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Is Propecia/Finasteride worth the risk?

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  • 22-12-2019 9:53pm
    #1
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭


    I'm lucky enough to be getting a hair transplant in 3 months time. The surgeon has recommended I take Finasteride. He considers it a safe drug. I am 30 years old and have been put off taking this drug for years as I have read terrible things about it online. Does anyone have any personal experience with it? Is it worth the risk? Are there any alternatives that work? I already use Regaine twice a day.


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    #2
    gizabeer
    Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭gizabeer


    Hi , I started taking Finastride about 5 or 6 years ago and took it for about 3 years straight , It worked and I stopped shedding but my short term memory went to bits .
    If I was having a conversation with someone I would forget the most basic things , good friends names places i was recently ect , really obvious stuff , I didn't put it down to Finastride at first but after a bit of googling I seen memory fog was one of the possible side effects .
    I stopped taking it immediately and after a few months it started to improve . My hair didn't start shedding badly for about 6 or 7 months afterwards and I stayed of it for another 6 months or so and then ended up taking it again.
    My memory was grand for a a couple of months then went to **** again so gave it up for good.
    It wasn't just the brain fog that got me to stop it was other horror stories I had read online and while that might have been all the sides I was going to get I just wasn't willing to chance it anymore .
    I have thought about getting a transplant and its cheap to do these days but I think your on Finastride for good (could be wrong) once you get one .


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    #3
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Iwantcoffeenai


    gizabeer wrote: »
    Hi , I started taking Finastride about 5 or 6 years ago and took it for about 3 years straight , It worked and I stopped shedding but my short term memory went to bits .
    If I was having a conversation with someone I would forget the most basic things , good friends names places i was recently ect , really obvious stuff , I didn't put it down to Finastride at first but after a bit of googling I seen memory fog was one of the possible side effects .
    I stopped taking it immediately and after a few months it started to improve . My hair didn't start shedding badly for about 6 or 7 months afterwards and I stayed of it for another 6 months or so and then ended up taking it again.
    My memory was grand for a a couple of months then went to **** again so gave it up for good.
    It wasn't just the brain fog that got me to stop it was other horror stories I had read online and while that might have been all the sides I was going to get I just wasn't willing to chance it anymore .
    I have thought about getting a transplant and its cheap to do these days but I think your on Finastride for good (could be wrong) once you get one .

    Did a doctor prescribe you it? The side effects are only supposed to affect 2% of people but if you looked online you would things it's more like 70%. Brian fog sounds terrible!


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    #4
    gizabeer
    Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭gizabeer


    Yeah my GP gave it to me , his son uses it so it was no problem , I used to get 6 months prescription at a time , its only about 6 or 7 euro a month , I split the pills into 4 with a splitter . My memory is still bad , seems to be improving slowly . As possible side effects go , ill gladly take this Lol .


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    #5
    Newport81
    Registered Users Posts: 715 ✭✭✭Newport81


    gizabeer wrote: »
    Yeah my GP gave it to me , his son uses it so it was no problem , I used to get 6 months prescription at a time , its only about 6 or 7 euro a month , I split the pills into 4 with a splitter . My memory is still bad , seems to be improving slowly . As possible side effects go , ill gladly take this Lol .

    My GP gave me prescription for finasteride today. Scared to take it. How you getting on?


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    #6
    Jimmy Bottlehead
    Registered Users Posts: 10,118 ✭✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    I got an online prescription a few years ago, but opted not to fill it after reading all the horror stories and side effects.

    For me, it simply wasn't worth the risk. Sure enough, about a year ago I hit the point where I had to shave my head. Maybe fin would have staved that off for longer, but a full head of hair isn't worth the risk of memory or fertility issues for me. I'd prefer to be the bald guy can think straight and go in the sack, than be the guy with a full head of hair who can't remember squat and/or can't get it up.


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    #7
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 18,988 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    One taken it on and off for a while.

    My hair was thicker for sure. I got the MOT done this year and 3 years ago and all is fine.

    I'm probably going to go back on it. 1 tablet per week broken into 3.

    Also thinking of getting the tattoo dots on the top to make the top look thicker. I've enough hair that it will work.


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    #8
    Tommy Pickle
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Tommy Pickle


    I've been on the Finasteride for about 4 months now and have absolutely no side effects and my hair is thicker and way fuller already, you couldn't take it off me to be honest.

    This is just my opinion:
    If you look at the actual research, they gave Finestride and a placebo to 2 groups of men. The bad side effects were as prominent in the group of men that took the placebo as that took the Finesteride. 1-2% of men and probably way more will have sexual issues due to stress, anxiety and other factors, especially men worrying about their balding and appearance which are the ones who taking the Finasteride for hair treatment. If you think something is going to give you all these negative sexual side effects it could get into you head and the stress/worry can give you the same issues.

    When you listen to the doctors that work with hair loss patients they all say that they very rarely see side effects and any side effects that they do see are reversed from stopping the Finasteride.

    Also men taking the Finestride for treatment of enlarged prostate, they are taking quite a high dose, up to 5mg per day. When you are taking if for your hair, you split the 5mg tablet into 4 pieces, and you take a quarter of the tablet 3 times a week, so the dose that you are taking is very low, about 3.75mg a week.


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    #9
    Tommy Pickle
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Tommy Pickle


    Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »
    I'm lucky enough to be getting a hair transplant in 3 months time. The surgeon has recommended I take Finasteride. He considers it a safe drug. I am 30 years old and have been put off taking this drug for years as I have read terrible things about it online. Does anyone have any personal experience with it? Is it worth the risk? Are there any alternatives that work? I already use Regaine twice a day.

    Just something to consider, you are getting a hair transplant due to your male pattern baldness. So presuming you didn't take finasteride and just got the transplant. The transplanted hair would last forever on your head which is great. But all of your own hair will continue to recede due to the continuation of the male pattern baldness, and you'll eventually have a gap between your transplanted hair and the rest of your hair.

    Thats why they recommend the Finasteride, it stops the rest of your hair from receding, hence you have a desirable head of hair. If you don't take it, you may end up looking worse than you did before the transplant within a few years.


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    #10
    Rikand
    Registered Users Posts: 20,340 ✭✭✭✭Rikand


    If you really didnt want to take the finasteride, you could try Saw Palmetto

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/saw-palmetto-benefits

    No known side effects but has other health benefits aside from reducing hair loss. Probably not as effective as finasteride which of course is chemical and specially designed for hair loss but you could do a lot worse than give it a go


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    #11
    HBC08
    Registered Users Posts: 3,287 ✭✭✭HBC08


    I took it for 8 years but stopped as was about to start a family.Never had any sides and will go back on it in the future.
    Don't underestimate it,but at the same time know that the sides effects are only present in 1-2%.
    My advise would be to try it and if if there are any problems then stop immediately.
    There are lots of lotions,potions and pills out there for hair loss but the only ones that are proven to work are minoxidil and finisteride. They serve different purposes and ideally you should be on both.


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    #12
    WoolyJumper
    Registered Users Posts: 847 ✭✭✭WoolyJumper


    I started taking it about 3 mouths ago. No sides or issues at all. It's too early to tell if its working though. I was an idiot and didn't take pictures before I started to process so im struggling to tell if the small hairs at my hairline is new growth or just signs of a receding hairline.


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    #13
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,624 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    Why is Finasteride prescribed over Minoxidil tablets?


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    #14
    Tommy Pickle
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Tommy Pickle


    mrcheez wrote: »
    Why is Finasteride prescribed over Minoxidil tablets?

    They do 2 totally different things

    Finastride is used to stop the advancement of the male pattern baldness.

    Minoxidil is to stimulate growth of your hair but wont stop the onset of male pattern baldness.

    Best results will be achieved by using both.


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    #15
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Iwantcoffeenai


    Newport81 wrote: »
    My GP gave me prescription for finasteride today. Scared to take it. How you getting on?

    I have decided not to take it as I struggle to find anyone say anything positive about it on the internet. The side effects terrify me. I use Regaine and Nizoral shampoo.

    Has anyone tried Saw Palmetto as an alternative?

    Has anyone tried PRP therapy treatment?


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    #16
    gizabeer
    Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭gizabeer


    Newport81 wrote: »
    My GP gave me prescription for finasteride today. Scared to take it. How you getting on?

    Sorry , just seen this now , My memory isnt THAT bad , its just a bit of a pain sometimes but is getting better , It was about 2 1/2 years before I started noticing I was forgetting stuff and up to that was delighted with it .


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    #17
    Elemonator
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,271 ✭✭✭Elemonator


    There is a lot of hysteria online, and my doctor specifically warned me about the vocal minority. The place I went to has treated 80,000 people with surgical and non surgical means. In that profile, a few hundred developed side effects and four developed permanent side effects but all of those 4 had other things going on. That places it around the low incidence of side effects it claims to have. My doctor pointed out to me that patients would take it for years, become aware of the side effects, and then suddenly develop them. Reckoned that Paracetamol has a side effects incidence rate of 10% and if people read the label they would never take it again (liver scarring etc.)

    In the end I never took it. My brother has taken it for two years with no problems. That's not to say you won't encounter side effects, but there is a lot of hype over them on the internet. Reading up side effects and suddenly developing them after taking the drug for years seems unrealistic. Most side effects listed on these labels seem to be put there purely because of legal liability, not because a significant amount of people developed them.

    I also see it mentioned that it isn't licensed in Ireland. While it isn't licensed for hair loss, it is licensed for BPH at five times the dose. It was licensed in major jurisdictions such as the US FDA and the United Kingdom but its patent was nearly up when it came to being licensed in Ireland and the cost wasn't worth it, supposedly. It isn't a big earner since it went generic.


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    #18
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Iwantcoffeenai


    I started taking it about a month ago and have had no negative side effects. In fact I think my sex drive has increased and am actually getting better results in the gym.

    I take 1mg every other day which is similar to what you are taking. Do you think this is sufficient or should I move to 1mg a day?

    What are your results like now? How long did it take for you to see visible results?

    Tommy Pickle wrote: »
    I've been on
    the Finasteride for about 4 months now and have absolutely no side effects and my hair is thicker and way fuller already, you couldn't take it off me to be honest.

    This is just my opinion:
    If you look at the actual research, they gave Finestride and a placebo to 2 groups of men. The bad side effects were as prominent in the group of men that took the placebo as that took the Finesteride. 1-2% of men and probably way more will have sexual issues due to stress, anxiety and other factors, especially men worrying about their balding and appearance which are the ones who taking the Finasteride for hair treatment. If you think something is going to give you all these negative sexual side effects it could get into you head and the stress/worry can give you the same issues.

    When you listen to the doctors that work with hair loss patients they all say that they very rarely see side effects and any side effects that they do see are reversed from stopping the Finasteride.

    Also men taking the Finestride for treatment of enlarged prostate, they are taking quite a high dose, up to 5mg per day. When you are taking if for your hair, you split the 5mg tablet into 4 pieces, and you take a quarter of the tablet 3 times a week, so the dose that you are taking is very low, about 3.75mg a week.


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    #19
    Newport81
    Registered Users Posts: 715 ✭✭✭Newport81


    How you getting on any sides yet? We’re you told to take it every other day by your GP?
    Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »
    I started taking it about a month ago and have had no negative side effects. In fact I think my sex drive has increased and am actually getting better results in the gym.

    I take 1mg every other day which is similar to what you are taking. Do you think this is sufficient or should I move to 1mg a day?

    What are your results like now? How long did it take for you to see visible results?


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    #20
    LawBoy2018
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭LawBoy2018


    I've taken it for like 5 years now w/o any side effects. The main reason why I began taking Finasteride was that I began losing my hair at 19 (hairline + crown) and felt very selfconcious about the whole situation. My friends would joke about it and that would bother me. Now that I'm a bit older, would I care as much? One would hope not. That being said, do I plan to stop taking it any time soon? No.

    I did a tonne of research on the drug before ever I went near it though and I would advise anyone considering it to do the same. During my consultation with my doctor, he inspected my hair and felt as though what he saw was normal, but I knew, personally, that it had began to thin out and that sooner I got on the Finasteride, the better chance I had.

    Overall, would I recommend to a friend? Absolutely. I take 1.25g/day (a quarter of a pill).


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    #21
    Newport81
    Registered Users Posts: 715 ✭✭✭Newport81


    I found this video of an Irish Guy when searching is it safe and it’s scared the beejesus out of me!

    I get this sinking feeling every time I wash my hair and look in the mirror i think about starting the finasteride every day but am freaked out by the horror stories I’ve read online. It’s a roll of the dice you just don’t know how it will effect you

    LawBoy2018 wrote: »
    I've taken it for like 5 years now w/o any side effects. The main reason why I began taking Finasteride was that I began losing my hair at 19 (hairline + crown) and felt very selfconcious about the whole situation. My friends would joke about it and that would bother me. Now that I'm a bit older, would I care as much? One would hope not. That being said, do I plan to stop taking it any time soon? No.

    I did a tonne of research on the drug before ever I went near it though and I would advise anyone considering it to do the same. During my consultation with my doctor, he inspected my hair and felt as though what he saw was normal, but I knew, personally, that it had began to thin out and that sooner I got on the Finasteride, the better chance I had.

    Overall, would I recommend to a friend? Absolutely. I take 1.25g/day (a quarter of a pill).


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    #22
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Iwantcoffeenai


    Newport81 wrote: »
    How you getting on any sides yet? We’re you told to take it every other day by your GP?

    I decided myself to take it eod first to see if I could tolerate it. After my hair transplant 3 weeks ago I have been taking 1.25mg a day. I have had no bad side effects yet. In fact I think my sex drive has actually increased!


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    #23
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Iwantcoffeenai


    LawBoy2018 wrote: »
    I've taken it for like 5 years now w/o any side effects. The main reason why I began taking Finasteride was that I began losing my hair at 19 (hairline + crown) and felt very selfconcious about the whole situation. My friends would joke about it and that would bother me. Now that I'm a bit older, would I care as much? One would hope not. That being said, do I plan to stop taking it any time soon? No.

    I did a tonne of research on the drug before ever I went near it though and I would advise anyone considering it to do the same. During my consultation with my doctor, he inspected my hair and felt as though what he saw was normal, but I knew, personally, that it had began to thin out and that sooner I got on the Finasteride, the better chance I had.

    Overall, would I recommend to a friend? Absolutely. I take 1.25g/day (a quarter of a pill).

    What results have you got? Just maintaining or any regrowth or thickening? What were your results like in both crown and hairline and after how long did you notice results?


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    #24
    LawBoy2018
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭LawBoy2018


    Newport81 wrote: »
    I found this video of an Irish Guy when searching is it safe and it’s scared the beejesus out of me!

    I get this sinking feeling every time I wash my hair and look in the mirror i think about starting the finasteride every day but am freaked out by the horror stories I’ve read online. It’s a roll of the dice you just don’t know how it will effect you

    What happened to him? I would disagree with what you've said but I can see why you may be freaked. A 'roll of the dice' would imply that you have a 1/6 chance of seeing side effects when in reality, it's more like 1/100. Even then, you could simply stop taking it.

    To live in fear of going bald is a terrible way to live, and life is too short imo. Just bite the bullet and go for it. (provided your doctor advises that it's safe for you to do so)


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    #25
    LawBoy2018
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭LawBoy2018


    Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »
    What results have you got? Just maintaining or any regrowth or thickening? What were your results like in both crown and hairline and after how long did you notice results?

    My hairline thickened up again and my crown is perf. I saw results fairly quickly but I started at 19 when the whole process was beginning which is probably why I saw regrowth. If the hair follicle has shrunk fully, then obviously that will be more unlikely.

    5 years later and I'm happy out with a great hairline and no signs of hair loss. I couldn't be happier. If it ever stops working, I will defo get a hair transplant.


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    #26
    Thierry12
    Closed Accounts Posts: 979 ✭✭✭Thierry12


    LawBoy2018 wrote: »
    What happened to him? I would disagree with what you've said but I can see why you may be freaked. A 'roll of the dice' would imply that you have a 1/6 chance of seeing side effects when in reality, it's more like 1/100. Even then, you could simply stop taking it.

    To live in fear of going bald is a terrible way to live, and life is too short imo. Just bite the bullet and go for it. (provided your doctor advises that it's safe for you to do so)

    Think alot of it coincidental as well

    Lot of those guys were going to have side effects like erectile problems etc anyway, alot of male's not on fin suffer from it

    They could always just down to 1/8 of a pill or even 1/16 of a 5mg pill

    Fin is very diminishing returns as you go up dosages, 2.5mg doesn't work better than 1.25mg etc, some countries like South Korea prescribe .5mg for MPB.


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    #27
    Homelander
    Registered Users Posts: 4,348 ✭✭✭Homelander


    I have been on Fin for 8 years with zero side effects. Hairline hasn't changed at all in that time.


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    #28
    Iwantcoffeenai
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭Iwantcoffeenai


    Homelander wrote: »
    I have been on Fin for 8 years with zero side effects. Hairline hasn't changed at all in that time.

    Did you see any thickening or regrowth? What about your crown?


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    #29
    Homelander
    Registered Users Posts: 4,348 ✭✭✭Homelander


    Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »
    Did you see any thickening or regrowth? What about your crown?


    No, just no further loss. My crown was fine to begin with. I was rapidly receding in 2012 or so, since Fin it's not changed at all.


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    #30
    Newport81
    Registered Users Posts: 715 ✭✭✭Newport81


    thanks dude id love to start taking it but just scared of long term sides this is the video of the irish guy who only took one pill and its ruined his life!

    https://youtu.be/j8IDIbvDU0M

    LawBoy2018 wrote: »
    What happened to him? I would disagree with what you've said but I can see why you may be freaked. A 'roll of the dice' would imply that you have a 1/6 chance of seeing side effects when in reality, it's more like 1/100. Even then, you could simply stop taking it.

    To live in fear of going bald is a terrible way to live, and life is too short imo. Just bite the bullet and go for it. (provided your doctor advises that it's safe for you to do so)


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    #31
    Thierry12
    Closed Accounts Posts: 979 ✭✭✭Thierry12


    Newport81 wrote: »
    thanks dude id love to start taking it but just scared of long term sides this is the video of the irish guy who only took one pill and its ruined his life!

    https://youtu.be/j8IDIbvDU0M

    Imagine lunatics like that taking real substances like tren or something

    1 pill :pac:


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