Pfs

[mudkipper]

Could someone tell me a bit more about this. I read up online, and it is the only thing preventing me for starting propecia. Any info would be good, but some questions include

Do people with PFS have sympotons while on it. If I take propecia, and do not have any sides, is that a good sign? How old were many of these people. What is the % of those with PFS. I keep hearing less than 2%, but is that for side effects of just PFS.

Depression runs in my family, so naturlly the depression aspect of PFS scares me a bit. The "brain fog" is also something which scares me quite a bit.

[Tracy C]

Could someone tell me a bit more about this. I read up online, and it is the only thing preventing me for starting propecia.

It is best for you to talk to doctors who specializes in treating hereditary hair loss. The doctors will have the real data that is not compromised by online forum fear mongering or over sensationalized by ambulance chasers.

The truth is that PFS happens in a very small percentage of an already very small percentage of men who have used Finasteride. The doctors will be able to confirm this for you.

It is very important that I point out that if you are terribly afraid of getting side effects from any medication, you are many times more likely to experience side effects from any medication due to the nocebo effect. Please make a point of looking up the meaning of the nocebo effect.

[Cr779]

Tracy is right that you should talk to your doctor, but at the same time many doctors deny the existence of PFS which is downright foolish and uniformed. Yes some people sensationalize PFS but this "fear mongering" tracy talks about is often times someone who's been damaged by the drug who doesn't want anyone else to suffer what they have. It's no different that those who say "The drug is so perfectly safe and worked for me, try it and if you get sides quit and they will go away" since that isn't always the case. The important thing here is learn to hear what both sides have to say, evaluate the knowledge of both and make an informed decision.

The problem with PFS is that its only recently been accepted as real and everyone's symptoms are different so trying to categorize it is near impossible. No studies have been done on it so there's no statistics of how many people get it. But it's pretty safe to say in that 1-2% mark or even lower.

And people who never had sides on the drug can get PFS or issues as they quit. I personally never had sides on the drug but in the process of quitting(I gradually weaned off lowering my dosage over time) my body did some scary shit while adjusting to my hormones coming back. I had a period of testicle ache, prostate pain, perinial pain. My penis lost some sensitivity for about a week(you know how when you press down on the urethra like your trying to stop urine from coming out it stings a little? I felt nothing) but those all went away over about 2-3 weeks. But I got some blood work done while coming off and that blood work showed that my testosterone was out of range, like lower that it should be to be labeled healthy. Though im pretty sure its come back, there's some proof that this drug can do some negative shit while you are coming off and possible do some damage to your body. Would I say I'm suffering from PFS, no. But it's been a month and a half since I quit and I still have some pelvic ache and some occasional sharp prostate pains. But I'm just hoping those will slowly resolve themselves.

If you take the drug will you be safe? Probably, the odds are in your favour. But that isn't a 100% guarantee. Everyone who had a bad reaction to the drug thought the odds were in their favour too, which is partly why this small sub sect of men are so angry. They get told that its so rare it won't happen to them, then it does and when they talk about it they get told to shut up and stop fear mongering and that its probably not even real.

You need to decide if you think it's worth the risk, a small risk statistically, but regardless of what anyone might say it is still a risk and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[Jcm800]

Not meaning to hijack, but appreciate the above reply. I'm on the fence regarding taking fin. Its such a damn gamble. Its the possibility of PFS that concerns me also should I take it then quit.

[mudkipper]

Not meaning to hijack, but appreciate the above reply. I'm on the fence regarding taking fin. Its such a damn gamble. Its the possibility of PFS that concerns me also should I take it then quit.

Yes, me too. Guess we are in the same boat. I just listened to a bald truth radio show about PFS and another one about sides of FINN (if you search you should be able to find them) and tht has sort of calmed my nerves and made me more interested in trying it.

[mudkipper]

I personally never had sides on the drug but in the process of quitting

May I ask why you are quitting?

[Cr779]

May I ask why you are quitting?

Though I didn't have sides I was always wary of the possibility. I don't know what sparked it but one night I had this huge epiphany, I just realized how ****ing insane this was. How I was potentially risking my sexual functionality and more just for some hair. How absolutely miserable I would be were something to happen and I could never get an erection again, imagine you can't even masturbate, even if you were a hideous bald monster(I kid, I've started to come around to the shaved head look) you could still be self sufficient enough to masturbate and give yourself sexual release.

Anyways this epiphany rocked me to my core, to calm myself I tried to show myself "hey at least that hasn't happened you have no sides" so I tried to masturbate. Obviously with the thoughts i had and all that pressure I couldn't get it up, and I had never been so scared in my whole life. I mean I was pretty damn sure it was mental but I kept thinking "what if it isn't". In the end it was mental and I got over it about 4 days later, but holy **** lemme tell you those 4 days were hell. After that I decided to quit, nothing was worth that possibility, and I may have had no sides then but i was only on it 5 months, some guys get sides a year in, 2 years in hell even 5. I'd never sleep easy again on the drug so I decided to wean off. I started weaning off early November and took my last dosage Dec 17th.