Terrified of potential side effects

[79BirdofPrey]

Hi all,

Long time lurker of the board. Been waiting for newer treatments to come but taking forever, so I finally went to a doctor to see about my thinning. He said I look good (very low NW) and that minox / finasteride would be the best starting point for me.

I picked up some generic Propecia (manufactured by Camber), but I haven't started taking any yet. I'm absolutely terrified by the horror stories of side effects & permanent damage, etc. I've never been on medication before.

Can I get some feedback from the people here? Are the horror stories few/far between? Hype?

[Gordknight]

Don't listen to all the horror stories. The perma side effects you hear about are EXTREMELY RARE. Less than 2 percent. I was in the same boat as you when I got a finasteride prescription. The Dr that gave me mine is a hair surgeon and I asked him. He said he has had hundreds of patients on the drug and he only had to take 2 of them off of it. One for unrelated liver issues so he couldnt take any meds. And the second because of side effects. He halfed the dosage of that patient and the side effects went away.

I personally have been on finasteride now for over a year and half. The first week I had an insane rise in sex drive and then it went back to normal. Had a slight testicle ache on and off for a month and then that went away as well. Had no other sides to speak of.

Finasteride is very safe drug. Dont short change yourself out of all the fear mongering. Give it a shot for a year and see if it helps your loss. Mine completely stopped and I grew 80% of what I had lost back including on my hairline. Its worth it.

Also find a dosage that is right for you. For the first half a year I was on it I was only taking .25 MG a day. Thats 1/4 of a 1mg pill. After that I bumped up to .5 mg a day because it is cheaper and generic. According to studies .25mg is about 75-85% as effective as 1mg and .5 is 98% as effective. Saves money and you take less so if you are someone that is more sensitive to sides you reduce your risk of getting any.

[RobertSe]

TERRYFIED? really ? maybe you should start by reading the leaflet ?? don't know for your finasteride but mine doesn't have heart failure,instant tranny transformation or even falling dick as side effects
maybe you should take it for a month and see ?? well i'm just sayin...

[husqvarnawrk]

Don't listen to all the horror stories. The perma side effects you hear about are EXTREMELY RARE. Less than 2 percent. I was in the same boat as you when I got a finasteride prescription. The Dr that gave me mine is a hair surgeon and I asked him. He said he has had hundreds of patients on the drug and he only had to take 2 of them off of it. One for unrelated liver issues so he couldnt take any meds. And the second because of side effects. He halfed the dosage of that patient and the side effects went away.

I personally have been on finasteride now for over a year and half. The first week I had an insane rise in sex drive and then it went back to normal. Had a slight testicle ache on and off for a month and then that went away as well. Had no other sides to speak of.

Finasteride is very safe drug. Dont short change yourself out of all the fear mongering. Give it a shot for a year and see if it helps your loss. Mine completely stopped and I grew 80% of what I had lost back including on my hairline. Its worth it.

Also find a dosage that is right for you. For the first half a year I was on it I was only taking .25 MG a day. Thats 1/4 of a 1mg pill. After that I bumped up to .5 mg a day because it is cheaper and generic. According to studies .25mg is about 75-85% as effective as 1mg and .5 is 98% as effective. Saves money and you take less so if you are someone that is more sensitive to sides you reduce your risk of getting any.

My surgeon swears by it and wants me to go on fin after the FUE. Whilst I accept that the sides are not happening to everyone, 2% isn't exactly extremely rare. 2 every 1,000 maybe.

[Nos]

I was worried for myself taking it too... been on it for about a month now. It doesn't hurt to try... Just starting a regiment made me feel 100% better about my situation. I have VERY mild sides if any (so far)- but i feel more sexually virulent than i have in a while (even vs. being on test boosters). It actually has helped me even out mood swings and generally be a happier person.

My advice - if you take ANY change as negative, you probably aren't ready to start fin. Take it for a few weeks and evaluate how it affects you- and just try to adapt a positive outlook on that. Just because your on a medication where some people say their dick turns into a flaccid lump of flesh doesn't meant it WILL happen to you.

[Notcoolanymore]

Just starting a regiment made me feel 100% better about my situation.

Same here. Knowing I wasn't going to go down without a fight made me feel better about my situation.

[ChrisA]

There is growing evidence questioning the safety of the drug Finasteride due to it's side effects.
Most of the common side effects seen (i.e. chills, cold sweats, confusion, dizziness and faintness) are not life threatening or long-term. For men though it is probably the sexual side effects that can be worrying and can continue after stopping the treatment. These include:
Decreased interest in sexual intercourse
inability to have or keep an erection
loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance

If you are considering Finasteride and worried about the side effect it might be worth while starting on a lower daily dose or staggered pulse dose of the drug.

[RanDave]

I think all fin users have been in the same boat.
As it was said the sides occur in 2% of men and these are usually not long-lasting.

Talking about the side effects we forget to talk about the effectiveness of this drug. Finasteride is the first FDA approved drug that is really effective. And I agree to Nos and Notcoolanymore, that having started the treatment most of us forgot about the depression caused by hair loss, because the effect we get is significant. And confusion, dizziness and faintness are nothing in comparison with the results.

[22able]

I'm not sure where you're from but i'm from the UK and i've been taking it for almost 2 years. I think watery ejaculation is a very common side effect for everyone. That's what I got and it still persists but it's a bit better from when I first started. Most likely will be permanent for as long as im on this pill. Other side effects are that my erections are slightly weaker but I think this is psychological for me personally. I can still get one up and bang it out no bother. Other than that, nothing. I feel completely normal. I was as terrified as you, seriously. I spent AGES researching before popping the first one. Now, I wish i'd had it when I was 18 because i'd probably have as much as hair as you did. Just go for it!

[warner8]

the only guaranteed side effective you are going to get by NOT being on fin, is continued hair loss. I am getting sick of these threads about being "terrified of fin"
Just try it, if you don't have sides, awesome, if you do, stop taking or decrease the dosage. But whining about whether to not to take it gets you and your hairloss NO WHERE.

[mikalwanted]

Don't listen to all the horror stories. The perma side effects you hear about are EXTREMELY RARE. Less than 2 percent. I was in the same boat as you when I got a finasteride prescription. The Dr that gave me mine is a hair surgeon and I asked him. He said he has had hundreds of patients on the drug and he only had to take 2 pass4sure 200-120 brain dumps
of them off of it. One for unrelated liver issues so he couldnt take any meds. And the second because of side effects. He halfed the dosage of that patient and the side effects went away.

[burtandernie]

Yeah fin is one of the safest drugs out there honestly. We all know there is no such thing as a safe drug and never will be. Fin though has been in real world use by lots of guys for something like 30 years now for prostate and hair issues. If guys on it for 30 years are still fine than I mean how much safer can it be? Anyone starting now probably wont be on it for anymore than 5 years before other crap CB... comes out. Your just buying some time for better stuff yout wont be on it for life.
I saw a derm like 5 years ago who had tons of guys on it and said it was super safe. No reason to doubt it really.

[jamesst11]

Hey man, I was terrified just like you, but decided to start off slow, with 1 mg every other day and carefully monitor any side effects. I am a former scientist, so I am very, very analytical and make sure to keep my mind in check while going through this, so I don't psych myself out. It's been exactly one month and listed below are my personal physiological changes since starting.

1) slightly decreased libido - which I am actually enjoying. Mine was way too high to begin with.
2) Increased strength of erections during sex with my girlfriend - don't know why, but I love it
3) watery semen
4) clear, firmer skin - I look like I am 3 years younger, and have had multiple comments on this. Once again, don't know specifically why.
5) increased mood - this may be only psychological. Knowing that I am now doing all I can to prevent hairless and regrow what I have lost in the past year gives me a good feeling.
6) Increased athletic endurance and focus - Another side effect that seems contrary of what to expect, but I love it. Once again, could be psychological.

My theory is: START SLOW, give the body time to acclimate and closely monitor yourself (realistically though, don't psych yourself out) and guess what? Your penis does NOT immediately fall off! haha

[Aeroes]

It's good to be aware of the side effects, i personally had a terrible reaction to propecia and would never take it again. But like the other guys on here some have had no issues at all. I would consider testing your DHT and Testosterone if you choose to take it.

[Notcoolanymore]

I am getting sick of these threads about being "terrified of fin"
Just try it, if you don't have sides, awesome, if you do, stop taking or decrease the dosage. But whining about whether to not to take it gets you and your hairloss NO WHERE.

Threads like this are part of the reason why there is such wide spread fear of fin.