Long Term Side Effects From Propecia - Post Finasteride Syndrome - Does it Exist?

[chrisis]

I did look at PropeciaHelp briefly. There seemed to be some scaremongering going on.

 

I fundamentally disagree, but I've been there years and you've had a look, so there's a difference in our perspective and experience.

 

We'll let the studies do the talking. Apologies if I seemed passive aggressive, but this is an emotive and important topic.

[chrisis]

I must clarify the distinction between propeciahelp.com and the PFS Foundation. They're separate, the former is a forum.

[Matt27]

Honestly, though, I don't see what the studies could show users like LondonHTseeker that would convince him not to take it. Most people seem to believe it exists now and understand that there is some risk involved.

[Matt27]

Also, I actually signed up to this forum prior to developing PFS. After browsing the forum, I realized that finasteride was more or less 'mandatory' to get a HT in my situation (although I disagree with that now) and decided to use it.

 

We are not some small group of men who try to infiltrate every hair loss forum. When I registered, I was just an ordinary guy whose biggest concern was my hair loss.

 

So I do think it's irresponsible for users on here to push finasteride as aggressively as they do. Even guys with stabilized loss have users screaming at them to jump on meds. Hair loss progressing behind a HT is far less horrific than the reality of PFS. And this is coming from someone with a "milder" case of PFS.

[chrisis]

Totally agree with you Matt. I think we've had a very similar experience.

[Mark2010]

One of Ireland's most respected Doctor's Andrew Rynne has called Finasteride a

"dangerous toxic medication".

 

 

[Swooping]

Personally while using Finasteride my libido decreased and penile sensitivity decreased (about 30%). Mentally I wasn't as strong too.

 

After discontinuing the treatment it all resolved though within 6 weeks.

 

Does PFS exist?

 

Off course it does. How high is the incidence rate? Who knows. It's still hormones which you are messing with. Someone who is going to shoot up testosterone up his ass for a year will probably have to recover for a significant amount of time too.

 

I was always under the impression that DHT levels decline as you age because Testosterone does. Just recently I discovered that DHT levels are quite steady actually until the age of like 50-55 years old. Only above that age do DHT levels generally really plummet.

 

All in all Finasteride is a pretty damn serious medication and should be taken seriously. Some just get unlucky I guess.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Swooping

[gbhscot]

Guys who are taking or have taken Finasteride - Did you check DHT levels before hand? I have recently spoken to my Dr. about going on it (he scared me out of it initially) but have had DHT tested now. Waiting on results, but if DHT is high (which I suspect based on ridiculous body hair and libido) then is it safe to take?

[Matt27]

Guys who are taking or have taken Finasteride - Did you check DHT levels before hand? I have recently spoken to my Dr. about going on it (he scared me out of it initially) but have had DHT tested now. Waiting on results, but if DHT is high (which I suspect based on ridiculous body hair and libido) then is it safe to take?

 

No... many men with PFS have high DHT. And finasteride inhibits the production of various steroids. Not just DHT.

 

I have more body and facial hair than the overwhelming majority of men. Still got PFS.

[HairNetworker00]

Damn..i did my HT and doc recommended me for it, I've been taking it for a week...I think I want to stop taking it....

[Mark2010]

With all the information that is now out there somebody would want to be crazy to risk taking Finasteride. Even leading hair loss clinics such as the Belgravia clinic admit that Finasteride can cause "permanent impotence".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYGdHgR7Qj0

[DISpHAIR]

So I just wrote my entire experience of finasteride in great detail and the page deleted right before I posted it. That is incredibly frustrating. I will take that as a sign to be more concise as maybe more people will remain focused on what I have to say.

 

I want to briefly describe myself for context purposes. I am currently a 31 year old Caucasian male. I am not a medical doctor but have studied medical literature and more importantly, in depth human anatomy and physiology. I was taught by a brilliant medical doctor who is probably the smartest person I will ever meet. I studied this as a post bachelorette in an unrelated field. The reason I feel it is important to mention this is because it should provide context for people to determine my level of intelligence or lack there of.

 

In high school and as an undergraduate in college, I had no sexual dysfunction whatsoever. I was not on any medication and was above average health. My BP was around 115/70. I was sexually active in high school and college with absolutely no problems. I noticed a change in composition of my hair at age 25 and went to my PCP to inquire the prospect of taking propecia. The doctor didn't think I needed it but tested my thyroid and liver function, etc. I was prescribed propecia at age 25. I took 1 mg/ daily as prescribed for approximately 14 months. During this time I had numerous relationships. My first relationship began shortly after I started taking propecia. At the very beginning I had difficulty achieving erection and almost no success maintaining one. That relationship unsurprisingly didn't last for very long. At this time I was completely unaware of the side effect profile of finasteride with the exception there was a possible shed at the beginning. I had a few more relationships during the first 13 months and had the same issues. I think its important to note that I experienced the same problems during masturbation. The reason I find this significant is because some could argue that I was nervous thus my inability to perform. Given that this was an issue during masturbation and the fact I had been with plenty of women at this point while in high school and college, I think it is fair to dismiss this possibility. In the final month of my propecia use I met a girl I liked a lot and was not going to let sexual dysfunction ruin it. I discontinued the use intermittingly during month 14. I remember vividly our first sexual experience. I was almost able to achieve an erection but had no hope of maintaining one. I told her I was on medication that caused this and that the side effects would subside. it took about 2 months and once again I remember vividly the first time I was able to achieve a normal erection and maintain it. Thank God I was able to convince her to stay with me during those two months as I am still with her at age 31 and we have a 2 year old child. I went from a complete inability to have sex to having sex numerous times a day.

 

So why did this happen? I first wanted to rule everything out. I was not on any other medication. I was able to rule out stage fright due to masturbation issues and my success just years earlier. My blood pressure was and still is excellent. My blood work was all normal. Those are just some of the variables I thought of while ruling out other possibilities. I decided to try finasteride again, except this time through proscar. At this point of my life, I'm in a serious relationship and can be completely open about everything. I tired taking 1/4 of the pill as directed at first and noticed that I was slowly unable to get an erection. I altered my dosage, frequency, to basically every combination possible and by this point I had been on it for 3 months and was completely impotent. I stopped taking the proscar and about a month or so later I was able to have and maintain erections again, thank God.

 

My conclusion is this. There is a wide spectrum of reported or unreported sexual side effects. Some say they experience no side effects, some say they go completely impotent. My thought process on medicine is that our bodies are all different. We all have different levels of hormones, different genetics, different phonetics, and the list goes on. It is impossible to determine how a drug will exactly effect an individual body because there are too many variables to measure. With that said, I think we all experience the side effects profile to a certain degree. I think that certain people become aware of things sooner than other people. Also we are unaware of the parasympathetic occurrences that happen in our body as they occur subconsciously. In other words we are unaware when chemical reactions occur on a molecular level inside our bodies. The reason I think this is significant is because it isn't until symptoms occur that you become aware that something is happening. This doesn't mean that these occurrences aren't happening to everyone. It just means that given all the variables in our bodies and the fact that these occurrences are on a parasympathetic level, there will be different times in which people become aware something is happening. I'm getting lost in my own words, so perhaps I have been redundant somewhere. My point is that I think everyone experiences these side effects as DHT is required (as I understand it) to achieve an erection among many other things its needed for. It is my understanding DHT is much more powerful than testosterone (the hormone that differentiates men and women). I agree that it is possible that someone can go their whole life, or close to it, without experiencing any side effects. This is because of variables. As with all medicine, you have to weigh the benefits versus the risks when treating something. In the case of finasteride, I think the side effect profile is very real, as I experienced it, but symptoms happen at an infinite amount of rates.