should I get on finasteride?

[djb]

Hello

Im 23, noticed my hair thinning late last year but didnt really know about it until I saw a photo of the back of my head in late janaury this year. I was kinda shocked and had all these plans to see medical hair centres but im paranoid they will use scare tactics on me to make me sign up to expensive treatments that you can do yourself, for far cheaper.

Anyway, I went to see a doctor here and he agreed im showing signs of alopecia and prescribed me a blood test to make sure nothing was wrong with regards to deficiencies, and minoxidil. After a few days of reading I went back and asked him why he didnt prescribe propecia, since it seems to be very popular according to forums such as these. He said that he would rather have me on minoxidil for 6 months, then if that doesnt work, go on finasteride, since its entirely possible minoxidil will be all I need. being my paranoid self, i went on about how propecia and minoxidil is a sort of 'cover all your options' approach and that i really wanted to go on it from what I read, and he quite reluctantly gave me the prescription, warning me of all the side effects and stuff.

so i went and bought some but im really hesitant on using it. I dont know if i should stay with minoxidil only like the doctor suggested, since that runs the risk of the loss simply continuing at a slower rate and being harder to reverse, but finasteride has these potential side effects which have me quite worried, not helped in the least by the manufacturers website removed pending a class action lawsuit against them...

I just dont know, I was 100% focused on getting on the finasteride but now im questioning whether I should just go with the minoxidil only and wait it out to see what happens, with 0 risk of side effects.

 

[maximiliandreams]

I know how do you feel now.The first thing i will say,is ..relax,really.In this post i will try to explain all that stuff that you want to know,but for second time i will tell you..relax.I am not a doctor,i am 20 years old,teenager.I am not sure but it could sound stupid...but that's the reality ! Now..remember that minoxidil ALONE is very weak against hairloss,so... even if you have good regrowth with minoxidil,dont make the mistake to lie yourself that the hairloss is defeated, and you won the battle...but in reality you won the battle,but not the war,i am serious.I have hairloss for almost 2 years now..and i have seen many threads where a lot of people are noticing in the begining hairloss and they start minoxidil..have good results,and they think that it will be forever but they are wronge.Remember that minoxidil is not antiandrogen,so it dont affects DHT..it's a growth stimulant,and no one know how does it work really,so i think that this is bullshit that you have to stay on minoxidil for 6 months...and after that what? after this 6 month if you have regrowth ..so what? you will keep this regimen for about 6 more months,and after that you will see with your own eyes that minoxidil is loosing it's effectiveness.So start propecia NOAW...i am using the stuff for almost 8 months i have no side effects..i have many friends that use finasteride,and no one has any side effects... chill out and try it if you have no side effects,continue.The best option for you will be

1.Finasteride 1.25m/day
2.Minoxidil,liquid applications twice a day.
3.Nizoral 2% keto,as it is a weak dht inhibitor.
4.Patience.

(And if you want,this is your wish..you can add,spironolactone S5% cream,which is local antiandrogen,so with combination of finasteride and the cream,you can have a very big gun against hairloss.You can find the cream on page "Get your treatments" here in this site.Good luck,and keep us posted.

 

[amalgamated]

don't use finasteride, unless you want risk being chemically castrated, i know.
visit
www.propeciahelp.com

i used to work at bosley.com in marketing btw.

 

[maximiliandreams]

Dont listen to this moron :thumbdown2:

 

[amalgamated]

f*****g with your endocrine system and risking lifelong impotence, like i now apparently have isn't worth it.

Dr John Criser D.O.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEGCTMtlgoc

PERSISTENT SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS OF FINASTERIDE
Dr. Michael S. Irwig from George Washington University
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZ3-t7vJeg

ORIGINAL RESEARCH—ENDOCRINOLOGY
Adverse Side Effects of 5a-Reductase Inhibitors Therapy:
Persistent Diminished Libido and Erectile Dysfunction and
Depression in a Subset of Patients
http://www.drproctor.com/propecia/propecia.pdf

 

[Odie]

I have been on finasteride for 3 years now, good results and NO SIDES ... you will only know if you try.

 

[Ende]

Dont listen to this moron :thumbdown2:

I suggest you take a look at the threads in my signature.

 

[amalgamated]

Dont listen to this moron :thumbdown2:

yep. this poster is a child.

 

[maximiliandreams]

Yea,talk whatever you want..

 

[amalgamated]

http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewt ... 1a385181be

 

[Wuffer]

People really need to get out of this black & white viewpoint. Admittedly, I used to fit squarely into the ‘white’ category (I say that at the risk of being labeled a hypocrite), but neither is really helpful to anyone. Scaring everyone away from using finasteride can be just as damaging as encouraging everybody to use it. Some people don’t realize or acknowledge that hair loss itself can be extremely damaging to certain individuals and yes, even be a reason to end a life. In even more situations, it can lower self confidence to a crippling degree which can last a life time. This isn’t simply a “cosmetic issue†for some people.

The fact is finasteride is well tolerated by most, and chances are you won’t have any side effects on it. However, there is a chance to experience severe side effects that may not resolve on their own. The actual percentages that these occur at are currently unknown, but the fact that they have not yet been identified in a clinical setting leads me to believe it is a rare occurrence.

You ARE taking a chance when you pop the pill. Nobody knows exactly what percentage it is, and if you are unfortunate enough to end up with problems, it doesn’t even matter.

It’s difficult decision to make unfortunately, and if you aren’t 100% committed to taking the medication, it’s best to just move on. I was quite hesitant at first, even during my first few months on the medication, but I have had a very positive experience and I feel it’s improved my self confidence significantly. If I had chosen not to get on finasteride when I did, I fear hair loss may have taken over my life and made me into a very different person.

Best of luck on your decision.

 

[Ende]

Certain side effects are inevitable, and the decision to use Propecia shouldn't be taken lightly. The leaflet doesn't say anything about finasteride's effect on free testosterone and neurohormones - nor does it mention that it actually will shrink your prostate - which may cause some other problems, and it proves that the drug is dangerous, and that it hasn't been studies properly. Take a look at this abstract that was posted on the other forum recently;

Finasteride treatment of hypersexuality associated with vascular dementia and underlying benign prostate hyperplasia

Background: It is known that there is a considerable change in sexual activity following stroke and dementia. Hypersexuality has no proven treatment, although reports have described reductions in hypersexual behavior using anti-psychotics or serotonergics. However, patients, whose sexual behavior did not respond to these medications, were intermittently observed in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical effects of finasteride not only in BPH, but also in hypersexualism secondary to vascular dementia.

Methods: Participants included 10 men(mean age: 76.40±3.64, range:73-82) with their problematic sexually related behaviors who were diagnosed as vascular dementia according to NINDS-AIREN criteria, who had already had lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Their sexual behaviors included cuddling, touching of the genitals, sexual remarks propositioning, grabbing and groping, use of obscene language and masturbating without shame. In all instances concern emanated from members of the nursing staff. The diagnosis of BPH was established standard urologic evaluation with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL) index, peak urinary flow rate (Qmax), ultrasound measurement of prostate volume, residual urine volume, assay of prostate specific antigen(PSA), and digital rectal examination. ultrasound measurement of prostate volume, assay of prostate specific antigen(PSA). From the studies, all of them were started on finasteride 5 mg once daily without any other medication which could influence on their abnormal behaviors except antidementia medications.

Results: A few months after taking finasteride, all of the enrolled patients showed improvement of voiding symptoms and half of them showed amelioration of hypersexuality and no unwanted side effects.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that finasteride as an anti-androgenic effect decreased libido and hypersexual behavior without serious side effects in patients with vascular dementia and underlying BPH. Further studies that obviously define the response and long-term side effects of finasteride are needed to confirm our observations.

Hypersexuality is said to be a DHT mediated disorder. Don't be fooled and think that the risk will be lower with Propecia because they used 5 mg finasteride a day in this study - Propecia is just as potent.

 

[abcdefg]

Well 5mg is different then 1 mg in the amount it inhibits even if the curve is an exponential function.

 

[Ende]

There is no difference between 5- and 1 mg when it comes to reduced DHT level...