I keep reading about people having side effects after one or two weeks on propecia; even some saying they have clearly reduced libido after just one pill, which goes away the next day.
Well: here's how you test for those "acute" side effects.
Trial 1:
Crush one finasteride pill into powder and put it in a capsule (you get this at any pharmacy).
Then crush six sugar pills, and put them in capsules as well. Hopefully, you won't be able to tell which one contains finasteride
Now get one trusted friend to keep the pills, and give you one random pill every day for a week. Your friend will chose the one day you get the drug, but of course he/she won't tell you. Keep a journal of your mood, your energy, your libido and your morning erections. If you can correctly identify when you received the drug, you are very likely hypersensitive to finasteride.
Trial 2:
Take 7 finasteride pills and 14 sugar pills. Have a friend keep them for you in capsules. Now, for one week, your friend will give you either sugar or finasteride (without your knowledge), where you keep the same journal. Then you wait one week.
Then, another week with either finasteride or sugar, wait another week etc.
After the third week, and another week waiting (total six weeks), consult your journal and your friend, and see if you can identify the week where you received finasteride.
Trial 3: same as trial 2, except you go one month with sugar/finasteride, then wait one week. Then another month on sugar/finasteride etc.
If you can identify the month, you have side effects.
If you pass two of these trials, I'd say the side effects are very likely real, and not psychosomatic. If you pass just one; you are either good at guessing, or the side effects are mild/transitory.
Well: here's how you test for those "acute" side effects.
Trial 1:
Crush one finasteride pill into powder and put it in a capsule (you get this at any pharmacy).
Then crush six sugar pills, and put them in capsules as well. Hopefully, you won't be able to tell which one contains finasteride
Now get one trusted friend to keep the pills, and give you one random pill every day for a week. Your friend will chose the one day you get the drug, but of course he/she won't tell you. Keep a journal of your mood, your energy, your libido and your morning erections. If you can correctly identify when you received the drug, you are very likely hypersensitive to finasteride.
Trial 2:
Take 7 finasteride pills and 14 sugar pills. Have a friend keep them for you in capsules. Now, for one week, your friend will give you either sugar or finasteride (without your knowledge), where you keep the same journal. Then you wait one week.
Then, another week with either finasteride or sugar, wait another week etc.
After the third week, and another week waiting (total six weeks), consult your journal and your friend, and see if you can identify the week where you received finasteride.
Trial 3: same as trial 2, except you go one month with sugar/finasteride, then wait one week. Then another month on sugar/finasteride etc.
If you can identify the month, you have side effects.
If you pass two of these trials, I'd say the side effects are very likely real, and not psychosomatic. If you pass just one; you are either good at guessing, or the side effects are mild/transitory.
