The rare but debilitating side effects of finasteride for hair loss.

madman · Sunday at 11:39 AM

Great documentary by Canadian journalist Brigitte Noël.

Playing with the devil's candy can have dire consequences for many especially the genetically prone individuals suffering with PFS!

Finasteride —or Propecia, its most well-known brand name— is a medication taken by millions of men hoping to slow down hair loss. Yet this product is not without risk: over the past fifteen years, regulatory authorities have added numerous warnings about potential sexual dysfunction and depression, rare side effects that can persist for years after stopping treatment. At the heart of the controversy: allegations that Merck, the drug’s manufacturer, knew of these risks but chose to downplay them, in order to maximize profits.

madman · Sunday at 11:53 AM

* with other scientists we published some possible diagnostic marker for the PFS our first hypothesis is that the main damage is in the brain, in the neurocircuits that control also our mood and also our sexual activity, the main effect is in the sexual domain but they have also mental problem (depression/anxiety), they have physical problem (disturbance in the sleeping and in the muscle and so on) and so it is a very complicated pathology

* I wish not to demonize this drug because it has been effective but we don't know why in some people we have this important side effect, we believe it is a modification our genes that is induced by the finasteride, we are in contact with some patients that after 10 or 20 years they still have this side effect so it is a complete disaster for these people

Melcangi and his team have published 14 studies on finasteride

madman · Sunday at 12:02 PM

Big pharma at it's finest pumping out the poison!

madman · Sunday at 12:10 PM

* A leading expert in men's sexual health urologist Serge Carrier is one of the few Canadians specialists who agreed to speak publicly about this topic

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* to better understand the safety data we reached out to Endocrinologist Michael Irwig who has published several studies on finasteride's side effects

Michael Irwig – The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation

www.pfsfoundation.org

New paper from Dr Michael Irwig demonstrates dire clinical reality facing patients — PFSNetwork.org

A new paper from Dr Michael Irwig , who published the first study about long-term sexual dysfunction in patients reporting Post-Finasteride Syndrome, was published this week. The study, aimed at evaluating the beliefs of dermatologists about the adverse effects of finasteride, highlights the dire c

www.pfsnetwork.org

madman · Sunday at 12:47 PM

* in 2015 researchers analyzed 34 clinical studies on finasteride for hair loss they found that more than half of these studies had been funded by pharmaceutical companies and concluded that available toxicity information was systematically biased and of poor quality

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Thread 'Post-finasteride syndrome - a true clinical entity?'

Feb 28, 2025

This review critically examines Post-Finasteride Syndrome (PFS), a condition eventually reported by men who have used finasteride for androgenetic alopecia or benign prostatic enlargement and experienced persistent adverse effects after discontinuation. We explore the clinical manifestations, including sexual dysfunction, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and physical changes, that collectively challenge both diagnosis and management. This review evaluates the evidence for PFS, discusses potential mechanisms including neurobiological alterations, genetic predispositions, and...

madman · Sunday at 12:59 PM

Thread 'A popular hair loss drug and its lesser-known, rare and potentially life-altering side effects'

Mar 22, 2025

[Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide] For decades, millions of men have taken the prescription drug finasteride, often known by the brand name Propecia, to slow hair loss. But a Radio-Canada investigation breaks down the expert warnings about rare but life-altering side effects that persist after treatment stops — and allegations that drug developer Merck has downplayed the risks.