Official Thread: Have you experienced side effects from finasteride? (Poll)

[sunsurfhair]

2 minutes ago, LookMaxx said:

Funny that you mention Tylenol

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/150-americans-die-each-year-from-tylenols-most-active-ingredient/310814/

You don’t hear about TylenolFoundation or people fearmongering about it despite it actually killing people 

This is a joke right? You're talking about overdosing on Tylenol. How is this even comparable? Did you read the article? and this is from 2013. I don't think I've seen anything in the news about people massively overdosing on Tylenol.....

[GoliGoliGoli]

2 minutes ago, LookMaxx said:

Funny that you mention Tylenol

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/150-americans-die-each-year-from-tylenols-most-active-ingredient/310814/

You don’t hear about TylenolFoundation or people fearmongering about it despite it actually killing people 

Not a fair comparison. Apples to Oranges. 

[LookMaxx]

6 minutes ago, sunsurfhair said:

This is a joke right? You're talking about overdosing on Tylenol. How is this even comparable? Did you read the article? and this is from 2013. I don't think I've seen anything in the news about people massively overdosing on Tylenol.....

This is what you said

Think of it like this, you take Tylenol, and it makes you feel terrible or causes high liver enzymes temporarily for someone ultrasensitive, but the risk of it giving you a permanent, irreversible condition is nil.

 

Which isn’t true, Tylenol can kill you. And if you read the article, it explains you can overdose on Tylenol easily because the lethal dose is not far off recommended safe dose. 
 

You are proving my point. You’re not aware of Tylenol because there’s no fearmongering about it. Here is a 2021 ncbi article

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441917/

Acetaminophen toxicity is the second most common cause of liver transplantation worldwide and the most common cause of liver transplantation in the US. It is responsible for 56,000 emergency department visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths per year in the United States
 

The number of deaths increased to 500.

This seems like a joke to you now because you haven’t been exposed to the fearmongering and believe Tylenol is super safe which you were giving examples of ignorantly. 

Maybe do some research before you make wild claims. Thanks

 

 

[NARMAK]

26 minutes ago, LookMaxx said:

No offence taken. You’re not qualified to diagnose someone so why should I be offended what you think of my mental health? In all likelihood I am actually more educated and medically qualified than you so meh.

You are also clearly deluded and oblivious to what everyone else thinks of baldness. Watch this 

 

The fact you are on a hair transplant forum clearly means you are well aware of this fact and just tried to take a dig at me because you got mad over my finasteride comment.

 It’s fine, vent it out. I am realising people here are very emotional about finasteride

This is just my perspective on it, and believe me, i know being in that situations probably the hardest thing from an emotional and mental PoV, BUT, you have to realise at some point that you have been dealt a very specific hand in your life. How you choose to play that is a choice for you to make. 

There's the medication and hair transplant route some take. Some choose that shaving it bald and having a better emphasis on fitness and growing a beard will help. Some people don't want to go the hair transplant route because they fear scars, medication etc. and don't quite want to settle with a bald look just yet may choose to opt for a hair system. 

Personally i shaved my head for the hair transplant i had. Not necessarily a fan, but i think i could adjust to it with time. I am not a massive fan of hair system but it would probably be the 2nd choice for me. Keeping my natural hair with medication like Dutasteride and then having a hair transplant was what i chose, because of my specific situation. You have to also choose your option on what best fits with yours. 

Overall though and i know this is so hard to accept as an "average" person but we have to work on building ourselves to a point where you don't let your hair loss rule your life mentally and emotionally. It's not healthy for us to live that way and i do blame the Internet social media age for these anxieties but that's probably why it's best to get off those things and concentrate on more important things like your career, health and overall fitness goals to look good. 

[SeanT1]

17 hours ago, sukh123 said:

No interest. You need to stop the drug . Check you hormones asap , I’m all for the drug but if your getting these effects I would get hormonal markers done . Also do you workout as in resistance training and healthy diet and how old are you

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

[LookMaxx]

21 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

No. Why do you even think that?

If you have loss of libido, I suggest reducing the dosage or taking it less frequently. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

41 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

There could be depending on what the root cause is. You're probably fine but please don't trust the poster above me (Or anyone on a internut forum) when they speak on something that they do not know. Loss of libido is definitely a "canary in the coalmine" type of symptom and is not exactly a usual state of being for someone your age. 

[RTC]

55 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

Start eating meat and come off the fin, you will feel like a lion.

[LookMaxx]

3 minutes ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

please don't trust the poster above me 

Funny, you literally lied about me a few posts prior and attacked me personally yet I am the one who shouldn’t be trusted.

 

 

[NARMAK]

1 hour ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

Sean, i think the best way to evaluate this is to think back to before you started Finasteride how your libido felt. Then now after say 12 months or more, how do it compare percentage wise. To me, it's about 80 to 90% compared to say the 100% baseline i had. That's just my subjective feeling on it, but i have other priorities in my life i concentrate on. I don't understand why people also don't factor in our life routine and mental stresses from elsewhere could also factor in to lower libido etc. 

Personally i still have enough of an urge should the situation require it to make sure i can perform the deed but i think people over emphasise the lower libido as being equivalent to having no desire at all. 

[sunsurfhair]

1 hour ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

Don’t stress #1 is the most important thing. Work out 4-5x a week with good resistance/weight training, eat lots of healthy clean proteins, and try to keep stress (cortisol) down. Ask your prescribing doctor about reducing your Finasteride dosing strategy as an option. If you do all that and are still having issues, ask your provider to check your labs with attention to key hormones. 

This site has an extensive panel for Finasteride labs, which I actually thought was really pretty thorough. It’s a bunch, but considering you’re on the med and having low libido at 26, it would make sense to have them check if you can’t get it in check w the basic suggestions listed above. Considering you’re not having other issues, I think you will be OK my friend!

The Comprehensive Pre-Finasteride Hormone Panel includes the following tests:

• Testosterone, Free + Total, LC/MS
• Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy
• IGF-1
• Prolactin
• Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
• Thyroglobulin Antibody
• Hemoglobin A1C
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
• NMR LipoProfile + Lipids + IR + Gph
• DHEA Sulfate (DHEA-S)
• Ferritin
• Reverse T3, Serum
• Pregnenolone, MS
• Testosterone Free, MS/Dialysis
• DHT, Free, LCMS/Dialysis
• CBC with Differential/Platelet
• Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
• Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG)
• Estradiol, Sensitive 
• Progesterone
• Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
• TgAb + Thyroglobulin, IMA or LCMS
• Cortisol
• Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct
• Iron and TIBC
• Dihydrotestosterone
• Triiodothyronine (T3), Free

[Melvin- Admin]

@SeanToman

Libido naturally goes through phases depending on your current life situation. If you find yourself extremely busy or stressed. Naturally, your libido will be lower. Correlation doesn’t always equal causation. I have seen guys take fin once and say they didn’t wake up with morning wood. That isn’t an indication of anything. It could be they had poor sleep.

The food you eat is very important. People who don’t eat meat can get anemia if they don’t supplement iron. You may have your personal reasons for not eating meat. I would suggest supplementing iron just to make sure. If you’re in your mind that finasteride lowers libido, it will. The mind is a powerful thing. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

41 minutes ago, LookMaxx said:

Funny, you literally lied about me a few posts prior and attacked me personally yet I am the one who shouldn’t be trusted.

 

 

You're telling a 26 year old on a pharmaceutical androgen blocker that there is no possibility his loss of libido could be linked to something that will have long term side effects.... Absolutely you should not be trusted lmao

 

Edit: And to be clear, libido of course does fluctuate. But you have to be in tune with your body and do your best to try and recognize what is normal fluctuation and what seems to be a long term decrease in your libido. Why I said you shouldn't be trusted is because you were adamant in that their is no possibility this is due to something with long term effects. You have no way of knowing that, so stop speaking so confidently on things you shouldn't speak with confidence on. Playing God with your hormones is tricky business and you are very flippant about it. 

Edited August 10, 2022 by GoliGoliGoli

[NARMAK]

4 hours ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

You're telling a 26 year old on a pharmaceutical androgen blocker that there is no possibility his loss of libido could be linked to something that will have long term side effects.... Absolutely you should not be trusted lmao

 

Edit: And to be clear, libido of course does fluctuate. But you have to be in tune with your body and do your best to try and recognize what is normal fluctuation and what seems to be a long term decrease in your libido. Why I said you shouldn't be trusted is because you were adamant in that their is no possibility this is due to something with long term effects. You have no way of knowing that, so stop speaking so confidently on things you shouldn't speak with confidence on. Playing God with your hormones is tricky business and you are very flippant about it. 

One could just as easily dismiss you as somebody who's merely sowing seeds of doubt using a manipulated interpretation of scientific literature taken out of wider context to push an Anti-Finasteride agenda. Leading to a goal of trying to prevent people from using the medication at all to fight hair loss. 

You can maybe correct me if i'm wrong, but do you also take as negative a stance on the use of Minoxodil, oral or topical versions? I have seen some people recommending against it 

So overall your position it seems at least to me on the whole is "don't use Finasteride even if there's a 1% or less chance of any side affects. Short or long term. Allow nature to take course and use your finite scalp donor and where possible, BHT donor when it comes to hair transplants" 

I'd be pretty understanding if most people dismiss that attitude above if truly held as simply not being realistic and a much more Russian Roulette approach to hair loss. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

22 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

One could just as easily dismiss you as somebody who's merely sowing seeds of doubt using a manipulated interpretation of scientific literature taken out of wider context to push an Anti-Finasteride agenda. Leading to a goal of trying to prevent people from using the medication at all to fight hair loss. 

You can maybe correct me if i'm wrong, but do you also take as negative a stance on the use of Minoxodil, oral or topical versions? I have seen some people recommending against it 

So overall your position it seems at least to me on the whole is "don't use Finasteride even if there's a 1% or less chance of any side affects. Short or long term. Allow nature to take course and use your finite scalp donor and where possible, BHT donor when it comes to hair transplants" 

I'd be pretty understanding if most people dismiss that attitude above if truly held as simply not being realistic and a much more Russian Roulette approach to hair loss. 

As far as your first paragraph: I almost don't want to respond to this because its so ridiculous. What do you think my "agenda" is exactly? What scientific literature have I manipulated or taken out of context? Have you ever seen me shilling for some alternative product? Do you think I own stock in some company that competes with Fin? My only agenda is to give people information to help them decide whether they want to use a drug to fight hairloss that transgender people also use to transition from male to female by reducing a key male androgen. If drastically reducing a male hormone is worth it to you to preserve what hair you have left and maybe possibly regrow some, then go for it as long as you're making an informed decision. It's your life. There's no need to assume my reasons for being against Fin are so conspiratorial. People losing their hair are in a very vulnerable state of mind and are quick to jump on anything they think will help. I just think people should consider the potential ramifications of taking such a drastic course of action, especially because you need to stay on it for life for it to really work. 

Your second paragraph: I use 5% topical Min and have seen some really tremendous regrowth on it so far. I would never ever consider using Oral Min. 

Your third paragraph: If there was 1% lifetime chance of sides I would be more ok with people using Fin. The truth is the % is much higher based on my review of both peer review and anecdotal information information. It's amazing hearing some posts on here "I don't really have sides, just my libido isn't quite what it used to be and my semen is suddenly watery"... There are also types of side effects you wouldn't notice or only would notice after years of use such as things like ocular health, kidney health, liver health, bone health etc. This is all supported by peer review studies that I've already posted. 

Edited August 10, 2022 by GoliGoliGoli

[NARMAK]

19 minutes ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

As far as your first paragraph: I almost don't want to respond to this because its so ridiculous. What do you think my "agenda" is exactly? What scientific literature have I manipulated or taken out of context? Have you ever seen me shilling for some alternative product? Do you think I own stock in some company that competes with Fin? My only agenda is to give people information to help them decide whether they want to use a drug to fight hairloss that transgender people also use to transition from male to female by reducing a key male androgen. If drastically reducing a male hormone is worth it to you to preserve what hair you have left and maybe possibly regrow some, then go for it as long as you're making an informed decision. It's your life. There's no need to assume my reasons for being against Fin are so conspiratorial. People losing their hair are in a very vulnerable state of mind and are quick to jump on anything they think will help. I just think people should consider the potential ramifications of taking such a drastic course of action, especially because you need to stay on it for life for it to really work. 

Your second paragraph: I use 5% topical Min and have seen some really tremendous regrowth on it so far. I would never ever consider using Oral Min. 

Your third paragraph: If there was 1% lifetime chance of sides I would be more ok with people using Fin. The truth is the % is much higher based on my review of both peer review and anecdotal information information. It's amazing hearing some posts on here "I don't really have sides, just my libido isn't quite what it used to be and my semen is suddenly watery"... There are also types of side effects you wouldn't notice or only would notice after years of use such as things like ocular health, kidney health, liver health, bone health etc. This is all supported by peer review studies that I've already posted. 

Okay, i'm sorry, but you lost all credibility with this comment:

"decide whether they want to use a drug to fight hairloss that transgender people also use to transition from male to female by reducing a key male androgen." 

I have never ever heard a more ridiculous statement than this. You're quite clearly using an extreme example to deliberately or unknowingly mislead and if you don't realise that, i don't know what to say. 

The first FDA approval for Finasteride was to fight prostate related issues before dosage adjustment so it could be approved for hair loss. The idea itself that it's used as a primary medication for transgender people is ludicrous. 

[LookMaxx]

32 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

One could just as easily dismiss you as somebody who's merely sowing seeds of doubt using a manipulated interpretation of scientific literature taken out of wider context to push an Anti-Finasteride agenda. Leading to a goal of trying to prevent people from using the medication at all to fight hair loss. 

You can maybe correct me if i'm wrong, but do you also take as negative a stance on the use of Minoxodil, oral or topical versions? I have seen some people recommending against it 

So overall your position it seems at least to me on the whole is "don't use Finasteride even if there's a 1% or less chance of any side affects. Short or long term. Allow nature to take course and use your finite scalp donor and where possible, BHT donor when it comes to hair transplants" 

I'd be pretty understanding if most people dismiss that attitude above if truly held as simply not being realistic and a much more Russian Roulette approach to hair loss. 

If you want to put into perspective how irrational, illogical and insane their argument is, replace finasteride with any other drug you know.

Using [insert drug here] - Amoxicillin 

Person 1: is there long term side effects from low libido? 
LookMaxx: No why would you even think that? Reduce the dosage, lower dosage works for fighting infection too if you’re getting sides from normal dose

Him: Don’t trust the poster above, [insert drug here] messes your body long term, your sexual health is destroyed for life. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Don’t take [insert drug here], there’s a possibility it will damage you long term, don’t trust LookMaxx because he denies [insert drug here] could have long term effects 

 

I didn’t try to be comical at all but this really is how the interaction feels like to me. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

7 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

Okay, i'm sorry, but you lost all credibility with this comment:

"decide whether they want to use a drug to fight hairloss that transgender people also use to transition from male to female by reducing a key male androgen." 

I have never ever heard a more ridiculous statement than this. You're quite clearly using an extreme example to deliberately or unknowingly mislead and if you don't realise that, i don't know what to say. 

The first FDA approval for Finasteride was to fight prostate related issues before dosage adjustment so it could be approved for hair loss. The idea itself that it's used as a primary medication for transgender people is ludicrous. 

It isn't an extreme example, and I am in no way being misleading about anything. Finasteride is absolutely used by the MtF community as one medicine to "help" them transition. Are you saying that is not the case?  What Fin was developed for has no bearing on whether Trans people are using it to transition (Which, they are). 

[LookMaxx]

8 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

Okay, i'm sorry, but you lost all credibility with this comment:

"decide whether they want to use a drug to fight hairloss that transgender people also use to transition from male to female by reducing a key male androgen." 

I have never ever heard a more ridiculous statement than this. You're quite clearly using an extreme example to deliberately or unknowingly mislead and if you don't realise that, i don't know what to say. 

The first FDA approval for Finasteride was to fight prostate related issues before dosage adjustment so it could be approved for hair loss. The idea itself that it's used as a primary medication for transgender people is ludicrous. 

He thinks finasteride is an androgen “blocker” that should tell you why he’s so against it. 

It actually is a 55-70% enzyme blocker that stops T conversion to DHT. DHT still has many other pathways where it gets made. The funny thing is in transgender women it is used for hairloss too and he thinks it is used for transgender conversion(anti androgen) lol

[GoliGoliGoli]

24 minutes ago, LookMaxx said:

He thinks finasteride is an androgen “blocker” that should tell you why he’s so against it. 

It actually is a 55-70% enzyme blocker that stops T conversion to DHT. DHT still has many other pathways where it gets made. The funny thing is in transgender women it is used for hairloss too and he thinks it is used for transgender conversion(anti androgen) lol

This is obviously a very personal topic for a lot of people here so you will do anything to try and discredit what I'm saying. That's fine, I really am not trying to convince you of anything. Frankly I will forget all of you existed before too long and go on living my life. If you want to use Fin, go for it it's no skin off my back. But everything I've said here is backed by evidence. No matter how you twist my words the facts are quite simple: Finasteride lowers DHT, and DHT is a hormone that is absolutely key in a variety of physiological processes. This is really not up for debate. We can argue about whether or not T picks up the slack, or whether Topical doesn't go systemic, or whether the reduction isn't great enough to cause X, Y and Z, but the last sentence is really not up for debate. If you take nothing else from what I'm saying, take that last sentence and put it in your back pocket. 

Edited August 10, 2022 by GoliGoliGoli

[sukh123]

On 8/10/2022 at 1:33 PM, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

I cant say most ,who stop it returns ,  but at 26 you should be tripping balls  and thinking of sex all the time. I would check your hormones to see how your test and estrogeon is at 

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by sukh123

[sunsurfhair]

Released today by NY Post

 

https://nypost.com/2022/08/10/georgia-family-blames-propecia-for-sons-suicide/

[mafpe]

14 hours ago, SeanToman said:

Hi, is there long term side effects from loss of libido?

I go to the gym twice a week, don't eat meat & I'm 26.

It's not definitive, but it's possible that you would be not interested in sex much in the future. It's more to the conditioning and that you are used to it, it becomes your normal.

Most people have their sex drive usually, and only lose them in certain condition like melvin said, depression is a common example.

It depends on you really wheter or not you consider this a problem, since there are those who genuinely aren't interested in sex itself, but for most men, sex drive is integral to their life.

You'd want to consider for your future though, since if you're going to have a partner, sex drive does help in relationship since having both emotional and sexual attraction usually is the best. Unless you're going to be strictly platonic, that is.

[Melvin- Admin]

11 hours ago, sunsurfhair said:

Released today by NY Post

 

https://nypost.com/2022/08/10/georgia-family-blames-propecia-for-sons-suicide/

It's hard to say Propecia is the cause of suicide, it's sort of like what came first the chicken or the egg. One could say hair loss drove him to suicide as well, since he took Propecia for hair loss. 

The one factor that I believe is undeniable is the cognitive impairments that could occur down the line. DHT affects cognitive function in the brain. I think as we get older we should re-examine our need for Propecia. As you naturally age, your testosterone drops, as a result, so does DHT. I'm reconsidering my position on using fin for the rest of your life. There may be diminishing returns past 70.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7691320/

[sunsurfhair]

22 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

It's hard to say Propecia is the cause of suicide, it's sort of like what came first the chicken or the egg. One could say hair loss drove him to suicide as well, since he took Propecia for hair loss. 

The one factor that I believe is undeniable is the cognitive impairments that could occur down the line. DHT affects cognitive function in the brain. I think as we get older we should re-examine our need for Propecia. As you naturally age, your testosterone drops, as a result, so does DHT. I'm reconsidering my position on using fin for the rest of your life. There may be diminishing returns past 70.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7691320/

So true Melvin. So many factors when it comes to mental illness, especially someone going as far as taking their life. As with anything, most likely a combination of bad chain events that led to an ultimate demise. It is interesting though that they (Merck) must formally update the label to change from "depression" to "suicidal ideation". That's a big difference. 

That's correct. Glad you are reconsidering that. There has to be much better options for us. 

Bottom line - the hair battle is a brutal one!!!!