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Caution cure for hair loss causes years of impotence
Hair loss is a widespread problem in today's society. Especially small men often get bald early, as a recent study showed. Those affected should nevertheless refrain from certain hair loss remedies. Because some products can make impotent for years, as researchers now report.
Undesirable side effects of hair loss products
An average person loses up to 100 hairs every day. If these do not grow again, it is called permanent hair loss. Circular hair loss (alopecia areata) is one of the most common forms. Men are affected more frequently than women. The causes of hair loss are manifold. So it can be caused among other things by an iron deficiency or a hyperthyroidism. To stop the hair loss sufferers often resort to funds from the pharmacy. However, some of these products can make them impotent - even years later, as US researchers have discovered.
Men who use hair loss medicines should pay attention to what they are taking. Because some remedies can make them impotent - even years after discontinuing the preparations. (Image: cunaplus / fotolia.com) Side effects persist after stopping the medication
In many countries, scientists are looking for new therapies to help with hair loss. Just last year, researchers from the US reported on a new remedy that has proven to be very successful at regrowing hair.
Other medicines have been available in pharmacies for some time. However, these often have enormous side effects. For example, finasteride, a drug that interferes with the metabolism of male sex hormones.
The possible consequences: erectile dysfunction, loss of libido and ejaculation disorders. These can, according to the package insert, even after the discontinuation of the agent, reports "Spiegel Online". However, there is no information on how often these side effects persist.
A research team has now investigated how often such problems occur and how much the duration of ingestion affects the risk. The study also looked at finasteride and dutasteride. The drug has the same mechanism of action and is usually prescribed to men for the treatment of prostate enlargement.
Data from around 12,000 men evaluated
In the context of their study, the researchers Steven Belknap of the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago evaluated data from around 12,000 men aged 16 to 89 years, who took either or both of the drugs and did not previously complain of sexual problems.
As the scientists report in the journal "PeerJ", among other things, the health status of the subjects was compared with men who were not prescribed any of the remedies. In addition, a short intake time was compared to a long one.
It was found that 17 men taking finasteride or dutasteride had an additional case of impotence compared to the group who did not take any of the drugs.
According to the news magazine, even men under the age of 42, who had a comparatively low dose of finasteride for hair loss, had an additional case of impotence on those treated.
Years of sexual problems
Although the problems usually disappear after the funds have been withdrawn, not all cases. For example, 167 out of 11,909 men (1.4 percent) had an average of 1,348 days, more than three and a half years, after having stopped taking the drugs.
According to the data, men under the age of 42, who took finasteride for more than 205 days, were nearly five times more likely to become impotent for longer than those who took the drug shorter. On average, impotence lasted 1.534 days after stopping the medication.
In a statement from the university, Dr. "Our study shows that men who take finasteride or dutasteride can experience persistent erectile dysfunction that makes them unable to have a normal erection for months or even years after stopping the medication to have."
According to the researchers, physicians should incorporate the new findings into their considerations if they want to prescribe the hair loss medication or prostate enlargement.
Dr. Belknap and colleagues already pointed out in a previous publication in the journal "JAMA Dermatology" that previous studies are not sufficient to prove the safety of finasteride against hair loss. (Ad)