New Research Suggest Permanent Propecia Side Effects

A study has shown that the male pattern baldness drug Propecia might be linked to side effects that could last a lifetime. Dr. Michael S. Irwig of George Washington University conducted a study regarding the side effects associated with Propecia and found that the medication can cause serious side effects such as depression and sexual dysfunction. The drug works by blocking the body’s production of the hormone that causes hair to stop growing in men, but research suggests that this process may cause significant complications.

Propecia side effects last longer than advertised

Dr. Irwig’s report was published in August in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. He studied 61 patients who had formerly used Propecia and who had experienced sexual side effects of the medication for at least three months. They were compared with a control group of 29 men who suffer from male pattern hair loss, but who were never prescribed Propecia and never took the medication. Taken into account were questions about their medical and psychiatric histories, sexual function, and their consumption of alcohol.

11 percent of the Propecia users in the study reported mild symptoms of depression. Moderate symptoms were experienced by 28 percent, and 36 percent of the Propecia users suffered from severe symptoms of depression. Perhaps most shockingly, 44 percent of Propecia users reported that they had experienced suicidal thoughts, as compared to 3 percent of the control group who had experienced these thoughts.

In most of the men observed in the study, sexual dysfunction continued for a significant period of time after they discontinued their use of the medication, contrary to what drug maker Merck stated on the warning labels of Propecia–although the drug’s warning label acknowledged a certain risk of sexual side effects, it claimed that these side effects would be temporary, and would cease to affect the patient after he discontinued his use of the medication.

Lawsuit numbers increase

Many patients who have suffered from the sexual side effects of the drug have joined Propecia litigation in the hopes of winning compensation for their injuries, which could help cover costs such as medical bills and lost wages. Learn more about what victims of Propecia side effects can do by clicking through this website.