# Men's Hair Loss > Men's Hair Loss: Start Your Own Topic >  Concerns about Propecia and permanent erectile dysfunction..

## chillout101

Greets!

I'm 36 years old with really a good head of hair except for some very slight thinning in a small part of the crown -- nothing wrong at the temples - so I consider myself very lucky to be approaching 40 with 20 something-hair.  I have maybe a handful of grays here and there but I like them.  I'd love to rock the salt-n-pepper at some point.

However, like so many of you out there I wanted to be proactive about thinning hair so I've started reading about it because I was considering an approach of: Rogaine, Propecia, and Nizoral shampoo (OTC).

Now the Rogaine foam (I think it's 5% minoxodil?) and Nizoral I started about a month ago and that's been really really easy.  The Nizoral I use 3x a week tops because it can irritate a little but the Rogaine I use every day and on occassion I'll skip a day.  Because I have minor thinning I'm not really checking for progress, I'll just do it and check it every few months or so.

Now -- I was ready to finally add Propecia to the regimen which means a doctor's visit.  I really didn't want to see a doc so I looked online to see if I could get the pills without a prescription so I did a Google on it and yes, it looks like you can get it without a prescription from some sleazy looking companies.

So then one of the results was "propecia side effects" so I checked it out and was thinking, ehh maybe headaches or something stupid... Then I started reading about significant concerns with ED, but I thought it's probably a really small percentage and with my crazy libido, it's not gonna happen to me.

But then I even came across a website dedicated to potential and possibly "proven" long-term ED from propecia.  I swear this is not SPAM - I wouldn't waste my time on a Friday night spamming for some website.

Anyway, after a real Swiss study they had to update the Propecia leaflet document (in Switzerland) to include the following in the Possible Side Effects section:

_Frequency unknown:
...
* difficulty having an erection after discontinuation of treatment 
* infertility has been reported in men who took finasteride for long time and had other risk factors that may affect fertility
..._

Is the above a real concern for anyone??  I

http://www.propeciasideeffects.com/index.htm

And here's just one post:

http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2279

Is this happening to anyone here??

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## Layercake

I read about that too. I think it's either BS, or a  select few guys are just super unlucky and have one hell of a bad reaction to the drug. All I know is that the dermatologist that gave me my prescription said those reports are overblown.

In my personal experience as a 20 year old, my libido/ erectile function has remained unchanged, except for a week-long dip at the very beginning.....and I'm fairly convinced that was just a placebo effect from all the fear mongering....I was very nervous. :Embarrassment: 


but then again I have only been taking 1/4 - 1/5 tablets Proscar  (depending on how much time I want to invest in cutting the damn pill)  every other day. 

I also do 5% minox every other night on the same days I take my pill, and Nizoral 1% 
........nearly 3 months into this combo and I can confidently say my hair loss is slowing ....so if your like me (not visibly balding yet...as far as I can tell) maybe you should consider taking it every other day. Hell, maybe every three days. 

your cost AND risk of sides should go down....

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## seraphix

When I first started using propecia, I was worried when I read those forum but then I looked at it more objectively - if it had such bad side effects, then doctors would warn us about it, it probably wouldn't be approved by FDA. Only doctors can answer your question, as people can post anything on the web.

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## PayDay

This seems impossible! Basically the medication would either have to permanently alter your hormones or physically damage your ability to have an erection...It just does not make any sense.

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## bigmac

I`ve used it for a number of years with no sides at all.

Everything working fine too. :Smile:

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## parker55

Hey guys--I'd like your personal advice or comments about my situation.

I'm really young (23ish) but have drastic genetic hair loss--I began the Minoxidil/Propecia cycle about a year ago and got great results. I was off Propecia for 2 weeks or so (couldn't refill a prescription during exams) but just got back on it.

Within 3 days I started experiencing some side effects (weaker erection/decreased volume) which weren't common during my previous one year regime. Anyway, I know that ED has a significant psychological component and having read propeciaforums, I want to make sure that these symptoms are physical rather than mental. 

Does it typically take a week or two for your body to re-adjust back to Propecia or could this just be an adverse reaction?

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## 1ainslie

> Greets!
> 
> I'm 36 years old with really a good head of hair except for some very slight thinning in a small part of the crown -- nothing wrong at the temples - so I consider myself very lucky to be approaching 40 with 20 something-hair.  I have maybe a handful of grays here and there but I like them.  I'd love to rock the salt-n-pepper at some point.
> 
> However, like so many of you out there I wanted to be proactive about thinning hair so I've started reading about it because I was considering an approach of: Rogaine, Propecia, and Nizoral shampoo (OTC).
> 
> Now the Rogaine foam (I think it's 5% minoxodil?) and Nizoral I started about a month ago and that's been really really easy.  The Nizoral I use 3x a week tops because it can irritate a little but the Rogaine I use every day and on occassion I'll skip a day.  Because I have minor thinning I'm not really checking for progress, I'll just do it and check it every few months or so.
> 
> Now -- I was ready to finally add Propecia to the regimen which means a doctor's visit.  I really didn't want to see a doc so I looked online to see if I could get the pills without a prescription so I did a Google on it and yes, it looks like you can get it without a prescription from some sleazy looking companies.
> ...


 Yes to take or not to take is the debate, if you look at www.mesomorphisis.com this is a site for Mens Health focusing on endocrine system, put in Finesteride or propecia and search, most say its poison on that site, hard to know, some say it keeps away prostrate cancer. The bit that worries me is in the manufacturers leaflet with the tablets its says that side effects such as ED etc USUALLY go away after stopping the meds, its does NOT say the side effects WILL go away after stopping meds. There is quite a few guys on that site saying the sides are there permanently after stopping taking it. Im still on the fence but not taking any yet

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## seraphix

> Yes to take or not to take is the debate, if you look at www.mesomorphisis.com this is a site for Mens Health focusing on endocrine system, put in Finesteride or propecia and search, most say its poison on that site, hard to know, some say it keeps away prostrate cancer. The bit that worries me is in the manufacturers leaflet with the tablets its says that side effects such as ED etc USUALLY go away after stopping the meds, its does NOT say the side effects WILL go away after stopping meds. There is quite a few guys on that site saying the sides are there permanently after stopping taking it. Im still on the fence but not taking any yet


 It will be unwise for the manufacturer to say the side effects will definitely go away, as it might not have been caused by propecia in the first place. I was very worried when I read those forums, some people even claim they lost facial features on procecia, got wrinkly, depression, permanent ED and the list goes on and on.
I personally think propecia being demonized on the internet might be from the 'competitors' (snakeoil sellers). The reputable doctors on this forum can confirm this based on their extensive experience with prescribing finasteride.

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## hatesbaldness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8e7HERXA3s

Any thoughts?

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## 1ainslie

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8e7HERXA3s
> 
> Any thoughts?


 I know Dr Crisler is 200% against it. He specialises in treating people with hypogonadism, ie low testosterone etc. Doesnt mean to say he isw 100% correct but might be. The problem I have with it is I have read too many scare stories from people who had bad experiences with it even after stopping.
Then again some people have no problem, but if unlucky to have problems with it then it can be quite serious, maybe better to be a bit short of hair than libido etc, but it has to be a personal decision. I am still waiting , interesting post by one of the regulars on MACA as alternative, he says it works, worth investigating.

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## Winston

I don't buy it. It's been on the market for over 10 years, you would think it would be pulled off the shelves by now if this were true.

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## iwannakeephair1674

I think that the implications of causing long term ED problems with Propecia is way over blown and mostly psychological. I personally took propecia (1mg) for a year and now I'm up to and will remain 7.5mg a day. I have been doing this for a year. I'm noway suggesting anyone does what I do, but I have my reasons why I felt that this dosage was sufficient for me (because .5mg of Dutasteride blocks a lot more DHT than 5mg of Finasteride, so it really isn't that much). The only side effect I can report is a HIGHER sex drive because I believe the testosterone that would have converted to DHT remain testosterone causing my sex drive to be slightly higher than normal. I understand everyone's concerns, but this drug IS safe and IS effective and would be very beneficial the sooner you get on it. I feel like people need to stop overthinking and make a logical decision to start the drug. the WORST possible thing that could happen in my opinion is that you are one of the unlucky 2% (which I think maybe its not even that high, just people freak out causing them to not get it up) and have some problems in that department..... all you would need to do is just stop taking it, say you gave it a good try..and be back to normal really soon. 

I don't see any science where it would effect ED in the longterm because it will not keep your testosterone levels low, because the half life of Finasteride is so short (4-6 hours) that the drug will be out of your body really soon. 

The ONLY thing this drug does is inhibit the 5-alpha-reductase Type 2 enzyme.. and when you stop taking it.. it stops the inhibition.. period

So again.. my suggestion is don't waste your time worrying and be proactive, because the longer you wait.. the less hair you will be able to save.

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## Limmer HTC

If you notice any side effect once you begin the Propecia, just discontinue the medication and your side effect will resolve itself within a few days...without long term complications. :Smile: 
Most patients who simply decrease their dose report that the side effect dimished shortly after dosage change. :Smile:

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## 1ainslie

they say it affects 2%, so it has destructive properties by definition. Also a lot of people think its a lot higher thatn 2%, I know several health practicioners who say they  have patients who were on it , came off and still have the problems, neither of these docs have any negative motives for saying that, one of them is a doc at one of the worlds most renowned hormone specialist clinic. Then again lots of people take it with no sides, so its got to be a personal decision. For me I am not risking it yet, hopefully soon a  completely safe product will come out, ie safe for 100%, no 98% or so.

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## smithers

I'd be curious to see how this turned out for you Parker. I'm of similar age and just had a similar experience, and am wondering if I should be getting off the drug, or if this is a temporary phase. I never felt any loss of erection my first time going on the pills. 




> Hey guys--I'd like your personal advice or comments about my situation.
> 
> I'm really young (23ish) but have drastic genetic hair loss--I began the Minoxidil/Propecia cycle about a year ago and got great results. I was off Propecia for 2 weeks or so (couldn't refill a prescription during exams) but just got back on it.
> 
> Within 3 days I started experiencing some side effects (weaker erection/decreased volume) which weren't common during my previous one year regime. Anyway, I know that ED has a significant psychological component and having read propeciaforums, I want to make sure that these symptoms are physical rather than mental. 
> 
> Does it typically take a week or two for your body to re-adjust back to Propecia or could this just be an adverse reaction?

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## smithers

I'd be curious to see how this turned out for you Parker. I'm of similar age and just had a similar experience, and am wondering if I should be getting off the drug, or if this is a temporary phase. I never felt any loss of erection my first time going on the pills.

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## kirstieclark

Hi,
I got one word for you Virection. The other stuff out there is crap. All the prescription pills cost a fortune and you have time things just right. With this, I just take one everyday, and it's all good. Couldnt believe it, but this stuff actually works.

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## Dr. Lindsey

I have posted many times that I am a big believer in Propecia.  I prescribe it and I took it for about a year.   Unfortunately I am one of the 2-3% who had that side effect we all dread.  Within 5 days of stopping, the side effect was and remains gone.  Plenty of our patients over the years have simply gotten viagra to use in conjunction with propecia, but I personally just chose to stop it.  Nevertheless I think its a good medicine and for 96% plus patients, there are no side effects, and often good results.

My advice to you is to get it from a local doctor who you can check in with from time to time and contact if there are side effects.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

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## Aznstan

I started taking 5% minoxidil for about a year now and I didn't really notice a difference.  My hair was thinning more noticeably and shedding more around 3 years ago (i'm 25 now) and finally i just decided to take the plunge and go on propecia for a 3 month trial.  I'm about 2.5 months in and haven't noticed a huge difference yet although i think i did go through some sort of shedding period, but i think that could've either been attributed from the propecia OR from a stressful job situation that i had occurring around the same time i started the treatment.  
After reading the permanent side effects stories...some of them saying people experience them immediately, I'm once again nervous about taking propecia long term. 

So my question is has anyone encountered side effects and if so how immediate/noticeable were they?  For me being 2 months in I have not encountered any sexual side fx whatsoever, actually i have a high libido and it hasn't really gone down and I still can ejaculate a lot =/  
Would reducing the propecia from 1 pill a day to 1 pill every other day still help but not carry as much side effect?  

Thanks to all for the great forum and for reading my long post!

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## Phatalis

(oops wrong window.)

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## 25 going on 65

> I started taking 5% minoxidil for about a year now and I didn't really notice a difference.  My hair was thinning more noticeably and shedding more around 3 years ago (i'm 25 now) and finally i just decided to take the plunge and go on propecia for a 3 month trial.  I'm about 2.5 months in and haven't noticed a huge difference yet although i think i did go through some sort of shedding period, but i think that could've either been attributed from the propecia OR from a stressful job situation that i had occurring around the same time i started the treatment.  
> After reading the permanent side effects stories...some of them saying people experience them immediately, I'm once again nervous about taking propecia long term. 
> 
> So my question is has anyone encountered side effects and if so how immediate/noticeable were they?  For me being 2 months in I have not encountered any sexual side fx whatsoever, actually i have a high libido and it hasn't really gone down and I still can ejaculate a lot =/  
> Would reducing the propecia from 1 pill a day to 1 pill every other day still help but not carry as much side effect?  
> 
> Thanks to all for the great forum and for reading my long post!


 If you browse around the forum, you'll see a good number of members who say they've experienced finasteride side effects. The real-world rate is very low, so don't psych yourself out by reading scary stories on the internet. Just be reasonable and keep an eye on your body; if you feel you start experiencing side effects, my advice is to talk to your doctor about them.
We currently don't know if finasteride can cause "permanent" side effects. There is a very small population of men who feel this has happened to them, but it hasn't been verified through research. 

As for my case, I noticed a slight change in my ejaculate while on this medicine. I'm not sure if it's from finasteride, but it is possible.
That said, I've been on it for close to a year and a half with no significant side effect whatsoever. My sex life is normal.

Taking 1 mg every two days will definitely still help your hair, but it's hard to say how much less effective it will be. If I were you, I would continue taking it as prescribed unless you experience unwanted effects. 

Also, just so you know, 3 months won't be long enough to determine whether finasteride is working for you. Most hair loss specialists would probably suggest you give it a year.

Good luck!

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## jayth

Hey guys. People in the thread I started are bugging the shit out of me so i'm gonna jump in this discussion. I'm sure they will be over here ranting shortly :Mad: 

Anyways, I've been on less than 1mg fin for about 2 weeks now (i got the 5mg proscar and split them 5 times so each dose is between .75 and 1.25mg) I wanted to start with a smaller dose and work my way up if I have no side effects. So far so good. My hair fall has stopped almost completely (no longer on my brush, or pillow, or shower drain). I hope this continues. I've heard it takes 3 months to truly evaluate side effects, is this true? So far no sexual sides. The first few days when I had sex I thought my erections were a little less hard. It seems to have gone back to normal now. Anyways, just wanted to report my experience so far. I waited 3 years to start fin because I was unsure about it.

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## chrisis

It can take months and even years for side effects to show up. For me it was 2-3 months. I think the longer it's been the less likely you'll have any. If you make it past 6 months I think you're likely to be fine.

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## 25 going on 65

I just realized the post I responded to is over a year old. Oops!

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## jayth

> It can take months and even years for side effects to show up. For me it was 2-3 months. I think the longer it's been the less likely you'll have any. If you make it past 6 months I think you're likely to be fine.


 Thanks chrisis. Guess we'll wait and see. Keeping my fingers crossed. Are you still gonna start fin again? I'm tring to cut the smallest peices I can from a 5mg tablet. So some days i probably only get .50 of a mg and other days a full mg. I still have alot of my hair (35 years old) but my hairline is starting to recede pretty bad and my crown/vertex is starting to thin as well. I guess this is more of a prevention than anything else. If i re-grow a little then thats just an added bonus. Take care

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## jayth

I forgot to ask this in my last post but would there be any benefit to splitting the dose of Fin?? Like .05 in the AM and .05 in PM. I'm sure someone has done this. It makes sense from a medical standpoint but.

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## Ramazan



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## chrisis

> Thanks chrisis. Guess we'll wait and see. Keeping my fingers crossed. Are you still gonna start fin again?


 I'm gonna start it back up at 0.25mg once the side effects are gone. I think they're *slowly* ebbing away. 

Good luck and let us know how you get on! You might find it easier to get the 1mg tablets rather than 5mg. It's best to have a consistent dose. If you're cutting a 5mg any smaller than into quarters, I can't imagine that would be easy!

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## 25 going on 65

I found that when the 5 mg comes in circular pills, they're quite easy to cut into (almost) equal quarters. But cutting the oblong pills is a real pain in the ass!

jayth: I can't imagine .5 mg twice a day (instead of 1 mg once a day) would have much of an impact on effectiveness or likelihood of side effects. But I guess it could be worth experimenting with if you get unwanted sides.

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## jayth

> I'm gonna start it back up at 0.25mg once the side effects are gone. I think they're *slowly* ebbing away. 
> 
> Good luck and let us know how you get on! You might find it easier to get the 1mg tablets rather than 5mg. It's best to have a consistent dose. If you're cutting a 5mg any smaller than into quarters, I can't imagine that would be easy!


 Your right Chrisis it's not easy lol? I was thinking the same thing about the 1mg but it's cheaper this way so I went with it.

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## Lewis Hamilton

> I read about that too. I think it's either BS, or a  select few guys are just super unlucky and have one hell of a bad reaction to the drug. All I know is that the dermatologist that gave me my prescription said those reports are overblown.
> 
> In my personal experience as a 20 year old, my libido/ erectile function has remained unchanged, except for a week-long dip at the very beginning.....and I'm fairly convinced that was just a placebo effect from all the fear mongering....I was very nervous.
> 
> 
> but then again I have only been taking 1/4 - 1/5 tablets Proscar  (depending on how much time I want to invest in cutting the damn pill)  every other day. 
> 
> I also do 5% minox every other night on the same days I take my pill, and Nizoral 1% 
> ........nearly 3 months into this combo and I can confidently say my hair loss is slowing ....so if your like me (not visibly balding yet...as far as I can tell) maybe you should consider taking it every other day. Hell, maybe every three days. 
> ...


 
With all due respect there are many factors. The basics are these: the younger you are the less the side effect systemically and cumulatively as a)you've had less time on it as you're young, and b) the human body is far better at recovering say in its 20's versus its40's. It's also well known that men start to lose available testosterone once they get over 35 (hence sales of Viagra etc).

Anyway, the side effects are real and they will wreck your life. 

Disregard my advice at your peril.  

And before loads of morons come on slating me as a scaremonger I should point out I used Propecia for over 12 years and have had extensive endocrine and other tests, so I know what I'm talking about.

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## Lewis Hamilton

> Your right Chrisis it's not easy lol? I was thinking the same thing about the 1mg but it's cheaper this way so I went with it.


 If you've shown ANY sides get off asap. Even if you think its improving.

It's a ticking timebomb.

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