Propecia and its effects.

[sausage]

I was thinking of getting some Propecia tablets today.....but last night I came across a website called 'Propecia help'.

The information on there is disturbing, talk of cancers, clinical depression, how propecia can change the brains chemistry etc etc etc etc etc etc......

And talks of people taking lawsuits against Propecia etc.

This seriously confuses me.

I know there are several people on here who will just post on this thread shrugging this off and just say its all a load of bollox, or say I am fine so it's ok, or will pretty much force Propecia down my throat with their constant marketing.

"Doctors at two of this country’s leading medical schools have linked the hair growth drug Propecia to prolonged and possibly irreversible male sexual dysfunction, clinical depression, breast cancer and high-grade prostate cancer."

How can that not concern people who are thinking of taking the medication or who are currently taking the medication.

[chrisis]

How can that not concern people who are thinking of taking the medication or who are currently taking the medication.

It should and does concern people, if they are properly informed.

There are three camps of people on this:

1) People who've taken the drug and have experienced no apparent side effects.

A lot of these men then confidently claim the drug is safe and dismiss the guys in camp 2) as being a small minority of about 2% of users and state that side effects are psychological in nature.

2) People who've taken the drug and had side effects.

Some of them come off the drug and some of them experiment with it at a lower dose and accept whatever side effects as a compromise. These men are confident that side effects are real and caused by the drug.

3) People who refuse to take the drug in fear of side effects.

This is a personal decision. Nobody should be bullied into taking finasteride or misled about the potential side effects. Men in both camps (1 and 2) need to be fair before telling others that the drug is either totally safe or totally unsafe. Both groups of men can only offer anecdotal evidence, which you should only take with a grain of salt.

For me the big area of debate is how many men suffer side effects. I personally believe it's higher than the oft-quoted 2% indicated by trials. 2% would be equivalent to the "placebo effect" and that just doesn't ring true with my experiences and those of many others.

If the number of men experiencing side effects was even 5%, that would be 1 in 20, and enough to mean the drug would have to be prescribed and marketed in a totally different way. I think this is probably why Merck have pulled their website and I'd be unsurprised if there aren't further developments in due time.

[khan]

^You forgot the camp that believes the sides are permenant and absolutely irreversible with any current treatment. I think everyone agrees the drug as sides, the percentage is debatable, but the major division is those that believe Propecia side effects are lifelong and those that feel they are temporary.

[chrisis]

I'm sure that camp exists and I'm certain their side effects are genuine. It's an important clarification, thanks.

[greatjob!]

Well I don't fall into any of those camps. I contemplated taking propecia when I was around 18-19 but was scared of by the side effects (this was when the noise about side effects wasn't very loud either, so I understand your fear). I dealt with hair loss for the years that followed, not well but I survived, and I lost a lot of hair. A couple years ago I said **** it and got on generic proscar. I figured if there was any hope of future treatments or hair restoration I had better hang on to what I had left. I have been on it for about 2 years straight; I have had no side effects. My hair loss has stopped and I have re-grown some hair and my hair overall is much stronger. In the end the choice is yours, I believe side effects are real, who knows the true percent, you just have to take everything into account and make the decision that is right for you. For what it is worth I kick myself everyday for not getting on it when I was younger, I might still be sitting at a NW2 or NW3 instead of a badly thinning NW5. Just my 2 cents.

[chrisis]

Don't beat yourself up too much greatjob! It's perfectly understandable why you stalled. Also I'm wondering if there is the possibility you may have had side effects back at 18 or 19, because your hormonal system isn't as it is now.

[sausage]

I have just bought a 4 month supply.

I have taken 2 tablets so obviously 2 days into taking this crazy sh*t.

There are a few people on here that have drilled into me over and over again that this stuff is fine and that they have had great success with it.

This new research into the medicines dangers is absolutely horrific. But I only came across it in these past few days that I have been taking the medication.

I wonder what these people on this forum that go on and on sticking up for the medicine actually make of these new findings.

I mean penis, shrinkage, erection problems are bad enough but on top of that cancers and heart problems, I mean this is heavy stuff.

The FDA are currently looking into the dangers of the drug. This is the FDA, not Trevor in his garage, its the FDA!. If they find the drug is too dangerous it could be taken off the shelves. They are looking into it because of the thousands of complaints of side effects. So this drug is clearly not how some people make out on this forum.

I think I may have a near 4 month supply for sale very soon.

A few weeks ago I was thinking, why didn't I get on this drug 10 years ago. Now I am thinking thank **** I didn't, My Penis could possibly no longer exist, In fact I'd probably now have a Vagina.

[Jcm800]

Good luck sausage. Where did you order it from in the end?

[sausage]

Good luck sausage. Where did you order it from in the end?

I am not sure about Good Luck...

Good luck with not getting cancer? good luck with no penis shrinkage.

I think I may have to stop taking it after just 2 days because of the safety hanging over it.

Do you take the stuff? and how is it going for you.

I purchased from Boots online.

[Jcm800]

No I don't take it. I'm constantly pondering it like you have been-same worries, so I said good luck as I've seen your posts concerning its safety.

[sausage]

No I don't take it. I'm constantly pondering it like you have been-same worries, so I said good luck as I've seen your posts concerning its safety.

Well I should have left it a few more days before I made my decision to purchase the pills.

I would not have bought them having read what I have the past 2 days.....

As I have said The FDA who approved the product years ago have now had to review its safety because of the huge number of complaints of serious side effects.

Risking irreversible impotence, sexual pain and sexual dysfunction its not something I want to be taking. I think I will stop taking the stuff until the FDA make a decision on this and even then I think I will keep well away from it.

Did you purchase some of that Toco-8 stuff?

[yeahyeahyeah]

Well I should have left it a few more days before I made my decision to purchase the pills.

I would not have bought them having read what I have the past 2 days.....

As I have said The FDA who approved the product years ago have now had to review its safety because of the huge number of complaints of serious side effects.

Risking irreversible impotence, sexual pain and sexual dysfunction its not something I want to be taking. I think I will stop taking the stuff until the FDA make a decision on this and even then I think I will keep well away from it.

Did you purchase some of that Toco-8 stuff?

I would probably take propecia if the potential sides wern't so bad.

I mean...Penis shrinkage, what the hell?

Hairloss is so frustrating.

[khan]

I would probably take propecia if the potential sides wern't so bad.

I mean...Penis shrinkage, what the hell?

Hairloss is so frustrating.

Yes penis shrinkage is a possible side effect IN RATS, that were given MUCH more Fin per body weight than that is ever recommended in humans.

[Jcm800]

**** that - lose your **** for limited hair re-growth that's not even guaranteed, and most likely won't even benefit your hairline/temples?

The stakes are damn high. Just wish we could tell in advance if we'd be susceptible to these adverse side effects..

[captainmoon]

I recently stumbled upon the Propecia Help forums myself. I'm really trying to figure out if these claims of "permanent side effects" have any validity to them. The way I see it is -- the mind is a very powerful tool. It can heal you or it can destroy you. If you are a worrisome person by nature (the hypochondriac type), and you begin taking a drug KNOWING it there are potential side effects, you may begin to experience them when they're not be there at all.

This is especially true when these side effects are sex-related. Sex and the brain are closely tied. I always say that sex is mental -- if you are stressed and have anxiety over a drug that may affect your sex drive, then naturally you'd have trouble achieving and maintaing erections. If you're not there mentally, of course sex will be terrible.

This happened to me a couple years back when I was taking a different medication. A couple of weeks into it, I began experiencing some chest discomfort, and I was convinced that it was heart-related. I became so stressed out over the possibility that I was having heart issues. The "pain" became progressively worse, and I began to develop other "side effects" (all imagined) -- long story short, I ended up in the emergency room. Many tests were done including a chest x-ray, which all came back clear. Even after I was sent home, I was convinced something was wrong with me that the doctors overlooked. Needless to say, there was nothing wrong with me, and it took some time before I accepted that all of this was in my head.

This is similar to a lot of what I'm reading on the Propecia Help website. There are many claims of men spending thousands of dollars on all sorts of tests, only for them to all come back clear. There is a sub-forum titled "Recovery Stories" which I think speaks for itself. I've read more than one person on there say their libido and erections magically returned after a period of time. What's worse is that there is a LOT of fear mongering on there. One poor guy claimed he began to experience a tingling sensation in his testicles ONLY AFTER he had read about it on the website. Instead of telling him that it's most likely in his head, one poster responded with "hell has only begun for you..."

Then you have guys who make some pretty outrageous claims, such as their penis has shrunk, they've lost muscle mass, and they "feel like a woman." I have a hard time believing any of this, and frankly need to see it for myself.