to convert testosterone to DHT at the same rate it did when you were going through puberty and this is what leads to Androgenetic Alopecia and numerous prostate conditions including benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is a noncancerous overgrowth of the prostate gland due to DHT constantly signaling it to continue growing even after puberty ends, and different types of prostate cancer. I find it infuriating that a drug like this can be marketed and prescribed to guys who haven't yet finished going through puberty without being told it can halt the maturation of their reproductive organs. As far as WHY Propecia can cause sexual dysfunction I can't really find a clear answer. Some reports I've read state that it's directly linked to the decrease in DHT (which I find REALLY interesting considering natural DHT blockers like Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin Seed Extract are used to treat sexual dysfunction) while other reports blatantly claim that there is absolutely no correlation between taking Propecia and sexual dysfunction (even though multiple double blind studies using Propecia and a placebo prove otherwise). But, with all of that being said...to each their own. For some guys sex isn't really a huge deal and the thought of losing their hair has a bigger impact on their life than the idea of having any sort of sexual dysfunction. I'm not one of those guys. I REALLY enjoy sex and masturbating so I'm willing to give up my precious follicles if it means I'm still able to have a good time in bed (with or without another person present).

I both agree and disagree with your comment to varying degrees. Yes, I do believe that the manipulation of any hormone in the body can lead to a host of unwanted side effects from sexual dysfunction to gynecomastia to just acting shithouse crazy. However, Propecia doesn't necessarily lower any of the body's hormones that are typically associated with a healthy sex drive. I also actually DO (believe it or not) have a friend who has been taking Propecia for over a year now and is still the biggest man-wh*** west of the Cascades. What Propecia is supposed to (and claims to) do is it's supposed to inhibit enzyme 5-a reductase from binding to testosterone and converting it to DHT. My biggest and most guarded issue with Propecia and its producer, Merck, is that they now market and got approval to market Propecia to guys as young as 15 years old. If a bigger mistake was ever made on behalf of a pharmaceutical company I'd love to hear it because what doesn't seem to be discussed a lot in hair loss forums is that DHT is absolutely vital to sexual function and sexual maturation and taking medications to block it's production before the end of puberty (around age 25 for most men) can cause permanent reproductive organ damage. In a nutshell all men have varying amounts of DHT in their bodies from birth. At the beginning of puberty your body starts ramping up conversion of testosterone to DHT because DHT is what signals your prostate gland and testicles to start growing to the size they need to be to ejaculate and reproduce properly. After puberty ends, as far as I've been able to research anyway, DHT is a useless hormone that ends up wreaking havoc on your hair follicles and prostate gland. This is because although you don't really need huge amounts of DHT after puberty has ended your body continues to convert testosterone to DHT at the same rate it did when you were going through puberty and this is what leads to Androgenetic Alopecia and numerous prostate conditions including benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is a noncancerous overgrowth of the prostate gland due to DHT constantly signaling it to continue growing even after puberty ends, and different types of prostate cancer. I find it infuriating that a drug like this can be marketed and prescribed to guys who haven't yet finished going through puberty without being told it can halt the maturation of their reproductive organs. As far as WHY Propecia can cause sexual dysfunction I can't really find a clear answer. Some reports I've read state that it's directly linked to the decrease in DHT (which I find REALLY interesting considering natural DHT blockers like Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin Seed Extract are used to treat sexual dysfunction) while other reports blatantly claim that there is absolutely no correlation between taking Propecia and sexual dysfunction (even though multiple double blind studies using Propecia and a placebo prove otherwise). But, with all of that being said...to each their own. For some guys sex isn't really a huge deal and the thought of losing their hair has a bigger impact on their life than the idea of having any sort of sexual dysfunction. I'm not one of those guys. I REALLY enjoy sex and masturbating so I'm willing to give up my precious follicles if it means I'm still able to have a good time in bed (with or without another person present).

You're one smart dude thx for the information about finasteride

 

[hollow11]

To each his own as they say. Personally, I'd be in the same camp as you were I twenty-five years old. But most importantly you said:

"...(not to mention I've gotten way more play as a bald guy than I did before I started shaving my head)"

Why is that? I mean, do you look better completely without hair than you would with hair?

I've never in my 20 year long life seen a balding dude who looks better than a guy with shaved head. Some can rock the shaved look, not many but some could, while on the other hand , no one can rock the NW7 and look good.

 

[g.i joey]

@freddieb80 i thnk its as simple as saying that the sexual side effects are attributable to the estrogen dominance some people get when they take a drug like finasteride, you know, probably got on the drug with normal to high range estrogen (nothing to worry about when dht is in play) and then they block dht and RAISE their estro. If you really look at side effects of high estrogen in males, its very relatable to propecia side effects. I also noticed a huge difference myself when i was 270 pounds and tried finasteride back in 2014 and compared to now when im 215 and take it while still being able to achieve rock hards daily, i also tke 2 days off a week, idk if that comes in to play, but this all works for me. I think some people just need to find a sweet spot with finasteride and when it comes to toying with hormones i dont believe theres a one size fits all type drug.

 

[Trichosan]

I've never in my 20 year long life seen a balding dude who looks better than a guy with shaved head. Some can rock the shaved look, not many but some could, while on the other hand , no one can rock the NW7 and look good.

I agree, true, in many cases, but Freddie's reply confirms what I suspected and have known for many years. Not all women place a high importance on hair but they are very perceptive about a man's self-confidence. If he feels inferior and weak, they will detect it a mile away. Just don't be short, fat, ugly AND bald.

BTW, that's the reason I asked him the question. Already knew the answer.

 

[Zoro]

I don't believe any guy who claims/says he has no side effects. They are all bullshitting.

lol

 

[freddieb80]

I've never in my 20 year long life seen a balding dude who looks better than a guy with shaved head. Some can rock the shaved look, not many but some could, while on the other hand , no one can rock the NW7 and look good.

I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I have a pretty symmetrical, non-lumpy head so razor shaving it doesn't bother me at all. I know some guys who simply don't look good bald because their head is big or asymmetrical or lumpy and flat in the back so I understand the desire to do everything that can be done to prevent male pattern baldness. My hair regrowth journey is more of an experiment than anything else after I noticed some new hairs sprouting around my temple areas around 6 months after I started taking a Pumpkin Seed Extract/Saw Palmetto/Pygeum supplement that my doctor recommended I take to help prevent prostate issues when I'm older. If my regimen works and I'm able to get my hair to grow back...awesome!! If not I've rocked the bald look for 6 years now and I'm more than comfortable with it.

 

[freddieb80]

I agree, true, in many cases, but Freddie's reply confirms what I suspected and have known for many years. Not all women place a high importance on hair but they are very perceptive about a man's self-confidence. If he feels inferior and weak, they will detect it a mile away. Just don't be short, fat, ugly AND bald.

BTW, that's the reason I asked him the question. Already knew the answer.

True that brotha! Confidence is everything when you're trying to close a deal. I sincerely doubt that Sir Patrick Stewart's bald head has ever kept that guy from getting TONS of play!

 

[freddieb80]

@freddieb80 i thnk its as simple as saying that the sexual side effects are attributable to the estrogen dominance some people get when they take a drug like finasteride, you know, probably got on the drug with normal to high range estrogen (nothing to worry about when dht is in play) and then they block dht and RAISE their estro. If you really look at side effects of high estrogen in males, its very relatable to propecia side effects. I also noticed a huge difference myself when i was 270 pounds and tried finasteride back in 2014 and compared to now when im 215 and take it while still being able to achieve rock hards daily, i also tke 2 days off a week, idk if that comes in to play, but this all works for me. I think some people just need to find a sweet spot with finasteride and when it comes to toying with hormones i dont believe theres a one size fits all type drug.

I completely agree with this. The potential for side effects from taking Propecia probably increases exponentially if a guy is already dealing with elevated estrogen levels or any other hormone imbalance. My best friend's husband was diagnosed with chronically low testosterone so his doctor prescribed him testosterone injections and for a few months everything was cool. Around month number 4 he started acting crazy again like he did prior to starting testosterone therapy so they drew his labs again and saw that as a result of injecting a synthetic testosterone into his system his estrogen was completely depleted. I don't think many people understand that whenever you start manipulating, increasing, decreasing or eliminating one hormone all the others get thrown out of whack. For this reason I believe that all provide who are prescribing Propecia should implement a strict protocol stating that any patient receiving a prescription for Propecia has to have hormone level testing every 3 months before their prescription will be refilled so that major hormonal fluctuations can be detected early and addressed before they cause too many side effects.