March 29, 2017


Dear Friends:

Recently, there's been a steady increase in not only the number of media outlets reporting on the potential dangers of finasteride, but the depth and quality of that reporting.

The latest comes from Welt am Sonntag (English translation: World on Sunday), one of the most respected newspapers in Germany, whose weekly readership exceeds half a million.

Titled Finasteride Is Considered a Miracle Cure for Hair Loss, but Patients Report Serious Side Effects, the story is written by Anette Dowideit of the paper's veteran investigative team. 

Finasteride, Dowideit says, "causes permanent erectile dysfunction, and that is just the beginning of more serious health concerns. Depression and inability to concentrate are some of the side effects that some patients experience." 

She then poses a question we hear from patients on virtually a daily basis: "How did the authorities fail to protect the public from such a danger?" 

Dowideit also writes (for which we thank her) that "The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation...is fighting for the rights of the patients negatively impacted by finasteride. They have made it their mission to inform the public of the drug’s risks."

A day later, The Huffington Post Germany ran a story jumping off Die Welt report. Headlined 6 Disturbing Facts about Propecia, the story is by Amelie Graen, who notes that "not all doctors are aware of the dangers of Propecia – or do not take it seriously – and both primary care physicians and skin specialists prescribe it too easily."

"Considering the serious side effects, [Propecia] is a tough choice," she continues. "No head of hair in the world should be worth risking one’s health." 

To help ease the many burdens of PFS, the foundation last year launched a Patient Support Program that connects patients with fellow patients and their family members worldwide. As part of that program, we are able to connect family members of PFS patients who have taken their own lives with other family members dealing with the same tragedy.
 
Anyone interested in participating in these efforts, should download our Patient Support PDF or Suicide Support PDF, and email it back to social@pfsfoundation.org.
 
We’ve also been steadily building our list of doctors who see PFS patients and have volunteered to help counsel them on remaining stable. At present, there are more than 40 such medical professionals on that list, which can be found in the Patient Support section of our Resources page.
 
Meanwhile, we’d like to remind all PFS patients and/or their loved ones who have not yet done so to report their symptoms to the FDA’s MedWatch program as directed here. Those living outside the U.S. should also access the WHO’s Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring list of pharmacovigilance agencies, and report to their respective health agency.
 
Please take a moment to read the Welt am Sonntag story soon. The original can be accessed by clicking here, and the English translation by clicking here.

Ditto the Huffington Post Germany story.  The English translation can be accessed by clicking here.
 
Finally, feel free to share these links with your health-care professionals, particularly those who may have doubted your persistent side effects in the past, as well as with friends and family.

Thank you.