Nervous about Propecia...

[youdontknowme]

I'm 28 and have been losing hair for the past three years. It has reached a point to where I'm extremely depressed and anxious about it. I don't have money right now for a hair transplant, so I went to the dermatologist to see what they would recommend.

The doctor prescribed some cortisone cream for my scalp, told me to start using minoxidil, and prescribed 1 mg per day of Propecia.

I've read the propecia horror stories and lawsuits, and it's genuinely got me worried. I've taken finasteride (Flowmax - 5mg) before for unrelated reasons, but had to stop after a week because I had some totally bizarre ejaculation issues that are absolutely unacceptable at this age (especially since I'm in the dating 'game' right now). I don't mean to get descriptive, but it felt like even with orgasm I couldn't 'fully' ejaculate. It felt like there was still some semen 'left behind', which was a very uncomfortable feeling. But I figure that 1mg would make it less likely to have those issues.

Are there any 20-something year-olds who are taking propecia without any effect on their sexual function? I'm worried about sexual function primarily, but also about a potential increase in estrogens or decrease in testosterone (I'm weightlifting now... so that would be bad).

I'm considering taking it even if I do have some side effects, mainly because I just cannot accept losing my hair. It's 2013 and it blows my mind that male pattern baldness still exists .

Anyways, what do you guys who have dealt with this think about the regime? Is it worth trying? Or should I go broke by financing a hair transplant?

 

[Nderush92]

I think its worth trying. Personally for me my sex drive is still the same. Some days it feels like i have even more of a sex drive. No problems with ED either. And you can always stop at any time if any of the side effects occur.

 

[beaner]

.

. I've taken finasteride (Flowmax - 5mg) before for unrelated reasons, but had to stop after a week because I had some totally bizarre ejaculation issues that are absolutely unacceptable at this age (especially since I'm in the dating 'game' right now). I don't mean to get descriptive, but it felt like even with orgasm I couldn't 'fully' ejaculate. It felt like there was still some semen 'left behind', which was a very uncomfortable feeling. But I figure that 1mg would make it less likely to have those issues.

Flowmax is not finasteride, it's tamsulosin and works by a different mechanism than finasteride.

 

[Wuffer]

The symptom you are describing is retrograde ejaculation and it isn't a known symptom of finasteride, but it IS a known symptom from flomax (which is a different chemical). You are in your 20's; why on earth were you taking flomax? Do you have an enlarged prostate, or did your doctor prescribe you the wrong medication? You should have been prescribed Proscar if you want to treat hair loss. Proscar is also for treating enlarged prostate, but is finasteride.

As for the horror stories and lawsuits, these represent an extremely small minority of users. Around 5% of users will have side effects, and most of those will go away after continued use, or discontinuation of the medication. A very small percentage of those with sides will have some stick around for a while (weeks or months), or indefinitely. Nobody knows the true incidence rates, but I suspect it's extremely rare - less than 1 in 1000. Without finasteride, you have almost 100% chance of losing your hair, which comes with its own side effects - decreased self esteem, depression, social anxiety, etc. There are certainly real risks of taking the stuff, but the benefits far outweigh those, IMO.

 

[Carlito]

I'm 28 and have been losing hair for the past three years. It has reached a point to where I'm extremely depressed and anxious about it. I don't have money right now for a hair transplant, so I went to the dermatologist to see what they would recommend.

The doctor prescribed some cortisone cream for my scalp, told me to start using minoxidil, and prescribed 1 mg per day of Propecia.

I've read the propecia horror stories and lawsuits, and it's genuinely got me worried. I've taken finasteride (Flowmax - 5mg) before for unrelated reasons, but had to stop after a week because I had some totally bizarre ejaculation issues that are absolutely unacceptable at this age (especially since I'm in the dating 'game' right now). I don't mean to get descriptive, but it felt like even with orgasm I couldn't 'fully' ejaculate. It felt like there was still some semen 'left behind', which was a very uncomfortable feeling. But I figure that 1mg would make it less likely to have those issues.

Are there any 20-something year-olds who are taking propecia without any effect on their sexual function? I'm worried about sexual function primarily, but also about a potential increase in estrogens or decrease in testosterone (I'm weightlifting now... so that would be bad).

I'm considering taking it even if I do have some side effects, mainly because I just cannot accept losing my hair. It's 2013 and it blows my mind that male pattern baldness still exists .

Anyways, what do you guys who have dealt with this think about the regime? Is it worth trying? Or should I go broke by financing a hair transplant?

I never heard of using flomax for male pattern hairloss. Does it work?

One study showed that 4% of finasteride users had side effects and only half of those went away. So there is a 2% chance, 1 and 50, you can have long lasting problems. It's the best data I have seen. Read the studies and don't listen to people making up numbers on the internet

 

[Wuffer]

One study showed that 4% of finasteride users had side effects and only half of those went away. So there is a 2% chance, 1 and 50, you can have long lasting problems. It's the best data I have seen. Read the studies and don't listen to people making up numbers on the internet

The study I think you are referring to is the PLESS, and I think you got your numbers a bit mixed up. The PLESS was a placebo controlled study conducted on just over 3000 older men who were taking finasteride for BPH. 4% in the finasteride group (n=120) and 2% in the placebo group (n=60) dropped out due to newly developed sides. Side effects resolved in 50% of the finasteride group (n=60) and 40% of the placebo group (n=24), meaning 60 men in the finasteride group and 36 in the placebo group had persisting sides.

Looking at this data directly and extrapolating to the general population, you could say that 24 out of 3040 men will end up with persistent sides (1 in 126, or 0.7%).

But that's a bit premature... Almost 50% of the men who entered the study already had a history of sexual dysfunction before even taking part, meaning that the natural rate of sexual dysfunction was very high in this group. The researchers also noted a very high occurrence of placebo effect during this study, and taking into account these factors they determined that the difference between the two groups in terms of how many men recovered from sides was not statistically significant, and consistent with the natural occurrence of sexual dysfunction in the population they studied.

 

[Quantum Cat]

if they did a Finasteride study with men who are already experiencing sexual dysfunction issues then that study is completely null and void IMO. Doesn't prove a thing.

and 36 men in the placebo group suddenly started getting side effects even though they weren't taking Finasteride at all?! That speaks volumes

 

[Wuffer]

and 36 men in the placebo group suddenly started getting side effects even though they weren't taking Finasteride at all?! That speaks volumes

Yep, and that's not just side effects, but side effects that persisted after they stopped taking the placebo.

A lot of people use this study as proof that finasteride causes persistent side effects, but conveniently leave out these small details. Yes, looking at the data directly indicates that finasteride causes persistent sides, but when you take into consideration how high the natural rate of sexual dysfunction is in the two groups, the margin of statistical significance increases significantly. A difference of 24 men isn't large enough to draw any conclusion, but if it was a difference of 100+ men then it certainly would.