Positives from Propecia?

[GreatSage]

Since there are a lot of mixed reviews about this and some always putting it down I just wanted to make a thread to know people who have had actually some positives from this drug; so if you've been using Finasteride/Propecia and it has worked for you in some way or the other, tell us.

[VictimOfDHT]

Fact, we humans tend to focus a lot more on the negative side of everything regardless of how small it is. Also, our fears of certain things are mostly illogical and baseless. Example, most people are afraid of flying. I guarantee you almost every single passenger on a plane has the thought "is this plane going to crash" on their mind even though we know it's a very very very small possibility.

Same thing with Fin. It's a pretty damn safe drug and the vast majority of people who use it don't report any negative side effects but just because it happens to affect the reproductive parts -or so they claim- in a tiny minority of people -and you know, to most men their parts come before god and all the prophets and the whole universe- suddenly this drug is the most feared and considered the most dangerous, most destructive drug under the sun. For some men they're too scared of the drug they'd feel side effects from just looking at it.
Like I said, we humans are almost completely illogical in the way we base our fears or make our judgement. For those whose only religion is sex, they wouldn't use anything that could affect their parts even if the odds were 1 in a million that they'd be affected.
Now, on the flip side, Viagra, a drug that the FDA warns could cause sudden blindness and hearing loss -also in a small minority- and considered dangerous for older men is looked at as a man's best friend and some men use it just for the heck of it even if they don't really need it. So yeah, it's true, a lot of men do think with their small heads.

My own experience with Fin, I've been using it since it came out with no side effects (Also used Dut for over a year with no sides). Is it doing anything for my hair ? I don't know. I use both Fin and Minox and I have much more hair than my younger brother and my older brother (who's completely bald). Neither of them uses Fin. I feel Minox is doing a better job but I don't know. I don't think it does much for the hairline.

[limit]

I've been on 1.25mg proscar since april. Its only been in the last month or so that I've started seeing positive results. The hair looks thicker (and has been noticed on one occasion) and I'm starting to see some small hairs sprouting around the temple regions and the hairline in general.

I'm hoping the remainder of my hair will continue to thicken. If that happens I will think of the stuff as miracle pills.

Yes there are side effects. The main one I've noticed is a slight decrease in libido (but not enough to really have an impact on my life) and a lack of morning wood. Although these appear to be slowly subsiding.

I have a quick question for DHTvictim. I've started taking health supplements. One of these are high strength chelated zinc (15mg daily). Will this affect hairloss?

[VictimOfDHT]

Sorry, limit. I really don't know if that stuff (zinc supplements) will help or not. I myself have never used zinc on its own. Sometimes I take vitamins that include zinc but never noticed any difference -in my hair or general health. I don't even think vitamin deficiency has anything to do with hair loss unless someone is suffering from serious malnutrition. If someone is losing his hair -due to hereditary causes- I'm pretty damn sure all the vitamins in the world won't stop his hair loss.

[Spex]

Fact, we humans tend to focus a lot more on the negative side of everything regardless of how small it is

Agreed!

I have been on finasteride for 12+ years. Best thing i ever did regards to stopping further hair loss. No side effects and i actually think its a fertility drug as at first attempt conceived TWINS!

[GreatSage]

I've been on Finasteride for nearly 2 weeks now; I've been focusing on the positive sides since I've started taken it. So far no sides.

Hoping I'll see some improvement in my hair soon.

[PropeciaVictim]

Agreed!

I have been on finasteride for 12+ years. Best thing i ever did regards to stopping further hair loss. No side effects and i actually think its a fertility drug as at first attempt conceived TWINS!

Spex, you have once again made the same extremely irresponsible comment which is especially dangerous when you present yourself as being a consultant to a medical office.

Being a far cry from the fertility drug you possibly joke it is, finasteride is actually thought to have potential use as a contraceptive. Sure a fertility drug by some standards of the term, but not in the way you imply.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720705004909

There are a handful of other articles which also make the same claim that finasteride is thought to have contraceptive properties.

[Still-Researching]

PropeciaVictim,
I very much respect your situation and hope that no one else will experience, what you and apparently some others have been through. But we have two camps discussing Procpecia, and we need the positive camp as much as we need yours to ensure we get and give the full picture to people having problems with hair loss.

Spex was one of the reasons I got on proscar some years ago - and he did not try to sell anything and he or the doctors he represents got zero value out of it, except a thank you. I am happy to have stopped my hair loss at basically zero side effects.

Lets discuss and respect our different opinions.

Good luck to all.

[r82]

I know there's loads of things that pop up, but these two are the ones that have scared me for the minute into not taking it?

are these things rare?

Prostate cancer

The FDA has added warning to finasteride about an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer.[7] Whilst the potential for positive, negative or neutral changes to the potential risk of developing prostate cancer with finasteride has not been established, evidence has suggested it may temporarily reduce the growth and prevalence of benign prostate tumors, but could also mask the early detection of prostate cancer. The primary area for concern is for patients who may develop prostate cancer whilst taking finasteride for benign prostatic hyperplasia, which in turn could delay diagnosis and early treatment of the prostate cancer, thereby potentially increasing the risk of these patients developing high-grade prostate cancer.[8]

The 2005 Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) showed at a dosage of 5 mg per day, as is commonly prescribed for BPH, participants taking finasteride were 25% less likely to have developed prostate cancer at the end of the trial compared to those taking a placebo.[9] It appeared (incorrectly) that finasteride increased the specificity and selectivity of prostate cancer detection, thus creating an apparently increased rate of high Gleason grade tumor. A 2008 update of this study found that finasteride reduces the incidence of prostate cancer by 30%. In the original study, it turns out that the smaller prostate caused by finasteride means that a doctor is more likely to hit upon cancer nests and more likely to find aggressive looking cells. Most of the men in the study who had both low and high-grade prostate cancer chose to be treated, and many had their prostates removed. A pathologist then carefully examined each of those 500 prostates and compared the kinds of cancers found at surgery to those initially diagnosed at biopsy. This study concluded that finasteride did not increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.[10][11]

Male breast cancer

In December 2009, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK announced new drug safety advice on finasteride and the potential risk of male breast cancer. The agency concluded that, although overall incidence of male breast cancer in clinical trials for finasteride 5 mg was not significantly increased, a higher risk of male breast cancer with finasteride use cannot be excluded. A warning on this risk will be included in the product information.[16]

[PropeciaVictim]

PropeciaVictim,
I very much respect your situation and hope that no one else will experience, what you and apparently some others have been through. But we have two camps discussing Procpecia, and we need the positive camp as much as we need yours to ensure we get and give the full picture to people having problems with hair loss.

Spex was one of the reasons I got on proscar some years ago - and he did not try to sell anything and he or the doctors he represents got zero value out of it, except a thank you. I am happy to have stopped my hair loss at basically zero side effects.

Lets discuss and respect our different opinions.

Good luck to all.

Still-Researching - the comment that Spex made about finasteride being a 'fertility' drug does not deserve to be respected and should not be mentioned. It is not a matter of "opinion" but is simply an objective untruth. You may go ahead and risk your health and well being by taking the drug, that is your prerogative, but it is dangerous to provide a platform for statements that are simply false.

The positive camp for Propecia is not needed as much as those who have experienced harrowing outcomes from the drug that are being muted by greedy and ignorant doctors and a corrupt pharmaceutical industry. Sure - everybody knows the drug has the potential to maintain and even restore a bit of your hair. It is not so helpful to hear other people's experiences since it is very straightforward to pay 300 dollars for a prescription and try it yourself. The danger lies within marginalizing the FRAUD that was committed by Merck in misleading customers into thinking the drug is entirely safe. In 2 or so years the scandal will become very public, but until then it is important to have people like me fill in the gap so people who have bad timing can be properly educated about the drug.

[Spex]

Spex, you have once again made the same extremely irresponsible comment which is especially dangerous when you present yourself as being a consultant to a medical office.

What my comment has to do with me being a consultant for HT's i dont know but hey here to be knocked whatever the opportunity i suppose.

LOL - My comment, wait for it... was meant as a joke... Of course it isnt a fertility drug. Scheesch!

I made a "comment" regarding that after conceiving TWINS at first attempt i had no issues conceiving and the fact i conceived twins ( boy /girl) shows to me personally that finasteride had NO effect on me AT ALL - therefore i think it could be a fertility drug ( JOKE) as i had boy and girl twins ( rare combo)

Maybe it did in actual fact and hindered my fertility and if i had not been on it for 12 years i could have had 8 kids.....


I know 1000's of guys who have no issues with propecia - only ever come across a few who have had issues with it. You will always find negative stuff about anything you want to find negative stuff on.

[lockness]

I have been on Propecia/Proscar cut in 4s for 14 years. It did what it was supposed to do. It held my hairloss mostly at bay. I never overdosed or took more than recommended. Many times I have skipped 1-3 day, unintentionally for the most part. To some degree I feel fortunate to have had no problems with side effects and to not have had hair loss advance much.

[r82]

What my comment has to do with me being a consultant for HT's i dont know but hey here to be knocked whatever the opportunity i suppose.

LOL - My comment, wait for it... was meant as a joke... Of course it isnt a fertility drug. Scheesch!

I made a "comment" regarding that after conceiving TWINS at first attempt i had no issues conceiving and the fact i conceived twins ( boy /girl) shows to me personally that finasteride had NO effect on me AT ALL - therefore i think it could be a fertility drug ( JOKE) as i had boy and girl twins ( rare combo)

Maybe it did in actual fact and hindered my fertility and if i had not been on it for 12 years i could have had 8 kids.....


I know 1000's of guys who have no issues with propecia - only ever come across a few who have had issues with it. You will always find negative stuff about anything you want to find negative stuff on.

i really want to take it spex but im scared after reading about cancer and what not on wikipedia. I admit this is lame, but i cant help being a little scared to put a drug in my body that could harm me, id prefer to go bald than anything to happen to me. Any views you have would be great.

[Spex]

Simple - just rule it out then and do not take it as having the fear going into it will only trigger side effects. You are fighting a loosing battle going into the meds expecting the worst IMHO.

I remeber a case and this is seriously true where one guy had THE FEAR and thought he had sides even from touching the first ever tablet on his journey - not taking it , touching it... ....

[r82]

thats a fair point, until i get away any fears of side effects etc im best off just leaving it.