Propeciahelp Forum Rules

Propeciahelp is a community for Post-Finasteride Syndrome patients. We welcome members suffering similar persistent problems following use and cessation of substances with anti-androgenic action, including Finasteride, Saw Palmetto, SSRI antidepressants and Isotretinoin.

Propeciahelp takes no responsibility for, nor endorses, any content posted by site users. Moderation takes place reactively on a volunteer basis.

This is a public forum. Please treat it with respect, and conduct yourself as if your posts were being publicly attributed to you.

Joining the Conversation

We require that new members first post a member story detailing use of and cessation of the drug, and the persistent symptoms experienced.

Contributions to the forum are of value when you provide detailed accounts of your personal experiences clearly - separated from inferences or theories. Such submissions have led to propeciahelp being noted as a source of clinical information in medical literature, and have formed the basis of peer-reviewed publication. Member theories have not. Avoid the appearance of medical advice.

Only one account is permitted per member. Due to sockpuppet abuse, VPN use is not permitted.

Be Agreeable (Even When You Disagree)

  • Be empathetic. PFS affects people to very different degrees. Experiences will differ from your own.
  • No ad hominem attacks.
  • Don’t post anything that could be considered obscene, offensive, abusive, bigoted, hate speech, divisive or inflammatory.
  • Do not imply other members are to blame for the persistence of drug-induced health problems.
  • Don’t harass anyone, impersonate people, or expose private information.

Personal theories and speculation

PFS is a very complex condition and the subject should be approached with humility. The slow pace of scientific progress leaves patients in a very difficult position, but this does not make DIY therapies safe or effective.

Do not encourage members to pursue self-medication, directly or through rhetoric. Significant further harm has been reported from following users’ therapy suggestions.

Do not make declarative statements regarding what PFS “is”, or assert things regarding scientific concepts without significant and specific evidence. Do not present your thoughts in a way that could be taken as fact or medical advice.

If your side effects have improved, that is wonderful, but please remember that survivorship and outcome bias are dangerous logical errors for a reason. Two decades of patient data, reports, and case-controlled study illustrates that patients are not affected uniformly. Unfortunately, the condition does not improve for many. This is a place of support no matter how badly affected a patient is. Do not give speeches about perceived “negativity”, encourage faith in unproven/alternative therapies, or express resentment for the forum. This is not conducive to a supportive atmosphere. If you have a great attitude, show it through a productive contribution of what you had specifically experienced and what resolved for you, not a commentary on other patients, whose situations will differ.

Reporting of patient self-experimentation is only permitted using the self-reporting template in your member story. If you wish to report improvements to your condition, this must also be done in your member story. Do not create new threads to report your improvements.

Do not recruit to external websites/organisations

Our forum is offered as a support site, and we do not allow use of our platform for the formation of, or recruitment to, other organisations.

Recruitment of users to other groups/websites/patient organisations is not allowed. Doctors, patients and family members have concerns over the safety and potential monetisation of vulnerable patients.

Please do not link to external sites or forums even it appears easier to point to information hosted elsewhere. This also ensures that information is not subject to loss following the closure of external sites and services.

Propeciahelp is run by PFSNetwork, an organisation with defined goals. Propeciahelp has a long history of achievement in PFS awareness and progress. We encourage patients to get involved with helping us push forward together. Instead of forming new groups, please see the Community Projects board and get involved with what can make a real difference. PFS Network is now a charity, and our urgent concern is progressing scientific understanding of the driving pathomechanism of PFS so a safe and effective treatment can be identified as soon as possible. Please do not use the forum to undermine our strategic objectives. Please send any concerns privately to a moderator or admin.

Soliciting is prohibited

Users may under no circumstances solicit funds or direct users to projects external to those explicitly endorsed by propeciahelp, PFSNetwork, or when linked directly to the PFS foundation. Using the platform to direct patients to funding projects or commercial interests, be it through direct solicitation or posting links, is strictly prohibited.

Expressing suicidality

Due to a lack of appropriate clinical or professional care, this forum operates as a place for patients to share their experiences and find support, no matter how severely affected they are.

While suicidal ideation is a clinical reality of the disease, we aim to provide a platform where all patients feel comfortable and hopeful, and please note that propeciahelp staff are not trained counsellors. Posts expressing suicidality can cause distress to other members, so if you are feeling suicidal, we ask you please carefully consider your fellow patients when posting. Any post expressing suicidality must be confined to your member story. New posts will be merged to your existing member story.

If you are struggling to cope, an international list of crisis phone lines is available to view by clicking here.

You are valued, and you are not alone.

Keep It Tidy

  • Start topics in an appropriate category.
  • Use the search function to check for existing topics before making new ones.
  • Don’t post the same thing in multiple topics.
  • Rather than taking a topic in a different direction, use the Reply as a Linked Topic option to start a new one on a connected theme.
  • If posting a study as a topic in the Science category, please use the title of the study as the topic title.

If You See a Problem, Flag It

When you see bad behaviour, don’t bother replying. Click the flag icon under the post to flag it as a problem.

Site Feedback

If you have any further questions or suggestions regarding the sites features, post in the site feedback thread. If there’s a critical or urgent issue with the site that can’t be handled by a post, private message or flag, contact us via the staff page.

Disagreements with moderation policy and decisions should not be aired on the forum and will be removed. If your concern regards site policy or a moderation decision, please send a private message to one of the moderators.

Our moderators have an exceptionally difficult role in maintaining the site and community. Moderators have the right to remove any content or any user for any reason at any time, so please treat them and the service they provide with respect at all times.

Terms of Service

To use this service, you must agree to abide by our Terms of Service which describes your (and our) responsibilities and rights related to content, privacy, and related laws.