Balding Blog

Press release from ISHRS:

International Society Of Hair Restoration Surgery Maintains Safety And Efficacy Of Propecia (Finasteride 1mg) For Male Hair Loss Is Backed By Proven Scientific Data

According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) – the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss and hair restoration – recent anecdotal reports of persistent sexual dysfunction by some men who have used finasteride 1mg (Propecia) to treat hair loss should not define the safety and effectiveness of this drug. Propecia is the only oral medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hair loss in men.

From a scientific standpoint, there are no evidence-based data substantiating the link between finasteride and persistent sexual side effects after discontinued use of the drug in numerous, double blinded, placebo controlled studies conducted evaluating the use of Propecia 1mg for hair loss.

“As one of the 900 physician members of the ISHRS, the health and well being of our patients is our utmost concern – whether prescribing medications like Propecia or performing hair restoration surgery,we have treated hundreds of men suffering from hair loss with finasteride 1mg with virtually no side effects.”

Since receiving FDA approval in December of 1997, 20.5 million and 6.7 million patient-years of exposure using Proscar and Propecia respectively are recorded with a low adverse event profile. The ISHRS believes that these are the most current and reliable data available until further studies are conducted.

Sexual dysfunction is a very complex disorder, and its incidence in the general population is known to be quite high – as high as 49% in middle-aged and older men according to one study published in 2006 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. That being said, we owe it to our patients to address valid concerns in a scientific manner and to clarify any misleading reports so that men can make informed choices regarding the use of this medication.

The ISHRS has called on the medical communities of dermatologists, hair loss physicians, urologists, endocrinologists and sexual medicine specialists to join in a colloquium to share all data and experiences with finasteride in a fact-based manner.

The above text is a press release sent to ISHRS member physicians to send out with individual doctors names attached. We’re posting it without the personalization, but we agree with what they’re saying about the lack of evidence-based data when it comes to persistent sexual side effects from Propecia.

Snippet from the press release:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with other federal and international agencies, took action this week against websites that sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs to U.S. consumers. The FDA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also conducted extensive examinations at U.S.-based international mail facilities, where many packages containing prescription drugs enter the U.S., and found that most of the examined packages contained illegal prescription drugs that had been ordered from online sources.

These actions took place in support of the 7th annual International Internet Week of Action (IIWA) — May 13 to May 20, 2014 — sponsored by Interpol, and also known as Operation Pangea VII. During Operation Pangea VII, law enforcement, customs, and regulatory authorities from 111 countries collaborated to identify the makers and distributors of illegal drug products and medical devices that used the Internet to sell their products and remove these products from the supply chain.

Operation Pangea VII‘s coordinated efforts at mail facilities resulted in the detention or seizure of 19,618 packages containing medicines purportedly from Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand and Canada. These packages actually contained unapproved or suspected counterfeit drugs from other countries, such as India, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Mexico, Laos, Malaysia, as well as Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

The FDA and the CBP inspected packages at the mail facilities in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, and detained or seized 583 packages. Preliminary findings show that certain drug products from abroad, such as insulin, estrogen, bimatoprost, human chorionic gonadotropin, tramadol, tadalafil and sildenafil citrate were on their way to U.S. consumers. The FDA also notified Internet service providers, domain name registrars and related organizations that 1,975 websites were selling products in violation of U.S. law.

Read the rest — FDA targets illegal online pharmacies in globally coordinated action

Snippet from the press release:

The Oklahoma law firm of Atkins & Markoff and its firm members who serve clients as defective drugs attorneys have made the decision to offer people who have used the medication known as Propecia an opportunity to obtain a free and confidential legal consultation regarding their potential legal rights and options regarding possible side effects of permanent sexual dysfunction and impotence.

These free initial legal consultations are meant to provide information and guidance to those who have used Propecia and who feel that they have suffered from alleged Propecia side effects. Consumers who believe they may have been harmed in this manner are encouraged to contact the firm immediately to schedule this free initial consultation.

Read the full press release — Law Firm of Atkins & Markoff Now Offering Free and Confidential Propecia Impotence and Sexual Dysfunction Lawsuit Consultations

The law firm says they specialize in these type of lawsuits, so if you feel wronged by Propecia and are looking for a pay day, they want to talk to you.

Question re Propecia and Sperm Count. I take Flomax and Finasteride. Side effects are reduced libido and ejaculation. I noticed if I discontinue taking the pills, I regain libido and ejaculation volume in 3 – 4 days, although I had only been on these pills for three weeks. My question is, can I periodically take a “prescription holiday” and then resume medication after, say a week without risk of return of BPH? I.E. will the long term benefits of this prescription program remain in effect if I take periodic holidays?

I am not a urologist, but I suspect that when the “flow problem” has resolved, you might be able to stop if for a week, but I would first check with your prescribing doctor for a more definitive answer.

I just saw a mention of a site called GoodRX that allows you to price check local stores. I ran finasteride through their search and found the prices charged by my local Costco, Kmart, and Target stores, among others. Might be something your readers would be interested in.

Thanks for the information!

It seems there are a wide range of markups for generic finasteride 5mg. $9 for 30 pills seem to be the lowest. If you cut those pills into four pieces, that is basically four months of hair loss treatment for 9 bucks. Doing the math, that’s $27 a year. Not too shabby. You just need your doctor to prescribe the higher dosage to you with instructions to cut the pill.