Baldness Drug May Cause Sexual Side Effects

[blakes33]

Mine were totally obvious. Within a few months my entire sexual health was totally compromised. There's no doubt in my mind that finasteride is a dangerous drug for some people.

Yes - same for me. 13 (almost 14 years) on the drug and I never had ANY sides at all!!. About 7 weeks after stopping I began having problems. I am now 22 weeks off the drug and things have gotten worse!!

I really am desperate to know if going back on the drug might get me back to normal. I don't give a crap about my hair anymore - I just want to stop the damage!!

Have you guys heard of anyone going back on the drug (guys who did not have problems on the drug but developed problems after they quit)? Do things get worse or does the body readjust again after restarting???

[SoothSayer]

Thats such a mixed reponse. On one hand they say this can happen, and then also say no causal relationship has been established? Whats with that?..Its safe but discuss with doctor? can they possibly be more ambiguous?

The FDA is a conservative government agency and as a consequence it is often unwilling to make very bold statements. They are basically highlighting the legitimacy of the complaints to alert the public that it is possibly a very real risk but it will be some more time before they decisively conclude the relationship is causal.

This change will affect a couple of a key dynamics. First, this somewhat reduces the stigma associated with having sexual problems after taking Propecia. As a result, many more men will be willing to come forward and be forthcoming about their problems. Up through 2011, only a small percentage of men affected by the drug even reported their symptoms to the FDA.

Secondly, this highlights the problem to a much more significant level. Previously doctors had fallen victim to Merck's misleading marketing techniques and would perpetuate the false notion that Propecia is a complete safe drug. Letters will now be sent to the prescribing doctors of the drug to let them know of the change in the warning label. These doctors can no longer say they are unaware of any cases of such outcomes happening after taking Propecia and should rightfully warn patients of the possible risk. This will promote additional scientific research so that doctors can discover the direct mechanism of action that was rendered dysfunctional in this unfortunate subset of men.

[khan]

The doctors I spoke to thought it was safe based on their personal experience of prescribing the medicine. All of them claimed young men walk in here all the time claiming sexual problems, but none were the ones on Propecia (2 had prescribed it for years in both 1 and 5mg forms, one only knew of it, but all felt the same way).

Alot of doctors base their opinion on experience. I don't know if people have followed Sara Wasserbauer interview but she claimed to have prescribed this medicine to b/w 5000 and 7000 patients. Dr Rassman said he prescribed it to his own son. The doctor who prescribed me said he had prescribed it to his brother. And there are so many more, putting their reputation on the line, surely not all of them are Merk puppets. It takes more than Merk funded studies to prescribe a med to a family member. And on that note there are serveral non-Merk funded studies also done. A 10yrs university study just got published.

From now on I am going to spend an absolute minimal time on hairloss sites from. Ever sine 2009 when I first heard of the drug, I have been hearing of some ground breaking new research is coming out that will prove Finasteride is poison, and I panic and distract myself from my already crazy work schedule. From the way this topic of FDA review was run on internet forums,I was expecting the medicine to be banned, or some other crazy outcome.

Btw Johnson and Johnson just got fined $1.1bn for downplaying the risk of Risperdal. But no one seems to care about that. J&J is much bigger pharma then Merk, so surely if Merk can buy out FDA and their "conservative" ways, so could have J&J.

I completely agree that this medicine has screwed up some young men, which is messed up on so many level. And the medical community needs to figure this out. But at the same time all these theories about every man taking it will become impotent as soon as he stops, and several other claims have been overplayed way out of proportion. Finasteride is not 100% safe just like most other meds. That's my 2 cent which could be completely wrong b/c I am not a doc.

And on that note Spencer is Great Great man!! He is the person bringing sanity to this subject of hairloss. His interview with Sara Wasserbauer was the thing that made me consider doing something about hairloss.

I really hope I haven't offended anyone suffering from sides with this long post. I apologize if thats how I am coming across, because that is not my intent at all.

[gutted]

Yes - same for me. 13 (almost 14 years) on the drug and I never had ANY sides at all!!. About 7 weeks after stopping I began having problems. I am now 22 weeks off the drug and things have gotten worse!!

I really am desperate to know if going back on the drug might get me back to normal. I don't give a crap about my hair anymore - I just want to stop the damage!!

Have you guys heard of anyone going back on the drug (guys who did not have problems on the drug but developed problems after they quit)? Do things get worse or does the body readjust again after restarting???

on a side note, has your hair loss increased?

[amadeus]

What I found interesting is that the FDA is only adding the more severe side effects like persistent issues with erections, orgasms etc to the Propecia label. The Proscar label will only be adding a persistent decrease in libido. Far more men take Proscar then Propecia and the dosage is five times greater. Why the same persistent side effects from Popecia not being reported or added to the labeling of Proscar, a much more potent form of finasteride? Men over 35 still have plenty of sex and want to maintain their erections and have a healthy sex life. Could it be because most if not all of the complaints have come from men taking Propecia who fear these side effects might occur? This is an very interesting development if you ask me and leads me to wonder if the mental side effects are even greater then we once thought.

[SoothSayer]

Could it be because most if not all of the complaints have come from men taking Propecia who fear these side effects might occur? This is an very interesting development if you ask me and leads me to wonder if the mental side effects are even greater then we once thought.

This doesn't really make that much sense. Many of the MedWatch reports were received from doctors whose patients were suffering from these side effects. Also, why would men who are not experiencing side effects report on adverse events they did not suffer?

The reason why the Proscar label changed is that many of the men who reported these problems already had existing sexual problems which effectively blurs the significance of the signal. Proscar is also used to treat BPH, a serious medical condition that can eventually lead to impotence where Propecia is strictly used for cosmetic purposes. The label change really has very little to do with the nocebo effect.

[kramer]

Two Merck drugs -- one to treat hair loss in men, the other to treat an enlarged prostate gland -- will get revised labels warning of potential sexual side effects that can last even after patients stop taking the drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

Although a cause-and-effect relationship between the drugs and these side effects hasn't been established, case reports suggest there's a potential problem, the FDA said.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news...de-effects-fda

So do all the older men who have never taken these drugs have normally functioning gear?

[blakes33]

on a side note, has your hair loss increased?

Hair loss increased pretty substantially the first couple of months, but since my issues have gotten worse my hair loss seems to have stabilized - I HOPE that my hair will continue to fall out as that usually coincides with everything "else" functioning properly.

I know SOMEONE has to have experience - Have you heard or know of anyone who developed problems only after quitting the drug who went back on to try to stop them??? Did going back on make things worse or stop the damage???

[the_charger]

I agree with what amadeus said!

This fda warning is really weird and doesn’t quite make sense to me. so if I have it right, the FDA looked a bunch of cases that were submitted over the internet by people who believe propecia caused their side effects?

how is any of this any different that irwig study that came out a year back? that study looked at a bunch of case reports also, but at least he ruled out any other factors that might have contributed like depression or a history of sexual dysfuntion. here the FDA is just looking at reports in their database and drawing a conclusion that there is a risk just based on quantity alone. Also what stops people from submitting multiple cases under fake names? people like STTB create multiple accounts on forums to bash propecia, I definitely wouldnt put it beyond certain people to submit multiple FDA cases!

Also from what it looks like, most cases of this persistent dysfunction resolved after 3 months too. this is really important information, since the general idea is that once you get these persistent symptoms, they are permanent. This clearly isnt whats happening.

If I have this wrong then I hope someone can correct me, but this is the way I am seeing it.

Its also strange they fda says that propecia can cause these serious symptoms but then also say they believe its a safe and well tolerated medication? its all a bit confusing. I hope Spencer has a discussion about this, and I would love to hear a professional perspective on this!

[chrisis]

Could it be because most if not all of the complaints have come from men taking Propecia who fear these side effects might occur?

I can tell you in my personal experience the answer is no. I took finasteride and was confident that I'd not suffer side effects. I thought hard about it and equated 2% to placebo, so the risk was virtually nil. For about 2 months I was absolutely fine, and then I started noticing low libido, numb penis and inability to orgasm comfortably and a much less forceful ejaculation as well as ejaculate quantity and consistency.

In conclusion and for what its worth, as my own experience:

1) I did not start taking finasteride with concerns that I'd be in the supposed "2%" (a figure I have gross doubts about now)

2) I did not suffer side effects until 2 months after taking the drug, which pretty much rules out fear as the factor behind my symptoms. In fact for a period I was actually in denial about suffering sides, until it became far too obvious to ignore and I stopped immediately. I wasn't really afraid until my jizz literally seeped out of my dick, instead of the usual explosive orgasm. Who wouldn't be afraid at that point?!

3) I still suffer from side effects despite the fact I stopped back in January.

Given all of the above, I think it should be perfectly understandable why myself and other guys get angry when people who have not had side effects state there's no risk and it's all in our heads. It makes me furious to be honest.

To top it all off, we have guys calling into the Bald Truth Talk promoting Propecia's safety after taking it for 3 days.

I honestly have to suspend my disbelief about how casually and carelessly this topic is being discussed. I can only put it down to sheer desperation to keep hair. Let me tell you, sexual health is far more important and I wish I'd not taking finasteride.

[gmonasco]

FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said the drugs were previously known to cause adverse sexual events in a small number of patients, and that information was included on labels at the time of approval.

The latest labeling change "expands the list of sexual adverse events reported to the FDA postmarketing," she said, adding that "no new clinical studies were reviewed to evaluate these adverse events."

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/propecia-proscar-sexual-side-effects-labels-telling-article-1.1062408

[gutted]

Hair loss increased pretty substantially the first couple of months, but since my issues have gotten worse my hair loss seems to have stabilized - I HOPE that my hair will continue to fall out as that usually coincides with everything "else" functioning properly.

I know SOMEONE has to have experience - Have you heard or know of anyone who developed problems only after quitting the drug who went back on to try to stop them??? Did going back on make things worse or stop the damage???

i dont think hairloss continuing to worsen/increase after stopping fin is a good indicator that things will be getting back to normal, but you would think that is the case as this would imply testosterone and dht levels are going back to normal. (there are other factors involved in hairloss)

ive not known anyone who has got back on the drug to try and mitigate the side effects, but i have read experineces where people who wish to stop a drug usually taper off a drug rather than stop cold turkey.

It could be worth a try and getting back on fin and then tapering off it.
I think overtime you'll return back to normal, let the body flush the fin out.

[Cyberdyne]

you guys have me worried, I have been on Finasteride for about 5 years, havent noticed any side effects but now I am scared to come off the drug

[chrisis]

If you do come off it I'd suggest weaning off. Apart from taking finasteride in the first place, that's a big regret.

[the_charger]

you guys have me worried, I have been on Finasteride for about 5 years, havent noticed any side effects but now I am scared to come off the drug

why on earth would you be thinking about coming off it if you have taken it for 5 years without any side effects? over like 95% of guys who take it will not have any side effects, and you are one of them. I am also one of these people, I have been on it for close to a year and havent really had a single side effect.

You have no reason to be afraid. It seems like some people actually want to scare everyone so they will come off propecia, even though you arent having a single problem with it. It almost makes me think these people are more jealous that other people can tolerate it well, rather than legitimately feeling concerned for your welfare.

my very genuine advice to you is to stay on it and don't worry. If you havent had any side effects after 5 years, there is no reason you will just suddenly start having them! the worst thing too is if you stop taking it, there is a good chance your hair loss will quickly play catch up, and all the gains you have maintained over the years might be lost quite suddenly. if you change your mind when this starts happening, you might never recover what you have lost. If you are completely okay with losing your hair, all the more power to you, and you have no reason to keep taking it....

Im not telling you there isnt a risk, because there appears to be a very small one. however, you have already taken this risk and you are in the clear, so why worry?