Concerns about Propecia and permanent erectile dysfunction..

[25 going on 65]

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!

If you browse around the forum, you'll see a good number of members who say they've experienced finasteride side effects. The real-world rate is very low, so don't psych yourself out by reading scary stories on the internet. Just be reasonable and keep an eye on your body; if you feel you start experiencing side effects, my advice is to talk to your doctor about them.
We currently don't know if finasteride can cause "permanent" side effects. There is a very small population of men who feel this has happened to them, but it hasn't been verified through research.

As for my case, I noticed a slight change in my ejaculate while on this medicine. I'm not sure if it's from finasteride, but it is possible.
That said, I've been on it for close to a year and a half with no significant side effect whatsoever. My sex life is normal.

Taking 1 mg every two days will definitely still help your hair, but it's hard to say how much less effective it will be. If I were you, I would continue taking it as prescribed unless you experience unwanted effects.

Also, just so you know, 3 months won't be long enough to determine whether finasteride is working for you. Most hair loss specialists would probably suggest you give it a year.

Good luck!