Dermatology

Response to Dr. Ralph Trüeb’s writings on post-finasteride syndrome

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A drug-induced syndrome is all in the mind, a Swiss doctor wrote. Editors of the journals had past ties to the drug maker. Men turn to finasteride to try to save their hair, but they might end up with a severe and lasting disability.1 There are countless stories online, usually anonymous because of the embarrassing … Read more

Appendix: response to Trüeb

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This appendix accompanies the article: Response to Dr. Ralph Trüeb’s writings on post-finasteride syndrome. Table of competing interests ← back to main article Engagements with Merck re: Propecia Skin Appendage Disorders (journal) (1) International Journal of Trichology (2) Experimental Dermatology (journal) Hair Growth and Disorders textbook (2008) Cited by Trüeb Ralph Trüeb, MD Member, Editorial … Read more

Hair or manhood—choose one?

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In ancient Greece, Hippocrates and Aristotle observed that eunuchs did not go bald. Jumping ahead to the early 1940s, American anatomist James B. Hamilton reviewed histories of men with testosterone deficiency and found a pattern: the earlier the age of hormone deficiency, the less balding occurred.

From the depths: why finasteride harms took decades to emerge

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Physician-researchers blamed growing safety concerns on patients, overlooking social context and weaknesses in safety regime The official view of Propecia, fashioned by Merck at a reported cost of $450 million, is that the drug is safe and effective. Upon approval by FDA in 1997, this view was carried forward by dermatologists, some of whom were … Read more

A tweeted rebuttal to yet another analysis of finasteride adverse events

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A thread originally posted on Twitter is reproduced below. For an in-depth version, see the essay Context matters. See also a critique of three previous papers with similar designs, findings and conclusions. Twitter thread Nguyen et al, 2022 is the fourth analysis of adverse events of finasteride to appear since 2018. All four studies play … Read more

When medical treatment brings on disease: iatrogenic disorders

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Those who have lasting dysfunctions after taking finasteride or dutasteride are not the only ones whose lives have been altered for the worse because of a medical treatment. This post summarizes diseases and conditions that may arise from medical treatments in dermatology, psychiatry, surgery, radiology and general medicine. ↓ Jump to the list Every treatment … Read more