i QUESTION propecia

[viperfish]

Here.........we go! :shock: First of all I DON'T question the science in regards to Propecia or effectiveness. However, every other day that I come to this website I read complaints about Propecia. Such as " I have boobies!", or "I wish I never would have started this stuff, my hair is worse!", "Experiencing sexual side effects!", etc, etc, etc.........
This is not good news. However, there are many that do respond well to Propecia and good for them. I personally will never touch it.
When you really think about it though ingesting a drug into your body that causes these side effects is just not good. I know alot of doctors would disagree, but ingesting a drug that causes these side effects is not healthy! Doctors also do not know everything!
It also seems to me that by reading these posts on this website that the sexual side effects occurence is MUCH greater than 2%. Due to these above reasons I really question Propecia. Anyone feel the same????? :?
To newbies my advice is to experiment with other DHT inhibitors such as spironolactone or revivogen before begining Propecia.
I also found it interesting that last week I visited my family doctor and a derm who both told me that they have never seen anything impressive with Propecia and would not recommend it.....they both suggested minoxidil and to explore other topical DHT inhibitors (spironolactone).
Just my take on it! 8)

 

[david60176]

you really think about it though ingesting a drug into your body that causes these side effects is just not good

There are some OTC drugs that can cause more severe side effects than finasteride.

ingesting a drug that causes these side effects is not healthy!

Many times the side effects will subside after a few weeks of finasteride use. If side effects persist, termination of drug use will discontinue any negative side effects.

Doctors also do not know everything!

No one claimed they did.

It also seems to me that by reading these posts on this website that the sexual side effects occurrence is MUCH greater than 2%.

Posts on websites are not a proper or valid represention of finasteride users. People who have side effects are probably more likley to report them on this type of forum.

Due to these above reasons I really question Propecia

They are not very good reasons to question finasteride.

I visited my family doctor and a derm who both told me that they have never seen anything impressive with Propecia and would not recommend it

Well, like you said, doctors don't know everything...especially when it comes to male pattern baldness.

 

[Guest]

It also seems to me that by reading these posts on this website that the sexual side effects occurence is MUCH greater than 2%

people tend to post more about the problems they are having, in an attempt to gather advice, it's is rare to see a "hey guys! I have been using Rogaine for 14 months now, my hair has thickened up and filled in, it's all going well, er..that's it...."

so expect to see a bias towards problem posts on propecia, and indeed all the hairloss products disscussed here.

The only real way to find out if your notion above is correct (MUCH greater than 2%) is to do a controlled double blind placebo test..which they did..and the resluts were.....er..2%, so I expect it is around that figure.


you contradict yourself in this post with

"Doctors also do not know everything!"

and

"I visited my family doctor and a derm who both told me that they have never seen anything impressive with Propecia"

Your post will probably add to the idea that propecia is a risky proposition and you have not even used it.

miss-information


Ty

 

[Jude]

But can it make hair irreversebly worse?

 

[viperfish]

Sure just keep telling yourselves that! The point is is that it is not a good idea to injest synthetic chemicals in your body for a lengthy period of time. In regards to my derm he is highly recommended, and the only respected derm in town of about 50,000 people. I was told by my doctor that he has literally thousands of patients that have not benefited from finasteride and thus recommended other DHT inhibitors such as spironolactone. Again I'm not disregarding the science behind the product!

 

[Brasileirao]

Bro,

Come on now man, how can you sit there an say that its not good to injest synthetic chemicals. There are many drugs out in the market that help cure millions of people. Drugs that have horrible side effects.

If your derm is in a town of 50,000 people and has had thousands of patients he must be the only derm doctor in a town with a ton of balding men.

Also, in your regime you mention that you smoke, hmmmm, injesting synthetic chemicals?

Perhaps your missing the point. Propecia has had tons of research done on it. It is a drug that is FDA approved and has been around for YEARS under the name Proscar. This means that something must be right or else Merk wouldnt have spent millions of dollars on the drug. I just dont see the logic in blasting Propecia, until I see a report that says it will cause me to die in a week or that it is indeed harmfull to my hair I will keep taking that little pill.

Regards,
Tony

 

[Basketballhead]

Hey buddy you ingest hundreds of synthetic chemicals every single day. Just consider all the processed foods/drinks you eat.

This site is obviously biased, as it is a forum to vent frustrations about hair loss and ask for advice. Of course people are only going to voice one-sided negative opinions about their hairloss questions and concerns.

Without an internal DHT blocker you will continue to bald...

 

[hair mchair]

Viperfish,

I'm really surprised your derm knew about spironolactone. It seems to me so many doctors are so ignorant when it comes to male pattern baldness that they don't know about anything aside from Propecia and minoxidil. Naturally, I'd expect them to recommend these two products over everything else due to their proven effectiveness, but you would think that derms would know at least a little about other treatments for those who are interested.

By the way, I agree with the idea behind your post. Propecia is effective for most people and is even "safe" for most people, but let's face facts - it's certainly never "healthy" putting a synthetic chemical in your body. If this doesn't concern you, then keep popping Propecia. If it does concern you, then it's a good idea to try a topical regimen first before you consider Propecia.

 

[david60176]

The point is is that it is not a good idea to injest synthetic chemicals in your body for a lengthy period of time.

I guess I better tell my grandmother to stop taking all those pills that keep her alive. :roll:

 

[hair mchair]

The point is is that it is not a good idea to injest synthetic chemicals in your body for a lengthy period of time.

I guess I better tell my grandmother to stop taking all those pills that keep her alive. :roll:

I'm not saying you shouldn't use Propecia, but your statement is just absurd. Obviously, there is a difference between using a drug to stay alive and using a drug to save your hair. Creating a comparison between the two situations is ridiculous.

 

[david60176]

it's certainly never "healthy" putting a synthetic chemical in your body

Hmmm...I guess I got confused with the meaning of "never".

 

[Kramer3]

Hair Mcnair: I know this is a little OT from what's being discussed in this thread but I noticed in your sig, you mentioned having amazing results while on propecia. My question is at what times do you recall shedding while on propecia. I can't understand why propecia initiates a shed for many so late into the treatment; six months. Why would only then it cause a shed? Any thoughts?

 

[hair mchair]

it's certainly never "healthy" putting a synthetic chemical in your body

Hmmm...I guess I got confused with the meaning of "never".

Yes, it's very easy to get confused when you take something I say completely out of context and read it as an isolated statment.

My statement was valid. Even in situations where you need to take drugs to save your life, it's not actually "healthy" putting these drugs in your body. There's still the potential that these drugs could mess you up. However, overall it's worth the risk because in a life or death situation, you don't have much of a choice, and whatever problems you might develop could be manageable (certainly more manageable than being dead).

I don't know why this is so difficult to understand. You think your grandmother can't potentially develop more problems from the drugs she's using? Of course she can. But whatever problems might possibly develop, it's better than her being dead.

 

[hair mchair]

Hair Mcnair: I know this is a little OT from what's being discussed in this thread but I noticed in your sig, you mentioned having amazing results while on propecia. My question is at what times do you recall shedding while on propecia. I can't understand why propecia initiates a shed for many so late into the treatment; six months. Why would only then it cause a shed? Any thoughts?

I didn't notice shedding when I was on Propecia. Except when I was also using minoxidil, but after I quit minoxidil the shedding stopped and my hair looked just fine.

 

[david60176]

If the drug Crestor lowers cholesterol, and if negative side effects NEVER occur, then ingesting Crestor, a synthetic chemical, is healthy.

Lower cholesterol without negative effects = healthy

Therefore, the statement "it's certainly never "healthy" putting a synthetic chemical in your body" is false.

Even in situations where you need to take drugs to save your life, it's not actually "healthy" putting these drugs in your body

Save your life = healthy when there are no negative side effects or when the drug doesn't "mess you up'.

There's still the potential that these drugs could mess you up.

Even natural substances (i.e. vitamins) have the potential to mess up people.

Your context does not change the meaning of the word "never". At least not in any logical way. Were you trying to say that taking finasteride is "never" healthy?

 

[hair mchair]

You are completely twisting and distorting the meaning of the word healthy.

Taking finasteride is NEVER healthy. For many people, it's not a bad decision, but since the potential for problems exists with any drug, no it is not actually healthy. Finasteride lowers the levels of an important androgen beyond what is considered normal. Even if you don't develop problems, I'd hardly say that's healthy. Having lower than normal DHT will not promote good health, which is the meaning of the word "healthy." The most you can hope for is that finasteride will help your hair without creating additional problems. But that is not health-promoting.

Vitamins only create problems when they are taken excessively. Vitamin A in moderation is healthy and has a positive effect on your general health. Vitamin A in excessive amounts is unhealthy and has negative effects on your general health. It's impossible for you to use the proper dose of Vitamin A and develop health problems. This can not be said of any synthetic drug.

 

[david60176]

Having lower than normal DHT will not promote good health, which is the meaning of the word "healthy."

Having lower DHT levels can prevent prostate cancer in some men, which means that finasteride does promote good health....even if it initially used to treat male pattern baldness.

Preventing prostate cancer by taking finasteride = promoting good health.

Moreover, using it only for male pattern baldness can promote good health. Using finasteride leads to a cessation of hair loss, which leads to better self-esteem, which leads to better health.

I'm not going to continue in this circular argumentation caused by your unconventional, improper, and non-standard use of the word healthy.

The moral of this story is do not question finasteride unless it's based on proper use of scientific research.

 

[Guest]

Quote:
Having lower than normal DHT will not promote good health, which is the meaning of the word "healthy."

Having lower DHT levels can prevent prostate cancer in some men, which means that finasteride does promote good health....even if it initially used to treat male pattern baldness.

Preventing prostate cancer by taking finasteride = promoting good health.

ding ding....

round one to david60176

also taking a pain killer to stop a headache is putting 'un-healthy' chemicals into your body, but the cortisol produced by sitting out a headache is far worse for you than the pain killer.

 

[viperfish]

First of all I was pretty wasted when I wrote this post. I just wanted some heated debate! :lol: The point is this presently everyone thinks its ok to be on prescription drugs......... I personally don't! Just my opinion! It is perfectly fine to be on drugs that will save your life. For example blood pressure medicines, etc, etc, etc,...... but for hairloss come on. If it bothers you that much seek professional help! I'm just saying that before jumping on prescription drugs, such as propecia and giving more money to pharmaceutical companies, topicals with no side effects should be explored first.
Also I don't smoke just being stupid in my profile!

 

[david60176]

ding ding....
round one to david60176

:toma:

First of all I was pretty wasted when I wrote this post.

I can appreciate drunkenness
:beer:

It is perfectly fine to be on drugs that will save your life.

finasteride can save your life. Prostate cancer is one of the top causes of death among men.

but for hairloss come on

I don't see any huge difference between oral and topical treatments. Either way, you're concerned about your hair loss and want to do something about it. It's even more reasonable to try an oral treatment such as finasteride since it is much easier to use than a topical and has tons of data supporting its efficacy.

topicals with no side effects

Topicals are not void of side effects.

Dude, what is your beef with finasteride? What has it ever done to you? There is no reason to question finasteride in light of the fact that it is effective 83% of the time and only 2% experience side effects. If you have something against pharmaceutical companies, that is fine...but don't hate the player (finasteride), hate the game (corporate America).