I am posting this message so that men can understand that there are consequences that can affect them negatively.
Several years ago, I took the drug, developed side effects, and then I quit taking the drug after a while. Four years after quitting the drug, I consulted the doctor, because I was worried that I was still experiencing side effects and also looking for the doctor’s help. (I felt like I was still experiencing the side effects even though I had quit taking the drug!) I expressed my concern about protracted or residual side effects of the drug to the doctor, but he seemed dismissive.
It appears that my story isn’t unique. I hoped that the side effects would disappear, but in my view, the side effects seem to persist. It has been very frustrating and depressing.
I regret taking the drug. I wish that I had never taken the drug. Ultimately, the decision to take the drug is yours. However, I offer this information for your consideration BEFORE you take any drug.
MEN: Before you take any drug, you should understand that there can and may be side effects. I believe that warnings regarding side effects are disclosed. If one of the side effects is erection or ejaculatory problems, explain to yourself why you would take even the smallest risk of experiencing erection or ejaculatory problems. Does your life depend on taking the drug? If you think that you will be spared the side effects or the side effects may disappear, you may be correct, but you may also be very, very wrong.
Yea, we’ve been over this a million times here from drive-by posters who feel the need to blame us for the fact the drug caused permanent, ongoing side effects.
No kidding the decision was ours to make, but we made that decision – just as you once did – based on the skewed, false, misleading data and “official” information provided by the FDA and Merck about all side effects being reversible after discontinuation. This is simply not true, as is evidenced here, in various studies, and propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2002
Of course the prons vs cons must be weighed in terms of side effects risk – but one can only make a decision based on the info they are given.
Since the official information from Merck and the FDA is false as per my statements above, then men made their decision on false information which did not disclose the true risks or mechanisms of action of Finasteride.
You cannot blame the consumer in this case when the regulatory agencies and manufacturer themselves fail to disclose the truth about the true risks of this medication, or the possibility side effects will not resolve.
BTW – you can believe all warnings about side effects have been disclosed by Merck, but if you take the time to read the various scientific materials around here, you’ll see they neglected to disclose far more than what is currently on the label about how their drug works, or what it can possibly do.
Why did YOU take it for hairloss? Why does ANY guy take this drug for hairloss? Why do hairloss sites exist that promote the heck out of this medication and downplay any side effects from its use? Why do Dermatologists push this drug on men who have concerns about hairloss and downplay its side effects? Why does Merck market Propecia in the manner they do?
Because they prey on the fear men have about going bald, at an extremely emotionally vulnerable point in their lives when they realize they are losing hair… it is often at this point in time (often at a young age) that many men lose sight of what is truly important in the grand scheme of life, and tend to place a higher value on their hair than their health (only to find out later how stupid this mindset is, once they’ve been damaged by Finasteride). Examples of these marketing tactics by Merck:
Unfortunately Merck markets the drug like it’s essentially harmless (2% of men get side effects which get better with time and resolve if you quit), and markets the IDEA (which is far from the TRUTH) that DHT (the most potent male androgen) and 5AR2 are useless and serve no purpose in the male body after puberty, except to make you go bald. This could not be further from the truth – 5AR2, DHT and the various other pathways Finasteride inhibits are absolutely vital and critical to our health and functioning as sexually, physically and mentally normal males.
In a nutshell, many men probably go through the following thought process when it comes to determining wether to take this drug:
You are told by official sources (FDA and Merck) there is nothing to fear by trying it
Merck claims everything will go back to normal when you quit if you have problems
Merck claims such problems will likely never happen to you (only 2% of men get them)
Docs which prescribe the medication recite the above misleading claims, as they base their knowledge on “official” info from Merck and the FDA – just as we did as consumers
From there, the consumer needs to make a decision: trust Merck, or do their own research and then make a decision. Unfortunately many guys do not have the time, interest, or know-how with computers or Google to bother looking into Finasteride to the level we have here (Finasteride Studies section) – they simply want a solution to their problem (hairloss) NOW, and take Merck’s claims at face value, likely saying to themselves “if it’s FDA approved, it’s safe and that’s good enough for me”.
What they fail to realize is that many drugs have been “FDA approved”, only to later be removed from the market (eg, Vioxx, Fen Phen) due to terrible side effects, deaths or other issues the manufacturers did not disclose publicly, but which came out through investigations or court cases. For example: propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=969
So for guys that decide to put their faith in Merck, the FDA and their “official information”, they take the leap and give Finasteride a shot, to see if it works for saving their hair – as that is the ultimate goal at that point in their life, which overpowers all logic and reasoning when it comes to evaluating the true consequences of androgen deprivation therapy and 5AR inhibition.
Unfortunately many men buy into this BS marketing scheme and culture of fear surrounding male pattern baldness, figuring this drug is harmless and they have nothing to lose by trying it… only to find out the hard way that Merck lied, they had EVERYTHING to lose, and the damage they have caused to their body via Finasteride use continues to have long-lasting consequences on their sexual, mental, physical and future health.
Not in our cases, but in cases where it is used for androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer, those men may have no choice but to take it to save their life.
For cosmetic issues (hairloss), our lives do not depend on it and in fact willfully choosing to undertake androgen deprivation therapy via Finasteride to save a few hairs on one’s head is simply insane (in my opinion), when you really look into what this drug does, and the various metabolic processes and hormone/neurosteroid pathways it affects in the human body.
Yes, and that’s the gamble. Too bad Merck and the FDA do not disclose the true risks of that gamble in terms of possibility of side effects, mechanisms of action or reversal of side effects, so that the consumer can make a truly informed decision on wether to take this extremely powerful medication which inhibits FAR MORE than just DHT.
Anyway, if you are here to blame us for taking Finasteride, like its our fault we got permanently fucked over by the drug, you are in the wrong place and such tactics will not be tolerated. Just FYI.
Thanks for the reply! I am glad that you responded. I am sorry that if my words came out incorrectly. I don’t mean to sound that I am blaming any one. I also am in the same boat!
I am sorry that if my original posting was taken the wrong way. It’s just that I really regret my decision. I want to share my story as way of trying to help other men.
Thanks for understanding. As I said, I’m not in a good situation. My hope was that some guy would learn from me and seriously consider avoiding taking any drug regardless of the percentage of risk.
