Propecia Victim Tells Story Of Suicide
Hair Loss Pill Drove Man To Make Plans To End His Own Life !!!
By Propeciasideffects.co.uk
PUBLISHED: 7.19PM BST 15 Sep 2013
Hair Loss Pill Drove Man To Make Plans To End His Own Life !!!
By Propeciasideffects.co.uk
PUBLISHED: 7.19PM BST 15 Sep 2013
Propecia Drove Man To Attempted Suicide
(Picture For Illustration Purposes Only)
(Picture For Illustration Purposes Only)
Former British Propecia user, Stephen Rooke, whom's real name cannot be used for legal reasons, says he was driven to suicide as a result of taking the FDA approved hair loss medication, Propecia (Finasteride), manufactured by pharmaceutical company Merck.
Rooke said "I was 33 when I noticed my hair loss." He was otherwise, a very healthy, fit athletic individual with no prior medical, health conditions or concerns.
He worked full time as a Police Officer for the past 12 years and was Father to three beautiful children, who he says are his world.
Propecia Usage
In 2010 (Rooke) went to his family Doctor about his hair loss as he noticed hair fall on his pillow and also in the shower. His Doctor discussed the only FDA approved hair loss medication with him, called Propecia (Finasteride) made by the (Merck).
His Doctor told him it was relatively safe and mentioned of the 2% chance of having sexual side effects, which if they occurred, would go away once the medication was discontinued. The Doctor wrote out a prescription for Propecia.
Rooke said "After only a few weeks of taking Propecia I began to feel weird, this strange feeling then turned into depression with slight thoughts of wanting to end my life. Never for one moment did I put this down to the Propecia as there was no mention of any mental side effects such as depression or suicidal thoughts. I continued taking the medication until my partner fell pregnant. Within 8 weeks of the pregnancy my partner discovered the baby was growing inside her fallopian tube and had to have an emergency operation to abort the abnormal pregnancy. I stopped Propecia to concentrate on the health and recovery of my partner. I took about 4 months off work due to this ordeal, but little did I know, it was Propecia behind the root cause of all these problems."
Other than his bout of depression, the only other noticeable side effects from Propecia were severely dry skin in his eyebrows and down both sides of his nostrils, which are known to be common complaints.
Months past and Rooke reported to be feeling ok again. His partner fell pregnant again and managed to carry the pregnancy full term, gifting Rooke with a beautiful baby daughter.
In December 2012 Rooke separated from his partner and began living alone. February 2013 and Rooke began to notice his hair loss had increased.
Newly single, he soon made what he described was the biggest mistake of his life.
Rooke said "I went online and ordered 1 month’s supply of Propecia from BOOTS UK Pharmacy, without prescription. The ease of ordering this killer drug was untrue, within just a few clicks on my computer without any age verification, I entered my card details and the pills arrived through my door within days. I started taking the Propecia pills in March 2013 for only 3 weeks when I seriously began to feel unwell. I lost full sexual functioning, lost all sex drive, lost interest in hobbies, had no desire to do anything, and had to terminate a relationship with a nice girl I was seeing because of my mounting issues. I didn’t even feel any real emotion towards my loved ones, including my children. I did not know what was wrong with me."
Chronic Insomnia
Within weeks of quitting the drug, Rooke reports that he began to suffer chronic insomnia.
Rooke said “I literally went 4 days without sleep. On the 4th day without sleep, I managed about 2 hours sleep on the sofa and when I woke and could not feel my penis, I mean, I felt nothing!!! Totally numb, I held my penis and it was smaller, shrivelled, no sensation and felt like a piece of rubber. It was longer and thinner with enlarged protruding veins on the right hand side of my penis and when I urinated, I could not stop dribbling afterwards causing incontinence."
Rooke also describes that all of his symptoms became worse on discontinuing Propecia, with the commencement of his insomnia. He also stated how he would have constant muscle twitches throughout his whole body which were clearly visible. Rooke said “I would be sat on my sofa and I could see my muscle in my bicep start jumping repeatedly and uncontrollably. Then I had a few days when my left thumb began to jump and twitch on its own."
Panic Attacks, Depression, Suicidal Ideation
Rooke didn’t know who to turn to for help and confided in his younger Brother who agreed to accompany him to his Doctors.
By now Rooke described how terrible he felt. He said “I felt almost dazed, dizzy, blurred vision and a feeling as though nothing around me was real. It was like I was having an 'Outer Body' experience and I began to have panic attacks for no apparent reason."
Doctors become extremely concerned for Rooke, who had now begun to express thoughts of ending his life. He was admitted to a mental hospital, where he remained for 8 weeks. In this time Rooke began to express his health concerns regarding his use of Propecia to his medics. Rooke had a set of preliminary health checks conducted. One of these checks was to ascertain his hormone levels. Medics were shocked to reveal his testosterone level was at a critically low level, with a reading of only 6.9 n/mol in a range of (7-50) n/mol. These low levels are rarely seen in men of old age, let alone a healthy 36 year old.
Suicide Attempt
After 6 weeks in hospital with seriously low levels of testosterone, Rooke describes how he was compounded with suicidal thoughts and images which eventually drove him to make an attempt to end his own life.
Rooke said “For almost the past 10 days in the hospital, I would wake each morning with thoughts of wanting to end my own life. I had images of myself hanging from different objects. I was completely unable to control my rational thoughts. I was laid on my bed. I looked up at my sweater on top of the wardrobe, I picked up my sweater, walked into the bathroom and tied one sleeve around the handle of the toilet flush and the other sleeve around my neck, sat on the floor and threw myself forwards, where I just hung for almost 15 seconds, to the point I almost passed out. I somehow managed to loosen the clothing from around my neck and began gasping for breath. I just sat there on the bathroom floor in a complete daze, with no feeling, I was totally numb."
A week later Rooke was forced to seek private medical help for his low levels of testosterone, which he believes was the main factor leading to his suicide attempt, caused by Propecia crushing his hormone levels.
Medics at the hospital where Rooke was staying seemed reluctant to treat his testosterone deficiency and only concentrated on treating his depression. Rooke said “I visited a Doctor in Doncaster, who assessed me medically as well as diagnosing me with hypogonadism based on my repeated tests of low testosterone over the past 8 weeks." Hypogonadsism is a condition in men caused by low levels of testosterone. It can also cause fertility issues and general overall health concerns if left untreated. Rooke was prescribed a course of Clomiphene, a fertility drug aimed at raising testosterone levels.
Within 10 days Rooke says his testosterone levels had almost tripled and he began to show some slight signs of improvement in terms of his mental clarity. Unfortunately, with the increase in testosterone levels, also came about, a rise in his estrogen and prolactin levels which can in some men almost cancel out any positive effect of any increased testosterone level.
Leaving The Hospital
Rooke had spent 8 weeks in a psychiatric hospital and decided he wanted to try to get his life back on track. He left the hospital and went back home. He mentions how once back home he began to feel up's and down's in terms of his mood.
To this day Rooke remains on long term sick from his role as a Police Officer and he is still severely depressed. Rooke said “I wake every morning with regret of ever taking Propecia. I constantly think about ending my life. If things do not improve in the next 12 months, then I will have no choice but to kill myself. My quality of life is so poor; I have no emotions, no feelings of love. I'm neither happy or nor sad. I have no appetite. I cannot manage a single night’s sleep without the aid of sleeping pills, I have no sex drive and no sexual thoughts and I'm impotent. Before Propecia, I didn’t even take a headache tablet. I find it hard to comprehend how I've changed from such a happy, loving, hard working Father from just six months ago to merely a shell of my former self, all because I chose to take Propecia to help my hair grow."
Despite been off Propecia approaching six months, Rooke still suffers with impotence, no libido, flat emotions, unable to work, insomnia, poor cognitive ability, muscle loss, penile shrinkage and seeking medical interventions to help him try to recover for a drug he says has ruined his life.
Rooke said "I was 33 when I noticed my hair loss." He was otherwise, a very healthy, fit athletic individual with no prior medical, health conditions or concerns.
He worked full time as a Police Officer for the past 12 years and was Father to three beautiful children, who he says are his world.
Propecia Usage
In 2010 (Rooke) went to his family Doctor about his hair loss as he noticed hair fall on his pillow and also in the shower. His Doctor discussed the only FDA approved hair loss medication with him, called Propecia (Finasteride) made by the (Merck).
His Doctor told him it was relatively safe and mentioned of the 2% chance of having sexual side effects, which if they occurred, would go away once the medication was discontinued. The Doctor wrote out a prescription for Propecia.
Rooke said "After only a few weeks of taking Propecia I began to feel weird, this strange feeling then turned into depression with slight thoughts of wanting to end my life. Never for one moment did I put this down to the Propecia as there was no mention of any mental side effects such as depression or suicidal thoughts. I continued taking the medication until my partner fell pregnant. Within 8 weeks of the pregnancy my partner discovered the baby was growing inside her fallopian tube and had to have an emergency operation to abort the abnormal pregnancy. I stopped Propecia to concentrate on the health and recovery of my partner. I took about 4 months off work due to this ordeal, but little did I know, it was Propecia behind the root cause of all these problems."
Other than his bout of depression, the only other noticeable side effects from Propecia were severely dry skin in his eyebrows and down both sides of his nostrils, which are known to be common complaints.
Months past and Rooke reported to be feeling ok again. His partner fell pregnant again and managed to carry the pregnancy full term, gifting Rooke with a beautiful baby daughter.
In December 2012 Rooke separated from his partner and began living alone. February 2013 and Rooke began to notice his hair loss had increased.
Newly single, he soon made what he described was the biggest mistake of his life.
Rooke said "I went online and ordered 1 month’s supply of Propecia from BOOTS UK Pharmacy, without prescription. The ease of ordering this killer drug was untrue, within just a few clicks on my computer without any age verification, I entered my card details and the pills arrived through my door within days. I started taking the Propecia pills in March 2013 for only 3 weeks when I seriously began to feel unwell. I lost full sexual functioning, lost all sex drive, lost interest in hobbies, had no desire to do anything, and had to terminate a relationship with a nice girl I was seeing because of my mounting issues. I didn’t even feel any real emotion towards my loved ones, including my children. I did not know what was wrong with me."
Chronic Insomnia
Within weeks of quitting the drug, Rooke reports that he began to suffer chronic insomnia.
Rooke said “I literally went 4 days without sleep. On the 4th day without sleep, I managed about 2 hours sleep on the sofa and when I woke and could not feel my penis, I mean, I felt nothing!!! Totally numb, I held my penis and it was smaller, shrivelled, no sensation and felt like a piece of rubber. It was longer and thinner with enlarged protruding veins on the right hand side of my penis and when I urinated, I could not stop dribbling afterwards causing incontinence."
Rooke also describes that all of his symptoms became worse on discontinuing Propecia, with the commencement of his insomnia. He also stated how he would have constant muscle twitches throughout his whole body which were clearly visible. Rooke said “I would be sat on my sofa and I could see my muscle in my bicep start jumping repeatedly and uncontrollably. Then I had a few days when my left thumb began to jump and twitch on its own."
Panic Attacks, Depression, Suicidal Ideation
Rooke didn’t know who to turn to for help and confided in his younger Brother who agreed to accompany him to his Doctors.
By now Rooke described how terrible he felt. He said “I felt almost dazed, dizzy, blurred vision and a feeling as though nothing around me was real. It was like I was having an 'Outer Body' experience and I began to have panic attacks for no apparent reason."
Doctors become extremely concerned for Rooke, who had now begun to express thoughts of ending his life. He was admitted to a mental hospital, where he remained for 8 weeks. In this time Rooke began to express his health concerns regarding his use of Propecia to his medics. Rooke had a set of preliminary health checks conducted. One of these checks was to ascertain his hormone levels. Medics were shocked to reveal his testosterone level was at a critically low level, with a reading of only 6.9 n/mol in a range of (7-50) n/mol. These low levels are rarely seen in men of old age, let alone a healthy 36 year old.
Suicide Attempt
After 6 weeks in hospital with seriously low levels of testosterone, Rooke describes how he was compounded with suicidal thoughts and images which eventually drove him to make an attempt to end his own life.
Rooke said “For almost the past 10 days in the hospital, I would wake each morning with thoughts of wanting to end my own life. I had images of myself hanging from different objects. I was completely unable to control my rational thoughts. I was laid on my bed. I looked up at my sweater on top of the wardrobe, I picked up my sweater, walked into the bathroom and tied one sleeve around the handle of the toilet flush and the other sleeve around my neck, sat on the floor and threw myself forwards, where I just hung for almost 15 seconds, to the point I almost passed out. I somehow managed to loosen the clothing from around my neck and began gasping for breath. I just sat there on the bathroom floor in a complete daze, with no feeling, I was totally numb."
A week later Rooke was forced to seek private medical help for his low levels of testosterone, which he believes was the main factor leading to his suicide attempt, caused by Propecia crushing his hormone levels.
Medics at the hospital where Rooke was staying seemed reluctant to treat his testosterone deficiency and only concentrated on treating his depression. Rooke said “I visited a Doctor in Doncaster, who assessed me medically as well as diagnosing me with hypogonadism based on my repeated tests of low testosterone over the past 8 weeks." Hypogonadsism is a condition in men caused by low levels of testosterone. It can also cause fertility issues and general overall health concerns if left untreated. Rooke was prescribed a course of Clomiphene, a fertility drug aimed at raising testosterone levels.
Within 10 days Rooke says his testosterone levels had almost tripled and he began to show some slight signs of improvement in terms of his mental clarity. Unfortunately, with the increase in testosterone levels, also came about, a rise in his estrogen and prolactin levels which can in some men almost cancel out any positive effect of any increased testosterone level.
Leaving The Hospital
Rooke had spent 8 weeks in a psychiatric hospital and decided he wanted to try to get his life back on track. He left the hospital and went back home. He mentions how once back home he began to feel up's and down's in terms of his mood.
To this day Rooke remains on long term sick from his role as a Police Officer and he is still severely depressed. Rooke said “I wake every morning with regret of ever taking Propecia. I constantly think about ending my life. If things do not improve in the next 12 months, then I will have no choice but to kill myself. My quality of life is so poor; I have no emotions, no feelings of love. I'm neither happy or nor sad. I have no appetite. I cannot manage a single night’s sleep without the aid of sleeping pills, I have no sex drive and no sexual thoughts and I'm impotent. Before Propecia, I didn’t even take a headache tablet. I find it hard to comprehend how I've changed from such a happy, loving, hard working Father from just six months ago to merely a shell of my former self, all because I chose to take Propecia to help my hair grow."
Despite been off Propecia approaching six months, Rooke still suffers with impotence, no libido, flat emotions, unable to work, insomnia, poor cognitive ability, muscle loss, penile shrinkage and seeking medical interventions to help him try to recover for a drug he says has ruined his life.