Propecia victim's wife speaks up on hair loss forum

my husband took it and within 3 weeks I had noticed strange behaviour. He will tell you it took 5 months before he realised something was wrong, I disagree. In hind sight I would not advise anyone to take this “medication”. 14 month psychosis was the end diagnosis. That was 3 years back. I believe this medication has cost him his sanity. Certainly has cost him his marraige. I do believe however there was a problem there before he started this medication (nothin too severe) , but I’ve no doubt finasteride pushed him over the edge. He should never have been prescribed it. Depression as a side effect does not describe my experience. It was psychosis he went through. The depression came when he stopped the medication and began thinking clearly. (More like horror at his behaviour and lack of emotion - that would depress anyone) He is not the same since 3 years later. Still paranoid, selfish to the point of madness and has found God… There is a lack of emotion and complete paranoia which is the root of the problem. To me, it’s like paranoid schizoprenia. I do believe there was a weakness there before taking this drug, but I blame finasteride for the psychosis. Get off this stuff, think about your thoughts and if they make sense and find someone you trust and go with what they advise even if you are in complete denial that anything is wrong. Hopefully you are one of the ones that does not experience side effects and more luck to you if you are. For me personally, I am horrified when I see young mens posts about taking finasteride for hair loss when I’m still reeling from the nightmare that drug has brought into what was our home and family.

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He was prescribed this by a consultant at a private hospital with an excellent reputation. I agree. He should have been medically supervised while on it. Depression was not listed as a side effect in 2009 when he started taking this. There were a series of flaws that led to disaster. There was no psychological screening before being prescribed it, he was assured there were no side effects worth mentioning, and he was able to renew his prescription after 6 months without any sort of check up. I know it does no such thing to general population, however, it can be dangerous if you are susceptible. There is a “bad smell” about this drug and too much whispering for want of a better word. I wanted to scream about it but the unfortunate thing is, no one wants to shout out that they were mad on this. There is a stigma with mental health, and no one is proud of there actions when they are ill. My husband hired a prostitute while on this. He is not the type to do that. I cannot emphasize enough, this was bizzare. He had cosmetic surgery done when there was no need. He did awful things that he is ashamed of. No one in their right mind will own up to behaviour like this as it’s simply embarrassing and not condusive to getting your life back together…when you have already been hammered with depression and remorse. Thow in some apathy and emotional flatness (intermittently) and you end up in psychiatric care. Not something anyone wants to brag about I’m afraid.

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[i]I’m sorry to be adding to this boys, but I can’t keep quite any more. Husband went nuts on this stuff…14 month psychosis.
Off it 3 years now, but I think paranoid schizoprenia is the end result. (I want my husband back but he’s not the same person since finasteride episode) He has now found GOD, can’t say I blame him after the nightmare he went through. (funny thing is he didn’t suffer on that drug as he was totally unaware and emotionally retarded - we suffered though - he hired a prostitue, had surgery done on his ears (i was blissfully unaware) can I emphasize, he’s not the prostitute type and there was nothing wrong with his ears…sleeping in a field up the road in case the bad guys came to damage a machine, shooting rabbits from a window while the children were in the house, hoping I would think he shot himself apparently - I did. He had a list of people to get back at and I was top of that list he said… we used to be happy, this was bizzare and not normal - and all related to that bloody poison they call finasteride) He suffered when he stopped taking it alright, severe depression, remorse, he had emotions again) I minded him when he came right. He’s gone all wrong again so I’ve left with the children. Teenager was harming himself thanks to daddy’s “psychosis” End result, marraige destroyed, children traumatised, wife depressed, husband all happy and enjoying life and making life hell for everyone else. Cheers finasteride. This all began with that drug, the timing makes sense. Problem is it hasn’t gone away. There is muscle twitching still in shoulder, around the eyes looks different. I know my husband and this person is not him. I believe finasteride caused some sort of paranoid schizoprenia in my husband and it breaks my heart every day and it has not gone away. His symptoms are not the result of psychosomatic worrying…neither are mine. I saw him change before my eyes on this stuff, I saw him when he stopped taking it, and I see him now. There is a direct correlation with his behaviour and that drug. It’s poison. (at least it was for him)

btw… women love bald men be content with what you have and don’t concern yourself with hairloss. If she’s after you for your hair, you can do better for yourself.[/i]

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[i]I know. This is the predicatment I’m in. No one can say for sure that finasteride caused this, even me. It’s the timings though, something deffo went pear shaped when he started on this drug. You must understand though, he did go mad while on it. I’ve known him for years, we were in school together, he was head boy! So not the prostitute type, this was alien behaviour and it did escalate on finasteride. I cannot emphasize enough, he completely changed. And the muscle twitching was weird also. That drug did not agree with him at all, almost killed him (he was suicidal) not wihle on it, but he did stop taking it for a week as he was on an antibiotic and that when the suicidal thoughts came into play. The timings are all linked and we keep coming back to finasteride. That’s all I can say. I’m a prefessional and so is he. He is highly intelligent and was always a gentleman. We are not prone to mass hysteria or any of that crap, just 2 normal people who had an awful mental illness experience and I can’t rule finasteride out as a cause. The only reason I bother to write on this blog, is just to tell my story of my experience so that whoever out there can be aware that this did happen to us.

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Dear kpat, I would take finasteride if I had a large tumour and was at death’s door with this as the only option for curing me. (even then, I would think long and hard about it) For hairloss, no. Honestly, I don’t get why worry so much about hair. I think bald men are so attractive. Most women do. Why are you so insecure about physical stuff, it’s really not important. You need to love yourself a bit more as you are.

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You poor thing. Mental illness is horrible. But it is an illness, remember that. Treat it as such, it’s no ones fault. I wish you every good luck with your struggle and hope you have friends and family that are supportive. Try to be happy. Life’s short and precious.[/i]

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I have also psychosis since 2009. I taking medication olanzapine