Propecia: Losing Your Sex Drive at 26

Auckland, New ZealandWhile the manufacturer of Propecia finasteride reports that fewer than 2 percent of men in its clinical trials suffered from the adverse reaction of sexual dysfunction, those that fall within that 2 percent have the potential to face tremendous hardship.

Just ask ''James,'' the UK man who was interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 2010. After starting on finasteride and noticing that he was losing his urge for sex, James stopped taking Propecia.

But his sex drive did not come back. Testosterone therapy failed to have any impact on what had evolved to be complete impotence. A specialist eventually offered James a penile implant so he could resume having sex.

"[Propecia] did work well for my hair," the man said, in comments published April 8 in the National Business Review (NBR) of New Zealand. "But the cost is ridiculous—losing my sex life. Every day I wish I could turn back the clock" and put the Propecia side effects behind him.

James is just 26 years old.

The world was reminded during the recent Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, just how young some men can begin suffering hair loss. Prince William's own hair loss is quite pronounced, and the media is awash in advice for the young Royal on how he might stem the tide. Treatment with Propecia finasteride has been oft suggested.

But the risks of prolonged Propecia sexual dysfunction long after Propecia has been stopped are very real, according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Goldstein highlighted the 0.3 percent of men who reported problems with Propecia sex drive up to five years after stopping Propecia, as noted in Merck & Co's clinical trails.

The NBR noted that Propecia side effects in men are nothing new, given that the first reports of sexual dysfunction in association with the use of finasteride were apparent not long after finasteride was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A New York Times article published in 1997, it is reported, referenced that fact.

Now, a new study is at odds with Merck's own claims of less than 2 percent. According to the NBR, 4.2 percent of study participants taking Propecia finasteride and dutasteride (it was not reported if the drugs were taken separately or together) experienced erectile dysfunction, diminished libido and depression. That's more than twice Merck's findings in their clinical trials.

Referencing the Propecia side effects issue, University of Auckland School of Pharmacy professor John Shaw noted, "If it truly is a choice between baldness and impotence [as a 60-year-old male], I know which [option] I would choose."