Propecia Terror - My Terror - not a classic horror story

[montreal6130]

Hi All,

I am 36 and I don't have great hair. I have a believe a Norwood III Vertex. My hair is curly and about 3 or 4 years ago I could see that it was thinning and getting more & more comments about my little bald spot which was appearing in the back of my head. I did not like it (and still don't like the thought of it that way).

Anyhow, I went to a doctor and started taking propecia 1mg/day. I have been religious about and don't think I missed a day. I think I am/was the perfect candidate for it as my hair was generally thinning with average widow's peaks. The results were spectacular. I had pretty aggressive hair re-growth and much thicker hair. It's been a great run.

Side Effects: None. Which freaks me out as I feel like the statistical outsider.

Today

I had a massive panic attack last night which I have not had in a decade. I became and am uber, uber concerned that I can do some irreversible sexual damage if I continue to stay on propecia. Today, I did not take it as I am going to first start taking one every other day till I chat with my doctor this week.

Questions

1. Does anyone know if the side effects can come on at anytime (i,e. no side effects years 1-3 and then whamo side effects start in year 4)?

1. Does anyone know if side effects can start only after someone stops taking the medication or if you've had no problems on it and then decide to get off that you are pretty much in the clear?

1. Tests? Are there objective tests that I can have done to confirm that I am ok sexually (i.e. semen fertility count, i.e.)?

1. Finally, will anything else work? Let's say I wean off Propecia and take Rogaine or Saw Palmetto. Do either of these actually work without potentially significant side effects.

I just don't want to do anything to really screw myself up even though I loved the results.


thanks so much!

[montreal6130]

Have to admit that I'm pretty shaken up. I've gotten really nervous at the thought of doing irreversible damage.

[25 going on 65]

If you make it through one year without side effects, the chances of experiencing them after that become extremely small, but not impossible.
I've heard of people who say they started experiencing sides after quitting, but to some extent this wouldn't surprise me since your body is readjusting to a new (old?) hormonal profile. There is some evidence that your number of androgen receptors increase with finasteride use, which may explain at least part of the transition period when quitting the medication. However those studies are very small.
You can have hormone tests done and sperm count tests if I'm not mistaken, although it is probably unnecessary.
Nothing else will work as well as finasteride except dutasteride, which uses the same mechanism of action and would have similar if not worse side effects. Nothing else suppresses DHT effectively. Minoxidil (Rogaine) can stimulate hair growth despite DHT attacking your follicles but you will still lose hair with time if you arent addressing the cause of pattern hair loss.

Don't feel paranoid that you aren't experiencing sides on this drug, because as Highlander said, most men don't.

[montreal6130]

thx for the reply.

it's weird because this is the second night that I am freaked out about the drug. It literally came out of nowhere. I just questioned why I was still on it (after 4 years). Then I did a search and starting reading the horror stories. It really sucks because my hair now is amazing. I am also not ready to lose it just yet so today was my first day skipping and will go one every other day using up my fresh 3 month supply so that will give me 6 more months. Plus I think I will start the Rogaine foam in that time and eventually wean off the propecia. I think I am ready to start losing my hair again but not in one big shock.

I wouldn't be surprised if after more testing that the drug is deemed very safe in that all side effects wear off once discontinued. However, the problem is what if the current stories are clinically proven. Do I really want to risk anything irreversible?

It's almost like we (MPB) can't catch a break. Imagine propecia was an all-natural remedy with no known side effects. I'd be in heaven.

[25 going on 65]

I understand your worries, I've had similar concerns after reading finasteride horror stories. However these stories are at the far fringe of the millions of fin users in the world, past and present--the chances of this happening to either of us are extremely small. In general I don't follow those kinds of posts anymore unless they offer something new, like a study I haven't read before.
It's up to you if you want to stop medicating. I wouldn't blame you. For me the risk is worth it because I have major self image issues and its very important to me to keep a youthful appearance for the time being. I'm just not mentally equipped to handle hair loss sadly, and like you I have had good results on fin.
If you want to quit this medication I would recommend slowly decreasing your dose over time. I don't know how much this will reduce the post-fin shedding, but I feel it would be easier on your body to do it this way, and probably could cut your chances of side effects down. I do feel I should warn you that the shed after quitting fin can be very heavy and very depressing to some people. Hopefully the minoxidil can ease the transition a little bit.

And yeah I agree, MPB is bullshit. Hopefully there are superior solutions before we're all old men.

[Zao]

Dude, snap out of it. You’ve been on Propecia with good results and no sides for 4 years and you're worrying about it now based on some unscientific studies and alarmist media reports? I’ve been taking it since 1998 and it has been the best decision of my life. Very, very, very few men experience real side effects. Know that! Check out my story here:

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthr...=1392#post1392

[25 going on 65]

Dude, snap out of it. You’ve been on Propecia with good results and no sides for 4 years and you're worrying about it now based on some unscientific studies and alarmist media reports? I’ve been taking it since 1998 and it has been the best decision of my life. Very, very, very few men experience real side effects. Know that! Check out my story here:

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthr...=1392#post1392

Zao your story is great. Would you say you have lost any ground on fin? How is your hairline and overall density? Thanks!

[montreal6130]

Thx Zao.

You r absolutely right about me needing to snap out of it. The reality is that I've taken it for 4 years and even if the reports turn out to be true there isn't much I could do. So, I've decided that I do want to wean off over the course of 1 year with the support of my doctor and get on Rogaine to try to lessen the emotional impact of watching my hair thin down.

All of that does not change the accuracy of your immediate response; "dude, snap out of it.". Not even a spiritual guru could of said it any better!

Thx.

[Zao]

As long as you can deal with losing your hair again, then I guess there is no reason to stay on Propecia if it causes you to have anxiety. It’s been a God send for my life though!

I have lost ground, but I still have fairly good hair and I was able to get through my twenties, have great experiences, meet a great girl and build my life all without being consumed with my hair. In my life Propecia gave me peace of mind not anxiety and it still does. My hairline has receded a bit over the years and I am thinner on top than when I was 20, but it’s all good and at my age now it looks fine.
You know when I started in 1998 there was no talk about these persistent side effects. I began following the message boards and I read accounts of thousands of people who took it and not one complaint. All of a sudden around 2007 these stories started to pop up and now everybody thinks it’s happening to them. I think the term is epidemic hysteria. Here’s a study on it. It’s very real and I believe this is what has happened with Propecia. Sad because it really works and there is nothing else except these type of drugs that work as well.

http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/con...2/233.full.pdf

[DAVE52]

. My hairline has receded a bit over the years and I am thinner on top than when I was 20, but it’s all good and at my age now it looks fine.

Got any recent pics