Propecia Is Not Safe

Much better Vanburen, thank you. :)

As for my experience, I have been taking finasteride for many years and no known side effects. I have friends taking it too with no side effects. I have grown hair back and conceived a child while on it.

Most studies are funded by the drug companies. And they damn well should pay for it considering the amount of money they make off these drugs, but they are studied and researched by doctors and scientists.

And who do you find credible when it comes to research on drugs?

I think your beef is with the pharmeceutical industry and not propecia. Do the drug companies mess up and create drugs that cause more harm than good? Yes they do. Do they make drugs that save peoples lives? Yes, a lot more often then they mess up.

I don’t like finasteride either

Propecia problems?

I’ve taken propecia for over 8 years with no unpleasant side effects, and I still have my hair. Yet, each of us are individuals and wired differently. So if any of you guys do experience side effects, you can make your own choice to continue or not with the propecia program.

Hi all - this is an interesting discussion so I thought I would chime in.the following are my experiences and my opinions. Thanks.

I started losing my hair at the age of 21. I found out about Propecia through a well-respected dermatologist in my community, specializing in hair loss. He suggested that I immediately begin taking Propecia.

My first response to him was asking about the side-effects. Of course he mentioned the very low rates of ED.
Otherwise, there were none!

So that was that - it would be expensive, but it seemed like I had an answer to my hair loss. Losing my hair at such a young age was causing depression and I was avoiding any social situations where I couldn’t wear a cap. (Such as school formals)

However - my gut feeling was that I should avoid the drug. And we should always trust our gut feelings. (Again - my opinion)

I got a second opinion from my family physician. Now he wasn’t a specialist, but he was a down-to-earth no bs type of guy. He immediately said that I was crazy for even considering taking Propecia. His first concern was that why would I take a drug that affects hormones in my body. I agreed with him. I was studying biochemistry in school and I also realized that we do not have a clear understanding of all of the biochemical pathways in our bodies. His second concern was that this was a new drug, and there wasn’t enough research to support any theories about it. The key word is theories. We have to realize that although our scientific knowledge is vast, we still know very little about the complexity of life.

Propecia was discovered by accident - scientists were testing a drug called finasteride (Proscar) on prostrate cancer patients, and they noticed that the bald patients started to grow hair. Now I don’t know about you, but that alone was enough to turn me off. I mean - sure in this case the unforeseen side-effect was a good one, but it could just as easily have been a very bad one - such as irreparable damage to testes function.
For me it logically follows that there could be unforeseen side-effects of Propecia as well.

Here is another side-effect of Propecia which turned me off:

"Finasteride may cause abnormalities of the external genitalia of a male fetus when administered to a pregnant woman”

Now true - one can be careful and make sure the pills be kept away from women and children. But come on.why would you mess with something that has this side-effect. If Propecia has this effect on a fetus, is it really much of a jump to think it won’t have an effect on sperm? I’m providing no proof - there likely never will be any. Too difficult. But personally, hair (even at 21) was just a cosmetic thing for me, and it was a no-brainer. I would never go near the stuff. I don’t need any hard proof. It’s just hair.

Everyone makes their own choices - but just remember this.10 years later, I know a little more about the world, and there is only one thing driving companies and governments and countries. Bottom line. Profit. Again - my opinions. But I put it all together in my own head and I know 100% for myself that drug companies don’t give two craps about me. That is just how the world works - for me anyway.

I think most people will agree that cigarettes cause problems, but it took a long time for companies to admit it. And by then they had made so much money, that a few lawsuits weren’t the end of the world for them. In fact, they’re still making money.

Anyway - sorry for the long post - but each of you - make an informed decision and trust your gut.

Take care.

I share the same view as you do futebol, nice post man.

I’ve been tempted so many times to take propecia, but I still haven’t. Of course I wish I had my full hair back, but I keep reading negative things on propecia

I’m probably just gonna wait until something else comes out for hair growth. I’ve been reading about hair cloning and other interesting developments on their way such as something being developed by a company called Curis, in alliance with proctor & gamble, that will be able to promote hair growth by allowing the hair fociles to enter growth phase.

At least start with rogaine it will at the very least help you keep some hair

No drug is safe… not one. Side effects may not show themselves for years.

“Propecia was discovered by accident/… …/Now I don’t know about you, but that alone was enough to turn me off.”

How do you feel about penicillin? That was discovered by accident as well. Lots of scientific discoveries are.

“If Propecia has this effect on a fetus, is it really much of a jump to think it won’t have an effect on sperm?”

Yes, in fact it’s a huge jump. There’s a great difference between a fetus and sperm. Come on, you must know what sperm is?
A sperm is not the same as a tiny human being, preformationism has been abandoned for quite a while now. However, it was quite popular during the 18th century and earlier.

I apologize if I’m being rude. Too bad I can’t blame it on that time of the month. :)

Exactly. This is more to the point of what I was talking about. The Side Effects from Propecia are not ones that manifest themselves in such a manner one can ACTUALLY detect it through self-consciousness. There are mental and emotional changes,outside the realm of self-detectability in such a fashion that one who never even guess it was even a side effect. Your development as a man is unique and again you can’t compare it to a placebo so how could you even know there was a side effect.

And more to the point, If you feel it’s safe by all means, I do not deride nor look down upon your decision but this is one indisputable RULE any doctor will tell you:

Propecia should not be taken when having a child. You endanger another’s life and create a host of potentially dangerous complications for the mother in doing so.

“The Side Effects from Propecia are not ones that manifest themselves in such a manner one can ACTUALLY detect it through self-consciousness.”

Ok, so how do you detect them? Also, this is not what those scaary eanie-meanie propecia-guys are saying. They actually state that you can suffer detectable side-effects such as ED, it’s no fucking secret man. Can you believe it, the guys selling it are actually telling you there might be side effects! I wonder why that is?

Furthermore, Vanburen, this statement above feels very ad hoc-ish. Why? Because it’s always true. You are saying that the side effects are there even if they are not detectable. So how do you know you suffer from side effects if you can’t detect them in some way? Your argument states that you don’t need to detect them because they are always there, the only solution is to stop taking the pill and join your crusade against the demon lord that is propecia. The core of your statement is impossible to test, verify or falsify.

Let me illustrate:

Nitwit: There are ghosts in your house, they’re out to get you!
:) There are?
Nitwit: Run!
:) I don’t see any ghosts.
Nitwit: That’s because they are invisible!
:) Ok, but I don’t hear anything either.
Nitwit: That’s because they don’t make sounds. They are very stealthy.
:) So how do I know if one of them attacks me? Will it hurt?
Nitwit: You can’t feel them either.
:) So how do you know there are ghosts?
Nitwit: If you can’t see, hear or feel it, it’s a ghost. That’s how you know.
:bang:

How do you test, prove or disprove something you can’t register with your senses?

“And more to the point, If you feel it’s safe by all means, I do not deride nor look down upon your decision but this is one indisputable RULE any doctor will tell you:

Propecia should not be taken when having a child. You endanger another’s life and create a host of potentially dangerous complications for the mother in doing so.”

Now you’re just making shit up.

IF after taking Propecia ,

You were not able to have a child.

That is How.

By that time, your gambling with your life has failed and all these scientists and nay-sayers will re-write these reports and say “long-term” implications were not sufficiently studied as it was a fairly young drug and you me and the FDA can watch another episode of “Vioxx: big pharmas at their greedy best”

Ask a Doctor. Now he wouldn’t be making shit up ?

JK, funny post! That reminds me of a Simpsons episode that was on the other day. Lisa was screwing with Homer and told him that the rock she was holding keeps tigers away. Homer says “How do you know it works?” and Lisa replies “You don’t see any tigers, do you?” Homer ends up buying the rock off Lisa. :)

It’s funny how we are so quick to say all drugs are harmful yet some people wouldn’t be alive without them. Caffeine and alcohol are drugs and have been shown to have healthful benefits when taken in moderate doses.

I’ve kept track of Dino’s thread for a while and it definitely suggests that some people have some undesirable side-effects from Propecia.

You guys need to make your own decisions and taking finasteride is not one to be taken lightly. However, posting information in the form of facts because it seems logical may steer a person away from something that may work well for them and help boost their self esteem.

Like I said, I grew hair, I conceived a child, I have had a pretty good sex life. The only impotence issues I have ever had since taking finasteride is when I have been drinking heavily. Other people unfortunately do not tolerate the drug so easily.

Every time you put anything in your body, you effect it in a certain way. I have a feeling that some people stay away from drugs like finasteride, yet don’t think twice downing a supersize meal at McDonalds. I’m not going to live my life like a ticking timebomb. Instead, I am going to balance my life between health, pleasure, self-esteem, family, etc.

Vanburen: “The Side Effects from Propecia are not ones that manifest themselves in such a manner one can ACTUALLY detect it through self-consciousness.”

Vanburen: “IF after taking Propecia ,

You were not able to have a child.”

How would you know that Propecia is the culprit if you weren’t able to detect the side effects of Propecia with your senses? Wouldn’t the inability to conceive a child as a direct consequence of taking Propecia be a side effect? And if you can’t detect those with your senses… do you see where this is going? ;)

“Ask a Doctor. Now he wouldn’t be making shit up?”

Yes, he could. And so can you. But it’s more likely he would say that about 1/100 - 1/1000 will suffer ED, ejaculatory problems, decreased amount of ejaculate. He would definitely not say “You endanger another’s life and create a host of potentially dangerous complications for the mother in doing so.”

Moreover, its kind of funny, the first sentence in you first post said: “A bunch of people here mindlessly tout “Propecia is safe”. "Because they believe that their doctor says so… ” What you’re saying here is that people shouldn’t blindly follow what their doctors say. In other words these doctors tell these people that Propecia is safe. Then, in your last two posts you say that if you ask a doctor, he will tell you that Propecia is not safe. In fact it will even damage your child and partner!

Which is it gonna be Vanburen? Doctors say Propecia is safe! - or - Doctors say Propecia is not safe! You can’t just change to this or that just because it fits your cause at the moment. Oh, Vanburen, you are the living end! :D

You should know putting hormones into a child at that age determines his gender. What if you play god and fuck with his/her hormones ? It could disfigure the genetials of your child or worse.
The half-life of propecia is more than a year, That means even if you quit today ; you are still not immune to it’s effects for many more months or permitted to have babies.

AND YOu know what .. MERCK knows It.

This is the same company that HAS BEEN SUED and is still being Sued for purposely hiding the fact Vioxx can potentially cause heart attacks. And this disclosure only after many people have already died from vioxx ..

These people who died believed as innocently as many of you have that like propecia, vioxx is safe and That Merck is an honest company.

And what happened when they went to court, Merck brought out powerful Lobbyists and lawyers and left the public out to dry in the pouring raining of their own mischief.

You Decide for yourself.

I’m out of this thread , I ‘ve got work to do. Peace out.