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LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

Propecia Finasteride Side Effects Can be Hair Raising

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Encinitas, CAThe Propecia lawsuit count appears to be growing. According to a published report in the Chicago Tribune (03/22/17) originating from Kaiser Health there are 1,370 lawsuits in the pipeline alleging a host of Propecia side effects from finasteride, the generic name for a product that has proven to successfully grow hair, but at a cost or so it is alleged.

Side effects from Propecia are alleged to run the gamut from Propecia sexual dysfunction, to suicide. The latter is demonstrative of how important to a man’s identity sexual function is. Enter Propecia impotence that for some men has not been reversible, and suddenly you have a situation that can – and has – threatened a man’s self-esteem and the capacity to pleasure his partner. Plaintiffs in Propecia finasteride lawsuits have alleged relationships have been ruined as the result of finasteride use, when Propecia sexual dysfunction continued to be an issue even after the medication was stopped.

Plaintiffs in Propecia sexual dysfunction lawsuits have claimed they were not aware of the risk to their sexual function. Others claim they were aware of the risk – there is reference to the potential for Propecia impotence on the product website maintained by Propecia manufacturer Merck & Co. – but were not aware that impotence could continue even when the medication was stopped.

Many plaintiffs have alleged their normal sexual function was slow to return. Others have alleged it never did return to normal, and that their Propecia sexual dysfunction has become a chronic condition.

Mikael Mikailian, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Encinitas is identified in the published report as a survivor of Propecia – but not without years of effort and cost to return his sexual function to normal. According to Bruce Horovitz of Kaiser Health, Mikailian began taking Propecia 19 year ago when he turned 20 and discovered his hair was beginning to thin early (Propecia was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1997). At the time, Propecia finasteride was a newly-approved drug indicated for thinning hair associated with early onset of male pattern baldness.

His hair, thanks to Propecia, returned. However, within three years Mikailian was experiencing Propecia sexual dysfunction at a time in life when males normally are reaching, and maintaining their sexual peak. Mikailian was also, at 23, experiencing unexplained lapses of memory.

Instead of quitting Propecia cold turkey, Mikailian sought the aid of a specialist who slowly weaned Mikailian from finasteride over the course of 18 months. Mikailian’s mood and hormone levels were carefully monitored. He was also prescribed a hormonal drug more commonly used by women.

In the end, Mikailian’s normal sexual function and memory slowly returned. It was not made clear in the report if Mikailian has filed a Propecia lawsuit. However, it is important to note that his treatments to eradicate his system of finasteride and return his sexual function and memory to normal were not covered by health insurance, thus he is out-of-pocket for those treatments. Still, he remains amongst the lucky: for some men, Propecia sexual dysfunction has become chronic.

Lawsuits alleging Propecia side effects in men have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation. A bellwether trial, originally scheduled for last year, has reportedly been delayed until September of this year.

For its part, manufacturer Merck & Co. lists decreased sex drive, decreased semen count and difficulty with erections as three of the “most common side effects” of Propecia finasteride. However, there are other Propecia long term side effects. A safety communication from the FDA released in 2011 warned that Propecia may be associated with a risk of high-grade prostate cancer. There is a similar warning attached to Proscar, which also has finasteride as its primary ingredient but is five times the strength of Propecia. Proscar is indicated to treat an enlarged prostate – however, ironically Proscar is associated at the same time with a risk for high-grade cancer of the prostate.

Kaiser Health reports in the Chicago Tribune that Merck & Co. has revealed in financial statements some 50 lawsuits allege that Propecia finasteride has caused, or can cause cancer of the prostate, testicles or male breast cancer.

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READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
I was a participant in the original clinical trials of Propecia/Finasteride for several years back in the early 90s, well before the drug was put on the market. During the trials I had monthly appointments with the doctor facilitating the research study in my area. She took scalp photos to measure hair growth or loss. Additionally, I had to fill out a lengthy questionnaire, tracking, among other things, sex drive, sexual satisfaction, semen quantity, and the quality of erections.

I'm not in any way discounting men who've had negative experiences with the medication, but for my part I had no side effects of any kind. I was 32 years of age when I became a participant in the study. It was a double blind study, with some men receiving a placebo, and others receiving the real drug. Later in the study Merck converted every participant to the actual drug. I did regrow some hair, and it certainly slowed my hair loss down, so I did find it of use, and as I said I did not have any side effects. But again, my experience was my own only, and I cannot attest to others' experiences.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Merck in any way, nor do I have any financial investment in the company. After the research study ended somewhere around 1997 I no longer continued taking Propecia/Finasteride, as my insurance company would not cover the cost of the drug.

Posted by

on
I've had several surgeries for damage to install two implants, and damage caused scar tissue to close off my urethra tube and I had to have laser surgery to open that up, and now my prostrate is narrowing my flow, and first they gave me Rapaflo to help, and it did, and another Dr. from the rotating group I see in Joplin MO, added Proscar generic 5MG. Besides the fact is seems to worsen the problem instead of making the flow easier, it seems to be of little help. I was told it might take months for this medication to actually work (up to 7) I have had one tumor removed from my breast before, and now I seem to be having pain from that area again and increased pain down below. Now I find that this medication can actually cause me more problems than it helps, and then I read here that one guy had to have the doctor ease him off of a nonaddictive drug? What is with that? Do I need to find a special Dr to review my medication combinations? I have had my heart.5 surgeries, my back (spine) breast, etc all the surgeries I want, do I need help about this or advice?

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