***The Hidden Dangers of Prescription Hair Loss Medication

Many who have experienced the emotional pain of androgenetic alopecia – or male pattern baldness – have turned to the prescription medicatio
Propecia to help them turn back the clock to a time when they had a full head of thick, healthy hair. For many of these men, Propecia has been a true miracle drug, delivering just what its makers had promised. For many other men, however, what Propecia has brought to their lives is something far removed from sunshine and roses. Like every other pharmaceutical drug, Propecia has significant side effects, many of which are not well-known to the public. Some of those who have experienced these side effects rue the day when they first heard of this alleged miracle drug.

What Propecia Does

Propecia is the brand name for the drug Finasteride, which falls into a class of drugs known as 5-alpha reductase blockers. 5-alpha reductase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into a hormone called dihydrotestosterone, commonly known as DHT. The latter hormone performs many important functions in the body; however, if too much is produced, which it is in about 40% of all men, male pattern baldness will be one of the results. The best way to stop male pattern baldness in its tracks is to stop the action of 5-alpha reductase, and Propecia does this extremely well in many men who take the drug.

But the problem with pharmaceuticals is always the same: These drugs are so powerful that they literally overwhelm the systems of the body, and while this has some beneficial effects, it almost inevitably causes big problems in at least some of those who take an individual drug. This is why laws have been passed that force pharmaceutical companies to openly reveal the side effects of all the drugs they sell.

The Side Effects

Some of the common side effects that have been found with Propecia include headaches, rash, hives, testicular pain, swelling, dizziness, sexual dysfunction and, in rare cases, male breast cancer. These potential problems have been known for some time, and they are included in the literature that accompanies any new prescription for this drug.

But sometimes it takes quite awhile for the most serious side effects connected with pharmaceutical drugs to be discovered, and that certainly appears to be the case with Finasteride. A recently published George Washington University study has discovered that the sexual problems caused by Propecia use are much worse than originally believed. Men taking Finasteride have experienced dramatically decreased sexual sensation and desire, erectile dysfunction and chronic difficulty with orgasms. What is worse, it has been found that these effects frequently persist even after men have stopped taking Propecia. In addition, another recently published study has linked Propecia to an increase in the incidence of high-grade prostate cancer, which is a particularly dangerous form of this type of cancer. One can only imagine what the next study of this drug's effects on the human organism might reveal.

What Price is too High?

There is no question that many men appear to have achieved positive results from using Propecia as a remedy for baldness. But nevertheless, when a drug is capable of causing serious problems, such as cancer or serious sexual dysfunction, the question really has to be asked: Is hair loss so terrible that it is really worth the risk?

Natural supplements are available that can potentially accomplish the same thing as Propecia, but without the side effects and at a much lower cost. Taking everything into consideration, for most men fighting hair loss this might be the better way to go.