In recent years, telehealth companies like HIMS and Keeps have revolutionized access to hair removal treatments by offering online consultations and direct delivery to the door.
Their near-ubiquitous marketing campaigns, especially social media, attracting young audiences enthusiastic about quick solutions to thinning their hair.
However, for some customers, convenience and relative affordability are offered at a large price.
Former US Army Sgt. Mark Millich, 26, received a bottle of finasteride pills a few days later. According to the Wall Street Journal.
Soon after that, he began to experience anxiety, dizziness and slurgitated speeches. And the situation got worse.
His sexual desire plummeted – and his genitals shrunk and changed shape. His doctor said it was due to medication.
Finasteride, known under the brand name Propecia, has been widely prescribed for male pattern hair removal since 1997.
It is known to be an effective treatment for hair regeneration, but it is also known to have side effects such as sexual dysfunction and depression.
FDA has been updated The drug’s label has been labelled for years to include warnings about these risks, including the possibility of suicide thought.
Unlike traditional pharmaceutical companies, telehealth service providers are not obligated to disclose any side effects or other risks of advertising, but they claim they do so on their website.
Dr. Justin Homan, a urologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, has seen a surge in the number of young men over sexual dysfunction caused by finasteride, entering his office.
“This is not something young men should take,” he told the Journal.
Meanwhile, a HIMS spokesperson said the client “experiences a comprehensive intake reviewed by a licensed provider clinically determining the patient’s medication eligibility,” and said it was “all essential details and safety information.”
Neither Millich nor Sawyer Hart were among the 17 men WSJ spoke to people suffering from severe side effects from taking medications through the TeleHealth Company, but they believe they are well informed of the risks.
Telehealth companies have undoubtedly democratized the prescription drug process, but health professionals assume that potentially raise concerns that patients are underrated and that prescription volumes may prioritize client health and safety.
“It felt like a platform, it went further and prescribed and got as many patients as possible to use as possible from us,” Dr. Jonathan Daly, an internal medicine physician who worked for HIMS for two years, told the Journal.
