Maybe finasteride for men against baldness both does and doesn’t do harm

Science sometimes gives us counter-intuitive results. One example is that a high level of testosterone, associated with a high sex drive in men, makes men go bald. So, the guys with the luscious hair may be seen by many as gorgeous but they might actually have a low libido. And maybe, subconsciously, that is seen as attractive by others. Who knows?

The Basics

Anyway, men in Western society generally dislike being bald as that stands for old which (next misunderstanding) is mistaken by many as unattractive.

So, men who suffer from baldness could be made happy by the news that there is a pill against losing scalp hair. And there is. Today, no fewer than 8M US men take the stuff.

But, many on the Internet report terrible side-effects from this medication.

Two things that make matters only worse are, some side-effects only appear after you stop taking it, and, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession say: there are hardly any side-effects. Who is right?

Finasteride (brand names like Proscar and Propecia) is prescribed against hair loss in men, benign prostatic hyperplasia, ‘excessive’ hair growth in women, and as part of hormone therapy for male-to-female transgender women. Unsurprisingly, these pills partly block testosterone, to put it very simply.

Rare but nevertheless recurrently reported side-effects are: male sexual dysfunction, depression, breast enlargement, and suicide — no less.

A Proposal

I would like to propose a solution that honors both the many reports on side-effects and medical science saying there isn’t any. It goes like this.

The human brain is mightily complicated. My neuro-anatomy teacher used to say: it’s so advanced that it probably needs something smarter than the human brain to understand it.

Part of the brain function concerns feelings and emotions. Yet, boys, in many cultures, are taught from a young age to ignore those. They often stop crying and then start ignoring hurts. Men often consider feelings signs of irrational failure.

But, men’s brains are still human, despite the conditioning. They will send out signals that stem from unresolved emotional issues. Those are then often not understood and regarded signs of malfunctioning.

One particular field that this is most true for is sexuality. When men have stress, are not happy, or have doom thoughts, that may show in a decrease in libido or an inability to ‘perform.’ Which in turn, in a competitive worldview, may lead to more stress — a vicious circle.

Typically, men will not say: I lost interest in sex or I can’t do it at the moment. They will point to their belt area and say “it” doesn’t work. If they go to a physician, that’s what they will often say. Not “I” but “it.”

Finasteride is an anti-sex-hormone. It certainly will have some effect on the person’s sexuality. If the person is already stressed about anything (like hair loss?!), anything that enters the playing field of sexuality will give more anxiety.

That could mean that sexual dysfunction can come from real worries, really elevated by some real effect of the medication, without the medication causing it. Depression is often associated with sexual dysfunction, getting older, and worries. Slight breast enlargement in men is also not uncommon with getting on in years. It’s not the pill!

But, in the language in men, denying their brain and self at work here, it will evolve from “it” doesn’t work to “it” (the pill) did it to me.

The medication may have played a role in it all but without causing the trouble. The trouble lies in the mystery box called the skull, and only much talking and feeling will unravel problems and give the ability to use more of the brains’ function. And only that may truly be able to reduce stress, depression, unhappiness about aging, and serious hopelessness. After which there will be room for life and sex again.

It’s nice to get more scalp hair from a pill. But better mental functioning has never come from a pill. That has to come from finding a listening ear.

Don’t become victimized by the business interests of the pharmaceutical or recreational drugs lobbies. Rediscover how tears clear the mind and give a new lease on life.

This post was rejected by the Times of Israel. The (female) editor didn’t think that this was of interest.