Propecia users Attention!

[baldy_tq]

Hi All,

I just started my propecia regime earlier this month (mid October 10). My biggest concern in relation to side effects (besides sexual) is the potential to develop brain fog.

My held felt very light yesterday, I had difficulty concentrating and process information - onset of brain fog? Maybe, maybe not

Anyway I have been reading through the forums and it seems like a very common side effect. But this statistic could be skewed, due to ones affected complaining and people with no side fefects staying silent.

So....to all Propecia users, please respond to this thread if you are currently on a propecia regimen and do not suffer brain fog! or sexual sides

 

[Spanishlad]

dont believe everything you read on the net. only about 2% of people get sides.

 

[sjm10]

I have been on proscar for a couple months now and had no sides. My sex drive is perfectly fine. No brain fog either that I can tell

 

[brightside]

dont believe everything you read on the net.

only about 2% of people get sides.

It was 2% during the clinical trials, I'd estimate the amount of people worldwide with sides is a lot higher than that.

 

[Cassin]

dont believe everything you read on the net.

only about 2% of people get sides.

It was 2% during the clinical trials, I'd estimate the amount of people worldwide with sides is a lot higher than that.

Based on what? scanning forums?

 

[TheGrayMan2001]

The people reporting sides might be higher, but definitely isn't a lot higher or else the study was a complete farce.

It's been debated and dissected. Read it for yourself on Merck's website, it was a very well done study.

I also suspect side effects are slightly higher (3-4% maybe) but most of them are still minor.

The problem is most people who have sides whine on the message boards. People having no sides never say anything.

 

[Hate2LoseIt]

dont believe everything you read on the net.

only about 2% of people get sides.

It was 2% during the clinical trials, I'd estimate the amount of people worldwide with sides is a lot higher than that.

 

[Mens Rea]

Cassin why are you so defensive about this whole 2% claim by Merk?

Anyone who has actually studied it knows this study is bullshit. A myriad of litigation is brewing and there are many endocronologists with strong opinions (with facts) on the matter.

2% side effects from a drug that supresses an important hormone in the body? Who are you trying to kid?

Atleast Merk had something to gain from pushing this bullshit.

 

[TheGrayMan2001]

Cassin why are you so defensive about this whole 2% claim by Merk?

Anyone who has actually studied it knows this study is bullshit. A myriad of litigation is brewing and there are many endocronologists with strong opinions (with facts) on the matter.

2% side effects from a drug that supresses an important hormone in the body? Who are you trying to kid?

Atleast Merk had something to gain from pushing this bullshit.

Show me the myriad of litigation. Who are the endocrinologists who have anything more than their own patients and suspicions.

You can't, because it doesn't exist.

 

[Mens Rea]

Cassin why are you so defensive about this whole 2% claim by Merk?

Anyone who has actually studied it knows this study is bullshit. A myriad of litigation is brewing and there are many endocronologists with strong opinions (with facts) on the matter.

2% side effects from a drug that supresses an important hormone in the body? Who are you trying to kid?

Atleast Merk had something to gain from pushing this bullshit.

Show me the myriad of litigation. Who are the endocrinologists who have anything more than their own patients and suspicions.

You can't, because it doesn't exist.

Your argument is really biting you on the *** mate

What are you relying on....a study with a very limited focus group, a very limited amount of time and an agenda? Hardly a good basis to start.


As for the litigation - it'll come. As for the enodcrinologists theres various ones such as Dr Shippen etc. Im not going to source it all for you, you know exactly where the information is if you actually want to access it so i wont waste my time. There is PLENTY of articles, and publications on the matter basically warning people not to mess with hormones.

At this stage, what more can you expect? You have to realise, even if this sh*t had literally killed people itd be hard to find supporting medical opinion etc. It takes time and many, many, people on side. For such, relatively minor things (not to victims but to the health service on general) unfortunately this gets less priority. Alot of endocrinologists will readily admit to not really knowing alot about it.


THe ones that do however, seem to all sing of the hymn sheet though
Here is a post from Dr Rynne, just a week or so ago , about finasteride:

http://www.andrewrynne.com/blog/2010/10 ... -propecia/


Again, you'll hide behind the "no evidence" etc etc. There isn't going to be readily accessible hard evidence beyond many thousands of people's personal experiences, really, is there?

It just baffles me how this forum is so hell-bent on playing down these things when it's plain as day what's going on here.

Even on here from my reading, it appears to be the exception where someone hasn't had ANY side effects from propecia. 2% eh? You are placing your trust in the wrong hands.

 

[Primo]

I haven't come across any study that investigates sides from finasteride past the 3year clinical trial mark.

Until the sides from finasteride are investigated over a longer 10-15 year period, I can't possibly just take it at face value as a 98% "safe" drug.

I experienced sides within a week, but I've read of plenty of people on this forum that developed sides after the 3 year mark and its long term safety is yet to be assessed.

Until such a study is done I think it's unfair for people on this forum to present finasteride as some kind of risk-free perfect solution to hairloss because of the long-term gamble involved.

Everyone knows that DHT plays an important part in the Central Nervous System so it's only natural that a DHT inhibitor could cause brain fog/drowsiness/depression etc in certain sensitive individuals.

In fact DHT plays an important role in everything... except muscle tissue, where Testosterone is key (hence why people like Peapoddy have such a good physique despite being on finasteride)

 

[Mens Rea]

I haven't come across any study that investigates sides from finasteride past the 3year clinical trial mark.

Until the sides from finasteride are investigated over a longer 10-15 year period, I can't possibly just take it at face value as a 98% "safe" drug.

I experienced sides within a week, but I've read of plenty of people on this forum that developed sides after the 3 year mark and its long term safety is yet to be assessed.

Until such a study is done I think it's unfair for people on this forum to present finasteride as some kind of risk-free perfect solution to hairloss because of the long-term gamble involved.

Everyone knows that DHT plays an important part in the Central Nervous System so it's only natural that a DHT inhibitor could cause brain fog/drowsiness/depression etc in certain sensitive individuals.

In fact DHT plays an important role in everything... except muscle tissue, where Testosterone is key (hence why people like Peapoddy have such a good physique despite being on finasteride)

Exactly.

People on here, really, really, dont realise the implications that you could bring to your body on surpressing DHT (a perfectly natural and necessary hormone) can do to your body, particularly over a longer period. There is speculation (with sound medical basis) of developed androgen resistence, spinal injury and atrophy of testes, prostrate etc.

As you say, DHT is hugely important to the body. Genuises on here playing things down are morons. TBH, if hairloss was a thing the health service put more emphasis on you can be sure as hell this drug would have been outlawed for this purpose long ago. Its an arse about face way of trying to combat male pattern baldness. Maybe it'll work for some, but at what cost, really?


Fact of the matter is, theres hundreds of people coming on to this forum, asking should they take finasteride and people say "yeah its fine". Often times, these people will go ahead and source it online from a unsantioned pharmacy. This is exactly what i did myself. I wish i was more informed of the risks.

 

[Prop]

I wish i was more informed of the risks.

me too.

but however we cannot condamn who decide to use finasteride
i was unlucky, but people is free to take risks assuming fina.
for lot of them no sides, neither on long period.

i blame my dermatologist that didn't say: "sides could be persistent/irreversible after discontinuing"

new statistics about sides can be useful

 

[Cassin]

Cassin why are you so defensive about this whole 2% claim by Merk?

Anyone who has actually studied it knows this study is bullshit. A myriad of litigation is brewing and there are many endocronologists with strong opinions (with facts) on the matter.

2% side effects from a drug that supresses an important hormone in the body? Who are you trying to kid?

Atleast Merk had something to gain from pushing this bullshit.

You are throwing around comments with no proof. If you're going to make a claim I am just asking you to back it up.

 

[Mens Rea]

Cassin why are you so defensive about this whole 2% claim by Merk?

Anyone who has actually studied it knows this study is bullshit. A myriad of litigation is brewing and there are many endocronologists with strong opinions (with facts) on the matter.

2% side effects from a drug that supresses an important hormone in the body? Who are you trying to kid?

Atleast Merk had something to gain from pushing this bullshit.

You are throwing around comments with no proof. If you're going to make a claim I am just asking you to back it up.

Im proof. There's a forum full of proof and theres pplenty of people on here with "proof"

I value personal experience of the drug better than distanced "studies".

You have to appreciate how hard it is to built a comprehensive study of fins affects particularly due to the lack of interest or priority hairloss attracts in general. It's a huge problem really.

All im trying to project is some sceptism as on here gives a skewed view of things sometimes.

 

[Ende]

2% was the result of the trial. Whether or not that percentage got higher post marketing, doesn't matter. It only tells you that the chance of experiening side effects are small, and I believe they are. What is important to know, is that there are side effects which wasn't discovered during the trial. Merck is aware of this, because they've updated the leaflet which comes with propecia, somewhere within the last two years. They now say that you should consult your doctor IMMEDIATELY if you experience itching or pain in the breast area, which indicates severe elevated estrogen level. This is known to induce secondary hypogonadism, and yet people who currently are in this situation, are having a very hard time being believed. Merck keeps their mouth shut. A producer of generic finasteride have also said that they're aware of that hyperprolactinaemia is a common reason for sexual side effects caused by this drug, and yet they don't publish what they know.

Propecia's patent expires in 2013. I wouldn't be surprised if nothing gets acknowledged before then. What they've done, will be known, and there will be consequences.

 

[Joe-1991]

dont believe everything you read on the net. only about 2% of people get sides.

Everybody knows this figure is utter bullshit.

 

[Mens Rea]

Cassin i went to an endocronologist last night and told him about my plight

He said all the doctors and specialists he knows (this is Northern Ireland) have stopped prescribing this toxic drug to people for hairloss.

 

[Cassin]

Not sure how to respond to that. My dr says he hasn't had one patient yet with a problem.

 

[Mens Rea]

Not sure how to respond to that. My dr says he hasn't had one patient yet with a problem.

Yeah im sure alot of people with sides only have minor sides and never really require GP assistance etc.

One thing i do wonder hough, is, do that many people take this drug? Young people, taking it for hairloss i mean. Id say very few people in the UK actively take it, id hazard a guess at a few hundred, maybe 5 but i doubt it.