Propecia/Fin SHould be scrapped for good

[Tracy C]

I'll never really get my head around why people take these pills.

Because it works for the majority and the majority of those who use it do not experience the possible side effects. It's that simple.

It is not at all likely that it would be scrapped at all - much less scrapped for good. Some birth control pills and anti-depressants have much more serious side effect profiles. They haven't been scrapped.

[Mentalist]

Because it works for the majority and the majority of those who use it do not experience the possible side effects. It's that simple.

It is not at all likely that it would be scrapped at all - much less scrapped for good. Some birth control pills and anti-depressants have much more serious side effect profiles. They haven't been scrapped.

good point you made about birth control pills and anti-depressants but I think these fin pills they are only starting to find discoveries about side effects and this one is major and just because it works for the minority doesn't make it right if you discover you have hair loss and you are aware that there is a chance you might get the side effects there is no guarentee that you might not experience them if you start taking these and alot of people would not like to take them because of the dangers what can happen and nobody can possibly know if it can happen to them unless they try them and I don't think thats right alot of people have taken the pills and regretted it because of the side effects and I think there is a better chance of them scrapping the pills altogether than scrapping anti-depressant and control pills.

[Tracy C]

...just because it works for the minority...

You got that wrong. I don't know if you did that on purpose or not - but you did. Finasteride works for the majority of men who use it. The majority, not the minority. That is reality. Most men who use Finasteride do not experience the possible side effects. That is also reality, whether you like it or not, it is what it is. If Finasteride where taken off the market, the number of men who would be very upset would greatly outnumber the number of men who would be cheering.

Birth control is an excellent example of this kind of thing. Birth control pills are doing far more damage than Finasteride. The possible sexual side effects of some birth control pills are much more serious and far more frequent than that of Finasteride, yet they are still on the market - and there is little chance if any that they will ever be taken off the market.

Fear mongering does far more harm than good. If you do not want to use Finasteride, don't use it.

[UK_]

Because it works for the majority and the majority of those who use it do not experience the possible side effects. It's that simple.

It is not at all likely that it would be scrapped at all - much less scrapped for good. Some birth control pills and anti-depressants have much more serious side effect profiles. They haven't been scrapped.

The majority, not the minority. That is reality. Most men who use Finasteride do not experience the possible side effects. That is also reality, whether you like it or not, it is what it is.

"Doctors have described taking Propecia as being on par with people playing Russian roulette with their sex drives."

"In a group of 54 otherwise healthy former users of finasteride who developed persistent sexual side effects that lasted for at least 3 months, 96% continued to experience these effects when reassessed 9–16 months (mean 14 months) later, raising the possibility of permanent effects."


"There is a solid and growing body of basic science evidence that finasteride reduces the concentrations of several neuroactive steroids that play a role in neurogenesis and neuronal survival."


"To explain the long-term neurological effects of finasteride, it is possible that reduced concentrations of neuroactive steroids are affecting the plasticity of neuronal architecture in regions of the brain responsible for sexual function."


"Another recently published study found that rats treated with finasteride for 4 weeks had a 26% reduction in the weight of their corpora cavernosa as compared with a control group [27]. This finding is consistent with the reports of genital shrinkage reported by some of the human subjects in this study."


"The most volunteered changes related to the urogenital system in terms of semen quality and decreased ejaculate volume, reduction in penis size, penile curvature or reduced sensation, fewer spontaneous erections, decreased testicular size, testicular pain, and prostatitis. Many subjects also noted changes to their mental abilities, sleeping patterns, and/or depressive symptoms. Many subjects reported a “disconnection” between the mental and physical aspects of sexual function."


"The typical story of men with persistent sexual and other side effects is that they unsuccessfully seek help from various providers in multiple medical specialties. It is important for physicians to acknowledge with their patients the current limitations in medical knowledge, particularly as it relates to neuroscience. There is no known blood or imaging test to study or measure neuroactive steroids or their metabolites in different areas of the brain associated with sexual function."


"Further valuable research could determine who would be susceptible to finasteride through genetic studies of polymorphisms of 5a reductase and the androgen receptor. Further research with validated instruments is needed to study the nonsexual persistent side effects associated with finasteride."


"When the Food and Drug Administration approved the hair-growth drug Propecia in 1997, a number of doctors and medical researchers voiced their strong concerns about the drug’s severe side effects. One outspoken critic was well-known hair-restoration expert L. Lee Bosley who publicly denounced Propecia as a "serious health concern" in the wake of its FDA approval—only to allow his doctors to enthusiastically recommend the medication to patients a few years later.


On Dec. 24, 1997, Bosley Medical—which bills itself as "The World's Most Experienced Hair Restoration Experts" and today boasts some 70 offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China—issued a news release via paid-distribution service Business Wire. Headlined "Supposed Miracle Baldness Cure Creates Serious Health Concerns Among Hair Restoration Professionals," that release (still housed on LexisNexis) quoted Dr. Bosley as saying of Propecia:


"The FDA has just approved a drug that has the capability to impair male sexual performance, creating the inability to achieve an erection [and] decreases libido... The potential side effects, especially the long-term side effects of the drug, should be the overriding concerns to both the users and the manufacturer."


Dr. Bosley also said of Propecia (generic name: finasteride) that "the results attained during the clinical trials would immediately be dismissed as unacceptable by our standards." All of which is enormously ironic, say Bosley patients, particularly the assertion about Propecia being unacceptable by the standards of Dr. Bosley. For as shortly as three years after Dr. Bosley issued his stern warning of Propecia, Bosley Medical doctors began prescribing the risky drug.


Within a few months of starting on Propecia, [Julian] Parks says he developed excruciating pain in one testicle, which lasted two years. A few years later, while still on the drug—though at half-dose—he says he developed Peyronie's disease, a painful disorder characterized by the growth of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis, which often causes curvature of the erect organ. Parks, who says he previously had no major health concerns, finally quit the drug in 2006 after suffering other side effects. To this day, most of them have yet to resolve themselves.


Seven weeks after starting on finasteride, the previously healthy [Thomas] Schultz says he became extremely depressed and was beset by panic attacks. That while witnessing his genitals shrink to tiny proportions and grow completely numb. And though he quit the drug two weeks later, Schultz says his health rapidly worsened.


Among his side effects—which continue to afflict him to this day—have been loss of libido, impotence, breast enlargement, prostate pain, muscle aches, cognitive dysfunction, anhedonia and severe insomnia, as well as Peyronie's disease. Meanwhile, Schultz says he has consulted some of L.A.'s top urologists, neurologists and endocrinologists, all of whom have told him there's nothing they can do to help. When Schultz discovered that Dr. Bosley had issued a press release in 1997 warning of Propecia's dangers, he said, "I grew sick to my stomach at his betrayal of innocent, unsuspecting people like myself."


Known clinically as Post-Finasteride Syndrome, the condition that has ravaged Shultz, Parks and thousands like them around the globe is marked by sexual, neurological, hormonal and physical side effects—including impotence, Peyronie's disease, testosterone deficiency and depression—that do not resolve themselves after quitting Propecia."

[Mentalist]

You got that wrong. I don't know if you did that on purpose or not - but you did. Finasteride works for the majority of men who use it. The majority, not the minority. That is reality. Most men who use Finasteride do not experience the possible side effects. That is also reality, whether you like it or not, it is what it is. If Finasteride where taken off the market, the number of men who would be very upset would greatly outnumber the number of men who would be cheering.

Birth control is an excellent example of this kind of thing. Birth control pills are doing far more damage than Finasteride. The possible sexual side effects of some birth control pills are much more serious and far more frequent than that of Finasteride, yet they are still on the market - and there is little chance if any that they will ever be taken off the market.

Fear mongering does far more harm than good. If you do not want to use Finasteride, don't use it.

Obviously I got it wrong I meant to say "just because it works for the majority doesn't make it right" and it doesn't it should be safe for everyone and it isn't it's wrecking peoples lives either way so wheather you like it or not it still has those damaging side effects and you are so selfish I think to say that it would "If Finasteride where taken off the market, the number of men who would be very upset would greatly outnumber the number of men who would be cheering." the ones that took it gambled and are still gambling heavy by continueto using these pills and just because they have been taking them for a year or so doesn't mean the side effects can still not come because they can and they may be permanant side effects even if they discontinue the use of these pills it's really not worth it especially as you will probably lose your hair from your genes anyway.

[Tracy C]

...it should be safe for everyone.

Every medication has possible side effects. There is no such thing as a medication that is safe for everyone. It is not practical and in most cases it is not even possible. Reality stinks sometimes - but it is what it is. If you don't want to use this medication, don't use it - but you have no right to say it should be taken away from those who do want to use it.

[Mentalist]

Every medication has possible side effects. There is no such thing as a medication that is safe for everyone. It is not practical and in most cases it is not even possible. Reality stinks sometimes - but it is what it is. If you don't want to use this medication, don't use it - but you have no right to say it should be taken away from those who do want to use it.

talking about a major side effect though and its not effective these pills for hair loss had many reports saying that it's never worked for them or just temporily worked for them and had side effects i'm sure there are people that would agree with me on this one. lots of people have regretted taking them

[WashedOut]

How many more threads like this are there going to be? If anyone is going to ban finasteride then they better ban the thousands of others drugs that are even more dangerous, like Accutane for one thing. Also, it seems to last for different lengths so some guys get 5, 10, 15 years or more.

I'll admit I used to, until June. I didn't think any would be literal cures, but super-treatments that would be as good as near-cures for many people, particularly hairloss sufferers who aren't too far gone. Now I don't think we'll have anything more in the next decade, possibly my lifetime. There's been too many false hopes and discarded treatments along the way. I thought the five years that Propecia would possibly give me would let me thread water until then, now it may be all I'll have, if it ever starts showing that is had done anything more than cause severe hair shedding.

I don't know about miracle cures but better options are coming in the forms of Bitmopost, CB, and Histogen. That could be the new and better big 3 with less side effects and more results. If CB works as well as RU then it's going to eliminate the need for propecia. Personally I'm hoping to get on fin for a couple of years and get lucky without experiencing sides until a topical comes along.

[Tracy C]

Mentalist,

Your last post just kind of stumbles together and doesn't make a lot of sense. Here is a dose of reality for you.

Finasteride is effective. It works for most men who use it. That is reality.

Most men who use Finasteride do not experience the possible side effects. That is reality.

For those few men who do experience the possible side effects, the side effects usually go away, even for those who continue to use Finasteride. That is reality.

For some of those few men who do experience the possible side effects, the cause is actually psychosomatic. They were fearing side effects, therefore they got them. Fear monger is increasing this phenomenon dramatically. That is reality.

You don't have to like it, but this is the truth. If you don't want to take Finasteride, don't take it.

[Mentalist]

Mentalist,

Your last post just kind of stumbles together and doesn't make a lot of sense. Here is a dose of reality for you.

Finasteride is effective. It works for most men who use it. That is reality.

OH SO THIS IS GREAT THEN JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR MOST MEN IT SHOULD BE ALLOWED I THINK NOT
Most men who use Finasteride do not experience the possible side effects. That is reality.

IT'S OK SAYING IT WORKS FOR MOST MEN BUT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER TRY IT CAN'T SAY WELL IT'S WORKS FOR MOST IT'LL WORK FOR ME AND I AM GUARENTEED NO SIDE EFFECTS THESE ARE SIDE EFFECTS THAT ARE NOT WORTH FINDING OUT IF IT'S GOING TO EFFECT YOU IF YOU WERE MALE YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND THIS BUT YOU ARE NOT

For those few men who do experience the possible side effects, the side effects usually go away, even for those who continue to use Finasteride. That is reality.

THIS IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH AND IF YOU DO SOME RESEARCH YOU WILL FIND THE TRUTH THAT IT DOESN'T ALWAYS GO AWAY AFTER THEY HAVE DISCONTINUED IT

For some of those few men who do experience the possible side effects, the cause is actually psychosomatic. They were fearing side effects, therefore they got them. Fear monger is increasing this phenomenon dramatically. That is reality.

THATS RIDICULOUS

You don't have to like it, but this is the truth. If you don't want to take Finasteride, don't take it.

I won't be taking it when I disocver significant hair loss knowing that if i take it i might get erectile dysfunction and other side effects it's crazy and really stupid to do so and for you to say it's all in the mens head and that they're imagining it now it's way over the top. the sooner it gets banned the better for everybody it's not effective long term and doesn't stop your hair loss genes from losing hair sow hats the point in taking it.

[25 going on 65]

"Doctors have described taking Propecia as being on par with people playing Russian roulette with their sex drives."

"In a group of 54 otherwise healthy former users of finasteride who developed persistent sexual side effects that lasted for at least 3 months, 96% continued to experience these effects when reassessed 9–16 months (mean 14 months) later, raising the possibility of permanent effects."


"There is a solid and growing body of basic science evidence that finasteride reduces the concentrations of several neuroactive steroids that play a role in neurogenesis and neuronal survival."


"To explain the long-term neurological effects of finasteride, it is possible that reduced concentrations of neuroactive steroids are affecting the plasticity of neuronal architecture in regions of the brain responsible for sexual function."


"Another recently published study found that rats treated with finasteride for 4 weeks had a 26% reduction in the weight of their corpora cavernosa as compared with a control group [27]. This finding is consistent with the reports of genital shrinkage reported by some of the human subjects in this study."


"The most volunteered changes related to the urogenital system in terms of semen quality and decreased ejaculate volume, reduction in penis size, penile curvature or reduced sensation, fewer spontaneous erections, decreased testicular size, testicular pain, and prostatitis. Many subjects also noted changes to their mental abilities, sleeping patterns, and/or depressive symptoms. Many subjects reported a “disconnection” between the mental and physical aspects of sexual function."


"The typical story of men with persistent sexual and other side effects is that they unsuccessfully seek help from various providers in multiple medical specialties. It is important for physicians to acknowledge with their patients the current limitations in medical knowledge, particularly as it relates to neuroscience. There is no known blood or imaging test to study or measure neuroactive steroids or their metabolites in different areas of the brain associated with sexual function."


"Further valuable research could determine who would be susceptible to finasteride through genetic studies of polymorphisms of 5a reductase and the androgen receptor. Further research with validated instruments is needed to study the nonsexual persistent side effects associated with finasteride."


"When the Food and Drug Administration approved the hair-growth drug Propecia in 1997, a number of doctors and medical researchers voiced their strong concerns about the drug’s severe side effects. One outspoken critic was well-known hair-restoration expert L. Lee Bosley who publicly denounced Propecia as a "serious health concern" in the wake of its FDA approval—only to allow his doctors to enthusiastically recommend the medication to patients a few years later.


On Dec. 24, 1997, Bosley Medical—which bills itself as "The World's Most Experienced Hair Restoration Experts" and today boasts some 70 offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China—issued a news release via paid-distribution service Business Wire. Headlined "Supposed Miracle Baldness Cure Creates Serious Health Concerns Among Hair Restoration Professionals," that release (still housed on LexisNexis) quoted Dr. Bosley as saying of Propecia:


"The FDA has just approved a drug that has the capability to impair male sexual performance, creating the inability to achieve an erection [and] decreases libido... The potential side effects, especially the long-term side effects of the drug, should be the overriding concerns to both the users and the manufacturer."


Dr. Bosley also said of Propecia (generic name: finasteride) that "the results attained during the clinical trials would immediately be dismissed as unacceptable by our standards." All of which is enormously ironic, say Bosley patients, particularly the assertion about Propecia being unacceptable by the standards of Dr. Bosley. For as shortly as three years after Dr. Bosley issued his stern warning of Propecia, Bosley Medical doctors began prescribing the risky drug.


Within a few months of starting on Propecia, [Julian] Parks says he developed excruciating pain in one testicle, which lasted two years. A few years later, while still on the drug—though at half-dose—he says he developed Peyronie's disease, a painful disorder characterized by the growth of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis, which often causes curvature of the erect organ. Parks, who says he previously had no major health concerns, finally quit the drug in 2006 after suffering other side effects. To this day, most of them have yet to resolve themselves.


Seven weeks after starting on finasteride, the previously healthy [Thomas] Schultz says he became extremely depressed and was beset by panic attacks. That while witnessing his genitals shrink to tiny proportions and grow completely numb. And though he quit the drug two weeks later, Schultz says his health rapidly worsened.


Among his side effects—which continue to afflict him to this day—have been loss of libido, impotence, breast enlargement, prostate pain, muscle aches, cognitive dysfunction, anhedonia and severe insomnia, as well as Peyronie's disease. Meanwhile, Schultz says he has consulted some of L.A.'s top urologists, neurologists and endocrinologists, all of whom have told him there's nothing they can do to help. When Schultz discovered that Dr. Bosley had issued a press release in 1997 warning of Propecia's dangers, he said, "I grew sick to my stomach at his betrayal of innocent, unsuspecting people like myself."


Known clinically as Post-Finasteride Syndrome, the condition that has ravaged Shultz, Parks and thousands like them around the globe is marked by sexual, neurological, hormonal and physical side effects—including impotence, Peyronie's disease, testosterone deficiency and depression—that do not resolve themselves after quitting Propecia."

Doesn't sound half as bad as balding.

Genital shrinkage, the ultimate man-scaring phenomenon--soon we'll hear about fin reducing your ability to shoot large firearms and brew strong coffee.
Wait, maybe those are just American-scaring phenomenons.

Edit: lol Bosley.

[Tracy C]

Mentalist,

The words some and all DO NOT mean the same thing. I said some, not all. Do not twist my words just to keep your fear mongering going.

There is nothing ridiculous about anything I said. It is all 100% the truth. You don't have to like it if you don't want to - but it is the truth.

If you do not want to take Finasteride, don't take it - but it should not be taken away from those who do want to use it and are benefiting from it.

[25 going on 65]

it's really not worth it especially as you will probably lose your hair from your genes anyway.

To me and many others it's definitely worth it, no question. If my endocrine system crashes in 10-15 years it would still be worth it.

All drugs have side effects. Some very dangerous and some long-term. Finasteride is a prostate medication with a low rate of sides; things like benzos are much more dangerous and are known to potentially cause years of unwanted effects after quitting. They won't be taken off the market because they still are helpful to a lot of patients.
Every drug you put in/on your body is a gamble. No one is forcing anyone to take the risk. I tried minoxidil for a brief time and was allergic; my face felt like a giant hand stuffed into a tiny alcohol-coated latex glove. So I quit using it. I don't want to ban the drug and take its benefits away from the millions of men and women who gladly accept the risks and use it every day.

[Mentalist]

I realise what you said, and i know the difference so stop backtracking cos you realise I have a point when are you ever going to accept that you're not always right proecia is not a perfect nor effective long term and is USELESS for agressive hair loss anyway. and take a chill pill

[Tracy C]

I don't want to ban the drug and take its benefits away from the millions of men and women who gladly accept the risks and use it every day.

Thank goodness, because I use Minoxidil, I have no side effects from using it and I am benefiting from it. I would be very sad and upset if it were taken off the market. I can imagine that the many men who are benefiting from Finasteride, and doing so without side effects, would feel very much the same way.