New Belgian Documentary on Propecia Side Effects

[Mark2010]

Anyone considering taking Propecia should watch this Documentary.

 

[BaronVonHairline]

Thanks for posting. I've been heavily leaning towards No on trying fin, and this certainly hasn't changed my mind on that. As I lose more hair daily, I'm tempted, but I think the risk is just not worth it.

 

I've had a few HT consults recently and one Dr. even told me he does not prescribe it for his patients, he has several still experiencing side effects months after stopping the med, and that he himself would definitely NOT take it. Although, another doc said he has thousands of patients on it with minimal sides.

 

I think it's really interesting how they phrase it in the above documentary, that hair growth is actually one of the "negative" side effects of a med for shrinking the prostate. So users are literally taking the drug FOR the side effect.

 

I really wish they would just hurry up and get hair cloning up and running, so we could all have limitless donor supply.

[n00b]

I am suprised that a doctor refusing to prescribe fin on ethical grounds.

Mind sharing the name?

[Mark2010]

I am suprised that a doctor refusing to prescribe fin on ethical grounds.

Mind sharing the name?

 

 

Dr Andrew Rynne says that Doctors who prescribe fin put "money, profit and greed" ahead of medical ethics.

 

 

https://www.quora.com/What-kind-of-doctor-prescribes-Finasteride-or-similar-hair-loss-drugs/answer/Andrew-Rynne?share=f4bd0157

 

The kind of doctor who prescribes Finasteride for the natural phenomena that is male pattern balding is a doctor who puts money, profit and greed before good medical practice and ethics.

 

Every doctor now knows or should know that Finasteride can carry horrible sexual side-effects that can last for a lifetime and for which there currently is no cure. These permanent side-effects can include genital shrinkage, genital numbness, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, Peyronies Disease, decreased ejaculate and suicidal ideation.

 

Now if you want to find a "doctor" who is prepared to risk these side effect in an otherwise perfectly healthy young man then you go right ahead. But don't say you were not warned. Post Finasteride Syndrome is not a rare disease. I'm dealing with new cases at least once every two weeks. I feel so sorry for them, there is so little that I can do.

[ForeverLacey]

It's elective medicine when used for hair loss. Give it a break man Finasteride is not going any where.

[Al - Moderator]

Let me see if I have this right. This Dr has no problems prescribing medications to people with issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. in which many of the patients he prescribes these medications to could solve their own issues themselves by eating better and getting more excersize. However, he feels it's putting money, profit and greed ahead of medical ethics if a Dr prescribes medication to those who have an issue that can't be solved any other way. Do I have that right?

[Ernie]

It's elective medicine when used for hair loss. Give it a break man Finasteride is not going any where.

 

What he said. We're all grown ups on here, and we're doing our due diligence.

 

If I wanna go to Turkey, I'll go to Turkey.

If I wanna take fin, I'll take fin.

 

Appreciate your "heads up" and respect your opinion on meds, but unnecessary to ram it down my throat

[Mark2010]

Let me see if I have this right. This Dr has no problems prescribing medications to people with issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. in which many of the patients he prescribes these medications to could solve their own issues themselves by eating better and getting more excersize. However, he feels it's putting money, profit and greed ahead of medical ethics if a Dr prescribes medication to those who have an issue that can't be solved any other way. Do I have that right?

 

 

The difference with finasteride is that it can permanently destroy your mental, physical and sexual health.

 

Not many other drugs can do that.

 

And this is only to treat a cosmetic condition.

 

I would never have taking the drug if I knew how dangerous it was.

 

 

 

[Shampoo]

The difference with finasteride is that it can permanently destroy your mental, physical and sexual health.

 

And it can work both ways.

taking Propecia can help you avoid mental, physical, and sexual health problems.

Balding can easily lead to depression

Depression can cause mental, physical, and sexual problems.

So by taking finasteride (and not going bald) it's possible to lessen/prevent health problems

[Mikey1970]

And it can work both ways.

taking Propecia can help you avoid mental, physical, and sexual health problems.

Balding can easily lead to depression

Depression can cause mental, physical, and sexual problems.

So by taking finasteride (and not going bald) it's possible to lessen/prevent health problems

 

Here Here! Agree 100%

[mahhong]

I think the jury is still out on exactly the risks of taking finasteride in some men. I think what cannot be disputed is that most men take it and seem to get no side effects, or very few side effects, that discontinue upon cessation of the drug. There are literally millions of men using this drug daily and we do not have the numbers to suggest it's poison for most men.

 

Not that this is exactly a scientific or statistical data, but many of the videos on that channel have been online for over 3 years and the most views any individual video has had is 1,224. The channel itself has 55 subscribers. None of this proves or disproves anything, but it's not like tens of thousands of men are flocking to the PFS Foundation. The website PROPECIAHELP, which to my knowledge is the most well known and active site of its kind, has 3,903 members at this moment. I remember visiting that site what must have been four or five years ago, so it's been around a while.

 

Whilst I am willing to believe that some men have experienced persistent side effects related to finasteride and I myself have my own reservations about using the drug (particularly as it's a long-term medication), I do think that the number of men who experience serious, long-term effects they are convinced is due to finasteride are fairly small. I don't think there's any exact data but it's fairly reasonable to believe there's likely at least over 10 million men taking finasteride worldwide (there's over a million in America alone, and that's according to Merck's statistics, which only accounts for branded medication) so even if there were 100,000 men in the world with definitively diagnosed, long-term PFS that would still be only 1% of users. I don't think there's anything close to that many men claiming long-term PFS, and I would also be comfortable believing there's at least twice as many men taking finasteride than my estimate above.

 

I do welcome the research into PFS and I do believe there are a small but genuine number of men who may experience this syndrome and be left debilitated by it - it would be unfair to dismiss their experiences and claims and there's no doubt we don't have a full working knowledge of exactly how DHT works and what lowering it through finasteride may mean for some men. The endocrine system is enormously complex and nothing is completely outside the realms of possibility.

 

However, it's also the case that Ibuprofen kills or directly contributes to the death and injury of thousands of people a year. It's not a direct comparison, but it's a telling one. For complicated reasons nobody can quite determine, some people can have a bad reaction to NSAIDs (particularly after prolonged use) and end up with GI bleeding and death, or long-term damage. And that's an over the counter drug that is also, technically, elective (albeit it not for cosmetic purposes).

 

I think balance and fact are important here. It is true that the exact way finasteride affects every individual isn't fully known, and it's also seemingly true that the side effects can be more prevalent and more serious than initial studies suggested - though it's also important to say that most of the evidence for that is anecdotal (i.e people reading and writing about their experiences on the drug) than scientific and statistical (most studies have found finasteride to be safe and well-tolerated, whatever you think of the veracity of them). However, it's also categorically true that millions of men take the drug and most would seem to live normal, healthy lives with an acceptable libido, erection and sense of mental wellbeing. It would be unfair to suggest otherwise.