10+ years of Propecia Use?? How many on this board - Your Experience?

Just wondering how many other men are there on this board who have used propecia 10+ years (especially interested in those who have been on it since it was released)?

It seems that maybe there are NOT many men who have been on the medication for 10+ years so let's say if you've at least been on it for MANY years (the more the better).

Questions for Long-Term Users (as it applies to many years on the drug):

1.) Has the medication worked or did it lose effectiveness after x number of years? Have you kept ALL your hair after MANY years of use or have you lost some?

2.) Have you had any side-effects? If so, have they been with you since the beginning or have they onset in later years of use (after long-term)

3.) In light of the new mounting evidence/information about men ending up with permanent sexual dysfunction - are you concerned about remaining on propecia indefinitely?

4.) How long do you plan on staying on the drug?....another 10 years, 15 years..? This is very important since I have always thought it not prudent to be on a hormone-altering drug (even without side-effects) for the REST OF MY LIFE!! At what point might you stop the medicine?

6.) How aggressive was your hair-loss when you started propecia?

7.) Have you stopped propecia at any point and if so, for how long? Did you lose hair during this period?

I was roughly 20 I think and in university when my hair loss hit. I never thought in a million years I'd lose my hair as my dad has a full head. I lost a good deal of my hairline in just a few months, so much so that all my friends noticed. I even had to shave some of the strays just do they didn't draw attention to the fact that some used to be there.

Thankfully Propecia had just come out, and I managed to get myself a prescription.

1.) Has the medication worked or did it lose effectiveness after x number of years? Have you kept ALL your hair after MANY years of use or have you lost some?

It definitely stopped it right away. In fact, one thing I noticed while the hairloss was happening was that my head itched and tingled. After a week on propecia that stopped.

I've maybe had some slight progression these last few years, maybe 1/4" - 1/3" off my hairline, but it still looks not bad. Haven't had any loss in the vertex or any real thinning that I can tell. In the meantime, a lot of my friends have gone from a full head to hardly any in the last 14 years.

2.) Have you had any side-effects? If so, have they been with you since the beginning or have they onset in later years of use (after long-term)

I had testicle ache off and on for the first year, but that stopped. I also had a period of impotence when I was 25 years old, but I was never sure if it was the propecia or just my nerves in general at the time. I gave up propecia for a few months, and managed to get the old pecker working again. Started up propecia after that and didn't run into the same issue again.

3.) In light of the new mounting evidence/information about men ending up with permanent sexual dysfunction - are you concerned about remaining on propecia indefinitely?

No, not really. I've gone off and on propecia for a few weeks here and there and I do notice a slight bump in desire when I'm off of it. So I can't see that not being the case if I ever give it up permanently.

4.) How long do you plan on staying on the drug?....another 10 years, 15 years..? This is very important since I have always thought it not prudent to be on a hormone-altering drug (even without side-effects) for the REST OF MY LIFE!! At what point might you stop the medicine?

I never really imagined I'd be on it this long, it's just sort of something I've kept doing. If I were to have a kid, I'd probably stop it for a while just to make sure my hormones were back to normal during conception, maybe even up until pregnancy. But outside of that, it looks like there are some promising treatments on the horizon, so I just look at it like buying time until some of those are ready.

6.) How aggressive was your hair-loss when you started propecia?

Very. I probably went from a THICK NW1 to somewhere between a NW2/3 in a few months.

7.) Have you stopped propecia at any point and if so, for how long? Did you lose hair during this period?

Hard to say. Nothing major. But I've definitely slacked off on propecia over the last three or four years, often stopping for a week at a time, or skipping a few days here and there. My hair is probably a bit thinner than it once was, and my hairline has probably receded another 1/4" or so. But for my age it doesn't look too bad.

In truth, the thought of losing my hair at age 20 was horrible. There were cute girls, lots of jocks, and I had enough stress going on in university. Had propecia simply helped me get through university, it would have been a godsend. Which it did, and it got me to almost my mid thirties now. I obviously don't want to lose anymore hair, but at this point I wouldn't be the only guy my age so it wouldn't be as horrible as losing it when I was 20.

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Originally Posted by blakes33

Just wondering how many other men are there on this board who have used propecia 10+ years (especially interested in those who have been on it since it was released)?

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I have been using Propecia since 1997. My experience has been positive but not lasting necessarily.

After 2 years on Proscar 1.25mg/day my hairline has recovered considerably.

After 3 years I began to lose ground again.

After 4 years I increased the dosage to 2.5/mg day. This helped slow down the loss rate but I was not able to reverse loss as I had originally.

After 7 years I increased to 5mg/day. As with the previous increase, the loss seemed seemed to slow but I had no marked improvement.

This year I moved back to 2.5mg/day. I am concerned about using the drug at such a high level for so long. I did experience a shed from doing this after a couple of months, but I have again stabilized.

Bottom line: In my experience, and most I know who have used this drug, you will receive benefit, but over time it will not arrest your hairloss.

I would also suggest you start at the lowest dose (e.g. propecia) and work your way up. Make sure your Dr. knows what you are doing.

Good luck!

I was on Propecia for about 12 years and I stopped taking it two years ago due to an unrelated health condition.

1) The medicine worked for me the entire time I was on it. I kept all of my hair the entire time I was on it and even regrew most of my juvenile hairline.

2) I had a few side effects that I didn't even recognize as such until after I stopped the drug and things changed. I had a couple bouts of weak testicle pain throughout the years which were probably due to the drug. I lost morning erections somewhere along the way and had slightly weaker erections, but again I wasn't even aware of it. I also had less body hair while I was on it. Finally, I had a weaker urine stream when I was taking it. All of these side effects went away completely within a couple of weeks of quitting the drug.

3) I was never aware of the talk of "permanent side effects" and probably would never have become aware had I not stopped the drug and started looking at hair loss forums again (because I never thought about hair loss once the entire time I was on the drug). If I had been made aware, it probably would have freaked me out for no reason at all. As it turned out, the side effects I had on the drug were not bad enough to make me think twice or to even associate them with the drug and everything went back to normal when I stopped. If I had my choice, I would take the drug again and live with the side effects over having to deal with hair loss again. Unfortunately, it's not an option for me right now due to my other health issues.

4) I always thought I would just stay on the drug until a better solution came along. I had never heard of any issues with the drug and I never went online to seek out reasons to stop taking it.

5) My hair loss wasn't that aggressive when I started at 19 or 20. In retrospect, I may have just been developing a mature hairline but there was nobody on the internet to explain that concept to me. I've lost about a half inch of my hairline since I stopped the drug almost 2 years ago but that may not have happened until my mid-thirties anyway. I guess I'll never know.

6) Like I said, I have lost about a half inch off my hairline since I stopped. It's now in the place of a proper mature hairline so it doesn't look very receded, but the frontal core has thinned out some as well so I know I will continue to lose hair at some rate. I went through a lot of shedding after about six months off the drug that lasted for a few months. Now, I don't seem to shed very much at all but I still notice my hairline getting a bit thinner. I am also doing regular PRP treatments, low level laser therapy, taking some hair vitamins, and using some special shampoos so that could be slowing down the process a bit.

I think there are a lot of guys out there getting very freaked out for no reason. I don't deny that a few guys get persistent side effects from the drug, although I don't think it's fair to claim "permanent" side effects until men have lived with the condition for a really long time. There are many drugs that take years to recover from but that doesn't mean they cause permanent side effects. And I doubt that any men with minimal side effects while on the drug are at risk of long term issues after stopping it.

As a little side story, I went online a day or two after I stopped Propecia to read about any possible issues I might face and I freaked out when I read the horror stories. I decide to contact Dr. Alan Jacobs in New York who has dedicated quite a lot of effort to treating men with post-finasteride issues. He told me a few interesting things. First, he acknowledged that he has a real "selection bias" because he only hears from men with side effects and that he believes that it is a very small minority of men who have persistent issues. Second, he said he thought I could go back on the drug if my other health issues resolved so clearly he did not feel that the drug was inherently dangerous. Third, he said that most men he saw did recover after some time off the drug and sometimes some hormone therapy. Finally, he said he thought that a lot of the men contacting him had other issues that were contributing to their problems.

I can tell from all the posts you've made that this is something that is consuming a lot of your energy. I understand this because I had quite a bit of anxiety after I stopped about how much hair I would lose. My advice to you is to either re-start the drug and stop reading horror stories or get yourself on a new hair loss regimen that does not include propecia and figure out how to deal with whatever hair loss is in the cards for you.

Thanks for your response Ryan. It is encouraging to know that Dr. Jacobs believes it is only a small percentage.

I'm glad to hear from other guys who took the drug long-term like me and did NOT suffer these terrible issues. Thanks for the encouragement.

Your are correct - losing hair rapidly so a decision to get back on would have to be sooner rather than later!! I'll post below my full experience.

Thanks for all the responses so far. Since I started this questionnaire I need to jump in and answer... :)

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Originally Posted by blakes33

Questions for Long-Term Users (as it applies to many years on the drug):

1.) Has the medication worked or did it lose effectiveness after x number of years? Have you kept ALL your hair after MANY years of use or have you lost some? 13 years and propecia has kept my hair at about 90% of what is was when I was 21 and started losing it - AMAZINGLY effective!!

2.) Have you had any side-effects? If so, have they been with you since the beginning or have they onset in later years of use (after long-term)
No, I was a sex champ on the drug since the day I started with nothing BAD to speak of the entire time I've taken it except.... the occasional testicle ache, less body hair (back hair went away after several years on the drug - good thing) and loss of morning erections (which I didn't consider a problem). I had some side-effects that started AFTER STOPPING the drug (see below)

3.) In light of the new mounting evidence/information about men ending up with permanent sexual dysfunction - are you concerned about remaining on propecia indefinitely? Yes, very concerned. I am not on it now - have been off 14 weeks but am now seeing just how well the medicine was keeping my hair. So, I WANT to believe this information is either false or doesn't apply to me but I would be lying if I said I am not concerned.

4.) How long do you plan on staying on the drug?....another 10 years, 15 years..? This is very important since I have always thought it not prudent to be on a hormone-altering drug (even without side-effects) for the REST OF MY LIFE!! At what point might you stop the medicine?
I always figured at some point I would stop - like when I got OLD, you know like in my 30's (LOL), or when I got married and had kids... Uh, it doesn't work that way - it's very difficult at ANY POINT to just say "OK, now I'm ready to lose all my hair within the next 6 months"

6.) How aggressive was your hair-loss when you started propecia?
Very - I believe I would have been bald by 25 or at late twenties at the latest.

7.) Have you stopped propecia at any point and if so, for how long? Did you lose hair during this period?

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This is where it get's interesting and concerning for me. No problems to speak of the 13 years I have taken the drug. However, when I quit I was fine for the first 4-5 weeks (morning erections returned and no change in sexual function/libido). But - at around week 5 I began having terrible testicle pain and lower groin pains. Went to see a urologist - the Director of Urology at the Emory Clinc (also Associate Professor at Emory School of Urology and Director of Emory's Urology Residency Program) who said he thought it might be my prostate but could not explain the testicle pain. He said it was common to see scar tissue in the penis of long-term users of finasteride but didn't see any in mine. He also told me to EXPECT some changes or slight difficulty as my body would undergo a hormonal shift in the coming weeks. At around week 9 THANK GOD the pain subsided. The only other issue I experienced was sudden and acute dry eyes and moderate blurry vision at around week 7. The dry eyes/blurry vision is really the only side-effect that is still with me now at 15 weeks out.
I would like to restart the medicine but what is concerning to me is that I never had any problems on propecia - it was only after I stopped the medicine that some of these began. Obviously they are not too terrible but it concerns me that I developed ANY new sides after stopping. So I got away (mostly) clean and body recovered the first time - what if I go back on and am not so lucky the next...

Just a side note - that same doctor just so happened to be attending a conference in Miami two weeks after my inital visit on finasteride and potential long-term problems. He said he would contact me afterwards to let me know the findings and he did. He said "it appears that this condition is real but seems to be limited to a small number of men. The issue is that it is new and there are not studies yet to show what the causes are. We should know more what is causing this in men as time goes on and more studies are conducted."

Your doctor said it was common to see scar tissue in long term finasteride users? I've never heard of this before.. You should inquire with your doctor about this to see where he got this information!

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Originally Posted by the_charger

Your doctor said it was common to see scar tissue in long term finasteride users? I've never heard of this before.. You should inquire with your doctor about this to see where he got this information!

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Charger - I did ask about the scar tissue (as I had never heard of this before either). It was from his clinical experience over the years with his patients.

I'm 29 and I've been on finisteride for about 3 years.

1.) Has the medication worked or did it lose effectiveness after x number of years? Have you kept ALL your hair after MANY years of use or have you lost some?

It's slowed down the hair loss for me, but i've continued to lose it gradually. It's effectiveness has remained consistent since it first started to kick in within the first year of taking it.

2.) Have you had any side-effects? If so, have they been with you since the beginning or have they onset in later years of use (after long-term)

Distinctive side effects for me:

• Sex drive is reduced but nothing major (I can still go a couple rounds per day).
• Often i'll wake up once or twice throughout the night and just generally don't get a good solid sleep.
• Gained noticable weight around my belly and hips.
• Skin is more sensitive (itches a lot more after taking a hot shower and i get minor rashes etc.)

I think it may have made these existing problems noticeably worse for me (but not severely worse) :

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Less social
• Lack of energy

It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly when each of these side effects emerged over the 3 years. Some weren't as obvious at first. I also don't know for certain if they are related to the drug, as things like weight can change naturally as you get older... please consider them observations whilst I've been on the drug.

3.) In light of the new mounting evidence/information about men ending up with permanent sexual dysfunction - are you concerned about remaining on propecia indefinitely?

Yes I'm concerned, but i'm not freaking out. As far as i can tell it hasn't caused any major permanent damage to me over the 3 years I've taken it. I intend to stop it within the next few years as I'm confident there will be a cure available soon. I certainly won't remain on it indefinitely.

4.) How long do you plan on staying on the drug?....another 10 years, 15 years..? This is very important since I have always thought it not prudent to be on a hormone-altering drug (even without side-effects) for the REST OF MY LIFE!! At what point might you stop the medicine?

5 Years tops.

However it should be noted I'm going to have a procedure with Dr Gho this year and if this works well I will stop the drug altogether.

6.) How aggressive was your hair-loss when you started propecia?

My hair loss was relatively slow, but it was noticeable. I've heard stories of people losing more or less all their hair in a year or 2... I'm certainly not that bad.

7.) Have you stopped propecia at any point and if so, for how long? Did you lose hair during this period?

I recently went overseas for 3 months and decided to stop it to see how much difference it made. I noticed most of these side effects subsided considerably apart from the weight gain.

I did shed substantially more and started to freak out around the 3rd month. So I decided started to start taking it again. I'm now trying to combat a lot of these side effects with a much better diet and exercise.

1.) Has the medication worked or did it lose effectiveness after x number of years?
I have been taking propecia for 6 years. I started right when I first noticed any loss and took it for 1 year. During this time I had no additional loss that I noticed. I wasn't sure it was doing anything and I dropped it after one year. About 6 months later I noticed my hair got much worse. I started it back up again and have been on it ever since. About two years ago I changed the dosage to 2mg/day instead of 1mg/day. I think that I have kept the hair that I had when I started the second time, but nothing has grown back that I lost.

2.) Have you had any side-effects? If so, have they been with you since the beginning or have they onset in later years of use (after long-term)
I have had no side effects. I am still very sexually active and have had no problems there.

3.) In light of the new mounting evidence/information about men ending up with permanent sexual dysfunction - are you concerned about remaining on propecia indefinitely?
I haven't experienced any problems, so no.

4.) How long do you plan on staying on the drug?....another 10 years, 15 years..? This is very important since I have always thought it not prudent to be on a hormone-altering drug (even without side-effects) for the REST OF MY LIFE!! At what point might you stop the medicine?
I guess I have planned to stay on it through my 40s -- hoping that something better would come along.

6.) How aggressive was your hair-loss when you started propecia?
Not terribly aggressive. I noticed it and wanted to be proactive.

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Originally Posted by ryan555

As a little side story, I went online a day or two after I stopped Propecia to read about any possible issues I might face and I freaked out when I read the horror stories. I decide to contact Dr. Alan Jacobs in New York who has dedicated quite a lot of effort to treating men with post-finasteride issues. He told me a few interesting things. First, he acknowledged that he has a real "selection bias" because he only hears from men with side effects and that he believes that it is a very small minority of men who have persistent issues. Second, he said he thought I could go back on the drug if my other health issues resolved so clearly he did not feel that the drug was inherently dangerous. Third, he said that most men he saw did recover after some time off the drug and sometimes some hormone therapy. Finally, he said he thought that a lot of the men contacting him had other issues that were contributing to their problems.

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Ryan - How did you get in touch with Dr. Alan Jacobs? Did you email him or talk via a phone call? You can PM me if you'd like.

(I have spoken with Dr. Goldstein in California but was not terribly impressed....)
Thanks.

So relieved to see some truly positive responses to finasteride. Just got on it a week ago and despite the slight testes discomfort, i'm shedding a lot less! Very optimistic; i'll do well to keep my norwood 2/2.5. It's nice to see some guys' comments on their fin experience that aren't so doom-ridden like most of the posts on this forum. :)

Did any if you guys use generic finasteride? Which one? Is it as good as propecia? One more thing, did any one of you experience initial shedding for a fee months on propecia? I've been on generic finasteride for about 2 months now and been shedding like crazy

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Originally Posted by Emjay1

Did any if you guys use generic finasteride? Which one? Is it as good as propecia? One more thing, did any one of you experience initial shedding for a fee months on propecia? I've been on generic finasteride for about 2 months now and been shedding like crazy

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I buy it here without a prescription http://www.goodrxpills.com Hope this helps

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Originally Posted by blakes33

It seems that maybe there are NOT many men who have been on the medication for 10+ years so let's say if you've at least been on it for MANY years (the more the better).

Questions for Long-Term Users (as it applies to many years on the drug):

1.) Has the medication worked or did it lose effectiveness after x number of years? Have you kept ALL your hair after MANY years of use or have you lost some?
It lost its effectiveness. I started taking it either 1999 or 2000, something like that. Propecia at first, then Proscar, and in 2010 or whenever that was, I switched to cheaper generic. I could never tell how effective it was because I also got transplants. I had two big treatments with Dr. Wong in 2001 and 2006. Part of the reason I went back in 2006 was because I was still losing. I had been taking 1/4 proscar every other day. Eventually that was increased to every day. And now I'm at a half tablet daily. There was a period when I was taking a half tablet of generic, and then out of fear I went back to a quarter daily (fear because it was suggested by a crook surgeon, Dr. Hitzig, and once I'd discovered I'd been had, I didn't know what to believe - he also performed surgery on me - well not HIM - his people). Then Dr. Wong suggested I could go back to a quarter every other day when I subsequently saw him for repairs. This is where I noticed shedding. Kinda bad, too. I sent him pictures and they wrote me back saying get back on name brand and take a half pill daily. They said don't expect to see improvements until 8 months. I'm not there yet. I know its not going to work, though.

2.) Have you had any side-effects? If so, have they been with you since the beginning or have they onset in later years of use (after long-term)
I never noticed side effects. But that doesn't mean I don't have any. Lower libido? Sure. But I'm 33 now, and I've been on the pill since I was like 19 or something. I am very suspicious now that finasteride is preventing me from getting lean around the waist regardless of how good I am with diet and exercise. My fear is that I'll never be able to get this weight off even after stopping the medication.

3.) In light of the new mounting evidence/information about men ending up with permanent sexual dysfunction - are you concerned about remaining on propecia indefinitely?
I am concerned about staying on finasteride - but not because of that. I'm considering discontinuing and taking the plunge into wearing hair since, in my case, transplants and drugs are so ineffective. And if I find out the drug has been making me fat... well that will be the last nail in the coffin, considering that wearing is an option.

4.) How long do you plan on staying on the drug?....another 10 years, 15 years..? This is very important since I have always thought it not prudent to be on a hormone-altering drug (even without side-effects) for the REST OF MY LIFE!! At what point might you stop the medicine?
Because of everything I've stated above, I'm expecting to discontinue or wean off within a year from now. I'm so miserable with this bald hairline and diffuse hair - I'm ready to buzz it off and glue a wig on.

6.) How aggressive was your hair-loss when you started propecia?
Scalp was very intent on being a norwood 5 - every man in my family is. The hairline corners were going bye-bye before I turned 20. And by that age the top was very diffuse. I remember seeing a picture of myself at that age a while back and was shocked at how bald I looked. So, yeah, the hair transplants and, I guess, the medication definitely improved my appearance.

7.) Have you stopped propecia at any point and if so, for how long? Did you lose hair during this period?
I've been without it for a week. I didn't notice anything happen.

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I'd like to hear more experiences from people who stopped taking it. I particularly want to know if anyone was able to get fitter, leaner around the waist. Thanks.

I will reply later but I personally believe diet alongside Propecia is a MUST, PCOS high content of wheat can cause a spike in high regular insulin resulting in higher androgens.

7.) Have you stopped propecia at any point and if so, for how long? Did you lose hair during this period?

I recently went overseas for 3 months and decided to stop it to see how much difference it made. I noticed most of these side effects subsided considerably apart from the weight gain.

I did shed substantially more and started to freak out around the 3rd month. So I decided started to start taking it again. I'm now trying to combat a lot of these side effects with a much better diet and exercise.

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Did your hair regrow after this break??? If so, to the extent it was when you took the break? And how long did this process take?

I've been taking Propecia now for just short of three years. It basically stopped my hair loss, though my hairline did recede a bit more from when I started. My hair has actually become thinker, outside of the mild loss on my hairline. I've even had crown re-growth. I started at about an NW 2.4, and have progressed up to about a 2.6. But my hair is probably 15-20% thicker now than in 2014. I am not sure if I now have more hairs, or my existing hairs are simply thicker. I suspect my existing hairs are just thicker now. In either case, it's noticeable.

I haven't been on it long enough to know if I'll be one of the people who keep losing a little hair all along the way. Or if I'll be one of the people who see it lose effectiveness around year 10.

I will agree with the poster above, about the fat redistribution. I actually have less total body fat than I did before, but my naval measurement has increased. I have more fat in my lower abdomen, and larger love handles than before I started, despite being 20lbs lighter. That was the only side effect I experienced. And it's an odd one, as the only thing I ever see people talk about, is how their dick is going to fall off. That didn't happen to me, but the weird fat redistribution did.

However, to the idea that there will be a "cure" in a few years... don't count on it. We've been just a few years away from a "cure" since at least the 1970s. Hope for better, but plan on what we have now. Fin, Minox, Nizoral, and RU.

"I also had less body hair while I was on it"

THANK YOU FOR THIS INFORMATION! This is the first time I have found someone with this information, so far my doctor and dermatologist did not make any link to Proscar as the contributor to my rapid body hair loss.

I have been using Proscar for 11 years and last 4-5 years and whilst I mainatined most of my hair on my head I have noticed body hair reduction from "hairy" where I used to trim my body hair to HARDLY any body hair! My concern initially started after some 6 years of using aprox. 1mg of Proscar (one 5mg split into 4) per day.
My legs and pubic hair initially started getting thinner, then patchy on both legs. Over the years this followed onto my arms and chest.

Last couple years my eyebrows and fascial hair have reduced about 50% and in last 2 months i noticed my eyebrows are about to dissapear and appearance of big hair-free patch appeared on my left cheek (i maintain a beard), now its the other side as well.
I had to shave my beard.

My errections and morning wood have been maintained rock hard for first 7 years, last 3 years not so, but I believe that was maintained by regular morning masturbation. At age 40 with Proscar I am noticing that I am waking up without them.

I am planning to give Proscar a rest for 3 months and monitor

1. Fascial hair / eyebrows
2. Sculp hair loss
2. Pubic hair thickness
3. Testicular swelling / shrinkage
4. Erection
5. Sperm thickness / amount
6. Sexual performance (time it takes to cum, this has been prolonged several years within Proscar use)

I would be interested to know if anyone has re-grown their body / fascial hair after terminating their use of Propecia / Proscar and
if the sperm amount / thickness has improved.