New Propecia Persistent Sexual Side Effects Study Published
Snippet from the study abstract:
Methods. We conducted standardized interviews with 71 otherwise healthy men aged 21–46 years who reported the new onset of sexual side effects associated with the temporal use of finasteride, in which the symptoms persisted for at least 3 months despite the discontinuation of finasteride.
Results.  Subjects reported new-onset persistent sexual dysfunction associated with the use of finasteride: 94% developed low libido, 92% developed erectile dysfunction, 92% developed decreased arousal, and 69% developed problems with orgasm. The mean number of sexual episodes per month dropped and the total sexual dysfunction score increased for before and after finasteride use according to the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (P < 0.0001 for both). The mean duration of finasteride use was 28 months and the mean duration of persistent sexual side effects was 40 months from the time of finasteride cessation to the interview date. Study limitations include a post hoc approach, selection bias, recall bias for before finasteride data, and no serum hormone levels.[/bq] Read the full abstract — Persistent Sexual Side Effects of Finasteride for Male Pattern Hair Loss
This is new to me. We always try to follow publications, but remember that just because an article is published does not mean it is FACT and everyone needs to understand how the results were compiled. This was a paper based only on interviews of 71 men with sexual side effects only. I’m unsure about what lengths they went to find any underlying health issues or even conducting physical exams.
If this is true, then those men who develop sexual side effects will have a difficult decision. This has not been my experience in using and prescribing this drug for over 14 years. We have to make our decisions not just based on what we read, but also the methods of how the conclusions were based.
More info can be found at Time.com.
Could the only reason for this be that the 5 alpha reductase enzyme is still being suppressed after discontinuation of medication? Is it because trace amounts of Finasteride hang around a long time (like Dutasteride but not as long) or has it somehow damaged the production of the enzyme?
I have an axe to grind because I am a post-finasteride syndrome sufferer and have been disrespected by the medical community. Many doctors are in bed with or brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry and refuse to believe their precious drugs can do serious damage. Consequently, very few doctors are willing to treat me and I am stuck with this hopelessness because the medical community is incompetent. Dr. Rassman should not want finasteride to be unsafe, (it is already), but to analyze the facts logically and objective (he has not). One can always look for a logical weakness, or hole, in any scientific argument (we do not yet have a theory of everything) or one can use one’s objective intuition to see there is a neglected medical puzzle before us.
I am a PFS sufferer with a perfect medical history, good blood pressure (110/70), thin body type, am on no other medications, and drink very little alcohol. I could be lying to you but it would be a waste of my time as I have nothing to benefit from making such claims other than the hope that a few of you wake up and the issue gains some legitimate recognition.
The selection bias would not have influenced Dr. Irwig’s findings. Dr. Rassman has said previously there was nothing present in the medical literature documenting specific cases. NOW THERE IS and he still refutes it. The selection bias refers to the fact that the most affected victims would come forward to participate in the study as they have the most to gain from doing so. So be it, we have seen some people who are passionate about solving PFS. People have a recall bias for exactly how well their penises functioned prior to finasteride. Let’s assume patients slightly overestimated their previous virility (so be it) they still had functioning penises and they no longer do. The purpose of the study was NOT to determine prevalence which would have been severely distorted by a non-random study. Instead it wanted to incorporate a significant number of men into the medical literature that had no health problems until finasteride was introduced into their systems and voila, they are impotent. This is not a double-blind, controlled, random study so it cannot prove causality with 100% certainty (which would cost in the many millions). THIS WAS NOT A STUDY OF 2 MEN THAT COULD HAVE HYPOGONADISM, but instead a smorgasbord of 71 men that had no other reasonable cause for impotence.
If you are so paranoid to think that 100 men conspired to enter into a medical study to lie about their symptoms for no obvious gain, then you may as well hide in your closet with a tin foil hat. Just because this community has organized on the internet, does not mean it is not legitimate. When you are dealing with a rare condition, it only makes sense such a problem would aggregate first in digital form.
jeremy:
I have seen those studies on rats. Do you know the dosage that was given to the rats was like 1000 times more the dosage that humans take. comon LOL. Now finasteride usage is equal to castration LOL. Humans are exposed to 1 mg. 1mg will not damage your penis. On a rare occasion if one is unlucky it might happen, but the rats dosage was WAY more than the human exposure
Apologies, you are definitely right about the dosage. The 1mg dose reduces DHT about 40% (on average) from baseline in humans, and the ‘finasterided’ rats showed a decrease of slightly more than that with respect to the control group.
Assuming the decrease in DHT is causing the structural abnormalities (the hypothesis posited by the authors), it is reasonable to expect a much much smaller dose would have the same effects. If, however, another adjustment caused by finasteride is responsible for the structural abnormality, the tests should be completely over a range of doses.
In regards to what this says, and in resposne to what “Eli” says about the men who should “stop crying..” yes, it HAS had an affect on my sexual prowess; the desire is there, but the ability decreases..and yes, I will no doubt stop taking the pill..am I crying about it? No..but does the study have merit? YES! Does it happen to all the millions? Of course not..side effects of ANY drug affect people differently..but if you are not taking this drug..do NOT make such rude and less-than-intelligent comments.