Physicians’ attitudes about the hair loss drug Propecia are changing in the face of reports of Propecia side effects and Propecia lawsuits against drugmakers.

According to a recent Propecia article in Men’s Journal, enough evidence of side effects has piled up to make some doctors stop prescribing the drug.

Men’s Journal interviewed Dr. Nelson Novick, who stopped prescribing Propecia. Dr. Novick says that, “ten years ago I would have answered differently, but now I would not feel comfortable recommending Propecia to a young, sexually active man.”

Dr. Novick’s quote refers to alleged sexual Propecia side effects, which include erectile dysfunction, pain during orgasm, depression, and other side effects.

The article also interviewed a medical researcher, Thomas Moore from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Moore indicated that the sexual nature of alleged Propecia side effects makes patients less likely to report them.

This may have led to low estimates of Propecia side effect rates. In an editorial in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Moore said that misplaced shame probably led many men to keep alleged Propecia side effects to themselves.

Propecia Sex Drive Complications

Many men feel stigmas associate with sexual inadequacy, hair loss, and mental illness. Since alleged Propecia side effects include all of these, it is a potential perfect storm of shame, which may have prevented many men from reporting alleged Propecia side effects.

According to Moore, initial estimates of serious Propecia side effects estimated 1% to 3% of patients experienced serious side effects, when the real number may be more like 30% to 60%. These means that as many as two-thirds of Propecia patients may have suffered from Propecia side effects.

Although alleged sexual side effects get the most press, severe depression and suicidal thoughts have been reported by Propecia consumers. On top of this, some Propecia users may not make the connection that a drug for hair loss may be causing sexual dysfunction and psychiatric issues. A number of factors come together to muddle the picture of Propecia side effects.

The Men’s Journal article reports that many dermatologists still prescribe Propecia. The article attributes this to the fact that many of the research papers on Propecia side effects are relatively new, and relatively few patients are reporting Propecia side effects. Some who are aware of Propecia side effect concerns still prescribe the drug, but spend more time talking to their patients about the risk of possible Propecia side effects.

Propecia Lawsuits

Currently, a total of 1,245 Propecia lawsuits have been filed over alleged Propecia side effects. This includes allegations that Propecia side effects may include permanent sexual dysfunction.

Even more serious, some Propecia lawsuits have alleged that psychiatric Propecia side effects, including depression and suicidal thoughts, may have led some Propecia patients to kill themselves. As such, some Propecia lawsuits are wrongful death lawsuits.

At present, Merck says it will defend against Propecia lawsuits, though it has added references to depression and sexual side effects in the fine print of Propecia’s prescribing information. Propecia sales brought in $264 million for Merck in 2014.