Is propecia dangerous for the brain?

[xy53]

Hello everyone. I am a first time poster.
Is propecia dangerous for the brain? I realize all medications have side effects. However, if it's going to adversely damage my brain then it's not worth taking it.
I have found articles and youtube videos warning of propecia causing irreversible brain fog and depression.
Thanks for your help.

 

[smyth01]

They are the same people who believe one glass of water mixed with baking soda significantly reduces their brain fog within minutes :doh:.


Maybe it does happen to some, but brain fog happens now and again with no drugs at all.

Is it dangerous for the brain? Probably no more than breathing our polluted air.

 

[californiaoceans911]

Without a doubt finasteride effects the brain. In the FDA literature it mentions the finasteride crosses the blood brain barrier. Apparently most men don't notice it though. Your body your decision. With the millions of men that have taken it there doesn't seem to be too much concern.

Could you link to this article Fred? I was under the impression that Dutasteride crosses the barrier but not Finasteride.

As for you mr. Smyth please don't scoff at the PFS victims. It very well could have happened to you too. Men have committed suicide because of permanent impotence from this drug. The Baylor studies should help to reveal some of the reasons why this is.

You may want to change the phrasing of this, because it sounds like impotence caused suicide in men, which one could argue is a character flaw. If you kill yourself because a drug made you depressed, ok. If you killed yourself because of impotence, that's just pathetic.

I'll be curious as to what actually gets published from this Baylor study and in what journal. The first PFS papers from GWU were pushed through because of the huge caveats and limitations he admitted to in his paper. There's a difference between that and actually making solid claims, which I think may be what Baylor will try to do.

 

[partialhairloss]

I wanted to alert you to my experience I have had with Finasteride (Propecia). I started taking 1mg of Finasteride about 5 months ago. (I have since stopped) During that time, I experienced a strange sensation which I even thought might be an early onset of dementia. This sensation manifested itself in numerous ways; I found myself not as sharp as I usually was and a few times I could not think of a word as I was engaging in business conversation (small level of stress involved). Also at times I'd feel like I'd be walking, and my mind was a millisecond behind my body motion. Additionally, I noticed when I was quickly crafting emails, I would have more spelling errors or a missing word than usual. The change was noticeable enough for me to first do some research on early symptoms of dementia. My memory was not at 100%; I just had a feeling that my senses were somewhat dulled. Normally I have always felt sharp and in my business, situations required quick creative solutions - however my mental capacity felt blunted.



It was a strange feeling.



I then started searching the Internet for side effects of Finasteride and stumbled upon a forum that discussed a term that I found striking - "Brain Fog". Brain Fog is exactly how I would describe what I felt. I have since stopped taking Finasteride and it has been about a two months now. I have noticed a measurable improvement. I would not say I am back at 100% (but close); I do feel much more like my usual self. Still might be too early to tell but the worse of the symptoms seem to be vanished.


I will never take this drug again. Symptoms were real and disturbing. I have no history of any mental conditions and I am not on any other medications. If this topic were to come up in conversation, I would strongly warn others to avoid this drug.
FWIW.