All this talk about Propecia is getting me Depressed

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Originally Posted by 2020

god damnit... all these propecia threads are starting to make me think that my pills are fake because I have no side effects whatsover.

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Have you tried having kids since you started taking Propecia?

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Originally Posted by sausage

Have you tried having kids since you started taking Propecia?

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Exactly ! Excellent point.
And there is science behind it as well..

Finasteride-induced secondary infertility associated with sperm DNA damage.
Tu HY, Zini A.

Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of low-dose finasteride-induced secondary infertility with associated elevated sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and otherwise normal semen parameters.

DESIGN: Case report.

SETTING: University hospital.

PATIENT(S): A 48-year-old man on low-dose finasteride and his 37-year-old wife with normal menses and normal gynecologic exam.

INTERVENTION(S): Determination of sperm DFI and discontinuation of low-dose finasteride.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sperm DFI.

RESULT(S): The sperm DFI done a year earlier was 30%. This value was unchanged when repeated 2 months later. The patient was advised to stop finasteride. Three months after discontinuing the finasteride, the DFI decreased to 21% and subsequent DFI after another 3 months improved to 16.5%. To date, there is still no documented full-term pregnancy or live birth.

CONCLUSION(S): The significant reduction in DFI within 3 months of finasteride cessation and continued improvement suggests a causal link between finasteride and sperm DNA damage. We hypothesize that low-dose finasteride may exert a negative influence on sperm DNA integrity, resulting in increased pregnancy losses. We suggest that in infertile men using finasteride, sperm DFI should be measured in addition to semen parameters, and a trial of discontinuation of finasteride may be warranted.

uhm what point is that? I'm 21 and I don't plan to have kids anytime soon anyways...

Btw, this logic that Propecia is somehow responsible for EVERYTHING that happens while you take it is dumb...
If you take Advil once a week for 15 years and you develop ED, do you blame Advil for that??

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Originally Posted by 2020

uhm what point is that? I'm 21 and I don't plan to have kids anytime soon anyways...

Btw, this logic that Propecia is somehow responsible for EVERYTHING that happens while you take it is dumb...
If you take Advil once a week for 15 years and you develop ED, do you blame Advil for that??

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I think he is trying to say if you take Finasteride your sperm loose the ability to fertilize permanantely and you can never have kids.

Why is it every side effect of Finasteride is always claimed to be permanant. The medicine has only been on the market sine 1997, so how can anyone know if anything it may cause is permanant?

Very good thread and very pertinent to me and my situation right now.

The truth though, is that the verdict is still out. I think we will have better answers to this debate within the next couple of years I can see points from both sides of the argument. However, here is my prediction:

I called Merck and I wrote an e-mail and a follow-up phone call to the FDA. Just my opinin that one of two things are going to happen: One - Merck will update side-effects with a massive increase in it's WARNING section of side-effects including permanent sexual dysfunction (probably the reason they have shut down their site). Second option - the FDA will pull the drug from the market (I did not have any indication this would happen but I WAS told from the FDA that "yes, we know about the new studies and reports from the use of propecia and it is under review").

I believe that where there is massive amounts of smoke, there is usually a fire. How big is the fire?? That nobody knows yet. We can debate all day whether or not propecia causes permanent side-effects and these terrible things that are being reported. But what is concerning to me and What we CANNOT debate is that there are endocrinologists, urologists, and top university professors who BELIEVE that it does.

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Originally Posted by blakes33

Very good thread and very pertinent to me and my situation right now.

The truth though, is that the verdict is still out. I think we will have better answers to this debate within the next couple of years I can see points from both sides of the argument. However, here is my prediction:

I called Merck and I wrote an e-mail and a follow-up phone call to the FDA. Just my opinin that one of two things are going to happen: One - Merck will update side-effects with a massive increase in it's WARNING section of side-effects including permanent sexual dysfunction (probably the reason they have shut down their site). Second option - the FDA will pull the drug from the market (I did not have any indication this would happen but I WAS told from the FDA that "yes, we know about the new studies and reports from the use of propecia and it is under review").

I believe that where there is massive amounts of smoke, there is usually a fire. How big is the fire?? That nobody knows yet. We can debate all day whether or not propecia causes permanent side-effects and these terrible things that are being reported. But what is concerning to me and What we CANNOT debate is that there are endocrinologists, urologists, and top university professors who BELIEVE that it does.

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All well said blakes33, I agree.

Permanancy is going to be tough to qualify.

"Prolonged" or "Long Term Persistence" may become the phrase.

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Originally Posted by blakes33

One - Merck will update side-effects with a massive increase in it's WARNING section of side-effects including permanent sexual dysfunction (probably the reason they have shut down their site).

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none of the scientific studies in the past 20+ years have been able to prove that...

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Originally Posted by blakes33

Second option - the FDA will pull the drug from the market

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that will never happen, because there is absolutely no reason to do that.
Millions of people are happy with the results.

Feburary 19, 2012. Remember this post because 5 years from now, Propecia still be around.

There is one thing I don't understand.

There are so many people in their later/mid 40s that take this drug at the 5mg level. I know my dad did for his prostate, for about a 2 years (at age 48 if I remember correctly). So why isn't there a forum called proscarhelp.com, surely these guys taking the 5mg should have their life ""completely crippled"", and by that I mean thoughs of suicide, complete penis vanishing...and on....and on...

But I don't even recall ever reading anyone from their side complaining, even if there are these people on the internet, they aren't even 1/10000 of the number of people having sides in 1mg. The age logic doesn't explain it, since there are plenty of older guys that take 1mg for hairloss and complain of sides, and are just as vocal, but what about the older guys taking 5mg everyday.

Some of the stories I read on Propecia scare me so much, and I honestly wouldn't wish my worse enemy to go throught even one millionath of that. So I can only imagine what the 5mg people would have to go through? But why is there no forum called proscarhelp.com?

^ old people don't use internet.... if they get side effects they complain directly to their doctor.