Study Confirms the Side Effects of Hair Loss Drug
Consumption of drugs used in treating hair loss may lead to severe health problems, according to some of the recent studies conducted at leading medical schools in the United States.
Michael S. Irwig, M.D., a professor at George Washington University, published a thought-provoking study on the side effects of Propecia, the popular drug to treat androgenic alopecia, last year.
In his study, Irwig argued that drugs like Propecia could result in prolonged and possibly irreversible male sexual dysfunction, impotence, clinical depression, greatly reduced libido, testicular pain, problems with orgasms, gynecomastia, breast cancer and high-grade prostate cancer, reports Examiner.
Propecia is the brand name for the drug finasteride when prescribed in 1mg doses to treat male pattern baldness. The drug was approved by the FDA in 1997 to treat male pattern baldness. Finasteride is also sold under the brand name Proscar when prescribed to treat benign prostatis hyperplasia or BPH in 5 mg doses.
Manufactured by Merck & Co., a leading pharmaceutical company, Propecia is increasingly being prescribed as a treatment for people suffering from hair loss. According to researchers, the fact that many physicians prescribe the medicine without knowing the side effects of this drug further increases health risks in patients. This could also mean that millions of patients who are being treated for hair loss are taking this drug without being aware that their health is at risk.
“As my study shows, there are very real sexual health issues that are affecting a population of previously healthy men ranging in age from 21 to 46 years old who took Propecia,” said Dr. Irwig, who also serves as the Director for the University’s Center for Andrology and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at GW’s School of Medicine.
Dr. Irwig decided to research on this subject after several men reported they had developed persistent sexual dysfunction while taking the medication. In his survey, Dr. Irwig found that 94 percent of his patients developed low libido, 92 percent developed erectile dysfunction and decreased arousal, and 69 percent developed problems with orgasm. Dr. Irwig argues that while FDA has issued a new warning regarding Propecia’s link to high-grade prostate cancer, the agency has not yet issued warning that would curb doctors from prescribing this medication.
The fact that there is no known cure for men who have suffered from these severe symptoms, leads to very serious consequences, according to Dr. Irwig.
According to FDA, there were over five million prescriptions for Propecia filled in the United States between 2002 and 2009, three million of them were from men in the age group of 50 -79.
Meanwhile, another research conducted by Dr. Abdulmaged M. Traish of the Boston University School of Medicine, found that men suffered from erectile dysfunction, reduced ejaculation and semen volume after taking the drug.
Several class action suits were filed against the drug in several parts of the country. Two weeks ago, class action suits were filed in California and Florida. More lawsuits are expected to be filed shortly.
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