Propecia Side Effects: The Truth About Hair Loss Treatment

For men afflicted with hair loss, specifically male pattern baldness, Propecia is a popular choice for helping to stop further hair falling out and for improving the possibility of new hair growth in the affected areas. There are many comments that are made surrounding Propecia, which vary from the correct to the massively exaggerated and, in a number of cases, are simply incorrect. Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly talked about Propecia side effects and separate the misconceptions from the realities.

‘Propecia Gives Men Erectile Dysfunction.’

False. While it’s right the possible complications of Propecia do include penile dysfunction, this has only been observed in less than 1% of patients. These men weren’t necessarily impotent, but rather felt that some form of erectile dysfunction was at work, since they took longer to get an erection or felt that they couldn’t keep the erection for so long as before. Importantly, in case studies, these men all regained full sexual health after they stopped taking the medicine. In the great majority of cases, these Propecia side effects even stopped in patients who continued taking Propecia as normal.

‘Propecia Decreases The Amount Of Semen Ejaculated.’

True. Research has proven that in approximately 2.8% of cases, Propecia can cause men to release reduced quantities of semen when they orgasm. This naturally has an impact upon fertility and the ability to successfully conceive children. However, in older men who are suffering from male pattern baldness, this is an unwanted effect which has no real impact upon their day-to-day happiness and, in more youthful men, this complication proceeded to disappear as they continued to make use of the medication.

‘Propecia Gives Men Prostate Cancer.’

False. Propecia contains an important component called finasteride, which is often used to treat an enlarged prostate at a dose of 5mg a day. This course of medicine reduces the size of the inflamed prostate, improving urine flow and helping sufferers to comfortably pass urine without discomfort. The relationship between Propecia and prostate cancer exists, but isn’t causal; prostate cancer isn’t one of the Propecia side effects. The fact is, because the tablet can reduce the size of the prostate, it can make identification of prostate cancer more difficult in the early stages.

‘Propecia Can Cause Birth Defects in Children.’

True. The active ingredient in Propecia tablets has been shown to cause serious birth imperfections in an unborn child, and there is a possibility that Propecia can damage newly born children through breast-feeding. However, this is a separate issue to other possible side-effects, since the medication is not cause for concern, within the sperm of males who are taking it. Women need to avoid coming into contact with the active component of the tablet, but men who are worried about their baby, can confidently go ahead with trying to conceive, without the fear of damage.

‘Propecia Side Effects Are Irreversible!’

Wrong. In a detailed study of patients who’ve been treated with Propecia, over 30,000 men were asked about the side-effects they came across when taking the medication. Not many of these men noticed any complications at all and, most importantly, not a single one of them experienced an unexpected effect that didn’t disappear swiftly. In contrast, the great majority of these men were aware about the possible problems they may encounter whilst using Propecia, but believed that the potential benefits outweighed the possible risks.

In the end the reality about Propecia is that while some unfavorable reactions have been reported in some cases, many men living with the depression that hair loss causes, are ready to accept minor Propecia side effects, in order to gain a content and more confident type of life.

Dr Conley is one of a team of UK registered GPs offering a
trusted online prescription and online medical consultation service at
Prescription2Home for conditions such as hair loss, weight loss, and erectile
dysfunction.

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January 15th, 2012 in Baldness | tags: , , ,