PropeciaHelp.com

[Cassin]

I don't doubt that there are pharmaceutical reps going to sites like this and trying to pump up their drugs. .

you would be surprised...it doesn't work like that.

drug companies don't want to spend a dime with forums for their drugs. They consider them a non issue. Its sites like cnn.com they worry about. Merk doesn't give a sh*t about forums. I can guarantee you that. The only people who care about forums are hair piece and hair transplant companies along with online drug sites. Its a different market with direct drug companies.

We have never once banned a pharmacy rep yet we ban people daily for spam. And no they aren't just better at hiding.

 

[Cassin]

I bought mine from inhouse pharmacy. Same effect, no hair losas, same side effect, impotence loss of libido and eventually crash.

The only reason online users differ is that they are not doing it under medical supervision and thus may have sides with their Doctor being oblivious to the real cause. If online stuff is fake it won't work pure and simple. If it was some how dodgy and a higher dosage well it wouldn't matter due to the flat dosage rate.

The truth will start to come out about finasteride in the next year or two.

No...it is not plain and simple.

And I am very sure some online stuff is legit but common sense here...we know some are bogus.

 

[Cassin]

Not to split hairs but I highly doubt most people on any forum use dr's and pharmacys

 

[Ende]

Not to split hairs but I highly doubt most people on any forum use dr's and pharmacys

You're making some good points, but I think most men are diagnosed with male pattern baldness by a doctor, and get their first prescription for the drug there. I know some of them don't use it, and just order generics online, because propecia is very expensive in some countries.

 

[cuebald]

Got my finasteride from Inhouse, an on ~0.9mg a day (5mg split into 6ths), I had an increased libido (10%) and increased semen (20%) during the first few weeks, decreased libido (10%) and decreased semen output (15%) the next few weeks, and returned to baseline after that.
Been on it over 2 years now with no problems.

I also experimented with Oral Spironolactone 200mg daily (100mg morning, 100mg night) along with some of the other posters over at HLH.
I got mild gyno (very sensitive nipples, slight tissue growth) and a reduction in sex drive of about 50-60%. I also noticed a slight lowering of mood - I was slightly down more of the time. I could still easily get it up and "perform" when I wanted to, I just didn't want to as much.
The structure of my penis remained unchanged. I find it very hard to believe that the physical structure of one's penis can change, just from taking finasteride, in two weeks time.
I think these heavy side effects are psychosomatic. I believe that these people could very well believe with all their heart that something is badly wrong with their physiology, in the same way an anorexic truly believes they are fat - and in reality, the only problem is in the mind. It seems that the majority of them go for bloodworks that come back completely normal too.

 

[Mew]

I think these heavy side effects are psychosomatic. I believe that these people could very well believe with all their heart that something is badly wrong with their physiology, in the same way an anorexic truly believes they are fat - and in reality, the only problem is in the mind.

Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, makes no difference because the truth is coming out.

It seems that the majority of them go for bloodworks that come back completely normal too.

Hence why some in the medical community are beginning to suspect a form of acquired androgen resistance may lie at the heart of this issue -- as noted by Dr. Alan Jacobs, Neuroendocrinologist (someone with far more credentials and authority to speak on the matter than either you or I):

http://blog.alanjacobsmd.com/alan-jacob ... eride.html

 

[Ende]

It seems that the majority of them go for bloodworks that come back completely normal too.

Hence why some in the medical community are beginning to suspect a form of acquired androgen resistance may lie at the heart of this issue -- as noted by Dr. Alan Jacobs, Neuroendocrinologist (someone with far more credentials and authority to speak on the matter than either you or I):

http://blog.alanjacobsmd.com/alan-jacob ... eride.html

As soon as doctors realise that a testosterone level of 300 ng/dl (on a scale from 200 - 900) isn't normal for a 20-something year old guy, especially when he has a lot of symptoms of hypogonadism, androgen resistance isn't the first thing which leaps to mind. I've seen some of the blood work at propeciahelp, and I know many have high, normal T levels, but it's all about balance. For instance, I've seen some guys with severe elevated DHT level. Guys with very high DHT level, and who never have used finasteride, have been complaining about low libido. I'm just mentioning it. The testosterone/estrogen ratio seems to control libido more than anything, and DHT counters estrogen.

 

[mandrogenic]

Long time lurker here but wanted to add my 2 cents.

I took Finasteride and experienced mild sexual side effects (libido and erection) during the first few months but it wasn't really until I read the propeciahelpforums that I really started to "feel the side effects". For me I really think it was a confidence and psychosomatic issue, I was so focused on the libido/ED problems that I think I psyched my self out. Ironically once I refocused and relaxed (easier said than done) I had no problems with propecia.

The "nocebo" phenomena is real and one can believe that a drug is helping or hurting them even if the pharmacology isn't really the culprit.

I found this peer-reviewed research paper:
Finasteride 5 mg and Sexual Side Effects: How Many of these are Related to a Nocebo Phenomenon?

The conclusion was that telling a patient that they might have adverse sexual side effects can significantly increase their reports of said sexual dysfunction.

I believe like any drug finasteride has side effects and that some unfortunate souls have terrible and lasting problems but I still think the % of side effects is low. Anyway anecdotal evidence is one thing but if you look at peer-reviewed research journals most conclude that the ASEs are only slightly higher than a placebo group--though a very small % of men have increase sexual dysfunction.

Male Androgenetic Alopecia : Response To Finasteride

The effect of finasteride in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia
Evaluation of sexual function in subjects taking finasteride for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia

http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/140/7/857]Evaluation of Sexual Function With an International Index of Erectile Function in Subjects Taking Finasteride for Androgenetic Alopecia

Effects of finasteride on health-related quality of life in men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia

Long-term 6-year experience with finasteride in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia