You search long enough for side effects, you will find them. Most of the so called side effects are just placebo. And this goes for all medications, not just finasteride. Patients will attribute anything to the medication they take. The actual, true side effect rate is very tiny, and it's obvious within a month of starting. You don't get it years later...
But of course a whole bunch of pseudoscientists on here will try to convince everyone and themselves how harmful DHT deprivation is to the body and mind. Not realizing that none of us had much DHT before puberty and we all did just fine. Women don't have it either, and they do just fine. But for some magical reason taking propecia will make you go mentally retarded.
It's a hormone the body produces for a specific reason at a specific time. Yes, it is necessary in that context. No it is not required for survival or quality of life. No, it is not required to get an erection or to ejaculate. No, it is not required for sexual attraction. If you're having problems in these areas long after stopping the drug, it's all in your head.
06-27-2014 02:59 PM
Grammaton Cleric
Quote:
Originally Posted by hiko
You search long enough for side effects, you will find them. Most of the so called side effects are just placebo. And this goes for all medications, not just finasteride. Patients will attribute anything to the medication they take. The actual, true side effect rate is very tiny, and it's obvious within a month of starting. You don't get it years later...
But of course a whole bunch of pseudoscientists on here will try to convince everyone and themselves how harmful DHT deprivation is to the body and mind. Not realizing that none of us had much DHT before puberty and we all did just fine. Women don't have it either, and they do just fine. But for some magical reason taking propecia will make you go mentally retarded.
It's a hormone the body produces for a specific reason at a specific time. Yes, it is necessary in that context. No it is not required for survival or quality of life. No, it is not required to get an erection or to ejaculate. No, it is not required for sexual attraction. If you're having problems in these areas long after stopping the drug, it's all in your head.
Those statistics are bullshit. So many more people get side effects than 1-2% .. Hello we are talking about male sex hormones here.
06-28-2014 06:17 AM
hiko
Because I'm sure it's really difficult to get published in the Korean Journal of Urology...
Can we please stop posting these weak, half-assed studies?
06-28-2014 03:48 PM
burtandernie
I think its a pretty basic assumption that there is no such thing as a completely safe internal drug given current medicine. Not much else to say really. You might not have any obvious visible sides, but does that mean a drug is safe or just that you had nothing noticeable? All the stuff about the role of DHT is completely based on what we currently know and believe. Things like this are constantly being redefined and changing as we learn more about what it does. I dont think in most cases we completely understand every role DHT plays and how it affects different people differently.
All that being said its the best there is so if your going bald and it bothers you I dont see why you wouldnt use it. Its safe as far as we know
06-28-2014 04:24 PM
Karlton
Quote:
Originally Posted by burtandernie
I think its a pretty basic assumption that there is no such thing as a completely safe internal drug given current medicine. Not much else to say really. You might not have any obvious visible sides, but does that mean a drug is safe or just that you had nothing noticeable? All the stuff about the role of DHT is completely based on what we currently know and believe. Things like this are constantly being redefined and changing as we learn more about what it does. I dont think in most cases we completely understand every role DHT plays and how it affects different people differently.
All that being said its the best there is so if your going bald and it bothers you I dont see why you wouldnt use it. Its safe as far as we know
So true. We are the guinea pigs as far as long term effects go. Everyone can come on here and speculate all they want, but the fact is no can know what will happen down the road.
Like you said, if hair loss is interfering with your life, then you might as well treat it the best way we know how. The next treatment to hit the market will have its own set of risks and side effects to weigh, and until and outright cure comes along, we must live with a certain degree of uncertainty within our treatment regimens.
06-28-2014 05:42 PM
blakes33
Who knew that propecia (finasteride) is a commonly used drug for gender change?
Another good choice for an anti-androgen is finasteride (Proscar, Propecia), and is able to be used in concert with spironolactone.*The primary use of Proscar (finasteride 5 mg) was in the treatment of benign prostatic enlargement, but with its reintroduction as Propecia (finasteride 1 mg), the drug is being largely marketed to promote scalp hair growth.* For transgendered women, finasteride when given in the larger dose promotes not only scalp hair growth but acts as an potent anti-androgen as it is highly effective in inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to DHT (dehydrotestosterone) responsible for male sexual characteristics.* Finasteride is usually physically well tolerated over long durations, but is expensive.*
Wow!!!!
06-28-2014 06:59 PM
Notcoolanymore
All this back and forth on whether finasteride is safe is just a bunch of BS. Absolutely no prescription drug is 100% safe, NONE. Read a list of many of the popular drugs in use today. Many will include the potential for many dangerous sides including multiple cancers. Finasteride has been in use for close to 30 years and is considered one of the safer drugs to take. Does this mean that all will be ok to take it? Hell no, some will get effed up if they decide to use it. Unfortunately that is the risk we all take when we decide on taking a prescription drug.
Finasteride is our best defense against MPB. There is definite risk involved in taking it. I know that and am willing to take the risk to keep my hair. Is it worth the risk? At this point in time it is for me. Others may feel that hair is not worth risking their health. I am fine with that. At the end of the day it should be a personal choice and we really need to stop attacking people for whatever choices they decide to make. For all of us taking fin and having success, we should refrain from giving people a hard time that don't want to take the risk. For all the guys who refuse to take it and are upset that they have no other alternative and are accepting that they will go bald, need to stop taking their frustrations out an fin users.
06-28-2014 10:03 PM
Notcoolanymore
Propecia (finasteride) has its' risks just like every other prescription drug. The sides most feared appear to be ED and brain fog. If hair is not worth risking these sides then don't take the drug. It is not that hard. I have yet to hear anybody claim that they were forced to take it. It is up to the user to educate themselves and make the decision that is best for them. We also need to be smart about it. If you take the drug and experience ED or brain fog, then stop taking the drug. Simple as that. If you choose harm yourself by continuing to take it then there is really nobody else to blame but yourself.
