Hi there, I've been taking Generic Finasteride from Dr Ashcroft for 7 days now.

For the first three days I felt terrible, but that has now passed, now I'm left with an upset stomach and my penis is now purely something to urinate out of. I heard that some people get a lower libido but mine is non existant!
I'm 25 years old and am usually overly active.

Did anyone else have severe side effects on the drug when the first started? If so, how long did it last?

Should I quit now and save myself from any long term problems in the trouser department?

I'm taking one 5th of the tablet daily like most people.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Sexual side effects do abate in some men who continue treatment. You might like to give it a few weeks to see if things improve. Unfortunately there does seem to be a 'nocebo' element for some men - they are afraid of sides, and this makes them feel worse! Just hang in there for a while and try to keep a positive outlook.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17655657

the loss of sex drive is very very common when commencing with finasteride doses. Usually side effects with drugs ends with discontinuation of the drug. however there are treatments to calm the side effects of Fin.

A lot of people ignore the "see your doctor" tag as they are afraid to hear that they should stop taking the drug. I would say that it is more than likely that you will be able to continue use and reduce the side effects - assuming you are giving some good advice (and that you dont suffer from any strange hormonal patterns)

I think you should take a look at this forum http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/ and seriously consider the potential risks of continuation if you are getting bad reactions to the drug. They can be potentially permanent based on some accounts. Also check these out:

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/proscar/T0KGFP19QC3CDB54V and http://www.scalpmed-reviews.com/the-danger...le-side-effects

Be very careful with internet forums (including this one!) The contributors are anonymous. They don't necessarily have any relevant expertise. They may have a bias.

http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/

There haven't been any reports of 'permanent' sides from finasteride in the medical literature, as far as I'm aware. But if you are worried, you should talk to a doctor or pharmacist, rather than looking at scare stories on the internet.

I agree internet is not always a reliable source of information, bet then again neither is the medical establishment! In fact, you can obtain "independent" all sorts of useful information on latest findings that your average GP most likely even aware of. But you have to compare data from different sources and ensure they are not posted or published by organisation with biased views (such as cosmetic and drug suppliers or political sources). Forums have saved my skin in the past when it came to researching good surgeons or needing independent verdict in patient's own words etc. I am not saying moderators or other anonymous posters are necessaruly reliable sources of data, but you need to weigh the odds. Why would anyone set up and post bad things about finesteride unless that have agrudge against drug companies?? In any case, aoccording to different sources finesteride is being investigated in Sweden by the mdeical establishment for potentially permament negative impact on sexual performace of some users. There must be a significant report of such incidents if a country with a good scientific reputation like swened will launch an investigation into the drug.

This drug was originally developed for people with prostate enlargement, which are mostly in the 50+ age groups who have already past their sexual peak. It was not intended for 20 something year old to take it and mess with very important hormones such as DHT testostorone. Although Glaxosmithkline carried out trials on the drug for hair treatment which was eventually approved by US food and drug administration, it means absolutely nothing insofar as long term impact is concerned. If fact, many drugs such as prozac, beaterblockers, and slimming pills have been approved only to discover that they do more harm than good. There is no such thing as free lunch I'm afraid. You fix one thing, and you sure as hell are breaking something else as a trade off so that the sum of the total is zero...the world according to newton's law of equilibrium.

My girlfriend, who is a clinical pharmacist, relies on information from pharmaceutical manufacturers to devise the most appropriate drug treatment for patients and advise other healthcare professionals about particular medicines.

Healthcare professionals use resource such as the BNF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_Formulary) which draws in large part upon manufacturer's data. Personally I'd rather they used professional information sources like this, rather than relying on the say-so of anonymous, self-appointed "experts" in internet forums!

Drugs are regulated by bodies such as the FDA in the US and the MHRA in the UK, and manufacturers are required to submit all available data on safety and efficacy to the regulators. Information is also collected on an ongoing basis post approval.

http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/comms-i.../con2031677.pdf
http://www.fda.gov/cder/info/consumer_approved.htm
http://www.fda.gov/cder/aers/potential_sig...nals_2008Q1.htm



Possibly... maybe the drug didn't work for them, maybe they suffered some genuine problems then blamed the drug for all their ills, or maybe they just enjoy spreading what marketers call 'FUD'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt



I saw that claim on Wikipedia, but I haven't seen anything else in the public domain about this. If anyone can update us, let us know.



According to Bryan Shelton, it was developed to deal with a range of problems caused by androgens. Merck studied men with 5AR deficiency in the 70s and noted that they didn't suffer from BPH, prostate cancer or male pattern baldness. Finasteride was created to replicate the hormonal profile of a 5AR deficient man. Of course, it was marketed as a BPH treatment first, but it's quite normal for drugs to have multiple uses, be licensed for one use first, and others later.



I think you mean Merck, not GSK. Finasteride has now been prescribed for BPH for 16 years, and prescribed for hair loss for 10 years; there have been long-term studies such as PLESS (Proscar Long-term Efficacy and Safety Study) and the 5-yr Propecia trial.

Most importantly, you need to bear in mind that there is a biological model for the effects of finasteride - men with 5AR deficiency. These men have an underdeveloped prostate and sometimes genital abnormalities dating from childhood, but are otherwise healthy - in fact, they have some health advantages over 'normal' men, for example they never experience prostate cancer.



All medicines have benefits and risks. Some men do experience side effects from Propecia, but personally I've had a good experience - I've maintained my hair with no adverse reactions to date (touch wood).

Thanks. Impressive and well informed comeback (although one could say never rely on what you read on the net )

I am glad you are not suffering from adverse effects. There are a 1000 members on the forum I mentioned earlier and I doubt they all lack better things to do than spread lies just for hell of it. It appears that most people gain from the drug, and if you don't suffer immediate adverse reactions then you're probably okay; though i read someone mention he started developing severe sexual problems 10 years after starting ont he med. The dispute isn't that only a small minority suffer. What is frightening is that the adverse reactions are devestating (if to be accepted as accurate facts). ganital deformity, loss of libido and sensation, mental fog etc. These may be placibo in some or perhaps most cases, but not all. I am only too aware of psychological impact on libido and loss of sexual urges due to age or drugs etc can often be self fulfilling profecy (we all know deep inside what winning the lottery would do to one's sex drive )

What is interesting about 'permanent' suffers though is that their GPs do not seem to find much wrong with them (with exception of increase in testostorone which the body overproduces in response to sensing loss of DHL). The truth is that no one knows for sure if DHT has other functions, and if those who natually suffer from deficiency have genital deformity or other physical differences, then it is not inconceivable that similar changes may be expected in some people who react badly to the drug. I am considering going on an initial coure of this drug myself, as I have seen some of the impressive results, although the gamble at the moment seems to far outweigh the benefits, if some of the information on the net is to be believed (at least in terms of permanency of the developed conditions).

There may be 1000 members on Propeciahelp.com, but the total number of finasteride patients, globally, is probably in the millions. Besides, how many of those 1000 members of Propeciahelp are regular posters, or have even posted at all? Many might be guys who have registered because they are be looking for information and want to ask questions. I remember someone on Hairlosstalk.com saying that there were tens of thousands of registered members on that forum (possibly an exaggeration!) but only relatively small proportion ever post.



There's a question of attribution here. Did A cause B, or was A simply coincident with B? I think some guys are all too willing to blame ALL their problems on finasteride, whatever the actual cause might be. For example, there are many potential causes for low libido, as you yourself allude to - NHS Direct has a list at http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/artic...x?articleId=881



5AR-deficient men (they are often called 'pseudohermaphrodites') have deformed genitals because they lacked DHT before birth and in their infancy. DHT is essential for genital development in the womb and childhood, but once you reach physical maturity, taking finasteride should not be a problem. I've never seen any reports, outside of Propeciahelp.com, indicating that finasteride effects penis size and shape. You might like to look at Dr. Bill Rassman's blog - he gets asked questions about things like this quite regularly.

http://www.baldingblog.com/



It's worth a chat with a medical professional, who should be able to answer any questions you may have. Unfortunately, many GPs know very little about Propecia; Dr Ashcroft is a notable exception.

As far as the alleged "permanent side effects" go, well there's nothing in the product monograph or medical literature about this; Bryan Shelton, minor celebrity on various hairloss forums who claims to have read tons of finasteride studies (I believe him, judging by the well-informed nature of all his posts) says he's never seen anything supporting claims about "permanent" sides (although he's apparently "agnostic" about the possibility).

Pondle, thx for thorough reply.

Just wondering...are you a Moderator here?

I hope it was helpful badhairdo... I'm not a moderator, just one of the regular posters. This was one of the first sites I used when I finally got panicked by my hair loss and started researching treatments way back in 2005, and I've hung around since then.