Persistent Sexual Side Effects of Finasteride in Young Men

Mew

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[youtube:1c8g97zp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZ3-t7vJeg[/youtube:1c8g97zp]


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Dr. Michael S. Irwig from George Washington University has published a study on persistent Finasteride (Propecia) side effects in young men aged 21-46.

Study published March 18, 2011: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract

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http://gwtoday.gwu.edu/people/adrugsuni ... nsequences

A recent study by GW Professor Michael S. Irwig reveals persistent and possibly permanent side effects associated with a common hair loss drug.

Men taking medication for hair loss may suffer from prolonged and possibly irreversible sexual dysfunction, according to a recent study by Assistant Professor of Medicine Michael S. Irwig.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, reveals that finasteride--an antiandrogen that treats hair loss and is found in popular male pattern baldness drug Propecia--can cause persistent sexual dysfunction, including low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction and problems with orgasms.

While labeling on the medication in the U.S. currently warns about possible reversible sexual side effects, there is no reference to the effects being persistent, says Dr. Irwig, who conducted the study along with Swapna Kolukula of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Other countries, including the United Kingdom and Sweden, have documented persistent risks and required medical companies to include them in labeling.

Dr. Irwig first became aware of the problems caused by finasteride several years ago when he encountered several men who reported they had developed sexual dysfunction while taking the medication.

"It's been very frustrating for a lot of these men because they've sought care from medical professionals who have looked at the literature and have not seen a risk of persistent sexual dysfunction," says Dr. Irwig. "So a lot of these patients have been told to see psychiatrists and psychologists and that it's all in their head."

Dr. Irwig then noticed that men had reported sexual dysfunction for months after they stopped taking the medication.

"I came across a website called propeciahelp.com with more than 1,400 registered users—many young healthy men who developed the same sexual side effects from finasteride—and I discovered that nobody had published a series looking at these men—who they are, how long the sexual side effects lasted, what types."

Dr. Irwig's study included results from interviews with 71 men aged 21 to 46 years old to assess how long they took finasteride, the type and duration of sexual side effects and their sexual frequency before and after the medication.

Dr. Irwig discovered that 94 percent developed low libido, 92 percent developed erectile dysfunction and decreased arousal, and 69 percent developed problems with orgasm. On average, the men used finasteride for approximately 28 months but experienced persistent sexual side effects for an average of 40 months, from the time they ceased taking the medication to the time of the interview.

Dr. Irwig also found that the average number of sexual episodes per month dropped after finasteride use.

"It turns out that almost all the men had multiple sexual function problems," says Dr. Irwig. "Before finasteride use, the men experienced average sexual activity of approximately 26 episodes per month, but after use, it came down to approximately eight per month —an almost two-thirds reduction."

"Twenty percent of patients I interviewed experienced persistent sexual dysfunction for more than five years, which makes me wonder if their persistent sexual dysfunction is permanent," he adds.

Dr. Irwig says roughly 5 percent of men who take medicine will experience sexual dysfunction, but that "out of that 5 percent, it's hard to tell how many will experience persistent symptoms."

"We know that this is a potential problem, but we can't quantify what the exact risk is. I can't tell a man if he has a 1-in-100 chance, or a 1-in-1000 chance of developing persistent sexual dysfunction, but it's pretty clear there's a relationship here," he says.

Topical Rogaine can be used as an alternative to Propecia —applied directly on the skin, it does not get absorbed by body and thus does not cause sexual side effects—but Dr. Irwig says Propecia is very effective in treating hair loss and thus is commonly prescribed.

So Dr. Irwig says it is crucial physicians treating male pattern hair loss discuss the possibility of persistent sexual side effects associated with finasteride with their patients.

"I think it's very important that doctors who are prescribing this medicine talk about potential risks, so men can make an informed decision," he says.
 

Raxe

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Dr. Irwig says only 5% of people experience sexual sides from propecia? Don't most proponents of Persistant finasteride Syndrome disagree with that? Don't they think it's more?
 

Wuffer

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I'll first say I fully believe in the safety of Finasteride, based on demonstrations in the medical trials. However, the 2% sides listed on Merck's website is slightly misleading; it means that less than 2% of individuals will experience ONE of the 3 primary sexual side effects (either ED, Loss of libido, or ejaculatory disorder). However, this could mean that up to 6% of users could experience ONE of these disorders. The 5% figure Dr. Irwig states is perfectly accurate, and I don't think the majority of Post-finasteride proponents, even Mew, dispute that figure.

However, the beef lies in the fact that a certain percentage of this 2% or 5% or 6% (whatever the percentage is) experience persistence in side effects. Even as a huge supporter of Finasteride, I admit that there is something going on here.
 

Mens Rea

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I think those figures are about right.

Although i think it depends how strict you are on what qualifies as a side. I think a relatively high % of people get some sort of side effect (e.g. slight ball ache or reduction in semen volume). That's just my personal perception from reading about anyone who takes finasteride especially people that take it for a decent amount of time.

Almost all the guys i know who used it for 5-10 years got some sort of side effect just mostly minor ones.
 

Wuffer

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Yeah, for sure. I haven't had any sides after 3 months, except for a testicle ache for 3 days about 2 weeks in. It seems that everybody, even people who have been on for 10+ years reported that. I'm guessing since it wasn't a constant thing and only lasted a short time, most people shrugged it off and didn't consider mentioning it.. Probably why it didn't show up on the original trails as a side effect.

I don't know of a drug that doesn't cause ANY sides. I just think some people have a much higher sensitivity to minor side effects like aches, pains, cramps, itches.. The kind of stuff that we all experience on a daily basis and generally filter out of our minds. Some people are extremely in-tune with these feelings, and focus on them as being a major problem (hypochondriacs)

I'm not sure how they measure sides though. When people say "I have ed" does that mean they run tests to determine if it's really the case? I guess having the placebo arm, and a massive number of patients eventually cancels out this variable, but i've always been curious how they do this.
 

Mens Rea

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Wuffer said:
Yeah, for sure. I haven't had any sides after 3 months, except for a testicle ache for 3 days about 2 weeks in. It seems that everybody, even people who have been on for 10+ years reported that. I'm guessing since it wasn't a constant thing and only lasted a short time, most people shrugged it off and didn't consider mentioning it.. Probably why it didn't show up on the original trails as a side effect.

I don't know of a drug that doesn't cause ANY sides. I just think some people have a much higher sensitivity to minor side effects like aches, pains, cramps, itches.. The kind of stuff that we all experience on a daily basis and generally filter out of our minds. Some people are extremely in-tune with these feelings, and focus on them as being a major problem (hypochondriacs)

I'm not sure how they measure sides though. When people say "I have ed" does that mean they run tests to determine if it's really the case? I guess having the placebo arm, and a massive number of patients eventually cancels out this variable, but i've always been curious how they do this.


Yes every drug has some reports of sides no doubt, but very few drugs have such complicated claer underlying issues with sexual function like finasteride does. It's quite a serious drug for something to be used for what its used for...

Just for the record i had tiny ball ache the first time i used finasteride (for 6 months) and that was it. It was the second time (1 year) that it slowly got me.
 

Joe-1991

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Of course every drug has side effects. But if this was just another case like that, then it wouldn't be such a big deal.

How many people do you know that have had there sexuality ruined by a drug?

My first side effects were testicle ache, weak urination, muscle twitches etc, I got told to carry on with the medication on this forum. A year later and I am dealing with horrific side effects from the drug, far beyond the ones I suffered when I was on it.
 

Wuffer

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I'm not at all arguing the point that a very small percentage of people have extreme reactions to all drugs. I've read that it's estimated that 100,000 people die each year from FDA-approved drugs. Even any google search on Asprin reveals frankly shocking death statistics that are linked to it. Every drug you take is going to put you at risk, and yes I acknowledge that Finasteride carries a risk of permanent sexual dysfunction. However, we all take drugs at sometime in our lives and really need to weigh out the pros and cons of each. Hell, many people take up habits like smoking and drinking alcohol, which have almost guaranteed adverse effects. It's pretty much impossible to do anything without putting yourself at risk.

No one yet knows the prevalence of this post-finasteride syndrome. It's great that there are medical professionals involved at learning more about it. Hopefully, this will lead to more insight into it's prevalence, it's cause, and best yet, a cure. Based on my guestimation, I would say it's somewhere in the range of 1/1000. Very rare, but still statistically significant.

I've actually read a lot about Post-SSRI syndrome; it seems to be very similar to Post-finasteride syndrome. I'm sure you guys have made this connection, but it is a very well documented phenomenon. It also seems like it is fairly common.. I took SSRI's for about 10 years of my life, and I never had any of these problems.. But I cant help but wonder if there is a connection? I've also seen that Bupropion (Wellbutrion) can help with these Post-SSRI sexual problems. I wonder if this could help post-finasteride people as well?
 

Mens Rea

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Wuffer said:
I'm not at all arguing the point that a very small percentage of people have extreme reactions to all drugs. I've read that it's estimated that 100,000 people die each year from FDA-approved drugs. Even any google search on Asprin reveals frankly shocking death statistics that are linked to it. Every drug you take is going to put you at risk, and yes I acknowledge that Finasteride carries a risk of permanent sexual dysfunction. However, we all take drugs at sometime in our lives and really need to weigh out the pros and cons of each. Hell, many people take up habits like smoking and drinking alcohol, which have almost guaranteed adverse effects. It's pretty much impossible to do anything without putting yourself at risk.

No one yet knows the prevalence of this post-finasteride syndrome. It's great that there are medical professionals involved at learning more about it. Hopefully, this will lead to more insight into it's prevalence, it's cause, and best yet, a cure. Based on my guestimation, I would say it's somewhere in the range of 1/1000. Very rare, but still statistically significant.

I've actually read a lot about Post-SSRI syndrome; it seems to be very similar to Post-finasteride syndrome. I'm sure you guys have made this connection, but it is a very well documented phenomenon. It also seems like it is fairly common.. I took SSRI's for about 10 years of my life, and I never had any of these problems.. But I cant help but wonder if there is a connection? I've also seen that Bupropion (Wellbutrion) can help with these Post-SSRI sexual problems. I wonder if this could help post-finasteride people as well?

NO. Wellbutrion actually completely destroyed a guy that was already on the ropes from finasteride! I can't recall where his story is but i read it last week. Most posters said never to take Wellbutrion.
 
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