Hello sharoni:
Thank you for submitting your question to Google Answers.
Before I get started I want to make sure that you understand that the
researchers at Google Answers are NOT medical professionals and that
the information that we pass along should not be taken as a substitute
for professional medical assistance. We merely search out and compile
information that already exists on the Web.
That being said, I think the first thing you need to know about your
husband's condition is the specific medical definition of
"azoospermia".
"Azoospermia is the complete absence of sperm in the seminal
ejaculate. Azoospermia is uncommon but not rare, occurring in about 2%
of men in the general population and 10-20% of men receiving care in
infertility centers."
From: http://www.drdaiter.com/55.html
The reason I wanted to point this out is that some of my research
showed that the terms "azoospermia" and "aspermia" are sometimes
(incorrectly) used interchangeably. "Aspermia" is a different
condition:
"Aspermia is an absence of ejaculate (semen)."
From: http://www.drdaiter.com/55.html
Why do I make this distinction? While I could not find any references
that stated that the drug Propecia (Finasteride) causes either of
these conditions in the extreme (that is, either a complete absence of
sperm from the semen, or a complete absence of semen itself), I was
able to find many, many warnings about Propecia causing a *decreased*
amount of semen being release during ejaculation. The following are
just a few places where this warning was stated.
Merck (the makers of Propecia) - Adverse Effects:
"decreased amount of semen released during sex (this decrease does not
appear to interfere with normal sexual function)"
From: http://www.propecia.co.nz/html/about_propecia/medical_information.htm
PropeciaPharmacy:
"Decreased volume of ejaculate was reported by 0.8 percent of men
treated with Propecia versus 0.4 percent of those taking placebo."
From: http://www.propeciapharmacy.com/170697.html
There are also other sex-related side effects of Propecia that occur
in less than 2% of the men taking it, including:
* Lowered sex drive (libido)
* Difficulty reaching erection
In fact, all of these symptoms are pretty typical of any sort of
testosterone/steroid treatment. Bodybuilders who take steroids, for
example, often complain of the same sort of symptoms.
So, it could be quite likely that whoever diagnosed your husband was
using the term azoospermia a little loosely to indicate that your
husband's semen volume was dropping.
Can this side effect be reversed?
Several sites I found said that if someone taking Propecia simply
stops taking the drug, that the symptoms will go away.
"These side effects were reversible in men who discontinued therapy
and even resolved in many of these patients who preferred to continue
treatment."
From: http://www.propeciapharmacy.com/170697.html
The side effects go away when the man stops taking the drug. For most
men, side effects become less severe after taking the medication for a
full year.
From: http://www.healthwise.org/kbase/topic/detail/drug/hw60748/detail.htm
However, I also found the following discussion about the subject of
reversing the side effects of Finasteride that cast some doubt on
whether merely stopping the treatment would necessarily reverse the
effects:
"Bodybuilders sometimes never get complete function back. Why? Because
you shut down cell function down for so long sometimes it never gets
restored. Bodybuilders sometimes have to resort to extreme measures in
order to restore gonadal functioning, such as HCG or clomiphene
citrate, and even then not always does it work."
From: http://www.curezone.com/forums/message.asp?f=48&i=302
There is also an interesting list of other methods to help reverse the
problem at:
http://www.curezone.com/forums/message.asp?f=48&i=397
So, it seems that the information all points to Propecia causing some
pretty severe sexual problems in a small percentage of the men that
take it - and that stopping taking the drug will certainly give your
husband a good chance at reversing the effects he is currently
experiencing.
As for how long he should avoid taking Propecia...I'd say that for him
there seems to be a direct correlation between taking the drug and
lowered sexual function. He should stay off the drug completely as
long as he wants to regain full function.
I hope that this information has been of help to you and your husband.
If you need clarification about any information I have provided,
please ask using the Clarification feature - before you rate this
answer.
Good luck!
websearcher-ga
Search Strategy:
Azoospermia
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Azoospermia+
aspermia
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=aspermia+
Propecia side effects
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Propecia+side+effects
Finasteride side effects
://www.google.com/search?q=Finasteride++side+effects&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N |
