Fear of Finasteride

Now first off I want to make it clear that I understand that there are real potential side effects with the use of finasteride. I am sure there are people that have suffered these side effects and feel bad for those people.

With that out of the way. I am sick and tired of all the paranoia that has been created and spread across the internet, including this website about the use of fin. Unfortunately fin is the best(or one of the best) thing we have going when it comes to the battle of hairloss. Too many men are not using this drug because of an irrational fear of its potential side effects.

I was in the same boat as these men until this past Wednesday. I have literally been going back and fourth many times within the past week whether or not I should give fin a try. Finally I just said screw it, talked to my doctor, and got a prescription. I paid full price(67.99) for generic finasteride, and popped my first pill Wed afternoon. No sides to speak of so far. I will definitely let you know if I do experience any.

I am hoping that I can reach as many people as possible who are suffering from hairloss, and let them know that they should give fin a try. Of course talk to your doctor first and make sure you are in good health. You should follow the same advice as you would when using any prescription drug. Keep an eye on your body. If you are suffering from sides, discontinue the drug and things should be back to normal in a short time. I am not calling people who have suffered life long side effects liars, but most likely they had other stuff going on with their body to cause them to react to finasteride the way they did.

The fear of fin and even minoxidil resulted in not doing anything to attempt to stop my hairloss. Don't make the same mistake I did and wait 15 years before you decide to try the best thing we have!

I delayed taking for only about two months out of fear of the drug -- I still regret it. Wonder how much more hair I would have. Probably not that much, but some.

People who have MPB in the early stages need to GET. ON. FIN. or accept baldness. There is no other option.

I waited way too long to try anything because of fear. I've had scalp problems since my teens so I didn't use minoxidil because I heard that it would irritate my scalp. I didn't want to try fin because of the sexual sides. I know the potential for side effects are there, but I highly doubt my d#*k is going to fall like people on the internet will try to make you believe.

I will always wonder what if I started on fin and minox earlier. "What if's" suck.

Still afraid to use fin...

If I could go back in time I would start fin or dut before the first signs of MPB.

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Originally Posted by BigThinker

People who have MPB in the early stages need to GET. ON. FIN. or accept baldness. There is no other option.

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I'm using minoxidil, Regenepure shampoo and I had hair surgery.

Propecia is optional.

If you were able to stabilize your hairloss without fin, I guess it is possible to not use it after surgery. I am still glad I chose to give it a try. Way to early to tell if it will work or if I will get sides. Just knowing that at I am at least doing what I can to try to stop/slow down my hairloss has given me some peace of mind. Not sure if that makes sense, but my state of mind has been much more positive since starting the meds.

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Originally Posted by Notcoolanymore

If you were able to stabilize your hairloss without fin, I guess it is possible to not use it after surgery. I am still glad I chose to give it a try. Way to early to tell if it will work or if I will get sides. Just knowing that at I am at least doing what I can to try to stop/slow down my hairloss has given me some peace of mind. Not sure if that makes sense, but my state of mind has been much more positive since starting the meds.

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Itch is gone, hair that hasn't shed is thick and strong, dark hairs popping up quarter of an inch out of my current hairline. If I wasn't on fin I would have went crazy by now.

At one point I questioned if my libido was affected. Started lifting heavy and frequently and I can't even keep my mind off sex for more than 30 seconds. I'm in the best shape of my life and if I save my hair, life will be pretty much perfect.

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Originally Posted by 25 going on 65

If I could go back in time I would start fin or dut before the first signs of MPB.

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Same. I get bummed thinking about lost time but what's done is done. I wish I would have just saw a dermatologist and not sought help from websites saturated by fear mongers.

Exactly, cant go back in time. Glad I finally made the decision to give fin a try. 5 days so far, no sides really to report.

The worst mistake of my life was not getting on and staying fin as early as possible. People talk about fin ruining their lives, not taking finasteride has destroyed my life.

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Originally Posted by KO1

The worst mistake of my life was not getting on and staying fin as early as possible. People talk about fin ruining their lives, not taking finasteride has destroyed my life.

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Every guy here needed a hair mentor when he was younger to teach him about this shit. To tell him to get on meds at the FIRST sign of hair loss, if not sooner

I know I am in the same boat. Well I actually went through with it and bit the bullet in September 2011. The first few days were fine then I could feel my heart beat really weird. I do not know if it was in my head or really a side. I got off of it. I think it was in my head because my cousin said he had an irregular heartbeat on it. I was also discontinuing my anti depressant that week so that may have had something to do with it. I also had the same thing happen on rogaine around that time.. But I took rogaine back in 2004 and never had that side effect because I was not thinking about it. I also recently started back rogaine a couple of months ago and I have been doing fine because my mind has been occupied. I am getting my proscar in two weeks from my urologist and I am going to try it again, but recently I talked to my friend and he just had to discontinue his proscar use because of impotenence and gyno. So this makes me apprehensive, but everyone is different.

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Originally Posted by 25 going on 65

Every guy here needed a hair mentor when he was younger to teach him about this shit. To tell him to get on meds at the FIRST sign of hair loss, if not sooner

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Seriously, I wish somebody had told me these things years ago. That's one of the reasons I'm so adamant about the issue and continue to advocate this drug.

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Originally Posted by 25 going on 65

Every guy here needed a hair mentor when he was younger to teach him about this shit. To tell him to get on meds at the FIRST sign of hair loss, if not sooner

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This Exactly! If I would have had somebody to just tell me the options that are out there, I would be in much better shape than I am now.

Can someone be my hair mentor?

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Originally Posted by deuce

Can someone be my hair mentor?

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Not much to be mentored. Get on the big 3.

Throughout the ordeal, many of us get frustrated and paranoid about things. Try not to let it affect your life (often easier said than done).

It's not worth listening to individual anecdotal outcomes for the treatments. Read the literature, instill confidence within yourself of the drugs, and do your best to not think about it. Combing the internet you will find every outcome to every drug; someone has had every side effect you can imagine.

Like Bigthinker said, everybody who is suffering from MPB should get on the big 3. Also, give them time to work. Keep an eye on your body for sides.

if anyone is ever afraid of side effects. look at side effects of any common anti-depressant. i looked up side effects of a medicine i take called lexapro the other day just for kicks. i about SHIT my pants

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Originally Posted by hiilikeyourbeard

if anyone is ever afraid of side effects. look at side effects of any common anti-depressant. i looked up side effects of a medicine i take called lexapro the other day just for kicks. i about SHIT my pants

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Fair enough, but does your medication grow tits for you, or shrink your dick?

those things you listed happen over time. lexapro can stop your breathing and cause seizures to name a few things

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Originally Posted by hiilikeyourbeard

if anyone is ever afraid of side effects. look at side effects of any common anti-depressant. i looked up side effects of a medicine i take called lexapro the other day just for kicks. i about SHIT my pants

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Yes antidepressants gave me some pretty noticeable sides. The sexual sides on celexa were mainly the ones that bothered me.

I come to this forum pretty regularly. It is a shame how many people come here and continue to hurt other hair loss sufferers. This should be a place where people come to get the latest information and support from other people who are dealing with hair loss. Instead it is a place where people will do everything they can to scare people into not treating their hair loss. I was reading a thread earlier today and there was this young guy turning somebody away from fin because of sides, which he never even experienced himself. I have heard countless others doing the same thing. In almost every thread you will see some negative comments about some guys losing his D!#K or growing tits. It is just ridiculous the amount of fear that is spread through this forum.

I would be willing to bet that if you had 100 men browse this forum for a few hours then give put them on sugar pills which they believed to be finasteride, a large percentage of them would claim they now have some sort of sexual sides, brain fog, testicle shrinkage, etc.

I understand that there are some who have suffered from sides. Why this happens is another topic for another thread. For the MOST men, sides WILL NOT be an issue.

I am sorry if you are unable to use fin or refuse to do so out of fear. You are not helping anybody by steering them away from the most effective treatment that is available. How many of these people who are scared away from fin will end up finally taking it years in the future when it is way too late?

I think, especially for younger guys, or guys in early stages of hairloss, who are worried about taking fin, the situation should be approached in a more reasonable way...

eg.. Young dude not much signs of hairloss thinking of fin but scared

response: 'hey there little slugger, luckily ya still got a big ol mop up top, but if ya think your losin it, ya probably are, and it's best to start taking action now. No rush kiddo, but why dont ya head on to your doctor, have a chat, get some tests, then reevaluate. If ya decide to give fin a shot, air on the side of caution and start at a low dose :) '

You could argue over this approach being worthwhile, or if the science makes it reasonable/plausable, but thats not really the point. The point is to give comfort and peace of mind to a poor bloake that has yet to fully realize the impact this will have on him!

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Originally Posted by Notcoolanymore

Now first off I want to make it clear that I understand that there are real potential side effects with the use of finasteride. I am sure there are people that have suffered these side effects and feel bad for those people.

With that out of the way. I am sick and tired of all the paranoia that has been created and spread across the internet, including this website about the use of fin. Unfortunately fin is the best(or one of the best) thing we have going when it comes to the battle of hairloss. Too many men are not using this drug because of an irrational fear of its potential side effects.


The fear of fin and even minoxidil resulted in not doing anything to attempt to stop my hairloss. Don't make the same mistake I did and wait 15 years before you decide to try the best thing we have!

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Drugs act differently for each person. Some people have had real problems .

About 10 years ago I had great results with propecia after trying minox alone. At that time minox was not enough. Propecia worked much better than I expected- I grew back hair more than some women have, but around 5 years I got off due to problems. Whether it was the propecia or something else I will never know for sure.

As far as the minox alone, for some that's all they can do. At some point my loss slowed down and minox alone gave me decent results. Not nearly as good as propecia but at least slowed down my progression. If they can only use minox then that is ok because it is better than doing nothing and giving up.

A few weeks ago posters in another thread convinced me to give propecia another try. But this time I am going about it slow, some would not agree but this way is better than not taking it at all. Next Sat it will be a month and if all is still well, then I will increase to 2x a week. And so on and so on.

But I am still scared so I feel for the guys who won't/can't use it.

Don't criticize them- if anything be like Desmond and gently convince them to try it in small doses like I am doing.

I am crossing my fingers I will get lucky again and in a year from now will have hair that will make women jealous :)

good luck to everyone no matter what course you take!

I believe that sides can be very real, and have happened to some fin users. I truly believe that, but the mass hysteria that people have created on the internet over the use of the drug is just ridiculous.

I have no problem with people being smart about fin or other prescription drugs to be honest with you. You are doing the smart thing by micro dosing and easing back into the drug. I am definitely not telling people to shove a bunch of pills down their throat.

I don't like prescription drugs, or even over the counter drugs. I don't even like taking aspirin unless completely necessary. But as far as hair loss is concerned, options are very limited. We don't need to continue to spread and scare people out of treating their hair loss.

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Originally Posted by Notcoolanymore

I believe that sides can be very real, and have happened to some fin users. I truly believe that, but the mass hysteria that people have created on the internet over the use of the drug is just ridiculous.

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One dr had a decent explanation about the sides. He said often a man could be developing other health issues and would get the "sides" sooner or later regardless. And propecia could be a coincidence or maybe just push them over the edge of what was going to happen anyway. He mentioned diabetes and a few years ago I was very close to developing it and did have propecia sides even thought I had been off of it for like 5 years or so at the time.
Not saying this is true all the time, but maybe this might be true for some who have problems.

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I have no problem with people being smart about fin or other prescription drugs to be honest with you. You are doing the smart thing by micro dosing and easing back into the drug. I am definitely not telling people to shove a bunch of pills down their throat.

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Agree and think maybe more people would try it if they ease into it.

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I don't like prescription drugs, or even over the counter drugs. I don't even like taking aspirin unless completely necessary. But as far as hair loss is concerned, options are very limited. We don't need to continue to spread and scare people out of treating their hair loss.

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Yea I wish I didn't have to use it or anything for that matter. But even though my loss has slowed down, minox alone is not enough to stop it. For me propecia was the only thing that ever really stopped and reversed my loss both front and back.

So far so good.. will increase dose frequency starting next week.

I can't get through a day around here without having to read a post from somebody about how fin destroyed their life. It's just getting worse and worse by the day. Many of these guys will take fin, and on the first day feel a tingle in their testicles, and stop taking the med. They become the newest members of the anti-fin movement and probably create an account on the anti propecia(I don't even want to mention the name) website. The sad thing is, these are the same guys that will return to these forums years later. Only now they are more advanced on the norwood scale and ready to give fin another try. Thinking they can turn their NW5 or worse into a NW2.

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Originally Posted by Notcoolanymore

I can't get through a day around here without having to read a post from somebody about how fin destroyed their life. It's just getting worse and worse by the day. Many of these guys will take fin, and on the first day feel a tingle in their testicles, and stop taking the med. They become the newest members of the anti-fin movement and probably create an account on the anti propecia(I don't even want to mention the name) website. The sad thing is, these are the same guys that will return to these forums years later. Only now they are more advanced on the norwood scale and ready to give fin another try. Thinking they can turn their NW5 or worse into a NW2.

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At this point I know of no side effect that would stop me from continuing dut/fin. Hair is so important to image....I used to worry about gyno but compared to going bald it is nothing
Persistent ED would suck but I am not worried about that.

Yes, I believe there are sides also but like mentioned above. The drug works different for different people. The fear does not help and makes people believe they are deeper in the hole than they actually are. Anything is more likely to get a bad review when there has been a negative experience or just people spreading fear from hatred or whatever the reason may be.

Look at reviews for restaurants for example, they usually have more negative reviews than good. And if they are as bad as people say they are, the place wouldn't have been open for so long and be losing money. I usually do a quick glance at a place before I order from them and see a lot of negative things and usually about 80% of the time, its not as bad as people claim to be. And if it turns out good, no one really, except for a select few actually feels the need to tell others how good its been because it satisfied their taste buds decides to put up a positive review to help others decide. Its easier to have the urge to put things down.

Different people have different views, some are pessimistic, some are optimistic, while others are neutral and this greatly affects the judgement of a certain topic , etc for others. Theres not much we can do but offer our own experiences and try to use that as evidence for a positive benefit. Thats why the world is in such a shithole; everyone thinks they are right.

I believe sides can be very real. But the guys that spread false statistics and other BS around the internet about Fin need to stop what they are doing. I would be pissed too if I could not take the best defense against hair loss, but to scare people away from the best thing we have is just wrong.

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Originally Posted by Notcoolanymore

I believe sides can be very real. But the guys that spread false statistics and other BS around the internet about Fin need to stop what they are doing. I would be pissed too if I could not take the best defense against hair loss, but to scare people away from the best thing we have is just wrong.

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I'm scared of taking it. Equally, I'm glad I've been warned by others, but then again I'm depressed losing hair never knowing if I'd benefit from the drug or eternally regret trying it..

I avoided taking it at first because of fear also. Going to my Dr. and talking to somebody with "facts" about the drug helped ease my fears just a bit. Finally I just said screw it. I did not want to get to NW6 and wonder what if. It is your body and your decision, but I am glad I at least gave it a shot, and so far I am happy with the results. If you ever do work up the courage to take it, do your best to not think about sides and give your body some time to adjust to it. Meaning don't quit after a couple of days of a mild ball ache.

People who continue to procrastinate about taking Finasteride because they are worried about sides should NOT take Finasteride, period.

They will continually look for and find something to attribute as a side effect. They will put themselves through mental chaos thinking about side-effects and I truly believe the mind is a powerful tool.

I was on the fence about starting Fin for about 6.5 months not so much out of fear but rather I was saving it as a last resort. I have been on it for 6 months now and they only side-effect I've experienced was ball ache for 2 days at the very beginning. I think most guys experience this anyway as their body gets used to the drop in DHT.

Seriously though you just have to think positive and not worry about possible sides. Choose a suitable time of the day (ie: first thing in the morning or right before bed) to pop a pill and move on with your normal routine. If any noticeable side-effects do occur just discontinue use. I know I would have rather tried it and got sides than to have not and always wondered if it would have saved my hair or not. The choice is ultimately up you.

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Originally Posted by StuckInARut

People who continue to procrastinate about taking Finasteride because they are worried about sides should NOT take Finasteride, period.

They will continually look for and find something to attribute as a side effect. They will put themselves through mental chaos thinking about side-effects and I truly believe the mind is a powerful tool.

I was on the fence about starting Fin for about 6.5 months not so much out of fear but rather I was saving it as a last resort. I have been on it for 6 months now and they only side-effect I've experienced was ball ache for 2 days at the very beginning. I think most guys experience this anyway as their body gets used to the drop in DHT.

Seriously though you just have to think positive and not worry about possible sides. Choose a suitable time of the day (ie: first thing in the morning or right before bed) to pop a pill and move on with your normal routine. If any noticeable side-effects do occur just discontinue use. I know I would have rather tried it and got sides than to have not and always wondered if it would have saved my hair or not. The choice is ultimately up you.

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I was just going to quote the first couple of sentences of this post. But, this entire post hit the nail on the head.

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Originally Posted by StuckInARut

People who continue to procrastinate about taking Finasteride because they are worried about sides should NOT take Finasteride, period.

They will continually look for and find something to attribute as a side effect. They will put themselves through mental chaos thinking about side-effects and I truly believe the mind is a powerful tool.

I was on the fence about starting Fin for about 6.5 months not so much out of fear but rather I was saving it as a last resort. I have been on it for 6 months now and they only side-effect I've experienced was ball ache for 2 days at the very beginning. I think most guys experience this anyway as their body gets used to the drop in DHT.

Seriously though you just have to think positive and not worry about possible sides. Choose a suitable time of the day (ie: first thing in the morning or right before bed) to pop a pill and move on with your normal routine. If any noticeable side-effects do occur just discontinue use. I know I would have rather tried it and got sides than to have not and always wondered if it would have saved my hair or not. The choice is ultimately up you.

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This is reasonable advice. But personally I would just recommend doing what I did....say f*ck it, hair is too important, even if I get sides I am going to take this drug.
Once you get to a point where gyno, libido, depression, etc. matter less than hair, you become immune to the fear

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Originally Posted by StuckInARut

People who continue to procrastinate about taking Finasteride because they are worried about sides should NOT take Finasteride, period.

They will continually look for and find something to attribute as a side effect. They will put themselves through mental chaos thinking about side-effects and I truly believe the mind is a powerful tool.

I was on the fence about starting Fin for about 6.5 months not so much out of fear but rather I was saving it as a last resort. I have been on it for 6 months now and they only side-effect I've experienced was ball ache for 2 days at the very beginning. I think most guys experience this anyway as their body gets used to the drop in DHT.

Seriously though you just have to think positive and not worry about possible sides. Choose a suitable time of the day (ie: first thing in the morning or right before bed) to pop a pill and move on with your normal routine. If any noticeable side-effects do occur just discontinue use. I know I would have rather tried it and got sides than to have not and always wondered if it would have saved my hair or not. The choice is ultimately up you.

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I was on the fence for a long time due to issues in the past. But in the past, I had very good results from propecia, much better than I expected..but still.

So I stayed on just minox to see how things would go. Because my mpb, at least at this time is very slow, minox worked really well and I would recommended it to anyone esp if you can't do propecia.

But still I could tell by photos that I was slowly progressing and that was part of the push. But the biggest reason was a thread by a person who I could tell was well educated. He was doing what I had been reading about : taking it in lower and less frequent doses to see how it goes. If there is a serious problem, you can always back out. This was a a good idea from a level headed person so that pushed me over the edge and have been on it again since July. People have fears about this drug - I was scared and don't mind admitting it. Instead of bashing people due to their fears, give them a 3rd option like some of are now doing. One HT doc said that he has had some patients that had problems but they could tolerate propecia and still get results by using it once a week. So anyone out there on the fence, consider a low dose rather than doing nothing. Read some of the studies on pubmed- .20 works almost as good a 1mg. If this low dose will just stop my mpb, I will be happy. And also the first guy on my mothers side in years not to end up with that darn horseshoe. So a low dose is worth the risk for me and hopefully will convince others on the fence to give it a shot.

One reason I am on the fence is I think I may have prostate issues, am seeing my Dr this week, if I have he may prescribe Proscar or Dut anyway. If I haven't got issues, I'll ask his advice about taking Fin, tho when I asked before, he basically said every drug has side effects, go for it!

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Originally Posted by Jcm800

One reason I am on the fence is I think I may have prostate issues, am seeing my Dr this week, if I have he may prescribe Proscar or Dut anyway. If I haven't got issues, I'll ask his advice about taking Fin, tho when I asked before, he basically said every drug has side effects, go for it!

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Smart move. Getting advice from a Dr is always better than getting it from a bunch of paranoid guys on the internet.

Halloween will be hear in a few weeks and I am trying to think of something that will just scare the hell out of people. I am thinking of going out as a propecia bottle. That should get a bunch of guys running for their lives.