Baldness Drug Risks Men's Sexual Health...

The problems of Propecia use may be greater than previously thought, according to this article. There is also some potentially useful info on natural treatments for impotency later in this article:- (link at bottom of page)

Propecia (finasteride) has been heavily promoted directly to American men in TV commercials and male-oriented magazines. Its promise is an alluring one: "Helping make hair loss history."

Propecia claims that nine out of 10 men with mild to moderate male pattern hair loss on the top or middle front of their head will experience visible results. The drug works by reducing DHT, the most potent male hormone that is linked to shrinking hair, by blocking the enzyme 5 alpha reductase.

But behind the images of impressive results showing men’s baldness practically disappearing is a disturbing side effect that is barely talked about despite the drug’s popularity: impotence.

BBC News followed one story of a 26-year-old who took Propecia for male pattern baldness. He stopped taking the drug when he noticed a decreased interest in sex, then a few weeks later became impotent. Even after six months of testosterone therapy his sexual health had not been restored, and his physician suggested a penile implant as a solution.

The drug’s Web site lists sexual side effects as a possibility but downplays their severity, stating:

"A small number of men had sexual side effects, with each occurring in less than 2% of men. These include less desire for sex, difficulty in achieving an erection, and a decrease in the amount of semen. These side effects went away in men who stopped taking Propecia because of them."

There are currently over 1,000 members on PropeciaHelp.com, many of whom believe they suffer from Post-Finasteride Syndrome, a condition of permanent sexual, mental and physical side effects that do not resolve after quitting the drug, and most often are accompanied by an acquired form of secondary hypogonadism (when the sex glands produce little or no hormones).

As their Web site states :

"Most in the medical community are unaware of this possibility, dismiss such claims, or do not care to investigate further as to how or why this irreversible 5AR inhibitor is leaving some men with a post-drug endocrine system crash, loss of androgenic action in the male body, and a common set of hypogonadal symptoms

… or why after quitting, those with permanent issues often find their Testosterone, LH & FSH hormone levels drop through the floor (levels typically only seen during male Andropause in old age, amongst other hormonal imbalances), and acquire an extremely difficult to treat form of secondary hypogonadism.

To date there has been no clinical or medical research into this serious adverse post-drug reaction.

For those already suffering, what is ultimately required is a clinical, controlled study in the lab comparing us to those who never took the drug, to ascertain the root cause of our condition, why our bodies seem to no longer respond to androgens correctly in many cases, and why we continue to experience hypogonadal symptoms and irreversible side effects… with the ultimate goal of finding a cure to reverse this nightmarish syndrome, once and for all."

And as for women, the drug can also have a devastating effect on a developing baby’s sex organs, so much so that Merck, the drug’s maker, warns women who are or may become pregnant to not even handle broken tablets:

"Women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use Propecia and should not handle crushed or broken Propecia tablets because the active ingredient may cause abnormalities of a male baby’s sex organs."

The conventional medical dogma says that male pattern baldness is a genetic condition and there is not much you can do to alter it — but I don’t believe that for a moment. While it is clear genetics are involved, the expression of your genetic predisposition (in other words, whether or not you actually lose your hair) is largely environmentally induced.

So what does this mean for male pattern baldness?

There is strong evidence that early male-pattern baldness could be a clinical marker of insulin resistance , a condition in which you lose your sensitivity to insulin, resulting in excess blood sugar.

As I’ve explained in numerous articles, insulin resistance is the root cause of most chronic disease , and maintaining proper insulin regulation is a primary factor of good health.

In a nutshell, you do that by:

1. Exercising regularly
2. Avoiding sugar/fructose and grains (including organic whole grains as they too will quickly convert to sugar in your body and lead to insulin resistance)

So, guys, if you’re experiencing hair loss or are worried that you might, cut down or eliminate the grains and sugars from your diet. Even better, find out your nutritional type and begin eating the foods that best support it, as this will give you optimal nourishment for your hair growth and your entire body.

If you’re suffering sexual side effects like impotency from Propecia or any other cause, there are some natural remedies you can try.

Herbs like Panax ginseng and Maca root have been used for centuries as libido-boosting tonics. And the amino acid L-arginine has a beneficial influence on blood vessel health, which indirectly can benefit erectile dysfunction by improving cardiovascular function.

L-arginine appears to help with erectile dysfunction by enhancing the action of nitric oxide , which in turn helps relax your blood vessels, including those supplying blood to your penis. As blood vessels in your penis dilate, it increases blood flow, which helps maintain an erection. (This is also how drugs like Viagra work.)

Of course, L-arginine is not a magic potion that will "cure" impotency overnight; some studies have found its effectiveness alone is on par with a placebo. But several studies have concluded that L-arginine in combination with other herbs is a remarkably effective treatment for mild to moderate ED.

In men, L-arginine combined with pycnogenol (a plant extract from the bark of a French maritime pine tree) provided "significant improvement in sexual function in men with ED without any side effects," according to the researchers of one study.

And the combination of 6 grams of L-arginine with 6 mg yohimbine was found to be "a promising addition to first-line therapy for ED," according to a pilot study published in the journal European Urology .

Other supplements that could be worthwhile are choline and vitamin B5.

The neurotransmitter that triggers sexual messages in your brain, whether you’re male or female, is acetylcholine (ACH). With too little ACH, sexual activity goes down. One way to safely and effectively enhance your ACH levels is to take choline supplements (1,000-3,000 mg) and vitamin B5 (500-1,500 mg).

You will also want to be sure your overall lifestyle is a healthy one, as the habits below will further help to enhance your sexual health:

• Follow a proper diet
• Engage in adequate physical activity
• Get an adequate amount of sleep
• Avoid medications, many of which can cause or exacerbate impotence

Great informative post, I’m glad that this evil pill is finally being exposed.

I went through a very depressing (for me) stage of male pattern baldness, that I would have basically given anything to stop, but I would not go even near Propecia because of the side-effects that it can potentially cause.

As for my baldness problem, well it has slowed down considerably, thank God.

Following your links, I found the link below, which may be of interest:

Eh, I’ve been on Propecia for 3.5 months and have noticed ZERO negative effects so far. Maybe I’m one of the lucky ones, but in the double blind scientific study they had to do in order to get FDA approval, only 1.8 percent of men reported sexual side effects and 1.3 percent of the control group (i.e. the ones taking the placibo) reported them. So, basically an extra ONE person out of TWO HUNDRED noticed effects that wouldn’t have noticed them anyway without the medication.

I really think that the ones reporting these catastrophic issues might have just had these conditions to begin with, or manufactured it all in their owns minds after reading stuff on the internet. I think it’s a man’s nature to want to to and “blame” their sexual problems on something so they feel it’s not their fault. I remember, not too long ago, we had a poster here at Thundersplace who claimed that doing several dozen jelqs with a partial erection destroyed his sex life and made him completely impotent, ect. This is completely absurd because a night of rough sex would probably put the penis under a similar amount of trauma. The guy was running around to doctor after doctor trying to get help. Honestly, he sounded to me like a crazy person and much of the doom and gloom stuff I read about Propecia evokes the same reaction for me.

I’m not getting involved in this argument again.

It works for me with no side effects whatsoever. If anyone is afraid to take it, then don’t.

I think considering the number of people using finasteride, having 1000+ members on the PropeciaHelp forum is not a huge number, considering that not all of them are claiming permanent Post-Finasteride Syndrome.
I certainly agree (with 8-Ball) that there will be younger guys with ED looking to lay the blame somewhere, and finding Propecia to be a good whipping-boy.

I question the wisdom of an otherwise healthy young male using a 5AR inhibitor. (I have less concern about those past middle-age using a 5AR inhibitor). Modern medicine can and does do wonders, where it is necessary and responsibly prescribed, but year on year I see greater unnecessary pharmaceutical intervention in our lives. I see young guys taking Viagra even though they don’t have ED. I see them drinking Red Bull because they don’t get enough sleep. I see a huge number on anti-depressants who would not have been on them a few years ago.

Especially in young people, there appears to be a growing culture of “Here, take a pill, it’ll make life better”, encouraged by the pharma-giants. I suppose I see Propecia as another example of ‘normalising’ the unnecessary use of a powerful drug, breaking down the mental barriers to taking yet further unnecessary meds.

I own an impotence help site. Can’t tell you how many guys have contacted us over the years who, after using Propecia (finasteride), encountered erection and/or libido issues, some of which go on for years.

There is no question that some men can use these products with impunity. However a significant number of users do have serious problems. Manufacturers do their best to mask the downsides.

Thanks, FG, for the heads-up.

I actually tried this drug for very mild male-pattern baldness I was experiencing several years ago. I noticed a dramatic drop in libido while on the drug, so I stopped. Fortunately, my libido quickly returned to normal levels, but I could imagine it might cause longer-term problems if taken for a longer time. Though I’m sure some people can use it without a problem, it’s something to be careful about.

I love that I can still read a great thread, well written, that has nothing to do with me. I am bald, but detached enough to agree totally with F G on the issue of younger people and their propensity for taking drugs uncritically. See it all the time!

I’m on it now, and can say as far as it goes with me I get manageable sides. Maybe a 10% drop off in libido and way less night wood. I’ve noticed when going off I quickly return to normal and even get a spike of Libido.

I wish I didn’t have to take it but I love having hair.

And a fine head of hair it is. (I’ve seen it.) :)

Yeah, I grow more and more skeptical of our drug culture with every year. There’s so much corruption in the various institutional incentives involved in the development, testing, and marketing of new meds that I don’t have a clue which studies should be believed.

That said, I’ll probably try finasteride if I ever notice myself balding.

I’ve garnered a reputation over the years for having a thick, curly head of hair. No one else but me seemed to notice my receding hair line in my late teens, but that changed after university. I decided to try propecia when the recession of my hair finally materialized in a thinning of the central, front portion of my scalp.

The results haven’t been great. I was getting changed today and noticed how tiny my balls looked. I inspected them more closely and realized that they`re probably 75% of their normal size. I had noticed my sack sagging more as I`d been taking propecia. I hadn’t realized that the sagginess was caused by my testes shrinking. It was really noticeable and slightly disturbing. I haven`t been taking it long enough to see any difference to my hair, but have noticed that my flaccid member has shrunk and I lose erections almost instantly. I already have enough issues with performance without adding another layer of concern.

I agree that the adverse effects are probably over-played in terms of the percentage of users. Out of the millions who use it, there is certainly not hundreds of thousands of sufferers. Additionally, Thunder’s Place, a veritable paradise of penis /testes related information has hardly anything about this. You would have thought that if there were a lot of people with ED from propecia, that there might be a few threads dedicated to it. However, it is important to remember that the effects can be damaging and permanent. It’s too easy to stroll into using it, disarmed by the numbers. It does have an effect on the body. You’re likely to be able to use it without any significant problems…but there is a chance you may not.

Kickstarting this old thread. I’ve luckily had no sides, other than more watery semen at first, which has gradually been going away. My libido has remained constant, and quite honestly, with PE, I’m able to ejaculate up to three times per sex session (without stopping), which has surprised even me as I approach 50.

I’d like to clarify on my previous post, as I had quickly posted from my phone, and then it was too late to edit it when I got busy at work.

When I say I can ejaculate up to three times, I suppose the first two are not “true” full ejaculations. I try to stop myself from ejaculating as I get to the point of no return, and am unable to stop. I cum a little bit, but surprisingly to me, I can continue, repeat, and finally on the third time explode fully. The first two feel great, and the third feels phenomenal, like a full blown ejaculation, because it is. I hope I’m on my way to being able to control my orgasms more! Not only do I PE (almost 4 months now), but I eat very healthy, drink a lot of water, and I lift weights and do moderate amounts of cardio. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m very attracted to my girlfriend. :-)