Concerns about Propecia and permanent erectile dysfunction..

I don't buy it. It's been on the market for over 10 years, you would think it would be pulled off the shelves by now if this were true.

I think that the implications of causing long term ED problems with Propecia is way over blown and mostly psychological. I personally took propecia (1mg) for a year and now I'm up to and will remain 7.5mg a day. I have been doing this for a year. I'm noway suggesting anyone does what I do, but I have my reasons why I felt that this dosage was sufficient for me (because .5mg of Dutasteride blocks a lot more DHT than 5mg of Finasteride, so it really isn't that much). The only side effect I can report is a HIGHER sex drive because I believe the testosterone that would have converted to DHT remain testosterone causing my sex drive to be slightly higher than normal. I understand everyone's concerns, but this drug IS safe and IS effective and would be very beneficial the sooner you get on it. I feel like people need to stop overthinking and make a logical decision to start the drug. the WORST possible thing that could happen in my opinion is that you are one of the unlucky 2% (which I think maybe its not even that high, just people freak out causing them to not get it up) and have some problems in that department..... all you would need to do is just stop taking it, say you gave it a good try..and be back to normal really soon.

I don't see any science where it would effect ED in the longterm because it will not keep your testosterone levels low, because the half life of Finasteride is so short (4-6 hours) that the drug will be out of your body really soon.

The ONLY thing this drug does is inhibit the 5-alpha-reductase Type 2 enzyme.. and when you stop taking it.. it stops the inhibition.. period

So again.. my suggestion is don't waste your time worrying and be proactive, because the longer you wait.. the less hair you will be able to save.

If you notice any side effect once you begin the Propecia, just discontinue the medication and your side effect will resolve itself within a few days...without long term complications.:)
Most patients who simply decrease their dose report that the side effect dimished shortly after dosage change.:)

they say it affects 2%, so it has destructive properties by definition. Also a lot of people think its a lot higher thatn 2%, I know several health practicioners who say they have patients who were on it , came off and still have the problems, neither of these docs have any negative motives for saying that, one of them is a doc at one of the worlds most renowned hormone specialist clinic. Then again lots of people take it with no sides, so its got to be a personal decision. For me I am not risking it yet, hopefully soon a completely safe product will come out, ie safe for 100%, no 98% or so.

I'd be curious to see how this turned out for you Parker. I'm of similar age and just had a similar experience, and am wondering if I should be getting off the drug, or if this is a temporary phase. I never felt any loss of erection my first time going on the pills.

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Originally Posted by parker55

Hey guys--I'd like your personal advice or comments about my situation.

I'm really young (23ish) but have drastic genetic hair loss--I began the Minoxidil/Propecia cycle about a year ago and got great results. I was off Propecia for 2 weeks or so (couldn't refill a prescription during exams) but just got back on it.

Within 3 days I started experiencing some side effects (weaker erection/decreased volume) which weren't common during my previous one year regime. Anyway, I know that ED has a significant psychological component and having read propeciaforums, I want to make sure that these symptoms are physical rather than mental.

Does it typically take a week or two for your body to re-adjust back to Propecia or could this just be an adverse reaction?

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I'd be curious to see how this turned out for you Parker. I'm of similar age and just had a similar experience, and am wondering if I should be getting off the drug, or if this is a temporary phase. I never felt any loss of erection my first time going on the pills.

Hi,
I got one word for you Virection. The other stuff out there is crap. All the prescription pills cost a fortune and you have time things just right. With this, I just take one everyday, and it's all good. Couldn’t believe it, but this stuff actually works.

I have posted many times that I am a big believer in Propecia. I prescribe it and I took it for about a year. Unfortunately I am one of the 2-3% who had that side effect we all dread. Within 5 days of stopping, the side effect was and remains gone. Plenty of our patients over the years have simply gotten viagra to use in conjunction with propecia, but I personally just chose to stop it. Nevertheless I think its a good medicine and for 96% plus patients, there are no side effects, and often good results.

My advice to you is to get it from a local doctor who you can check in with from time to time and contact if there are side effects.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

I started taking 5% minoxidil for about a year now and I didn't really notice a difference. My hair was thinning more noticeably and shedding more around 3 years ago (i'm 25 now) and finally i just decided to take the plunge and go on propecia for a 3 month trial. I'm about 2.5 months in and haven't noticed a huge difference yet although i think i did go through some sort of shedding period, but i think that could've either been attributed from the propecia OR from a stressful job situation that i had occurring around the same time i started the treatment.
After reading the permanent side effects stories...some of them saying people experience them immediately, I'm once again nervous about taking propecia long term.

So my question is has anyone encountered side effects and if so how immediate/noticeable were they? For me being 2 months in I have not encountered any sexual side fx whatsoever, actually i have a high libido and it hasn't really gone down and I still can ejaculate a lot =/
Would reducing the propecia from 1 pill a day to 1 pill every other day still help but not carry as much side effect?

Thanks to all for the great forum and for reading my long post!

(oops wrong window.)