Propecia is the most popular hair loss drug in the world

Are you aware that if you use certain medications you should inform doctors or nurses about it before you donate blood to a blood bank? Some medications are absolutely fine to use if you are considering donating blood but others can have negative repercussions on patients that end up using the donated blood.

For example the hair loss medication Propecia made by the drug company Merck is one of those drugs which you should not use if you are going to donate blood.  You must stay off Propecia for a minimum of one month before it is OK for you to go to a blood bank. The reason for this is that Propecia contains a compound called finasteride which can be extremely harmful to an unborn child in that it hinders the development of the male sexual organs. If a woman was to require a blood transfusion and either was pregnant or became pregnant she may end up with tiny traces of the finasteride ingredient of Propecia in her blood which could harm her child.

Men who use Propecia must be aware that Propecia is only for them and must never be used by women who suffer from thinning hair as it is not clinically approved for their use. In testing done on animals it was seen that when finasteride was administered that male offspring ended up with under developed male sexual organs. Obviously this has never been tested with humans but it could give the same result and for the sake of safety men who use Propecia must not donate blood.

Propecia is the most popular hair loss drug in the world and is used by millions of men. To date there has not been one report of a male child being born with undeveloped sexual organs due to Propecia contamination.