Hi, I just started taking Propecia about 5 days ago and noticed weak erections. Is it OK to stop it for a couple days to see if my erections return, or will that ruin everything and the drug stop working?
I say stay the course with propecia. I think a lot of the side effects are all in our heads guys! If you believe that propecia is causing your limp dick (forgive the expression) then it probably is because you already have the idea in the back of your mind. I would stay on propecia at least a month and then reevaluate your situation. I'm 24 and think propecia actually increased my libido for a while, now everything is back to normal.
I agree with Slick, it's probably in your head. (No pun intended). I think if someone had been slipping propecia in your drink or something without your knowledge, you'd probably be fine.
Well, the limp dick isn't in my head. I can't get an erection at all. My penis is always big and soft now, it never returns to its normal size. The tissue doesn't feel elasticky, it just feels weak and soft.
Originally posted by frak82: My question is, will stopping propecia for a couple days ruin the effect?
What effect frak82? you've only been taking it for five days! Of course not taking it will lose its effectiveness. If you really think that it is the cause of your weak erections than you may want to give it some time to see if your symptoms improve otherwise you can stop taking it and see if your erections come back within a couple of weeks (as any side effects should be gone by then).
There are some people here that only take propecia every 2nd day so you can try that and see if that improves things.
what i meant by effect is.. if i DO stop taking it to see if my erections come back within a couple weeks, can i start taking it again after? Or will it not work anymore.
Yeah if you stop for a couple of weeks the side-effects will go away and if your situation improves you can decide whether or not you want to continue. All propecia does is inhibit the production of DHT by nearly 70% (which is the cause of Male Pattern Baldness). You can quite happily start again after 2 weeks and it will be like you are starting treatment for the first time again.
The only other FDA approved prevention for hair loss is Minoxidil (Rogaine) which is a topical treatment. You may want to consider that if you feel that you are not a good candidate for Propecia (Finesterade).
For some people Finesterade (The active ingredient in Propecia/Proscar) is enough to dramatically slow or halt hair loss. For a few lucky people it is enough to regrow some hair.
There is another more potent drug that exists that is called Dutasteride (The active ingredient in Avodart) which can decrease levels of DHT by 90%. It also has the benefit of blocking both Type I & II 5 alpha reductase, the enzymes responsible for converting testosterone to DHT. Propecia on the other hand only inhibits Type II alpha reductase. The problem is that Propecia/Proscar has been in use for over 40 years and its long term effects are well known where as Avodart has only been around for 7 years or so, its long term effects are not yet known and its side effects are worse than Propecia/Proscar. It is also not approved by the FDA for hair loss so you will have a hard time finding a doctor that will give you a prescription for it.
Anyone here will tell you to first try Propecia for a few years and if you feel like you need a more potent drug you can consider Avodart.
Well im not sure of the context of the quote but Im going to assume that they are saying that if you want to see results with Propecia you should not stop taking it. There is also a chance that you will experience some shedding where you will lose more hair. When this happens you shouldnt worry because it is part of the normal process and you should continue to use Propecia to see the regrowth.
Unfortunately the amount of shedding will vary from person to person. If you are concerned about looking like you are going bald you can always try concealers like Toppik and dermatch. They do miracles for giving the appearance of a full head of hair!
