What really makes me angry is the fact that losing hair wasn’t the end of the world to me. Seeing the men from my family, i always knew i would be bald one day and i was ok with it. But then, when i was 18, i heard this “breakthrough”, the end of baldness, the great new anti baldness pill. it was on all magazines and stuff. Then i thought, great, in my mid twenties when i start loosing hair, i might try this.
The following 6 years, i never heard anything negative about this drug. Nothing. My dentist used it, and said he had no sides.
But i still was not convinced. When i finally started losing hair at 23, i searched the web for three days looking for anything negative about propecia or finasteride. I searched in portuguese and in english. That was back in 2003. Believe it or not, i did not find one negative testimonial back then. The propaganda on this drug was so well done, that even the guys who had sides, thought it was alright, the sides would go away if they kept taking it, so there was no need to complain.
Still, i was not sure when i read about the 1% gynecomastia risk. I thought that was fishy. How could someone have gyno without having the hormones disrupted? Then i thought, ‘well, it is 1%, probably these guys had hormone problems to begin with’.
So i took one more precaution. I phoned a cousin who took propecia. He said he had no sides.
Looking back, i can see how in my gut i knew i should not take it. But my reason did not find a reason not to. Then i went to the doctor. He told me ’ I take it myself. I ve been taking it for 6 years. It works like a swiss wacth. Don’t you think if i were to have problems i would already had something?’
Still, i was afraid. Do you know why? Because my life was fantastic, and i knew it. I knew i was a lucky man, i had so much going on for me. I was on the happiest moment of my life. I was so healthy and i knew it and took good care of me. And in general i was a very happy person.
Why would i risk all that and take a pill every day, having no health problems. I told that to family members, everybody told me ‘stop being afraid and take it, everybody takes this drug, no one has problems, it is all in your head.’
So after searching for a ‘don’t take it’ on the web, with friends, family and finally the doctor, and being told i was wrong, i got convinced i could be over reacting, being scared for nothing. The result we all know.
So this is to tell all of you guys how important is what we are doing. If i had found one single negative testimonial in 2003 about this drug, i would have never taken it. Keep doing what you are doing. I am not going to sue.
I can’t take the stress. But i know you will win, and i know this drug will be taken off market. This will be the happiest day for me, because people will finally believe me, and stop thinking i have mental problems.
