Why Hasn’t There Been a Real Scientific Study of the Men with Propecia Side Effects?
Dr R
Perhaps a rhetorical question but…..
amid all the blog postings, magazine articles, support groups, “chest poundingâ€, editorials etc – why has there not been a well-controlled, scientific study that has prospectively followed a group (perhaps 200-300) of men who begin Propecia for a period of several years? This type of study can then quantify the incidence of persistent sexual dysfunction (that is said to be common), use nocturnal penile tumescence to document further; understand any baseline factors that can possible predict who is more likely to have such an effect, and explore/evaluate all the differential diagnoses that predispose to erectile dysfunction or libido problems (psychological including social issues and life stresses; concomitant medications; coexisting medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, lipid disorders; endocrine abnormalities including testosterone/prolactin levels; cigarette smoking; chronic alcohol use; vascular problems, etc) as well as influence of different therapeutic options.Such a study, which could be done outside of the influence of a pharmaceutical company, seems to be able to be done by any leading urology academic center that sees large number of men placed on Propecia, and would be relatively inexpensive and noninvasive. At present, the field seems to be highly dependent upon retrospective questionnaires in men who have these effects, and an absence of extensive data.
I completely agree. We need to have a statistically valid audience for a good prospective summary. Unfortunately, that type of study will take years to obtain and someone has to pay for it.
LOL – such an experiment “would be relatively inexpensive and noninvasive”. You think it is “noninvasive” to conduct a controlled experiment with the intention of inducing an irreversible state of sexual dysfunction so that we can better understand it? What person in their right mind would willing accept to be a participant in this study thats objective is to determine the severity and frequency of its long-term effects?
Grant,
You don’t understand how clinical research is conducted. This experiment/study essentially follows men who are already prescribed Propecia (and there are hundreds of thousands) to prospectively (rather than retrospectively) understand and evaluate what the true incidence and risk factors are for these issues. Retrospectively soliciting men from blog sites to fill in questionnaire and interview surveys (in the absence of detailed medical evaluations) introduces a scientific bias that explains why these types of retrospective ‘studies†are limited in interpretation and not routinely acceptable for scientific journals.
Grant
Similar to other uninformed comments you make in this blog, the term “invasive” in scientific research refers to measures that involve ‘invasiveness†(such as surgery, catheterization, etc) and not questionnaires and blood tests. Given the “colloquial†way you use it (as being in the study is a hassle and adds risk) – these studies would be conducted in men already on or starting Propecia and just follow them prospectively. This has advantages to the retrospective, potentially biased self-reports one presently sees in the literature. This was the entire pint of the poster.