Propecia: Any side effects

[notsure]

Hi,

I am new to this forum. First a little history:

I am not sure if I am having hair loss - I have always had a receded hair line - as far back as I can remember being conscious about it. Childhood photos also indicate that I have always had a receded hairline. But, recently - I have been worrying if it has been receding further - and I am only 25.

I was planning to visit a AHLA recommended clinic. But I was wondering if I am recommended propecia, should I take it - did anyone see any side effects to the medicine ?

Also has it worked for other members here ?

Thanks in advance for all your replies.

[Winston]

Propecia works! Most people do not experience side effects but it can happen. No big deal really because you can just stop taking it and they go away. Your doctor can tell if you you should try the drug or not.

[speedman]

i definitely don't want to scare you, but i have been on propecia for about 3 months and just recently noticed breast tenderness. when i first started propecia, i had testicular pain for one week and it went away. i also had watery semen since i started and it has continued until now. But I think I am going to stop taking propecia now, because i could live with watery semen, but breast tenderness really scares me. i probably will not go back on propecia unless i find info in my research that tells me otherwise. the bad part is that i just refilled my propecia prescription for another 90 days and paid $200 that I will probably not use.

[Zao]

I’ve had a lot of luck with Propecia, with no side effects. I did have the testicle pain when I first started but that went away a long time ago. I never had the breast tenderness, so I can see why you are stopping it. Did you try to cut it in half to see if you still feel the tenderness? I’ve heard Spencer Kobren recommend this on his show. Supposedly you can still see benefits at half the 1mg dose.

[TeeJay73]

Almost 2 years on Propecia. No side effects here.

Good luck and give it a shot!

TeeJay

[speedman]

zao, i might consider cutting it in half or taking it every other day if i notice my hair thinning at a rapid rate (i have to admit i am in a tough situation here, damn if you do, damn if you don't). this is the thing that pains me the most about my side effect of breast tenderness, because my hair is thinning but i still have a good amount where it is not noticable and i definitely felt like propecia was stopping my hair thinning.

nosture, my advice is to take propecia because i definitely do think it works, but if you notice several side effects then i would stop.

[bighosedragger]

going on 8 yearson propecia...then to generic proscar split into quarters. No side effects at all. started at the early stages of hair loss. propecia has saved my hair!!!

[Constantine]

Originally Posted by bighosedragger

going on 8 yearson propecia...then to generic proscar split into quarters. No side effects at all. started at the early stages of hair loss. propecia has saved my hair!!!

So how long did you see the results from taking propecia?
Besides saving your remaining hair, do u see any new hairgrowth or regrowth?

[notsure]

Thanks all for your replies. They were really helpful. Nice to know propecia works for most folks. And hope speedman, your symptoms go away with lower dosage !

I will visit a doctor soon and see if s/he thinks I am really having any hair loss and need to go on propecia.

All the best to everyone here.

[notsure]

Hello All.

So I did go to see a doctor. She said that I do have a bit more more thinning than normal for my age - so if I want, I can go on propecia and rogain combo. (I actually got to see my scalp through densitometer and I compared my follicles with my doctor's)

Surprisingly though, she said that most side effects attributed to propecia are over hyped - for my age anyways (I am 25). And I wanted to share what she said in more detail and invite opnions/comments here from you folks. If you'd like you can discuss what she said with your doctors and we can discuss and match different opinions here ?


She said a couple of things.

First - effect of propecia on libido. So, testosterone quantity in the body follows a sine curve - with period of 1-3 days, different for different individuals. If propecia is taken towards the end of the cycle (when testosterone quantity is bottoming out) - a little more than expected testosterone is left in the body (because by inhibiting DHT in the body - free testosterone quantity remaining increases mildly). Body notices this and extends the bottoming out period so that testosterone can go all the way down - and this is when most people will notice decreased libido if any. However, after this - the cycle resumes as normal.

Secondly, she said that at younger ages - testosterone levels are so high that the mild disturbance to levels go unnoticed. And most of the "sexual side effects" people see are psychological.

She said most of the tests done around propecia side effects are on people aged 55 or more and body testosterone levels around this age is much less than it is when someone is 20-35 and so the effects of propecia on younger men is even milder, if any at all.

Now, I would really want to match what she said with some emperical evidence - and from the posts above looks like propecia was beneficial to most. However, with the above information at hand, I would like open this thread again for discussion and opinions (yours and your doctors'). Also, do let me know if your personal experience with propecia has been in line with the above theory or not.

My doctor seemed to have a very positive view of propecia and I am wondering if that's same across the board for all hair therapists !



Thanks !