A few weeks ago, there were a few threads on this forum regarding Propecia usage and penis damage and shrinkage. This topic arose because some of the posters stumbled upon two articles reported in medical journals which linked the use of Finasteride to damage to the structure of penile tissue. One of the articles discussed a study where rats were given finasteride and then their penile tissue was examined. The penile tissue differed from that of rats in the control group. The second article suggested that DHT is necessary for the health of penile tissue.
As to be expected, there was a wide divergence of comments from posters. Some people became alarmed and stated that they were discontinuing Propecia. Others refused to give any credence to these articles and questioned why this side effect is not being reported by Propecia users.
I have been taking Propecia for four months and I became alarmed and concerned. I just couldn’t stick my head in the sand and ignore these articles. On the other hand, I did not want to jump to any conclusions. After all, the study was done on rats.
As you may know, there are several web- based services that provide expert medical advice for a fee. I decided to utilize these services. I sent the two articles to two separate urologists. I asked them for their comments on the articles and their advice regarding Propecia usage. Here are summaries of their replies:
Urologist No. 1 – He stated that the study on rats suggests some damaging effect to the penile tissue of rats from finasteride but such studies do not conclusively establish irreversible damage to the penis. He stated that there are many drugs that have certain effects on rats but those same drugs do not have similar effects on humans. Thus, he stated that any damage to rats from Propecia does not mean that humans will experience such damage. He stated that there needs to be further studies on humans. He also stated that not all rats suffered penile tissue damage and the degree of damage varied.
Urologist No. 2 – He reviewed both articles/studies and stated that the studies were valid and credible. However, he emphasized that the studies “ talk about an evident pathway without really talking about cases.†(I have no idea what that means. Maybe a medical student in the audience can enlighten us). He stated that use of Propecia cannot damage or shrink the penis. He stated that both articles merely suggest that use of Propecia can give a reversible side effect by receptors action and not by damaging penile tissue.
Both urologist recommended that I continue taking Propecia. I hope this helps.
As to be expected, there was a wide divergence of comments from posters. Some people became alarmed and stated that they were discontinuing Propecia. Others refused to give any credence to these articles and questioned why this side effect is not being reported by Propecia users.
I have been taking Propecia for four months and I became alarmed and concerned. I just couldn’t stick my head in the sand and ignore these articles. On the other hand, I did not want to jump to any conclusions. After all, the study was done on rats.
As you may know, there are several web- based services that provide expert medical advice for a fee. I decided to utilize these services. I sent the two articles to two separate urologists. I asked them for their comments on the articles and their advice regarding Propecia usage. Here are summaries of their replies:
Urologist No. 1 – He stated that the study on rats suggests some damaging effect to the penile tissue of rats from finasteride but such studies do not conclusively establish irreversible damage to the penis. He stated that there are many drugs that have certain effects on rats but those same drugs do not have similar effects on humans. Thus, he stated that any damage to rats from Propecia does not mean that humans will experience such damage. He stated that there needs to be further studies on humans. He also stated that not all rats suffered penile tissue damage and the degree of damage varied.
Urologist No. 2 – He reviewed both articles/studies and stated that the studies were valid and credible. However, he emphasized that the studies “ talk about an evident pathway without really talking about cases.†(I have no idea what that means. Maybe a medical student in the audience can enlighten us). He stated that use of Propecia cannot damage or shrink the penis. He stated that both articles merely suggest that use of Propecia can give a reversible side effect by receptors action and not by damaging penile tissue.
Both urologist recommended that I continue taking Propecia. I hope this helps.
