Fin it to win it

[the_charger]

You really shouldn't say the chance of persistent side effects is less than 1 in a 1,000 when nobody really knows. For Proscar (5mg) the 4 year follow up study found 2% of users had persistent side effects.

could you provide a source for that? i am seeing lots of statistics and facts being stated on this forum, but they dont mean much without any documents to support them, or if they are being quoted out of context!

No matter how smart he is, he may simply not know. There have, thus far, only been two articles published and most doctors go off the PPI which is printed by Merck. Merck has done its best to conceal this information, still has deliberately false information about finasteride in its literature, but only recently included the reports of permanent ED in their brochures.

can you explain further? you say merck has done its best to conceal and cover up the proof, but is that just your theory? Where is the proof of all this? What false information do they have in their literature?

I see tha tmerck included reports of "difficulty in achieving an erection that continued after stopping the medication" in their brochures, which is much different than "permanent ED" like you put it. Merck in no way said it was permanent, or that it didnt resolve itself shortly after discontinuing. Thats just what you are concluding.

[abusername]

No no no no, this isin't going to turn into another discussion about the evils of propecia thread. I am well informed and i don't need any more information so if your trying to get into to an argument here, kindly get the **** out?

Just like on propecia help they don't want anyone posting unless they have experienced the side effects and such well i'd really like to not have anyone post in my thread about people feeling the side effects. There is enough information on this everywhere else and i didn't start this thread for that reason.

[the_charger]

That's good you feel informed enough and confident about your choice!

I just read in one of your posts your doctor said "stay off the forums" lol. My doctor told me the exact same thing! He told me about how many patients come in with concerns about things they read about on the internet.. he thinks that medical based internet forums are a very bad thing, since so many people self diagnose, or convince themselves they have some disease or condition without actually having it.

Your in awesome shape though man, my hair loss is a bit like yours but maybe a bit more advanced.. But you are catching it so early, i'm sure you are going to have nothing but great success. Congrats!

[PropeciaVictim]

I see tha tmerck included reports of "difficulty in achieving an erection that continued after stopping the medication" in their brochures, which is much different than "permanent ED" like you put it. Merck in no way said it was permanent, or that it didnt resolve itself shortly after discontinuing. Thats just what you are concluding.

It's called whitewashing. They use euphemisms to describe permanent ED to minimize the amount of fear they will evoke in potential customers. It really isn't any different since the vast majority of PFS suffers do not recover naturally over time.

In the PPI, Merck claims Propecia does not have any antiandrogenic effects, but this is suspect since Propecia is classified as an antiandrogen. A quick google search will easily show this. There are other lies that I will not describe in further detail.

I know Merck is covering up the effects from my personal communication with them. They completely ignored my question about the prevalence of permanent ED, while addressing some of the less devastating side effects. Proof comes as they were negligent in updating their PPI and only did so after Irwig published his report, but internal emails will be uncovered through the subpoena of information during the upcoming lawsuits.

If you look up stats from the PLESS study, you will find 2% of patients suffered from side effects that lasted 6 months after stopping the drug versus 0.8% from the placebo. It would make sense that the rate would be lower for Propecia since the patients are younger and the dose is smaller, but a precise figure cannot be offered.

Online message boards are not ideal, but for something like PFS which is being swept under the rug by Merck and not recognized by many ignorant doctors, it is the best option currently available. If you have erectile dysfunction that starts while on Propecia, does not end after you discontinue it, and all the typical causes of ED are absent, it is very likely you have PFS since ED is very uncommon amongst men in their 20s.

[PatientlyWaiting]

Good luck, don't let that 2% side effect bother you. I'm fine 7 months in, and I have taken it before these on and off and never had side effects.

[ryan555]

I'm not trying to minimize the impact some have felt from the side effects, but I would argue that many medications have side effects that last longer than 6 months after cessation. The effects of many anti-depressants and anxiety meds can be felt for over a year after stopping and the side effects can be horrid, but they are much more widely prescribed than propecia. This is the nature of putting artificial substances in our bodies. The question is always whether or not the reward is greater than the risk and with propecia, it is worth it for that vast majority of people who take it.

[abusername]

Just an update with some pictures of my hair while wet, 4th day of propecia and everythings feelin good. Also i started rogaine on my birthday (it was a birthday gift lol) and have been using it for about a week now, i've never ever shed a hair in my life and i've been losing like 20-30 hairs in the shower. So hopefully that means its working.

[abusername]

Well

At the 1 week mark i have decided to discontinue the use of propecia. While the drug didn't "wreak havoc" like some say it most certainly affected the quality of my erections and the sensitivity of my penis.

My conclusion after actually TRYING the drug and not just posting and researching is that this pill is a clumsy effort to treat my hairloss and something that i wouldn't have tried if i would have known it would have such an effect.

I wish i could say it was just in my head, but after getting off the drug and trying it again it most certainly changes my penis. While i am aware that these are just side effects, i refuse to deal with them as i am 20 ****ing years old and if not worrying about my hair means worrying about being able to perform then count me out!

[PropeciaVictim]

After quitting the drug, have you found that you have returned to being able to attain a full erection and restoration of sensitivity?

I recommend that you never touch the stuff again since the side effects hit you pretty quickly (less than one week) which means you likely are a candidate for developing much worse side effects.

[PropeciaVictim]

No no no no, this isin't going to turn into another discussion about the evils of propecia thread. I am well informed and i don't need any more information so if your trying to get into to an argument here, kindly get the **** out?

I saw from your new post on Propeciahelp that your side effects have not yet reversed. Just wanted to point out that you should be more respectful to people, especially since you one day may require their assistance.

[the_charger]

Dude, you said this yourself!

When i talked with my doctor about the sides and propeciahelp etc his advice was that the best thing i could do is stay off the web. I understand this because mentality and placebo and very strong things.

Youve already given up on propecia, convinced yourself you have PFS problems and are posting on propeciahelp after like a week? Im sorry but its painfully obvious that you are just falling victim to your own fears

[the_charger]

I saw from your new post on Propeciahelp that your side effects have not yet reversed. Just wanted to point out that you should be more respectful to people, especially since you one day may require their assistance.

"I told you so" is what you really mean, right?

[Follicle Death Row]

Dude, you said this yourself!





Youve already given up on propecia, convinced yourself you have PFS problems and are posting on propeciahelp after like a week? Im sorry but its painfully obvious that you are just falling victim to your own fears

That might be a bit harsh. Supposedly it's not unusual to suffer these sides in the first couple of weeks after which things usually revert back to normal while still on finasteride. Happens to many and they continue with it and the side effects subside. I wouldn't recommend taking finasteride myself though. Tried it and wasn't for me. It's not for everyone.

[PropeciaVictim]

Youve already given up on propecia, convinced yourself you have PFS problems and are posting on propeciahelp after like a week? Im sorry but its painfully obvious that you are just falling victim to your own fears

It is not obvious that he is falling victim to his own fears because it is possible, but very unlikely, to develop permanent side effects within a short time frame. Why don't you wait to see if he fully recovers after a couple of weeks of discontinuing the drug?

At this point his side effects are very tangible (loss of sensation and arousal) but minimal as he seems to still be able to achieve a tangible erection. Fortunately, very few have reported getting significantly worse after discontinuing. There is a good chance he will fully recover and if not, his degree of impact seems pretty manageable compared to some of the other cases.

If you revisit some of his earlier posts, I would say he was even a bit cavalier about the irrelevance or inapplicability of side effects to him so you can be certain he was not as worried as some of the other Propecia customers. Compare his thread title (Fin it to win it) to some of the others - 23 year old terrified to take Propecia and do a simple assessment as to who is more likely to develop psychogenic effects.

[abusername]

Eh thanks for all the replys here guys, propecia victim is absolutely right please believe me when i say that this is not by any means just mental...

So its been exactly 7 days since discontinuing propecia. Just 2 days ago i was able to final get and maintain a full erection which let me tell you was a happy fricken day indeed!

However, i still have very little sensation in my penis.. i can however slowly feel it coming back just at the tip and kinda working its way down.

I went into this with a level head and a healthy body, and i can say without any shadow of a doubt that this medicine did something to take away all the sensitivity in my penis.