I’m Concerned That Stopping Propecia Will Give Me Post-Finasteride Syndrome
I’m 24, been on Propecia for a year, and really haven’t seen much of a change. I’m balding from my hairline but I feel (but can’t really see) thinning in the big horseshoe, Norwood 6 or so.
Over the last year, my hairline’s continued receding at about the same level it was before, and recession is definitely much more noticeable than it was before I started. I also haven’t seen any side effects except maybe anxiety or depression, but that could also be related to external factors since I’ve had experience with both of those in the past.
Since it’s been a year, and I don’t think it’s worth spending $1000 a year on my salary for what seems to be negligible results, I was thinking about stopping. But with all the “panic” around Propecia over the last couple of weeks, I’m concerned that stopping might bring on new side effects, even though I haven’t had any on the drug. What are your thoughts on that whole alleged “Post-Finasteride Syndrome” and, as someone who has been very minimally effected by the drug, do you think it’s worth me even being concerned about? I know the internet’s full of hyperbole and all, but I just want to make sure I cover all of my bases before I stop taking the drug.
It feels like I’ve written about this dozens of times on the blog. Side effect incidence is rare and the recent hysteria is from a published article about 54 men that were interviewed (men that joined the study after being recruited from a forum created to complain about the drug). I think the power of suggestion is likely at play.
If you’re concerned about the price — you can ask your doctor for a prescription to the 5mg pill (a generic is available which makes it incredibly cheap), and then just cut the pill. That saves significant costs.
The marketing team at propeciahelp are doing an absolutely bang-up job! I haven’t seen such hysteria like this since the ‘discovery’ was made that vaccines are poison! This is all such a joke. We still have absolutely no scientifically validated indication that this drug even causes these side effects, yet still people are in various states of hysterics over this.
People, go talk to your doctors! If you don’t have faith in your doctor’s opinion, go seek out one you can trust. It is really quire remarkable that people seem to take medical advice from the news and the internet without a second thought. Just because it is on the news does NOT mean it is correct or that they have done their due diligence. It just means they found something that will make headlines, and will report it in as shockingly as possible to maximize interest.
I am always dismayed when hairloss doctors will nonchalantly brush away patients who have been gravely harmed by taking Propecia without given it enough thought to truly do their research. The power of suggestion is simply not a possible explanation from this phenomenon because many men have results showing objective abnormalities with their bodies after taking Propecia and developing unrelenting side effects. If anything, one could make the argument that these men developed problems from other sources, but this is very unlikely as the physiological condition is nearly unheard of in young men in their twenties.
Tex,
there was a time when the public did not know cigarettes were bad for you… doctors included!
I’m sorry, but that’s an incredibly irresponsible reply from a medical physician.
The “power of suggestion’ is not the reason that my endocrine system is objectively a complete mess and several endocrinologists and urologists are bewildered at my profile and symptoms. That’s after 11 years of Finasteride use.
PFS is a real phenomenon. I’m living with it every day. Please take it seriously.