Male pattern baldness. It’s nobody’s friend.
When Paul Innes (pictured) noticed his hairline receding a few years ago, he decided action must be taken.
“I became paranoid about my appearance, so I went to my family doctor and expressed my concerns,” he said in an interview with ITV’s This Morning in the U.K.
Innes’ doctor recommended he try Propecia, the magical over-the-counter pill that claims to reverse male baldness by stopping testosterone from converting into dihydrotestosterone, which is believed to be the active hormone in hair loss.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Within about six weeks of starting the drug, Innes claims he began experiencing “strange thoughts.”
“I started to feel quite withdrawn from my usual social activities such as playing football, watching my local team play, going out with friends,” he explained. “I tended to spend more time indoors and I just felt low in mood generally.”
Then be broke up with his girlfriend. He blames the split on the insecurity he felt about his hair (or lack there of).
With a broken heart and no friends left, Innes quit taking the drug. In early 2013, he said, “I started to pay attention to my hair loss again and that’s when I decided to go back on the Propecia.”
He would soon live to regret this decision.
Within weeks of starting back up on the drug, Innes said his penis changed form then stopped working.
“My penis is totally different in size and girth!” he said. “It’s much shorter and thinner. It now functions about 10 percent of the time with Viagra.”
Innes claims every time he tried having sex with his new girlfriend, Hayley, “my head said ‘yes’ but down there I felt nothing.”
“I felt like a failure,” he confessed, “like less of a man because I couldn’t seem to make love to my own girlfriend.”
Innes said that between the hair loss and his penis problems, he experienced a tremendous “whirlwind of mixed emotions,” which ultimately resulted in him checking into a mental hospital for a few months.
“A crisis team was called to my home and they decided it was a good idea to go into a psychiatric unit voluntarily,” Innes said, “which I felt I needed because I couldn’t keep myself safe.”
He continued: “I couldn’t function. I couldn’t look after myself. I just didn’t know why I was feeling so… abnormal.”
Today, Innes claims he’s almost better, though he admits he still has some soul work to do. And despite his impotence problems, he and Hayley, who broke up two months ago, recently discovered she was pregnant.
“We still love each other and we’re having a baby together,” Innes said. “But at the moment, I just need to focus on getting my head around what’s happened.”
Billy Budd
This is ridiculous. Propecia does not cause mental problems, and it causes “softer erections” on only 1% of the people who take it.
Billy Budd
Also, a larger dose of propecia (5 times larger) has been used for many many years as a medicine against benign prostate hyperplasia. Nobody went insane because of it.
hyhybt
Why do people who still love each other and are having a baby together break up? (And this story *has* to be on Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! this week.)
DarkZephyr
“Then be broke up with his girlfriend. He blames the split on the insecurity he felt about his hair (or lack there of).”
This guy is a joke!
“he and Hayley, who broke up two months ago”
Further proof that he is a joke!
Grrrowler
The obvious solution to the issues with his penis is for him to become a total bottom. He can stop worrying about it at that point.
Lvng1tor
I look better bald…I’m happy for my male pattern baldness. Maybe this guys breakfast sausage was mocking him too….His “penis changed shape” ? Like a transformer? Awesome!
vive
@Billy Budd, the percentage of people having sexual problems in the clinical trials was about 4%, as indicated in the product literature, not 1% as you stated, and in post marketing experience additional problems have turned up, including other studies not conducted by the company who markets the drug showing significantly higher percentages of side effects. Enough so that the FDA itself in 2012 made them add a warning to the label indicating that some people may develop long term sexual dysfunction from it that continues after stopping the drug.
hyhybt
@Stache99: Keeping the heart working is surely worth that risk. But growing hair?
Stache99
Is anyone really shocked that it’s effecting him down there. Most men are vain when it comes to their hair. The multi billion dollar hair replacement industry is a testament to that.
Now this guy is not only losing his hair but he’s losing his d*ck. Obviously, everything for him is tied to him being a stud in bed. No wonder he can’t get it up.
rcs831
Propecia doesn’t make people crazy, though I do hope it make the penis shrink and stop functioning since my ex had just started it when we broke up, he was such a whore and couldn’t keep it in his pants.
Stache99
Talk about a double whammy. Losing your hair and can’t get it up anymore.
Btw. lots of things can effect your d*ck. I have a friend who’s on heart medicine that’s completely impotent. He’s only 42.
Stache99
All this makes me realize how much a rock hard c*ck is such a beautiful thing and should be celebrated often.
Paco
The drug didn’t cause his delusion about his penis shrinkage. Depression and age can cause impotence along with numerous other factors.
I think bald men are incredibly sexy as long as they just shave off the rest and own it. Comb-overs and wigs aren’t that great.
vive
@Billy Budd, @Paco, depression is a documented side effect of Propecia, as indicated in its product pamphlet.
propeciavictim
This is a not an side effect, its a REAL and SERIOUS syndrome and it calls ‘post finasteride syndrome’. I have pfs as well. Symptoms are tinnitus, depression, brainfog, erectile dysfunction, genital atrophy, muscle atrophy, face atrophy, vision loss, muscle twitchings, fatigue.
hyhybt
@propeciavictim: How does any of that mean that this is not a side effect? Anything a drug or other treatment causes that is not its intended effect is a side effect, regardless of severity. Lists of side effects often include death, and you don’t get more serious than that.
propeciavictim
http://www.ocmonitor.com/2014/04/16/dr-daniel-m-stewart/
This guy was a RESPECTFUL PROFFESSOR and commited suicide because of devastating pfs symptoms.
Mezaien
He should have used Crisco.
hyhybt
@Mezaien: Nah. Salad dressing.
propeciavictim
How about this recent published research study? And its not a pseudo science REAL SCIENCE TALKS:
Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Androgen Receptor and Nerve Structure Density in Human Prepuce from Patients with Persistent Sexual Side Effects after Finasteride Use for Androgenetic Alopecia.
Di Loreto C1, La Marra F1, Mazzon G2, Belgrano E2, Trombetta C2, Cauci S1.
Abstract
Finasteride is an inhibitor of 5-?-reductase used against male androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Reported side effects of finasteride comprise sexual dysfunction including erectile dysfunction, male infertility, and loss of libido. Recently these effects were described as persistent in some subjects. Molecular events inducing persistent adverse sexual symptoms are unexplored. This study was designed as a retrospective case-control study to assess if androgen receptor (AR) and nerve density in foreskin prepuce specimens were associated with persistent sexual side effects including loss of sensitivity in the genital area due to former finasteride use against AGA. Cases were 8 males (aged 29-43 years) reporting sexual side effects including loss of penis sensitivity over 6 months after discontinuation of finasteride who were interviewed and clinically visited. After informed consent they were invited to undergo a small excision of skin from prepuce. Controls were 11 otherwise healthy matched men (aged 23-49 years) who undergone circumcision for phimosis, and who never took finasteride or analogues. Differences in AR expression and nerve density in different portions of dermal prepuce were evaluated in the 2 groups. Density of nuclear AR in stromal and epithelial cells was higher in cases (mean 40.0%, and 80.6% of positive cells, respectively) than controls (mean 23.4%, and 65.0% of positive cells, respectively), P?=?0.023 and P?=?0.043, respectively. Conversely, percentage of vessel smooth muscle cells positive for AR and density of nerves were similar in the 2 groups. The ratio of AR positive stromal cells % to serum testosterone concentrations was 2-fold higher in cases than in controls (P?=?0.001). Our findings revealed that modulation of local AR levels might be implicated in long-term side effects of finasteride use. THIS PROVIDES THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF A MOLECULAR OBJECTIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH LONG TERM ADVERSE SEXUAL EFFECTS AFTER FINASTERIDE USE VERSUS DRUG UNTREATED HEALTHY CONTROLS IN CERTAIN TISSUE.
Paco
@propeciavictim: I had never heard of this syndrome before. Thanks for the info about it.
His Hot Brother
@Billy Budd: What an ignorant comment. Finasteride is clinically proven to reduce neuroactive steroids in the brain, thus affecting mental health. Even the warning label states that it can induce depression. It totally screwed my dick for several months.
michael
@Stache99:
“All this makes me realize how much a rock hard c*ck is such a beautiful thing and should be celebrated often.”
Amen, brother!
SFHarry
@Lvng1tor: I’m happy bald too (the cat picture is not actually me!!)
SFHarry
@SFHarry: I guess my avatar doesn’t show up.
nature boy
trying to write a funny snarky story about someone’s misery and death is WRONG ! I immediately suspected Graham Gremore as the author based on his previous idiotic “reporting” and sure enough the tag line is his. IF ANYONE IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY AT QUEERTY READS THESE COMMENTS, GRAHAM GREMORE SHOULD BE FIRED.
Curtispsf
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if ALL the symptoms this guy described were a result of Propecia. After all, drug companies are notorious for putting profits before safety. Further proof of the connection: it’s no coincidence that Propecia and penis BOTH start with the letter “P”.; It’s sad that this guy’s problems might have been avoided if he had just accepted his hair loss and moved on.
I guess easier said than done.