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That Merck will eventually consider it unprofitable and stop selling it. Generic versions will remain, unless governments ban them. That we will eventually have better, safer options and Propecia will be regarded a desperate choice by people who didn't fully realise the risks involved and didn't have any other options.
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According to studies, 96% of people should suffer no side effects. The question is, how reliable is that figure? Do you trust it enough to promote the drug to another person who may suffer irreparable damage? Sounds like a lot to have on your conscience if it transpires you're wrong.
Claims that those who've had bad experiences "unfairly overshadow the success by a majority" can't be substantiated, especially by someone with no medical or scientific background. I mean, what exactly do you offer to back this up? Anecdotes? Gut feelings?
I say take the drug at your own risk and let people make an informed decision. You should at least be aware that drug companies lie to profit, and Propecia is a cash cow for Merck, generating $400m profit annually.
Doctors and patients need good scientific evidence to make informed decisions. But instead, companies run bad trials on their own drugs, which distort and exaggerate the benefits by design. When these trials produce unflattering results, the data is simply buried. All of this is perfectly legal. In fact, even government regulators withhold vitally important data from the people who need it most. Doctors and patient groups have stood by too, and failed to protect us. Instead, they take money and favours, in a world so fractured that medics and nurses are now educated by the drugs industry.
Patients are harmed in huge numbers.
Finally, the main issue is sexual dysfunction as a result of damage to the male endocrine system, not fertility. Even less relevant is fertility in terms of multiple births.
Instead of dedicating your time trying to tarnish Propecia's reputation with questionable evidence found over the internet why not try and summon the courage to go see your G.P and have some blood tests carried out so you can provide your own real evidence. I feel for you and the situation you are in but you are not even sure Propecia has caused your sexual problems, it could be psychological, as you have admitted previously that you are somewhat of a hypochondriac.Comment
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A lot of hair loss is technically pioneering radically in areas of biochemistry but we are in effect doing is going up against nature and pushing it back forward with a big middle finger.
What works for one guy is bound to have side effects for another especially messing with the hormonal balance which is already in flux and adding something to it to change a verdict that was already pronounced and given from a certain time. It is a blatant generalization to say that Propecia i.e Finasteride needs to be removed from the shelves tomorrow because for all of the horror stories and the lawsuits the good have outweighed those situations in spades and furthermore it is the choice of the people to keep taking something or rather to have started taking a drug that would effect/ impact their systems in that way by free will which means however ignorant they were as to the side effect potential or otherwise or that they might not be in said percentile that they are and there is a certain amount of complicit behavior in that meaning guillt by association. If I take viagra to make my d**k hard for sexual activity with my girlfriend and it doesn't go down past 4 hours into say eight hours and it is worrisome and a medical visit must be scheduled I must then admit to the doctor that I took this drug of my own free will and this scenario happened due to that fact.
When pharmaceutical chains sell prescription drugs on TV that have disclaimer like loose bowels, heart attack, blood clotting, onset of diabetes, stroke, dizziness and fatigue as basic side effects you think they get taken down from being sold ? No. They are still sold to whoever will buy them.
The best you can do is to be armed in your research and do the math yourself and weigh your options and if in doing so you still get side effects well you were forewarned and you bit into the apple for curing baldness anyway.Comment
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I am not a hypochondriac and have never claimed to be one. Speculating that my side effects are psychological is nonsense too. I used this drug with an optimistic frame of mind and after 2 months my side effects were physically undeniable, so I was forced to stop.
I also do not dedicate my time to tarnishing Propecia's reputation. This is the first time I have posted on this topic in months, and it was to correct the dangerous idea that Propecia is somehow victim of some side-effects conspiracy.
Can you tell me about this questionable evidence I've found on the internet? What is it you'd like to question in particular? Perhaps you can form a coherent argument, instead of speculating.Comment
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I think you are right. We will eventually have better treatments available. I doubt that they will be free of side effects either though. What wont help bring about better treatment though,in my opinion, is the fear of frivolous lawsuits. As of now the best treatment we have available is finasteride. I hope nuisance lawsuits don't hinder Merk's willingness to make this drug available or force them to raise their prices. I would also hate for doctors to stop proscribing it to me because they fear malpractice lawsuits.
People should be aware of side effects, but the risks should be weighed and taken in perspective. And according to most of the clinical research i've seen the risks aren't that significantly greater than taking a placebo.Comment
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Wait dude. What evidence? I only saw link to this.
A bunch of anecdotes from guys trying to sue a company doesn't measure up against double blind clinical trials.Comment
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I believe that the few vocal people on the internet who may or may not have real physical long lasting side effects from Propecia have unfairly tarnished a drug that has literally changed my life and and the lives a millions of men for the better. I also think it is unfair that we can't have one positive Propecia thread without it being jumped on by Chrisis or the likes. Chrisis you have plenty of anti-Propecia threads to post on, please post on those.
When I started Propecia I had absolutely no fear in taking it and I believe that is why I have done so very well on it. I have 4 close friends who began taking it within 5 years of me and this permanent impotence stuff was not on the internet yet and only one has had side effects and it was just watery seaman which he does no care about. He now have three healthy and happy children, by the way.
Propecia allowed me to move on with my life and now I am expecting my first child also, which I am very excited about. It gave me time to grow my life, meet my wife and live when I was young. I have lost hair over the years, but I am so happy I chose to take Propecia and will tell everyone who wants to know that it is a miracle drug.
I believe that these side effects are becoming much more prevalent because of a mass hysteria effect. I've been reading hair loss forums since about 2000 and I only began to see these crazy stories and hysterical talk relatively recently and most forum guys back then were taking it. It's really too bad for the younger guys who could save their hair and move on with their lives.
Please do not destroy this thread with a debate since I think it is crucial that we have a least one positive thread on the internet about Propecia!
By the way, The Examiner is not even a legitimate media outlet. Almost anyone can blog for it. It's laughable!Comment
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Zao do you have any pics to show your progress with Fin over the years out of interest? Tks.Comment
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I never documented my progress over the years and to be honest, I kind of just popped that first pill and lived my life. Here's my story.
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My $0.02
Vast majority will take the drug and experience no serious side effects.
Small percentage will.
Even smaller percentage may experience persistent side effects.
Propecia has greatly benifited many peoples lives.
It has also destroyed some lives in the process; from a small number of doses, to being on it for years, to being on it for years and getting off it, then suffering sides.
Is it worth the risk? That is the question you have to ask yourself. The drug is used for cosmetic purposes, do not forget that.
My personal Experiance
Went to two doctors, one dermatologist who specializes in hair loss, one GP. Got prescription, was not informed and/or falsely informed about potential harm of the drug. No blood tests were ordered. I requested full panel blood and hormone tests, and was denied. GP actually recommended me not to take it based on the 'perceived risk' I saw with it, even though he thought it was completely safe. This was very reasonable advice.
Did more research, realized that nobody knows exactly what the **** this stuff does to your body. If you get persistent sides, you are in for an extended period of time filled with physical and emotional problems. Doctors don't know how to fix you. The only way I could bring myself to take this drug is if I got extremely comprehensive blood, hormone tests and sperm analysis. It is the only way to tell exactly how you are responding to it. If you are one of the very few people who gets sides, at least you would have baselines, and it would give these expert endocrinologists an idea of how to possibly treat you.
Bottom line: It really is not optimal to reduce DHT by such large percentages, especially at a young age. Of course, most people will react fine to it, but we are not all the same. A small amount of DHT reduction is actually healthy (especially as you get older) for prostate health and longevity. If propecia was my only option, I would probably take it, thankfully it isn't, and I don't have to.
Also, Merck are bozo's.... http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...3_DNL_artNew_1Comment
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Me too Chris...wish I would have started taking it 10 years ago....probably wouldn't have needed the transplant.I thought it would be good to start a thread on this topic.
From my own personal experience, I have taken this drug for around 5-6 years now with great success and no side effects.
I'm in my 50's, have no side-effects on me whatsoever, everything works fine and my hair is coming in great where I didn't have follicles transplanted and where they were transplanted.Comment
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You conveniently glossed over this (although rising litigation and falling profit is factual, regardless of the source):Wait dude. What evidence? I only saw link to this.
A bunch of anecdotes from guys trying to sue a company doesn't measure up against double blind clinical trials.
"On September 30, 2004, Merck voluntarily withdrew rofecoxib from the market because of concerns about increased risk of heart attack and stroke associated with long-term, high-dosage use. Merck withdrew the drug after disclosures that it withheld information about rofecoxib's risks from doctors and patients for over five years, resulting in between 88,000 and 140,000 cases of serious heart disease.[2] Rofecoxib was one of the most widely used drugs ever to be withdrawn from the market. In the year before withdrawal, Merck had sales revenue of US$2.5 billion from Vioxx.[3] By the time it was discontinued in 2004, it had already caused an estimated 60,000 deaths worldwide."
Your "double blind trials" count for nothing when one of the companies conducing trials for their own drugs has a reputation for lying to make money.Comment
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The point of linking to that article was to highlight how Propecia sales are falling and lawsuits against Merck are increasing. Unless you believe this is not the case and can provide information to support, then the source is totally irrelevant.
There are plenty of pro-Propecia threads, I linked to one (that I had no participation in) from just October. And let me be clear: any thread I have ever started about Propecia side effects has resulted in me being jumped on by a hoard of Propecia supporters. Isn't it worse to attack someone who is legitimately suffering, than for that person to try to correct inaccurate statements when he sees them, i.e. here? I don't get why you guys become the victims in this scenario. Totally backwards.Comment
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Agreed. Particularly on your point about young men, how many young men participated in these trials? I'm convinced the vast majority will be 30s, 40s or older.
This means the safety of this drug for young men on the basis of these trials is not known. No one seems to identify this as a huge flaw.Comment
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