A bestselling author shares a heartbreaking story about how popular hair loss drugs lead to the sexual function of her ex-husband and the demise of their marriage.
Thammika Songkaeo recently spoke on the podcast “Ethical Medicine” that she noticed that they were still dating without love.
Her boyfriend at the time told her that it was because he took Propecia – the brand name of finasteride, which is commonly used to treat male hair loss. One of the potential side effects is sexual dysfunction.
At the time, she thought it was just a temporary problem, or just an intermittent problem.
“I didn’t realize it was permanent, seriously [and] Devastating. ” she said.
They got married and stayed together for seven years, and Songkaeo convinced her ex to take erectile dysfunction medication to improve intimacy.
The couple welcomed a daughter, but Sangerko’s loneliness worsened.
Eventually, she decided to get rid of her sexual hunger marriage.
They noticed that her ex was a great companion outside the bedroom, and they were still good friends – Songkaeo went on to write a novel about her experience “Stamford Hospital,” which became Amazon Singapore’s number one bestseller.
Now, she is trying not only to spread words about posttinidine syndrome (PFS), a condition that (someone experiences serious side effects after stopping using finasteride) affects their victims, but also their loved ones.
“I feel the depth of loneliness is the point where I commit suicide or have suicidal thoughts,” Songkaeo said.
“I had to call the suicide hotline because it was a little bad for me – usually, I’m a very happy person.”
She questioned the ethics of distributing drugs that could have such devastating consequences.
“Finasteride has the ability to disband a person so much that it becomes this domino effect … there is so much damage around it – it feels like unnecessary damage,” she said.
Songkaeo, an interview with podcast host Mark Millich, told the Wall Street Journal earlier this year that he experienced debilitating side effects after buying Finasteride.
Some of his side effects include anxiety, dizziness and speech. His sexual desire also plummeted, his genitals shrank and changed shape.
Millich once interviewed a 28-year-old man who reported roller coasters due to side effects caused by PFS, including sexual dysfunction, insomnia, severe weight and muscle loss, rash and pelvic pain.
“Every month, I feel like there are new side effects,” the man said. “It really completely changed my life.”
In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about topical finasteride products distributed by telemedicine companies and cited several reports of adverse events such as erectile dysfunction, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, brain fog, depression, depression, fatigue, insomnia, reduced libido and testicular pain.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, or are experiencing a mental health crisis and living in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free for confidential crisis consultations. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can call the 24/7 National Suicide Hotline at 988 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.