Requiring baselines in the future

General Discussion
#1

Some drugs require a baseline bloodtest study to compare to future results to help detect known side effects of that drug. For example cholesterol lowering drugs can effect the liver and muscle. So they do a base line study of liver and muscle enzymes and repeat them every so often to monitor.

Although not quite the same analogy,The FDA and Merck should require a baseline study of all Propecia users. Wouldn't that be of some value to all of us right now In the long run maybe that will be a result of this forum.
#2

While I agree with you, good luck with that happening.

Most doctors don’t even believe this drug can cause a problem, much less require bloodtesting prior to use. And to be fair, we with these side effects that did not resolve are in the minority… if we had known this was possible, I doubt any of us would have even entertained the thought of taking it.

#3

I can think of 3 ways baselines would start being the standard of practice.

  1. Someone with credibility like Dr. shippen suggesting such in the lecture he’s giving in Fla. Then a couple other endo’s jump on board after him then someone puts it in a piece of medical literature, then Merck will have to start telling doctors to take baselines for fear of a lawsuit.

  2. Jim1234 pointed out that this site is getting press. If people read it hear first, they may tell their md’s they want a baseline. Both loss of hair and ED make men very proactive.

3)Petitioning the FDA. It’s like a compromise. Your not saying you think Propecia should be off the market, your just saying it is in the same class as Lipitor.

Mew I think it was you who helped get on this site.-Thank you if I’m correct. I have a lot of respect the way you hold this site together.