Just started Fin, worried.

[Shad]

Hey everyone. I started taking Finasteride 2 days ago because everyone was recommending I started on it before my hairline receded further. However, what I'm afraid of are the side effects. I'm worried that I might face erectile dysfunction, poor memory, loss of libido, depression, so on and so forth. 

Should I continue the medication? I haven't experienced anything new yet, but I'm afraid the sexual dysfunction might be permanent if I am that unlucky.

[hairisgoingaway]

Fin is not worth it. I use testosterone and when I tried fin  lost my sex drive even while injecting testosterone. There is nothing scarier than that. Why would you use it given all the bad experiences with penis shrinkage,  twisting, loss of erections etc. What use is of your hair if you can't have sex?

[Shera]

As with all medications there is a risk that ones own physiology might not take to them and side effects might occur. It is also true that most family doctors will shy away from prescribing Finasteride to their patients due to their personal ethics, why prescribe a drug (with possible side effects) to a perfectly healthy person?

However the fact remains that millions use the the drug worldwide with little or manageable side effects to help keep their hair. They are willing to take a small hit if it means not being bald.

I myself have been taking Finasteride for the past 4 years, 1mg a day and now 1mg every other day if I remember and I strongly believe it has helped preserve my native hair meaning I have not had to go for a further surgical procedure. I've not experienced any of the side effects sometimes associated with the drug.
 
I have yet to meet a patient who has the symptoms described above.

[yesplease]

It is a personal decision. There are many men who use propecia, get great results and have minimal to no side effects.

That said, there is a real (but low) likelihood that you will get some type of side effects. There's also a real (but minimal) chance that the side effects are long-term or permanent.

You need to balance the risks and benefits in your mind and decide whether it's worth it to make that leap yourself. 

IMO, the incidence of side effects is a bit understated by the available data and studies that are most commonly cited, meaning that they are probably more common than many propecia proponents believe. That said, it is likely still a minority of people. 

[hairlossPA]

getting on fin has been the best decision i’ve had. i’ve had significant regrowth