Medication for hair loss was “biggest mistake of my life”

Some online sites are prescribing men a hair loss drug that may have risky side effects without rigorous safety checks, the BBC has found.

Finasteride side effects may include suicidal thoughts and impotence. Still, some big brand companies send the pills through the mail without seeing or speaking to the customer.

We did some research after hearing stories from men Your voice, your BBC news.

Kyle, 26, from Wakefield, regrets buying the pills online after filling out a ‘tickbox’ form.

He says his life was turned upside down by a too-quick decision.

Kyle started taking finasteride last spring after it was recommended to him by a buddy who was taking it.

He says he did a little research beforehand, but buying online was easy.

“I just typed it into Google and it came up with all these online pharmacies,” Kyle says.

“It’s everywhere. It’s so accessible.”

The prescription pills arrived at his doorstep within a week of ordering them.

“I have not had a consultation with a doctor. No Zoom meeting. I didn’t have to send them any pictures or anything like that to actually make sure that I actually had male pattern baldness.”

“I started it and yes – it was the biggest mistake of my life.”

Kyle says that since taking the drug he has had problems with his sexual, mental and physical health – problems that he had never experienced before and that have persisted since he stopped taking the drug.

“Life just feels gray. It neutered my feelings,” Kyle says.

“It just took everything away from me – my whole personality and everything. I stopped going out with my friends, stopped playing football and started having all these problems.”

Finasteride is one of the most common hair loss pills and is taken by tens of thousands of men in the UK. It is only available by private prescription.

It prevents testosterone from converting into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which can stop hair growth.

Kyle took it for about six weeks but stopped after problems such as suicidal thoughts arose.

In late April 2024 – just weeks after Kyle received his prescription – UK regulators took urgent action regarding finasteride Packs must contain a special safety warning card Warning of small risk of serious side effects, including suicidal thoughts and sexual dysfunction.

After being contacted by other men like Kyle Your voice, your BBC newsWe asked a male colleague to buy finasteride from three leading online suppliers to see what the controls now included.

Online prescriber Hims mentioned the side effects.

Superdrug also offered the option to chat with a doctor – this cost extra.

Only Boots Pharmacy asked for a photo of the hair loss.

When some packages arrived, none contained the new patient record that drugmakers were asked to add.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says manufacturers have been given up to a year to comply. However, it could take even longer as older packs need to be sold before newer packs with the clue card come onto the market.

Boots, Hims and Superdrug say online finasteride customers will be asked to confirm they have read and understood the possible risks.

They say until the warning cards are “rolled out” and put into packs, users can read the lengthy patient information leaflet that already comes with the medicine to find out about side effects.

According to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, online prescribing can be very useful for many patients, particularly if they are too embarrassed to see a doctor. But the controls must be robust.

James Davies, RPS director for England, told BBC News: “It’s really important that these thorough checks take place, whether online or in person.”

“This means taking a complete medical history and providing an opportunity to understand the medications that may be prescribed, the side effects, the risks and the benefits.”

He said it might be useful to show the prescriber photos of the hair loss and have a video call to discuss any issues.

The British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS) believes that patients should not receive the medication simply by filling out an online form.

Greg Williams, hair transplant surgeon and vice president of BAHRS, says that while finsasteride is a good treatment for many, the low risk of serious side effects needs to be explained and closely monitored.

“There will be some patients who have risk factors that could make finasteride a risky prescription. I’m not saying it can’t be prescribed, but patients need to be counseled appropriately.”

The European Medicines Agency is conducting its own safety review of finasteride could include a ban.

Nearly a year after first ordering the drug, Kyle says he deeply regrets taking finasteride.

“It’s just a little pill. You take it and don’t really think about what it can do to you,” he says.

“Every day I would get ready and say, ‘You had a perfect life, you didn’t have to take any risks because of your hair’.”

“It was vain of me… but when you become insecure, you do stupid things.”

“If I had realized what it could do, I would never have taken it.”