Author: Dr. William Rassman

Great blog, very informative. I am 23 years old and just started taking propecia. After reading about the drug in various forums online, I’m pretty scared about the sexual side effects. Many propecia users claim to have an irreversible loss of libido and some even say that have had trouble conceiving. With so many people reporting devastating sexual side effects, why is this drug so freely prescribed by doctors? Am I right in feeling vain for taking this risk? After all, a healthy sex life and eventually the possibility of having children are much more important than a full head of hair. Aren’t they?

1-2% experience side effects of varying degrees from Propecia. As I’ve written many times before, the loudest folks are those with complaints. You’re not going to find a large number of men rushing to web forums to talk about how great their hair medication is working, but the ones that feel cheated will be the first ones to let you know… over and over, often times under multiple usernames. I see it quite a bit in the comments to posts on this very blog (the IP address is an obvious clue).

Also keep in mind that these are unsubstantiated claims you’re referring to, with some being written by people trying to steer you from a proven FDA treatment like Propecia to an unproven “natural” supplement that they just happen to be selling online (with a convenient link right in their Propecia complaint post). There’s a lot of scams out there, and message boards are full of people eager to believe anything from an anonymous person that offers them a glimmer of hope.

As for feeling vain, you want to look and feel your best, and I don’t see why anyone should feel bad about that. Here are some related posts you might want to check out:

1. Official Word from Merck Regarding Propecia’s Effect on Sperm and Pregnancy
2. Can You Dismiss Propecia Information on the Web?
3. Propecia Causes Damage to the Penis — If It’s on the Internet, It Must Be True!
4. Propecia Info on the Internet Has Me Worried!

Hi Dr. I have gone through your response for this thread:

now this is my situation. I am also taking finasteride 1mg for the past 15 months and am taking fin only not minox .also experiencing the body hair growth. Before taking fin i was having more hair in my body than any one in my family. and now fin is worsening the situation. Actually am happy for what fin is doing for my head. But the effect of it on my body, am fearing of being called a MONKEY MAN!!. By the way am indian aged 24. on norwood 2 with thinning on crown and forehead.

As stated in my previous post: “Propecia (finasteride) blocks DHT. DHT is known to be responsible for secondary male characteristics, such as body hair. At least in theory, if you block DHT you would have less body hair. I have heard and seen on several occasions patients stating they got less body hair after a year of taking Propecia.”

Now you would be the 2nd person that has mentioned seeing more body hair as a direct result of Propecia. It’s interesting, but this can also be coincidence as well. As I indicated in the prior post, the increased body hair may also be due to the fact you are maturing into your secondary sex characteristics, since like the original poster you are also in your early 20s.

I’ve still yet to get any reports of this from one of my own patients, but I will make a note of your experience.

Hello Doctor,
I am 26 years old and have been taking Propecia 5mg for almost 2 years. Till last month I used to get prescription refilled from Duane Reade. Then I came to know about Target Pharmacy they give 30 tablets for 10$ only. To save some bucks, I had last prescription refilled from Target, but for last two days, I am experiencing more hair fall. Is it just a coincidence or something else?

Thanks

I would say it is coincidence, mostly because nothing changes in the matter of days. And generic finasteride 5mg should be same everywhere, unless it is a counterfeit medication that is widely sold through the internet. There was just a segment on the 60 Minutes TV show about the fight against counterfeit drugs. But… seeing as how you bought it at a large New York based pharmacy chain, I wouldn’t think fake meds would make it into their system.

Generic aspirin or Tylenol (acetaminophen) works just the same no matter where you buy it or how much money you spend, but I would assume there is a negative placebo effect where people believe a product is not as good when you pay less. Think about that when you buy expensive brand name shoes or clothes. I have heard from a few readers that say they’ve had similar problems to what you’re experiencing after switching to generic, but there is very little information on it.

I am a male, 24, and experiencing thinning on the crown of my head to the point where other people are saying “are you going bald?” and poking the thin area. Real nice. I tried a 5% minoxidil safeway knockoff and began to get redness and irritation on my scalp. I discontinued use but now have no idea what to do about my hair loss. Was this reaction due to the cheaper safeway brand? Should i try finasteride/propecia? What type of doctor should i see about the persciption pills? Dermatologist? please help I’m single and balding!

What you are describing sounds like classic male patterned genetic hair loss. You need to see a good doctor who will map out your scalp for miniaturization and then, assuming I am correct, put you on Propecia (finasteride 1mg). If the balding spot is the only sign of balding, then you have an excellent chance of reversing it with Propecia. It sounds like you had a bad reaction to minoxidil, but minoxidil is not the best medication, assuming that I am correct in the diagnosis (difficult without an examination). Some people experience irritation of the skin when using minoxidil (might be brand independent). A good dermatologist will do the right thing, but so can your family doctor. Make sure that no one even tries to suggest a hair transplant, as there are some less-than-ethical doctors that might recommend one for you.