should i worry if i take propecia

[sweetlittle]

hey guys i may sound stupid but have to clear this doubt anyways---specially from experts and people taking propecia---

 

okay--i am having propecia for the last 3 months now and have seen a positive result that is less hairfall,i plan to continue with it for as long as possible if it keeps showing results...

 

now my worry--the thing which has caught my eye is that...as it is mentioned that propecia may effect .5% sexually in some people i was wondering--

 

a)if propecia has to effect anyone sexually then how many months does propecia really take to show such affects--like less desire for sex,decrease in the amount of semen etc ????

 

b)its also said that women or pregnent women should not even touch the tablet(finasteride)...i was wondering as i'll be getting married in some months now can anyhow while making love my semen can cause any effects in her???

 

why this point came in my mind was because if by taking propecia it can cause a decrease in the amount of semen then can the active element finasteride be aslo present in semen...and can effect your partner??

 

please comment!!!!!!!

[sweetlittle]

hey guys i may sound stupid but have to clear this doubt anyways---specially from experts and people taking propecia---

 

okay--i am having propecia for the last 3 months now and have seen a positive result that is less hairfall,i plan to continue with it for as long as possible if it keeps showing results...

 

now my worry--the thing which has caught my eye is that...as it is mentioned that propecia may effect .5% sexually in some people i was wondering--

 

a)if propecia has to effect anyone sexually then how many months does propecia really take to show such affects--like less desire for sex,decrease in the amount of semen etc ????

 

b)its also said that women or pregnent women should not even touch the tablet(finasteride)...i was wondering as i'll be getting married in some months now can anyhow while making love my semen can cause any effects in her???

 

why this point came in my mind was because if by taking propecia it can cause a decrease in the amount of semen then can the active element finasteride be aslo present in semen...and can effect your partner??

 

please comment!!!!!!!

[Robert_]

sweetlittle,

 

In case you didn't see it, some good information was sent your way in this thread.

 

-Robert

[Kez]

This question seems to come around regularly, and I can give you my own two cents worth. I've found that it does have a mild subduing effect on sexual desire, which in my case at least, is no bad thing.

 

I've always marvelled how men of my age seem to need this "Viagra" stuff, when I need more like an "anti-viagra", just to keep the beast down a bit.

 

With Propecia, I find the beast is a little more subdued, but by golly is still no slouch when the time is right and I need to get him up and running. Don't worry !.....

[Robert_]

I am on the same page as Kez. Taking Finasteride actually helps me to concentrate on what is important during the day but I can still get up and running when the time is right. I do not know how the different ages would affect this, however.

 

-Robert

[Smoothy]

The libido side effect of Propecia is limited to a small percent --Look up it's P.I.

I've been on it for 6 years and havent had any problems. The only time, I have lessen libido is during my HT, when I double up the dose 2 times a day-one in the morning and one at night for a week prior to surgery and 2-4 weeks after to help the new grafts. This is just my own experience and no doctor told me to do this, but the way Propecia blocks DHT, I assumed it would hurt. Plus it seems like I had a little faster growth with Propecia BID for 6 weeks combined with MSM, Zinc, C, E, B-6 and multi vitiam--- plus GraftCyte for 1 week after surgery.

[hairworthy]

I haven't experienced any side effect, but just like Kez & Robert the possibility of a slight decrease in libido did not bother me at all when I started taking it.

 

One issue that concerns me more is the long-term effect of the drug on both the liver (where Finasteride metabolizes) and the prostate gland. There was a discussion dedicated to this issue at the last HT conference in Vancouver but I have not seen any feedback from anyone on that. Maybe Robert could find some info for us?

 

Some Finasteride users on this forum reported elevated liver enzymes and I believe one of them even had to discontinue his treatment. Since you need to have your liver specifically tested for that to find out, knowing how many people are affected is difficult. And I am not aware of any survey conducted by Merck either.

[Robert_]

I know that any liver disfunction is taken into great consideration when Finasteride is prescribed (just another reason to bite the bullet and get a script and not buy from foreign online pharmacies).

 

I will look around for some more information about this.

 

Another side-effect of Finasteride that I have become aware of is a general inability to focus. I have noticed this side-effect become more evident here lately. Though it is not debilitating to the point that I cannot function, it certainly causes me to put a little more effort into my studies. I have recently cut my doseage in half to gauge whether that helps or not. I will keep everyone updated on the outcome.

 

-Robert

[Smoothy]

I've been on Propecia for 6 yrs and havent had any problems (2 kids, healthy as ever). I even take it 2x a day for 8 weeks during a HT procedure. Yes, it can slightly increase liver enzynes levels like a lot of drug do but as long as you dont drink a lot of achohol and drink plenty of water daily, you shouldnt have a problem. As a precaution every couple of years, have your liver enzymes check when you go in to check your cholestrohol and blood pressure.

[hairworthy]

Thks Smoothy.

 

Just been doing some research on that since I had my liver functions (amongst other things) tested last week & the results came back today. So here it goes:

 

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Liver enzymes are normally contained within liver cells. If the liver is damaged, the liver cells spill the enzymes into blood, raising the enzyme levels in the blood and signaling the liver damage.

 

Among the most sensitive and widely used of liver enzymes are the aminotransferases, which include:

1. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), also known as Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT);

2. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), also known as Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (SGPT).

 

1. AST/SGOT is normally found in a diversity of tissues including liver, heart, muscle, kidney, and brain. It is released into serum when any one of these tissues is damaged. For example, its level in serum rises with heart attacks and with muscle disorders. It is therefore not a highly specific indicator of liver damage.

The normal range of values for AST/SGOT is from 5 to 40 units per liter of serum (the liquid part of the blood).

 

2. ALT/SGPT is, by contrast, normally found largely in the liver. This is not to say that it is exclusively located in liver but that is where it is most concentrated. It is released into the bloodstream as the result of liver damage. It therefore serves as a fairly specific indicator of liver status.

The normal range of values for ALT/SGPT is from 7 to 56 units per liter of serum.

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On the UK medical report I have just received, this normal range is actually from 0 to 60 for ALT/SGPT values. For those of you who are in the UK, the test reference to request is "44G3". My ALT/SGPT level turned out to be 36, so bang in the middle. That's the figure I will monitor in the coming years.

 

Interesting topic, I will keep you all updated on my research.