“Researcher Michael S. Irwig, M.D., F.A.C.E., assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and director of the Center for Andrology at The GW Medical Faculty Associates, found that men who used the medication finasteride (Propecia) and developed persistent sexual side effects, are also drinking less alcohol than before…”
The full story here:
Here’s the news release from George Washington University, which sheds a bit more significance on Dr. Irwig’s new study:
I hardly ever drink now because I’m sick all the time.
More media picking up new Dr. Irwig study, including Yahoo News and US News and World Report:
health.usnews.com/health-news/ne … ohol-study
news.yahoo.com/baldness-drug-cur … 55461.html
news.health.com/2013/06/13/baldn … hol-study/
medicaldaily.com/articles/16 … holism.htm
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!!! Another big step for all of us!! More information surfacing that those with persistent sexual side effects are affected NERUOLOGICALLY! Yet another bullett in my theory as well. In fact I was just about to post something about Ethanol boosting Allopregenalone and Progesterone levels in the brain for both men and women.
Now the question is why do they (we) drink less alcohol. Is it because we have some aversion to it which is seemingly what the study indicated or other reasons such as we fear the results of drinking. Some people have had shrinkage, brain fog, i.e. mini crashes after alcohol use.
I am one of the few who now drink excessively and am actually feeling better! Yes I have have the above mentioned mini crash before, but I have had 3 major baseline improvements in my condition and they all arised out of excessive alcohol intoxication. If whats going on is what I have been preaching about for months now, then this is a major breakthrough for all of us!!
Happy to hear someone sees the connection.
Will be curious to learn how this piece of the puzzle fits into the overall picture.
Hey PR123, I have been locked into a theory which I believe is our root cause, to say the least it is completely neurological. I have talked about it in detail in the Theories section and again its been my own opinion. It is my theory that finasteride use/cesation caused a critical imbalance in the progesterone receptor in the brain in favor of estrogen. Basically we lost the protective affects of progeterone and has lead to a complete estrogen dominance condition.
In my own experience I have had 3 major points of improvement from the baseline which have all involved alcohol intoxication. After researching it appears ethanol increases levels of allopregenalone and progesterone, but what’s interesting is most of these studies involve drinking to the level of INTOXICATION, not meerly a drink or two or three. I noticed in many of the people on this site who claimed to improve often times it followed alcohol intoxication or they were not avoiding alcohol. If 65% now avoid alcohol or to a much lesser degree and 32% drink the same and possibly not excessively we might have a point to which would explain why many people do not seemingly improve and perhaps what is missing and causing our syndrome. This is exciting to me!!!
And although its only an interview and not an extensive lab study, it is starting to fit in to the whole puzzle with regards to the findings in Italy in February.
Thanks for the elucidation.
Let’s hope that research like Dr. Irwig’s helps put all PFS victims on the fast-track to recovery.
Add WebMD to the mix:
men.webmd.com/news/20130613/bald … ohol-study
Glad to see so much reputable media paying attention to Dr. Irwig’s research.
Since most of us feel like zombified crap 24/7, it would seem painfully obvious that we do not wish to engage in activity that is likely to exacerbate our symptoms. 
Yet another major media outlet picking up Dr. Irwig’s study: MSN…
now.msn.com/propecia-a-baldness- … tudy-finds
Note one of the reader comments:
“Broken pecker and no beer appetite to boot?!? Screw that. I’ll wear a bald dome with pride before I do that to myself.”
Merck, please take note: No one needs Propecia.
And don’t forget the world’s largest online newspaper, The Daily Mail:
dailymail.co.uk/health/artic … ds-newsxml
Note the final two paragraphs:
"Dr Irwig found that finasteride can cause persistent sexual dysfunction, including low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction and problems with orgasms.
“These problems, he discovered, often did not resolve themselves when the man stopped taking the drug.”
Its good that the truth is getting out about Finasteride but not being able to drink alcohol is the least of our problems.
I got wasted last weekend to see if it made a difference. I had a good time because I was drunk and not thinking about my problems, but other than that I didn’t notice any improvements. Also, if Fina’s theory is correct (which it may very well be), how would you even go about fixing that?
I have been able to handle a beer or two, finally. I wouldn’t touch the stuff for a while.
Hopefully, that’s a bit of a good sign when that happens.
It seems strange to me that Dr. Irwig has conducted and published at least 2 PFS studies in the past 12 months, while the PFS Foundation has published zero in the nearly one year of its existence. I would think they could bring as much, or more attention to the cause if they were to publish a study of their own. Maybe I just don’t get how the foundation operates.
unless i am very much mistaken, the studies that the foundation are conducting are FARRRRRRR more complicated and in depth than what Irwig is doing.
Not to be rude, but you clearly don’t get how the foundation operates. The Foundation does not publish research. The Foundation funds research which expedites the arduous process of scientific research.