Should I use propecia?

[rdawg]

rdawg, I had the same thought, re: getting off the drug if I had side effects. They don't necessarily go away that easily. You need to bear that in mind before consuming this drug.

I think you're one of the unlucky few that still have some side effects afterward. The chances of that are quite low(around 1%? from what i've read) which is far too low to not at least try the drug. It's a risk but probably not much more of a risk than any other medication would have.

[beatinghairloss]

I think you're one of the unlucky few that still have some side effects afterward. The chances of that are quite low(around 1%? from what i've read) which is far too low to not at least try the drug. It's a risk but probably not much more of a risk than any other medication would have.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247858.php

[rdawg]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247858.php

Fair enough but that doesn't tell me it's more than 1%. How many millions of men are on this pill? 1% would mean around 1000-2000 men have more permanent dysfunction, which is more than enough to have a vocal minority.

Numerous people have had side effects and then they go away after a few weeks on the pill or after they stop taking it.

Not saying it doesn't happen, I'm sure it does. I just feel like people overblow the number when millions have zero or very minor issues when taking the drug.

[25 going on 65]

That article is old news. It's just on a few dozen case studies on men who claimed to have persistent side effects before they were ever chosen to participate.

As for whether someone should take finasteride, every guy has to decide that for himself. There's a small chance of developing noticeable sides (studies say 5% or less, though I think it could be higher), and a very small chance that some of them will persist months or years after quitting. However we don't know what % of those with persistent sides seek medical treatment, and what % of those fully disclose to their doctors. Some have successfully recovered from persistent sides with something as simple as supplementation of testosterone. (That's doesn't mean everyone will have that ability.)
I generally take a positive view of fin on this forum because almost anyone posting here is abnormally bothered by their hair loss, and this drug will maintain or regrow hair for a minimum of 8/10 users for at least a few years (on average you can stay above baseline for more than 5), and it will slow hair loss after that for an unknown length of time (at least 17 years, as we know from Spencer). So in my personal situation, the 5-10% chance of sides and the 1% (or less?) chance of persistent sides was not worth tossing the 80+% chance of stopping my hair loss. And I also knew of the 100% chance of continued hair loss without DHT therapy.

However the risk isn't going to be worth it for everyone. Besides side effect risks, a minority of users do not appreciably respond to finasteride. You have to figure out what amount of risk you're willing to take to keep your hair. For me it was an obvious choice, but I was affected terribly by starting to lose my hair.

[beatinghairloss]

I agree it’s a decision that only the person contemplating it can surely make. I do mean to discourage people from taking a pill that may cause long lasting unwanted sexual side effects but for good reason. Maybe I am wrong but would you say that the following deserves more thought?

The stickiness of your ejaculate is made of the seaman produced in the prostate. This fluid keeps the sperm produced in your testicles alive in the highly acidic vagina. Sperm combines with seaman as it passes through the prostate to make up the total ejaculate. Is it not strange that most taking Propecia experience the least bothersome side effect a watery ejaculate? It’s pretty clear that Propecia is causing the prostate to stop functioning whether it’s by shrinking it or by rendering it partly inactive. Well my simple point is that if you stop ejaculating then you would accomplish a smaller less active prostate the major site in your body of T to DHT conversion. So while I think any person should be able to, with proper education of the risks, make the decision of whether or not to take Propecia I also believe they should be well aware that periodic abstinence may have the same and possibly minor positive effect of Propecia.

[25 going on 65]

The effectiveness of fin and dut isn't due to prostate shrinking (which may be a result of the drugs' mechanism but not the cause of stopping MPB) or deactivation (the same amount of 5-ar and T are still produced by the body) but because they bind to the 5-ar type II enzyme, rendering it unable to bond with testosterone. The idea of not ejaculating to stop MPB has floated around/been experimented with for decades but unfortunately doesn't work, at least not in a way that comes anywhere near halting hair loss. (But then if it did, it would still make having hair pretty pointless anyway, if you know what I mean )
Right now these 2 drugs are the only available MPB treatments that safely work for most men, but there are 2 adjunct treatments that might buy a little time on their own: minox and keto.

Edit: I suppose the bottom line is that no one needs to take fin/dut for MPB in the literal sense, but for those of us who want to keep our hair, they're what we are stuck with for now

[beatinghairloss]

The effectiveness of fin and dut isn't due to prostate shrinking (which may be a result of the drugs' mechanism but not the cause of stopping MPB) or deactivation (the same amount of 5-ar and T are still produced by the body) but because they bind to the 5-ar type II enzyme, rendering it unable to bond with testosterone. The idea of not ejaculating to stop MPB has floated around/been experimented with for decades but unfortunately doesn't work, at least not in a way that comes anywhere near halting hair loss. (But then if it did, it would still make having hair pretty pointless anyway, if you know what I mean )
Right now these 2 drugs are the only available MPB treatments that safely work for most men, but there are 2 adjunct treatments that might buy a little time on their own: minox and keto.

Edit: I suppose the bottom line is that no one needs to take fin/dut for MPB in the literal sense, but for those of us who want to keep our hair, they're what we are stuck with for now

First of all the Idea of not ejaculating to stop hair loss has not been tested the way you make it sound because people with hair loss don’t feel justified with keeping what they have and anybody who has tried it will tell you they didn't lose a spec of hair while abstinent(castrated men don't lose hair so I have heard). Their scalps became healthier and no more DHT oils being expelled. Aside from that most of what you say is true with some elusive misunderstandings. The belief that 5-AR stops the binding is a double edge sward because although this may slightly work in this manner there is still an abundance of DHT otherwise people taking the meds would never lose hair. The real mechanism or the other edge of the sword is that this reducing in DHT is happening due to the chemicals effect on the reducing of the active site of T conversion to DHT which is the prostate. You are aware that the prostate produces more DHT then anywhere in your body? This mild binding effect if it exists at all is peer speculation and we have no SCIENTIFIC evidence to prove that. We haven’t observed it, there are other explanations on what its doing and yet we really don’t know how it works. What we do know is the prostate is regulated by the amount of sperm each and every time you ejaculate it passes through there to “pick up” the prostate fluid and anybody who denies that needs to freshen up on some introductory Anatomy and Physiology. With that said the assumption that the most active T-DHT conversion site being the prostate anybody who thinks not using it would not deregulate it needs to read up on some intro chemistry. I would love to teach you about surface area and conservation of mass but I don't enjoy typing that much. The gist is your prostate will always produce DHT and like anything the larger it gets the more it produces. The rapid growth at age 12 that slows down by 20 is no coincidence to be the time when facial hair and earlier balding begins. DHT is the culprit and in areas of Japan and India where teen masturbation is frowned upon for this very reason of over producing this Hormone they are laughing at us bald white folks.

[25 going on 65]

First of all the Idea of not ejaculating to stop hair loss has not been tested the way you make it sound because people with hair loss don’t feel justified with keeping what they have and anybody who has tried it will tell you they didn't lose a spec of hair while abstinent [not correct, check 15 years of hair loss forums] (castrated men don't lose hair so I have heard). Their scalps became healthier and no more DHT oils being expelled. Aside from that most of what you say is true with some elusive misunderstandings. The belief that 5-AR stops the binding is a double edge sward because although this may slightly work in this manner there is still an abundance of DHT otherwise people taking the meds would never lose hair. [5-ar doesn't stop the binding, fin/dut binds to 5-ar which stops it from binding to T] The real mechanism or the other edge of the sword is that this reducing in DHT is happening due to the chemicals effect on the reducing of the active site of T conversion to DHT which is the prostate. You are aware that the prostate produces more DHT then anywhere in your body? This mild binding effect if it exists at all is peer speculation and we have no SCIENTIFIC evidence to prove that. [It's basic knowledge, hence why fin/dut work.] We haven’t observed it, there are other explanations on what its doing and yet we really don’t know how it works. What we do know is the prostate is regulated by the amount of sperm each and every time you ejaculate it passes through there to “pick up” the prostate fluid and anybody who denies that needs to freshen up on some introductory Anatomy and Physiology. With that said the assumption that the most active T-DHT conversion site being the prostate anybody who thinks not using it would not deregulate it needs to read up on some intro chemistry. I would love to teach you about surface area and conservation of mass but I don't enjoy typing that much. The gist is your prostate will always produce DHT and like anything the larger it gets the more it produces. The rapid growth at age 12 that slows down by 20 is no coincidence to be the time when facial hair and earlier balding begins. DHT is the culprit and in areas of Japan and India where teen masturbation is frowned upon for this very reason of over producing this Hormone they are laughing at us bald white folks.

Lots of balding/bald men in India and Japan. And teenagers/young men in any country sneak in their stroking no matter how frowned upon it is.

[WashedOut]

I agree it’s a decision that only the person contemplating it can surely make. I do mean to discourage people from taking a pill that may cause long lasting unwanted sexual side effects but for good reason. Maybe I am wrong but would you say that the following deserves more thought?

The stickiness of your ejaculate is made of the seaman produced in the prostate. This fluid keeps the sperm produced in your testicles alive in the highly acidic vagina. Sperm combines with seaman as it passes through the prostate to make up the total ejaculate. Is it not strange that most taking Propecia experience the least bothersome side effect a watery ejaculate? It’s pretty clear that Propecia is causing the prostate to stop functioning whether it’s by shrinking it or by rendering it partly inactive. Well my simple point is that if you stop ejaculating then you would accomplish a smaller less active prostate the major site in your body of T to DHT conversion. So while I think any person should be able to, with proper education of the risks, make the decision of whether or not to take Propecia I also believe they should be well aware that periodic abstinence may have the same and possibly minor positive effect of Propecia.

Why would anyone listen to a guy who doesn't even know how to spell semen? I know you're not gonna listen to this but you really gotta stop making up your own theories.

[Maradona]

Should you use Propecia....

I say. No.


I am not a doctor.

I would avoid propecia at all costs, I would rather go bald.
You are 18 and you can **** up your body entirely, not only your dick.

Wait till +21 to shoot yourself in the mouth. Even if you have no side effects at the beggining, you have to live with the fear of having that drug within your system and that in my opinion is worse than going bald.