Why Propecia is ineffective in some People
The drug name for Propecia is finasteride. It is antiandroger acting by inhibiting type II 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. It is used in some cases for benign prostatic hyperplasia in low doses it is also used for prostate cancer in higher doses.
There was a 5-year study done in men with moderate hair loss, 48% of these men using Propecia experienced a bit of regrowth of hair and 42% had no further loss. It showed much better hair growth than the men in the placebo growth of those tested. It worked for all 5 months of the study, but after 6-12 months of stopped using of the drug its effects wore off and the men’s hair loss started back again.
Some of its recognized side effects range from erectile dysfunction and less often than this it can cause breast gland enlargement. It has a 6-8 hour half-life, in trial studies, it effects ceased after dosage was discontinued. It is recommended not to be used by women. It is in the FDA pregnancy category X, which means it is known to cause birth defects in unborn babies. Women who may be or are pregnant should not handle crushed Propecia pills as they could absorb it and cause birth defects. Propecia is known to cause birth defects in the development in male babies. It should not be handled in any way by pregnant women, even though it could be handled with no affect.
It can also be linked to depression, so people who have some chemical imbalanced depression should not use Propecia. It can be used to mask steroid use so many sports stars try to use it for this purpose. It is being investigated for possibly causing unchanging sexual side effects.
There have been studies that show Propecia is ineffective in women; however some scientists argue that it was used on women who were done on post-menopausal women whose hair loss was more likely related to estrogen instead of sensitivity to testosterone. In a Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, 25% fewer men taking this finasteride developed prostate cancer than men who did not take the drug. However, men who were on the drug saw more high-grade cancers, which can spread quickly even if the tumors were small.
Other studies have been done that showed an increase in DHT which helps hair growth, but has a few negative effects on a man’s body. DHT plays an important role in the functioning of the central nervous system, the testicles, prostate and almost everything but muscle tissue. Some body builders use testosterone to aid in muscular tissue.
Propecia can cause a rise in testosterone because it causes what would be developed into DHT into testosterone. This could end up having a negative side effect. Artificial low levels of DHT could cause unwanted antagonists of estrogen. Men’s body’s even produced this female hormone. If you simply try to reduce DHT with drugs a man’s protection from the effects of estrogen may also be reduced sometimes resulting in gynecomasia.
You can see that Propecia can have some very bad side effects and can be bad for many men and also women, especially pregnant women. People should be careful when using this drug and keep a good eye on it to make sure it doesn’t have any of these side effects.
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