# Men's Hair Loss > Hair Loss Treatments >  23 Year Old Terrified to use Proscar (Finasteride)

## TheFakeMoonMan

Hey guys,

I am 23, and for the past few years, I have been noticing a gradual decline in my hair on my temple regions. I finally said enough is enough and have decided to take action to prevent the loss of any more (and hopefully regain some).

My uncle is a family doctor, and I got a prescription for Proscar (5mg) which I have been cutting into 1/4 tablets (1.25mg) and taken both yesterday and today.

However, I have continued to do research on this drug, and there seems to be A LOT of negative information about Finasteride severely messing up your weenie and causing depression. Most notably, the website http://www.propeciahelp.com/, Michael S. Irwig's study on the drug, and the story about the kid who killed himself, have all made me consider whether this is the right thing or not.

I realize that the negative publicity probably gets a lot more attention than the positive, but has anyone else gone through this situation? What did/do you plan on doing? Any advice is welcomed.

Thanks!

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## Follicle Death Row

Man, I was in the same boat as you. Was on it for a couple of weeks and was researching it. I definitely noticed a drop in libido after a week. 2 weeks in and I thought one of my nipples was getting puffy. I actually had a tiny case of gyno when I hit puberty as my testosterone levels rocketed and some of it must have aromatised into estradiol, hence the slight gyno. It cleared up within a month as DHT levels came up. Thought it was happening again due DHT inhibition so I said **** that and got off it. It's not for me. Everything is fine now.

I'd love to be able to take it but I can't. I guess the point I want to make is keep an eye on the side effects. If you notice them creeping up on you, you might want to re-evaluate. Best of luck though. I hope it works well for you.

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## PropeciaVictim

> If you notice them creeping up on you, you might want to re-evaluate. Best of luck though. I hope it works well for you.


 This is dangerous advice.  Many men who develop PFS, myself included, had an immediate onset of side effects that did not reverse after stopping the drug.  There was no gradual creeping.  Monitoring side effects will not help you prevent longer term damage, and believing you have control over the situation is misinformed and reckless.

If you decide you want to try Propecia, you should realize that there is a minute chance that you develop long-term problems from the drug, but in most cases you will be fine.

When I took the drug about 2 years ago, there was much less information about PFS and it had much less acceptance.  I cannot say for sure, but I would not have personally taken the risk were it not for Merck's fraud.

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## Jcm800

> This is dangerous advice.  Many men who develop PFS, myself included, had an immediate onset of side effects that did not reverse after stopping the drug.  There was no gradual creeping.  Monitoring side effects will not help you prevent longer term damage, and believing you have control over the situation is misinformed and reckless.
> 
> If you decide you want to try Propecia, you should realize that there is a minute chance that you develop long-term problems from the drug, but in most cases you will be fine.
> 
> When I took the drug about 2 years ago, there was much less information about PFS and it had much less acceptance.  I cannot say for sure, but I would not have personally taken the risk were it not for Merck's fraud.


 Thanks for posting this reply-I get tempted to try this drug sometimes myself-but replies like yours give me a sudden reality check. 

Seems taking Fin is like playing Russian roulette with your system-too damn risky if you pull the trigger and get serious sides.

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## Follicle Death Row

> This is dangerous advice.  Many men who develop PFS, myself included, had an immediate onset of side effects that did not reverse after stopping the drug.  There was no gradual creeping.  Monitoring side effects will not help you prevent longer term damage, and believing you have control over the situation is misinformed and reckless.
> 
> If you decide you want to try Propecia, you should realize that there is a minute chance that you develop long-term problems from the drug, but in most cases you will be fine.
> 
> When I took the drug about 2 years ago, there was much less information about PFS and it had much less acceptance.  I cannot say for sure, but I would not have personally taken the risk were it not for Merck's fraud.


 I'm sorry to hear that. No question it's far from ideal taking any 5AR inhibitor but usually the HPTA does right itself, not always of course. Risk-Reward didn't make sense for me but it might for someone else. Any hormonal intervention is serious so they are all warned. I still think the HPTA goes out of whack gradually for most that suffer side effects rather than immediately. If he's taking the drug what other advice can I give him except stop taking it. There's no fool proof way to take finasteride. It's not dangerous advice, it's just dangerous to take the drug in the first place. I happen to agree with you on the efficacy of the drug because I didn't feel good on it myself but thankfully I'm fine now.

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## TheFakeMoonMan

Yes, the more and more research I do on this drug, the more and more I feel that I should not be messing with my hormones in such a way.

However, I am still pretty young and have most of my hair, and want to do everything in my power (while still remaining safe) to keep what I have and try to grow back some of the areas where it has shed.

Is there anyway for this to be accomplished without taking Procepia (or any other oral pill). I tried Rogaine a few years ago, but it seemed to regrow very thin and brittle hairs that were noticeably fake and fell out usually with just a light touch. The Men's Premium Minoxidil 15% & Azelaic Acid 5% DHT Inhibitor has good reviews on Amazon, and I've heard elsewhere amazing things about Nizoral (although it seems to have vanished off the face of the earth). It seems like these might be able to help out some...anyone have any experience with these two products (while not on procepia)?

Thanks again!

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## ryan555

I took it for 12 years with no issues and kept all my hair plus regrew what I had lost.  I have many friends who have also taken it long term with no problems at all.  There are a small number of unfortunate guys who have issues with the drug, but it is highly unlikely that you will be one of them.  The alternative is to not take the drug and spend your twenties obsessing about it and possibly becoming one of the guys who spends hours a day lurking in hair loss forums.  

If I were you, I would stop reading the horror stories and try the med.  If it works and you don't have bad side effects (the most likely scenario) then you can pretty much move on and stop worrying about your hair loss.  If you do get side effects, stop the med and you will almost certainly go back to normal.

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## PropeciaVictim

> If I were you, I would stop reading the horror stories and try the med. If you do get side effects, stop the med and you will almost certainly go back to normal.


 This is not true and the same false reasoning that led to a decision that ruined my life.

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## ryan555

> This is not true and the same false reasoning that led to a decision that ruined my life.


 Man, I really feel for you but you are in a very small unfortunate minority.  If this were a drug that made your eyelashes longer I would agree it was never worth even the tiniest risk, but this is a drug that can potentially put an end to a condition that causes a great deal of anguish for some people.  The incidence of permanent side effects is extremely low and the trade off is being a guy in his 20's who spends the next several years being depressed and self concious about his hair loss.

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## 8868alex

Ryan 555

I completely agree with you. It is awful what has happened to these guys and I truly feel for them. To have to deal with the ongoing side effects is so sad and I wish every individual the best with regards to finding peace and resolving their issue. However, it is an elective drug and one which can dramatically improve quality of life for thousands. Also, the vast majority will not have these side effects. I think the forums should be used as means of discussion and imparting advice. What works for me and certain people may not work for others. What is needed is a calm, factual analysis of all the pro's and cons involved in prescribing medication.

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## sadscalp

I would certainly not recommend it. I started 1.25mg in September of last year, and I had absolutely no sides at all until March, when the sides suddenly hit me (very suddenly). My dick became very soft and weird, couldn't get hard, zero libido, it was f*cking scary. Got off it and I've gotten better, but it's still some way to go. My dick isn't quite the way it was yet (feels and looks a bit strange, erections still not 100%, and I go soft very quickly), and my libido is still low, but at least I've improved since I quit which gives me hope I'll recover completely.

The drug didn't do anything for my hair either. I know it's effective to a varying degree in most males, but don't think this drug is safe. I was devastated by my hair loss, and still am to some degree, but there's just no way I'd put that sh*t in my body again, even if I'd known it was gonna give me all my hair back. Just not worth it.

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## Jcm800

Whoa ^^^ **** that, I'd rather embrace the Jason Statham look than experience those quite possible side effects.

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## sadscalp

Oh, and the fact that I was absolutely fine up until around the 6 month mark should be alarming to others. That tells me that you really don't know when the sides are gonna kick in (and I've read other stories where people got them after years on the drug). It was quite a shock to me, especially since I stopped worrying about side effects after a couple of months on the drug, thinking I got away scot free.

Stick to minox, niz and other safe products, that's my advice. Hopefully we'll have something in a few years that obliterates finasteride.

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## Jcm800

> Oh, and the fact that I was absolutely fine up until around the 6 month mark should be alarming to others. That tells me that you really don't know when the sides are gonna kick in (and I've read other stories where people got them after years on the drug). It was quite a shock to me, especially since I stopped worrying about side effects after a couple of months on the drug, thinking I got away scot free.
> 
> Stick to minox, niz and other safe products, that's my advice. Hopefully we'll have something in a few years that obliterates finasteride.


 NO worries dude-Minox and Niz, oh and damn TRX2 (that shit for the time being) is all I'm using.

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## PropeciaVictim

> If this were a drug that made your eyelashes longer I would agree it was never worth even the tiniest risk, but this is a drug that can potentially put an end to a condition that causes a great deal of anguish for some people.


 That is your personal opinion.  For me, balding is not significant and my entirely family does fine without a full head of hair.  Personally, I took the drug because I was balding early (around 21) and wanted to postpone the process a little bit.  However, the Merck safety profile has blatant lies in it and I was misled into making a decision I would not have otherwise.

The OP poster can decide for himself whether the prospect of attempting to keep his hair is worth the minute risk of lifelong sexual dysfunction and other potential cognitive/mood issues.

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## ryan555

> That is your personal opinion.  For me, balding is not significant and my entirely family does fine without a full head of hair.  Personally, I took the drug because I was balding early (around 21) and wanted to postpone the process a little bit.  However, the Merck safety profile has blatant lies in it and I was misled into making a decision I would not have otherwise.
> 
> The OP poster can decide for himself whether the prospect of attempting to keep his hair is worth the minute risk of lifelong sexual dysfunction and other potential cognitive/mood issues.


 I pretty much agree with you.  If hair loss does not really bother you much, then definitely don't take any drugs.  But if you're one of these guys who eats, sleeps, and breathes their hair loss then by all means take the tiny risk and do something about it.  Most of the hysteria about this drug is originating from a small number of people who have had real problems and from people who have never even taken the drug.  And while it is important to know that there are a few unlucky men like yourself who have been harmed by the drug, it's also important to hear from the majority cases like me who did not have any bad side effects and who benefited a great deal from the drug.

As far as merck goes, if it is proven that they covered up definitive evidence of long term effects, then I certainly hope they get what is coming to them.

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## PatientlyWaiting

If you're gonna stay scared then you're gonna stay balding.

Don't listen to every negative comment about Finasteride. Give it a try first. then immediately discontinue it once you think you have sides.

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## HairyHair

> If you're gonna stay scared then you're gonna stay balding.
> 
> Don't listen to every negative comment about Finasteride. Give it a try first. then immediately discontinue it once you think you have sides.


 Agreed on that! There is lots of negativity floating on those forums. make up your own mind and always consider risk/cost/value.
personally i don't take finasteride anymore. it didn't do much for me and it can give some serious hell side-effects (and I'm not talking about decreased libido)...the last 2 years some much more dramatic sides have been investigated..my healthy instinct is skip it

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## Follicle Death Row

Yeah it's tough to sift through a lot of the internet back and forth on finasteride because you have the propecia help guys infiltrating all the sites and maybe skewing numbers a bit but damn if it ****ed them up then they're bloody right to warn us.

I noticed side effects after 2 weeks. I was terrified of getting gyno and my nipple was beginning to get tender so I had to get off it. :Frown:  I had a small issue when I hit puberty and had a testosterone dump and alot of it must have aromatised to estradiol. Got it on one nipple only and was hardly noticeable and disappeared in about 3 or 4 weeks when I assume DHT levels rocketed up. Maybe that makes me more susceptible. Incidentally it was the same nipple that was feeling a bit sore.

I know there's a human model for little to no DHT but they were born that way whereas our systems are not accustomed to inhibiting it. It would be nice to have an unbiased poll of all finasteride users on the site as to whether they have experienced side effects or not to see how accurate Merck's numbers are.

C'mon RNA interference and gene therapy. Barring that, Histogen and Aderans.

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## hunter84

The only way to know for sure is to try it!

I use 1.0mg dutasteride + 5mg finasteride (split 2.5mg every 12 hours) daily, adex 0.5 mg twice a week - with no sides at all, my libido is always high, boners like steel, remember that dht plays an important role in oestrogen suppression within the body, so if your dht levels are suppressed your oestrogen levels will raise, what does increased oestrogen do....Look it up for yourself....loss of libido - check, possible impotence - check, water retention and fatty deposits - check, gynocomastia - check, hair loss - check...

Oestrogen and dht BOTH play a role in hair loss, when both are high, your hairline will suffer, both are low, you can slow this process, even halt, even regrow lost hair.

Make damned sure you use an aromatise inhibitor like adex for oestrogen management while on dut/fin.

But don't take my word for it...research and make a decision.  :Smile:

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## VictimOfDHT

around 13 years on Fin, 1 1/2 on Dut with 0 (zero) side effects. However, they barely do anything for my hair loss. Maybe slowing it down a bit.

How does the saying go ? Believe only half what you see and non of what you hear. Or something like that. There are a group of people who are trying to make Fin look as if it were the worst drug ever, when it is NOT.

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## Follicle Death Row

That's some serious 5AR inhibition Hunter84. Good to hear you're side effect free. I'd agree on the aromatase inhibitor. Maybe blood work every 4 months or so would be a good idea for some I suppose.

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## Notbaldyet

ok, here is what a urologist said to me.  i had been in denial like so many others up to this point:

"propecia reverses your testosterone/estrogen ratio and over time will cause damage.  basically you're estrogenizing yourself when you take this medicine.  people need to be told that before they take the medicine."  

then i went to look at the medical literature and found that if you look at all the articles on propecia, there are a few from the late/mid 90s from Merck, which all say that there are minimal to no side effects.  then, starting around 1999, there are multiple articles by other independent groups showing the reverse, both in terms of erectile dysfunction, infertility, and both in humans and in animals.  

the 2% erectile dysfunction side effect number that Merck initially claimed has NEVER been duplicated.  the real numbers are between 15 and 33% in multiple studies since then.  the infertility issues that Merck said were non -existent?  tons of case reports and animal studies show decreased sperm numbers, dna damage, and structural changes associated with sperm production.    drug company lies about data to get drug approved?  shocker.

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## PatientlyWaiting

> around 13 years on Fin, 1 1/2 on Dut with 0 (zero) side effects. However, they barely do anything for my hair loss. Maybe slowing it down a bit.
> 
> How does the saying go ? Believe only half what you see and non of what you hear. Or something like that. There are a group of people who are trying to make Fin look as if it were the worst drug ever, when it is NOT.


 You reminded me of this George Bush speech with this post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A

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## PropeciaVictim

> the infertility issues that Merck said were non -existent?  tons of case reports and animal studies show decreased sperm numbers, dna damage, and structural changes associated with sperm production. shocker.


 I don't believe Merck has ever said that Propecia does not cause fertility issues, but rather lied about it via omission.  If you look at the actually data from their clinical trials (accessible from the FDA) you will see Propecia users typically have a 50% drop in their sperm count.  Of course, this finding was entirely omitted in their product warning labels and they neglect to mention male fertility while on the drug.

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## VictimOfDHT

50% drop in sperm count ! Shit. I was hoping for 100%.

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## Havok

> I realize that the negative publicity probably gets a lot more attention than the positive, but has anyone else gone through this situation? What did/do you plan on doing? Any advice is welcomed.
> 
> Thanks!


 what do you mean by 'has anyone gone through this situation?'

there are a lot of men who suffer from MPB. there are a lot of men who take finasteride fully aware of potential side effect. there are also a lot of men who'd rather go bald than risk potential side effects.

you will lose hair if you're genetically programmed to lose hair. nobody can tell you how aggressive your hair loss will be in the future. there are no proven medication that is as effective as finasteride. *and most importantly, you don't even know whether finasteride will prevent or even slow down your hair loss LOL!*

bald guy isn't in a position to give finasteride a chance. it's finasteride that is giving the bald guy a chance to keep his hair.

i'm only saying this since i haven't experienced any sides from taking the medication for a year. i'm sure i'll change my tune as soon as i'm experiencing the elusive side effect. but i made the decision to take that risk and it's nobody's fault but my own if anything happens.

no matter how many people you talk to, the potential side effect (if it's even real) won't go away. it's still there. so stop wasting your time and just make the decision. nobody can make that decision for you. nobody can take the blame for you once you make that decision.

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## Havok

> 50% drop in sperm count ! Shit. I was hoping for 100%.


 me too. maybe that's the 'miracle cure' we've all been waiting for. if bald guys can't have kids then we can rid of this genetic defect for good  :Big Grin:

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## VictimOfDHT

> me too. maybe that's the 'miracle cure' we've all been waiting for. if bald guys can't have kids then we can rid of this genetic defect for good


 
If a man in his right mind stopped for a second and thought about what having children would ultimately lead to, he'd be praying for a drug that would make his sperm count drop to zero.
Fools rush in, where wise men never go.....

But hey, let these guys who are too concerned with their sperm count find out the hard way  :Big Grin:

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## abusername

I say that you should give it a shot. I feel that i experienced the worst of it (sexual sides a week in) and they are slowly going away. But honestly now that i'm getting over it i'm just happy that i actually did something to try and save my hair. 

It also taught me that hair is really nothing in the grand scheme of things and that my hair is really just a small part of what makes me so awesome :-D

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## hairwanted

is it not a good idea to decrease the dht level at normal stage with propecia  and with harmone tests report to avoid the side effects ?? i mean dht should not decrease below the normal stage.

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## UK_

does azelaic acid need a prescription in the UK?

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## B not Yet

Guys do u think that people with less severe hair loss may have more sides than people with High level of hairloss. Since DHT levels already High for people who have severe hairloss. Where as mild or low hair loss have low DHT level so it will  have more Side effects on people with less DHT because the percentage will drop significantly .. 
Am not a guy who loss alot of hair daily around 10-30 maybe less but i was diagnosed with MBP. any opinions ??

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