Propecia Side Effects: The Facts About Hair Growth Medicine

For men going through hair loss, in particular male pattern baldness, Propecia is a popular choice for helping to prevent further hair falling out and for increasing the chance of new hair growth in the affected areas. There are plenty of allegations that are made surrounding Propecia, which vary from the accurate to the hugely exaggerated and, in a few cases, are basically wrong. Let's have a look at some of the most generally discussed Propecia side effects and separate the myths from the facts.

'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 Reduces The Quantity Of Semen Ejaculated.'

True. Studies have shown that in approximately 2.8% of cases, Propecia may cause men to release smaller amounts of semen when they orgasm. This naturally has an impact upon fertility and the ability to successfully conceive children. But in older men who are suffering from male pattern baldness, this is a side effect which has no real impact upon their daily happiness and, in more youthful men, this side-effect proceeded to disappear as they continued to use the medication.

'Propecia Gives Men Prostate Cancer.'

False. Propecia contains an important ingredient called finasteride, which is sometimes used to treat an enlarged prostate at a dosage of 5mg a day. This course of medication decreases the size of the inflamed prostate, improving urine flow and helping sufferers to comfortably urinate without discomfort. The link between Propecia and prostate trouble exists, but is not causal; prostate cancer is not one of the Propecia side effects. Rather, as the tablet can reduce the scale of the prostate, it can make detection of prostate problems more troublesome in the beginning 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 IPermanent!'

Wrong. In a detailed study of patients who've been treated with Propecia, over 30,000 men were asked about the side effects they encountered when taking the medication. Very few of these men observed any side-effects at all and, most significantly, not a single one of them experienced an unwanted effect that didn't disappear quickly. In contrast, the great majority of these men were knowledgeable about the possible problems they may face whilst using Propecia, but believed that the potential benefits outweighed the possible risks.

Ultimately, the truth about Propecia is that while some negative reactions have been reported in some cases, many men existing with the depression that hair loss causes, are prepared to accept minor Propecia side effects, in order to gain a content and more confident type of life.