Sex Drive and Propecia Use
I am 30 now and I have been losing my hair since I was 18. I started taking finasteride last year and seen great result after taking it for only a few months. I think I may have been experiencing some side effects. The thing is I noticed that it might have affected my erection and it takes me longer to get an erection. I know when you know you are taking a medication that has to do with your male hormone it may automatically affect your sex function negatively. So I do not know whether it is mental or real. I don’t want to stop Propecia if it is safe to continue it.
A:
You have been experiencing erectile dysfunction recently while taking Propecia (finasteride) for a year. Erectile dysfunction has been evaluated in patients who have been taking Propecia. The incidence of erectile dysfunction is reported to be 1.3% of men who were on Propecia for one year.
The rate of erectile dysfunction was reported 0.7% among the patients who only took placebo. You can test this side effect of Propecia by stopping it for at least two weeks and see if you still have erectile dysfunction. If the erectile dysfunction goes away by discontinuing Propecia after two weeks, your problem might be a real side effect of finasteride. If you still want to continue taking Propecia despite experiencing erectile dysfunction, you may try a lower dose that can still help your hair growth without giving you any negative effects to your sexual function.
Tags: balding medical treatment, erectile dysfuction, finasteride, propecia, Propecia side effect, side effects