Hair Loss Or An Enlarged Prostate Drugs May Cause Irreversible Sexual Dysfunction And Depression

Propecia and Avodart May Cause Irreversible Side Effects

The medicines were associated with erectile dysfunction, depression and loss of libido and in some patients, the symptoms persisted even after the discontinuation of the medicines. According to the lead researcher Abdulmaged M. Traish, a professor of biochemistry and urology at Boston University School of Medicine, almost all the patients taking the above mentioned medicines experienced some degree of decrease in their sex drive. However, in certain patients these side effects were grave enough to lead to depression. The side effects are negated once the medicine is ceased. But few patients taking Propecia or Avodart experienced sexual side effects which were irreversible in nature.
The number of men having these side effects is high. Almost 8% men complained of erectile dysfunction while another 4.2% reported reduced libido after taking the medicines. It has been stressed in the study, to inform the patients about these side effects before putting them on Propecia or Avodart to treat prostate hypertrophy. This is all the more important as there is a possibility of the side effects persisting even after stopping the medicines.

However, it is equally important to carry out long term studies to study these side effects as you cannot take away from the role these medicines play in treating BPH.

Propecia and Avodart Constitute the Mainstay of the Treatment of BPH

Benign Prostate Hypertrophy is a disease affecting a number of men. There are two classes of drugs generally used to treat the condition. They are:

1. Alpha Blockers: These medicines which include terazosin (Hytrin), Tamsulosin (Flomax) and doxazosin (Cardura), etc work by acting on the alpha adrenergic receptors and relaxing the smooth muscles around the prostate, especially in the neck of the urinary bladder. This improves the urine flow and reduces the risk of obstruction of the bladder. These medicines are quick in their response but are short acting, i.e. the symptoms reappear on stopping the medicines. They have no effect on the size of the prostate and are therefore more useful in early BPH when the size of the prostate is small. They have no effect on the sexual drive and are relatively inexpensive.
2. %-alpha-reductase inhibitors: These medicines include finasteride (Propecia) and dutasteride (Avodart). They block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone responsible for stimulating the prostate, by blocking the enzyme 5- alpha reductase. They help in shrinking the size of the prostate, thereby relieving symptoms of decreased and inconsistent urine flow. DHT is also responsible for shrinking the hair follicles until visible hair is no longer produced. These medicines, by blocking the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, inhibit the formation of DHT and hence, prevent the shrinkage of hair follicles too. Therefore, they are useful in the treatment of male baldness as well. But inhibition of DHT can also result in loss of libido apart from reduction in sperm count and sperm motility. This can even result in infertility.