quick question about fin

[goldbondmafia]

obviously the main side effect that effects us the most would be erectile dysfunction so if i decide to take it, say starting with 0.5 mg for the first few months and i notice a little ED...if i get off fin right away will my ED go away and ill be back to normal?

[seattle30]

I have heard stories of men being on fin for a few days and getting persistent ed and low libido. Me personally I started off at 1mg and after getting hit with low libido and ed shortly after taking the medication I dropped it down to 0.5 mg. After stopping the medication after about a month I have the persistent sexual side effects to this day years later.

It is unlikely that you will get persistent sexual side effects if you take the medication and decide to go off of it, but unfortunately there does exist a slight possibility that this can happen.

[Tracy C]

After reading so many posts and articles on this subject, one common factor is dominant. That common dominant factor is the worry and stress over the possibility of sexual dysfunction. It is completely possible that this worry and stress over sexual dysfunction is itself the actual cause of the sexual dysfunction.

As an example, if one were to create a rumor that Cheerio's caused sexual dysfunction, it would not take very long for men to start posting and complaining about it the sexual dysfunction Cheerio's has caused for them.

I now know many males who take Finasteride. When asked about sexual dysfunction, none of the men I know have experienced it.

[seattle30]

I think what Tracy C is alluding to is that the persistent sexual dysfunction in an unknown percentage of fin users is not iatrogenic but psychological. I understand what he is trying to say with the cheerio's example, but to me the psychosmatic argument just isn't convincing.

In clinical trials fin has been shown to cause sexual dysfunction, Cheerios do not. Libido and orgasm are perceived in the brain, and we know that fin inhibits the biosynthesis of neurosteroids. The neurosteroid 5a-tetrahydroprogesterone is inhibitied which has been shown to play a role in sexual function

5a-Reductase inhibitors can alter genital organ structure. Fin has been shown to alter the structure of the tunica albuginea which plays a major role in erections. By inhibiting 5a-Reductase it has also been shown that nitric oxide synthase expression is altered.

Like Dr. Traish has said, we don't know why the pfs is occuring. However, that doesn't mean we should classify it as psychosomatic. Sexual dysfunction is a side effect of SSRI's, and in the medical literature there are reported cases of persistent sexual side effects even after discontunuation of these drugs. Should these sufferers be dismissed and told "its all in your head" just like the pfs sufferer.

But to Goldbondmafia, I really hope if you decide to go on fin that you have no side effects. If it were me though I would probably wait it out, I wish I would have. In that small clinical trial histogen was shown to be successful, and replicel looks promising.

[clandestine]

thanks for the thorough explanation, seattle. it was for this reason that i decided to forgo fin as a treatment for hair loss. i'm optimistic for companies like replicel, adderans and histogen, having decided to wait it out for a few years and see what they can come up with. simply stated, **** ed. even if i do keep my hair, not worth it, regardless of percentages. i've heard more and more horror stories over the years.

[goldbondmafia]

thanks for the replies so far!

seattle, dont mean to sound ignorant but even with histogen, replicel and other companies wont you still need propecia or something to maintain whatever they give you?

Right now for me i have a good amount of hair still not visibly balding to anyone really except in light or if its wet and i guess if i spike it my scalp is more visible. im going on minoxidil 5% once my doctor gives me the perscription (only 2% is available in Canada) . I just know mino does not target MPB and it will only do so much until i need something more you know? This is why im considering fin once mino gets my hair back to a better stage. cause replicel and shit like that is good if ones really bald. my hairline is good just starting to thin on the top and crown...

[Tracy C]

I don't know about the others, but it is possible that the path Replicel is taking would immunize hair follicles that are sensative to DHT from the effects of DHT. If that turns out to be the case, men would no longer need to take DHT blockers and women would no longer need to take an anti-androgen to prevent hair loss.

[goldbondmafia]

That would be great if replicell would be able to immunize hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT but replicel would only be useful for those already bald correct? It wouldnt help me in my situation as i still have a nice head of hair compared to the majority of male members on here, it would only benefit me if i lost all my hair then underwent their procedure since they dont offer anything for people to maintain what they already have (i dont think).

Even then who knows if they would be able to bring back a good amount of thickness to the head which is why id even consider propecia. However if replicel could bring back 85-90% of thickness and fill the top of my head with hair it would bring a lot of relief as mino will stop working eventually.

Hopefully my post makes sense Tracy haha, been a long day of studying my brain is mush.

[VictimOfDHT]

11 years on Fin and still waiting for those "sexual side effects". 1 1/2 year on Dut and no sides either. Hmmm. It's all in your head. My brother once he read about the possible side effects of Fin didn't want to come near it and I'm sure had he used it for a day he would've experienced those sides. He almost has no hair on top while I still have decent coverage -using minox and Fin- and he's younger. It's your call. If you care enough about having hair you'll at least give Fin a try. If you care more about what people say then just let nature take its course and blame no one else but yourself when you look like shit and it's too late to use meds.

[PropeciaVictim]

11 years on Fin and still waiting for those "sexual side effects". 1 1/2 year on Dut and no sides either. Hmmm. It's all in your head. My brother once he read about the possible side effects of Fin didn't want to come near it and I'm sure had he used it for a day he would've experienced those sides. He almost has no hair on top while I still have decent coverage -using minox and Fin- and he's younger. It's your call. If you care enough about having hair you'll at least give Fin a try. If you care more about what people say then just let nature take its course and blame no one else but yourself when you look like shit and it's too late to use meds.

Once again VictimofDHT has provided a dangerously misinformed and disrespectful post.

You cannot conclude that the side effects are not real simply because you did not experience them. Also, many men who have heard of potential side effects did not experience them while many men who knew nothing of this nature fell victim to the drug.

The truth is that the majority of men seem to do fine (or not experience any change from Propecia) but a very small men suffer absolutely crippling side effects and this has been confirmed by a handful of doctors who have seen dozens of men with these problems.

If you are very young and just beginning the balding process, maybe you want to take a little bit of time to get used to the idea you will not have a full-head of hair for the rest of your life. I took Propecia when I started losing a little bit of hair in my early twenties which caused a bit of a shock before I came to terms with it, and rushed into the drug since I felt a bit desperate. Merck intentionally takes advantage of this anxiety in younger men. Several years later I would not have bothered at all especially since 50% of men end up balding so you are not alone.

[goldbondmafia]

If you are very young and just beginning the balding process, maybe you want to take a little bit of time to get used to the idea you will not have a full-head of hair for the rest of your life. I took Propecia when I started losing a little bit of hair in my early twenties which caused a bit of a shock before I came to terms with it, and rushed into the drug since I felt a bit desperate. Merck intentionally takes advantage of this anxiety in younger men. Several years later I would not have bothered at all especially since 50% of men end up balding so you are not alone.

Before I thin more and more I will eventually try fin just to see how it affects me, prolly take 0.5 and then up it a few months down the road if i dont get any significant sides.

I do understand your prespective though especially since Im 20 now, Im not rushing into anything just yet, especially a drug like finasteride.

Im assuming doctors have yet to determine a pattern in males which experience these side effects...? It sucks that it can be completely random

[VictimOfDHT]

Once again VictimofDHT has provided a dangerously misinformed and disrespectful post.

You cannot conclude that the side effects are not real simply because you did not experience them. Also, many men who have heard of potential side effects did not experience them while many men who knew nothing of this nature fell victim to the drug.

The truth is that the majority of men seem to do fine (or not experience any change from Propecia) but a very small men suffer absolutely crippling side effects and this has been confirmed by a handful of doctors who have seen dozens of men with these problems.

If you are very young and just beginning the balding process, maybe you want to take a little bit of time to get used to the idea you will not have a full-head of hair for the rest of your life. I took Propecia when I started losing a little bit of hair in my early twenties which caused a bit of a shock before I came to terms with it, and rushed into the drug since I felt a bit desperate. Merck intentionally takes advantage of this anxiety in younger men. Several years later I would not have bothered at all especially since 50% of men end up balding so you are not alone.

I never said all side effects are "not real....". But I do know that a good % of those who have them or THINK they have them do so due to pshychosomatic reasons.
Again, I've said it before and I'll say it again, all drugs can cause side effects in a small minority of people. Some drugs cause much worse side effects and even death but we don't hear people bitching and complaining about them day and night like they do about Fin. People make Fin sound like it's the most dangerous drug out there and it's all because it has to do with the penis. If it caused blindness, heart attack or whatever no one would care but god forbid it can affect the penis and all people are scared shitless. My point is we all know we could experience side effects from every single drug out there and we choose to use these drugs anyway. Side effects are a part of using drugs. Either we pull all drugs off the shelves because a small number of people experience side effects and let the rest of us live in misery or just accept things as they are. Fin causes sides in a minority of people. OK, we get it. I lost a lot of my transplanted hair but I'm not going to sit here and tell people don't get HTs because I had this shitty experience with HTs. Just found out I'm allergic to almonds. I'm not going to tell people dont eat it because I had an allergic reaction to it. That's my point.

[clandestine]

Victim, I believe the point here remains whether or not it is worth the risk (whatever that risk may be) to develop an erectile dysfunction granted you're able to effectively slow or stop your hair loss. Sexual health is paramount to most people, this is why there is so much distress over products that cause sexual sides.

[PropeciaVictim]

I never said all side effects are "not real....". But I do know that a good % of those who have them or THINK they have them do so due to pshychosomatic reasons.

If it caused blindness, heart attack or whatever no one would care but god forbid it can affect the penis and all people are scared shitless.

You really are not in a position to judge whether or not those who are suffering from the drug are suffering due to psychological reasons. Especially when the physicians who have treated such patients have concluded the contrary.

If Propecia caused blindness or heart attacks it is extremely unlikely that it would be passed through clinical trials. A drug's risks must outweigh the benefits of its intended treatment and hairloss is not such a crippling problem to do with whereas the side effects are.

Your comparisons to hairtransplants and almonds are nonsensical and not in the least bit comparable.

The real issue is that prospective patients should know about the rare albeit rare risks since the pharmaceutical company has no interest in advertising the risks to you.

To GoldbondMafia - if you do decide to go through with the treatment, it may be difficult to prevents the persisting side effects once they onset. For some men they come on slowly, but for others they onset rapidly so you can't expect to necessarily rely on caution.

[seattle30]

VictiomofDHT how can you say that a good percentage of people that have persistent sexual side effects from propecia have them due to psychosomatic reasons(assuming you mean people with pfs).That doesn't make any sense, just total speculation.