vocor1 Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 Okay, if I'm going to stir the kettle a bit with my results, I need to back my story with what Merck has to say. Granted, it is in their interest to promote the effectiveness of their product, but they CANNOT lie about their results. This isn't Avocor -- FDA will pull your product off the shelf if you got it's approval and then they disprove your results later. I've read the clinical study on Propecia. It is pretty interesting. But I'll spare you all the medical jargon and just summarize it here: Possible Progression: At 3 Months: You may first begin to notice a slowing of hair loss. At 6 Months: You may actually begin to see an increase in the amount of hair as you continue to use PROPECIA daily. At 24 Months: In clinical trials in men aged 18 to 41 with mild to moderate hair loss at the top of the head, 83% of men maintained their hair (based on hair count) vs 28% taking a placebo"???a pill with no medication. Further, an expert panel rated 66% of men as having regrowth, vs only 7% of men taking a placebo. An assessment by the doctors in the study rated 80% of men as improved, vs 47% of men taking a placebo. Most men reported an increase in the amount of hair, a decrease in hair loss, and an improvement in appearance. There is no evidence that PROPECIA works for receding hairlines at the temples. THE MOST COMMON SIDE EFFECTS Clinical tests showed PROPECIA was very well tolerated. Only a very small number of men had sexual side effects, with each occurring in less than 2% of men. They included less desire for sex, difficulty in achieving an erection, and a decrease in the amount of semen. When the men who had these side effects stopped taking PROPECIA, the side effects went away. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION PROPECIA is for men only. Women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use PROPECIA because of the risk that the active ingredient may cause a specific kind of birth defect. (See Patient Product Information for details.) Likewise, women should avoid handling tablets that are crushed or broken. PROPECIA tablets are coated to prevent contact with the active ingredient during normal handling. WHEN YOU COULD SEE RESULTS Take PROPECIA daily and you could see results in as little as 3 months. If you stop taking PROPECIA, however, your results will gradually go away over 12 months. And if it hasn't worked in 12 months, it is unlikely to be of benefit. ****************** Finally, if you go to: http://www.propecia.com/propecia/cns/about/results.html you'll see the actual breakdowns of the vertex and mid-scalp percentages. It is interesting to look at, but more importantly, it'll give you an idea of your chances of success. The treatment won't work for everybody. At least you now know the results of the clinical study and your expectations for success. I think that that is a pretty good starting point for an effective hairloss treatment. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocor1 Posted March 26, 2003 Author Share Posted March 26, 2003 Okay, if I'm going to stir the kettle a bit with my results, I need to back my story with what Merck has to say. Granted, it is in their interest to promote the effectiveness of their product, but they CANNOT lie about their results. This isn't Avocor -- FDA will pull your product off the shelf if you got it's approval and then they disprove your results later. I've read the clinical study on Propecia. It is pretty interesting. But I'll spare you all the medical jargon and just summarize it here: Possible Progression: At 3 Months: You may first begin to notice a slowing of hair loss. At 6 Months: You may actually begin to see an increase in the amount of hair as you continue to use PROPECIA daily. At 24 Months: In clinical trials in men aged 18 to 41 with mild to moderate hair loss at the top of the head, 83% of men maintained their hair (based on hair count) vs 28% taking a placebo"???a pill with no medication. Further, an expert panel rated 66% of men as having regrowth, vs only 7% of men taking a placebo. An assessment by the doctors in the study rated 80% of men as improved, vs 47% of men taking a placebo. Most men reported an increase in the amount of hair, a decrease in hair loss, and an improvement in appearance. There is no evidence that PROPECIA works for receding hairlines at the temples. THE MOST COMMON SIDE EFFECTS Clinical tests showed PROPECIA was very well tolerated. Only a very small number of men had sexual side effects, with each occurring in less than 2% of men. They included less desire for sex, difficulty in achieving an erection, and a decrease in the amount of semen. When the men who had these side effects stopped taking PROPECIA, the side effects went away. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION PROPECIA is for men only. Women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use PROPECIA because of the risk that the active ingredient may cause a specific kind of birth defect. (See Patient Product Information for details.) Likewise, women should avoid handling tablets that are crushed or broken. PROPECIA tablets are coated to prevent contact with the active ingredient during normal handling. WHEN YOU COULD SEE RESULTS Take PROPECIA daily and you could see results in as little as 3 months. If you stop taking PROPECIA, however, your results will gradually go away over 12 months. And if it hasn't worked in 12 months, it is unlikely to be of benefit. ****************** Finally, if you go to: http://www.propecia.com/propecia/cns/about/results.html you'll see the actual breakdowns of the vertex and mid-scalp percentages. It is interesting to look at, but more importantly, it'll give you an idea of your chances of success. The treatment won't work for everybody. At least you now know the results of the clinical study and your expectations for success. I think that that is a pretty good starting point for an effective hairloss treatment. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 wait a minute! the website shows that only 4% of the men taking propecia showed a moderate improvement on the anterior mid-scalp area. 4%? that's it? That's not too high a percentage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocor1 Posted March 27, 2003 Author Share Posted March 27, 2003 Good point. But for the mid-scalp, 42% showed SOME visible improvement, and 95% showed no change. Granted, 85% with the placebo showed no change too, but 4 of 10 men got some regrowth in the mid-scalp with Propecia. That is pretty good, I think. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now