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by auganov 1417 days ago
Most of the alleged finasteride side effects are perfectly vague things that happen to people all the time for all kinds of reasons. While there are plausible (logically, not in terms of empirical evidence) arguments for how finasteride could be causing some of these things, nobody can explain how they could ever be permanent. Or how they would only affect a tiny subset of users despite triggering all the same mechanisms in every user.

I can't think of too many other drugs that get so much hate on the Internet with so little to show for it. Even with the often controversial psychiatric drugs, most will stop short of claiming their lives were irrevocably destroyed forever. But with finasteride any claim seems to be fair game. And quite coincidentally, people on these hair loss sites often make the exact same claims about hair loss itself. It seems to me some simply choose to blame finasteride instead.
2 comments
pcthrowaway 1416 days ago
I don't know what the percentage of people affected is, but I suffered nearly complete loss of libido that crept up on me and took a couple of months to return after ~1 year on propecia.

I don't think I've gone a full month in my life without even having morning wood before or since (and that wasn't a high-stress time in my life or anything).

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Traubenfuchs 1417 days ago
> nobody can explain how they could ever be permanent

Epigenetic changes. Easy as that.

I am not about to argue if PFS is real though. I haven‘t formed my opinion on that and probably never will, because one can‘t prove it doesn‘t exist, unfortunately.

For me it‘s serious side effects were completely transient.

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auganov 1416 days ago
Epigenetics are interesting, but is finasteride's epigentic action uniquely interesting? Not too familiar with the latest on epigenetics, but a few quick Google searches suggest nearly every heavily-researched drug produces some kind of an epigenetic effect.

I don't think it's impossible something is going on. I just feel like in the realm of medical controversies it's one of the least substantial. Even if some lasting physical effect can be proven, it's still a long way from there to lasting mental anguish.

How convinced are you it caused your depression? Did you try taking it again?

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