Latest news with #StamfordHospital
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A popular hair loss drug destroyed my ex-husband's sex drive — and ended our marriage
A bestselling author has shared a heartbreaking story about how a popular hair loss drug led to the demise of her ex-husband's sexual function — and their marriage. Speaking recently on the podcast 'Moral Medicine,' Thammika Songkaeo said she noticed they had no love life to speak of while they were still dating. Her then-boyfriend told her that it was because he had taken Propecia — the brand name of finasteride, which is commonly used to treat hair loss in men. One of the potential side effects is sexual dysfunction. At the time, she thought it was just a temporary issue — or that it would only be a problem intermittently. 'I did not at all realize that it was permanent, serious [and] devastating,' she said. They got married and stayed together for seven years, with Songkaeo convincing her ex to take an erectile dysfunction drug to improve intimacy. The couple welcomed a daughter, but Songkaeo's loneliness worsened. Ultimately, she decided to walk away from the sex-starved marriage. Noting that her ex was a wonderful partner outside of the bedroom, they remained great friends — and Songkaeo went on to write a novel about her experience, 'Stamford Hospital,' which became a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon Singapore. Now, she's trying to spread the word not only about how post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) — a condition in which someone experiences severe side effects after they stop using finasteride — affects its victims, but also the ones they love. 'The depth of the loneliness I felt was to the point where I, myself, was becoming suicidal or having suicidal thoughts,' Songkaeo said. 'I had to call the suicide hotline because it became that bad for me — and, usually, I'm a pretty happy person.' She questions the ethics of distributing a drug that can have such potentially devastating consequences. 'Finasteride has the capacity to dissolve one person so much that it becomes this domino effect…there's just so much destruction around it — and it feels like unnecessary destruction,' she said. Songkaeo was interviewed by podcast host Mark Millich, who made headlines earlier this year by telling the Wall Street Journal that he experienced debilitating side effects after buying finasteride. Some of his side effects included anxiety, dizziness and slurred speech. His sex drive also plummeted, and his genitals shrank and changed shape. Millich previously interviewed a 28-year-old man who reported a roller coaster of side effects due to PFS, including sexual dysfunction, insomnia, severe weight and muscle loss, skin rashes and pelvic pain. 'Every month, I feel like there's a new side effect,' the man said. 'It's really changed my life completely.' In April, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about topical finasteride products distributed by telehealth companies, citing several reports of adverse events such as erectile dysfunction, anxiety, suicidal ideation, brain fog, depression, fatigue, insomnia, decreased libido and testicular pain. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
A popular hair loss drug destroyed my ex-husband's sex drive — and ended our marriage
A bestselling author has shared a heartbreaking story about how a popular hair loss drug led to the demise of her ex-husband's sexual function — and their marriage. Speaking recently on the podcast 'Moral Medicine,' Thammika Songkaeo said she noticed they had no love life to speak of while they were still dating. Her then-boyfriend told her that it was because he had taken Propecia — the brand name of finasteride, which is commonly used to treat hair loss in men. One of the potential side effects is sexual dysfunction. 3 Speaking recently on the podcast 'Moral Medicine,' Thammika Songkaeo shared how post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) led to the demise of her marriage. Moral Medicine/YouTube At the time, she thought it was just a temporary issue — or that it would only be a problem intermittently. 'I did not at all realize that it was permanent, serious [and] devastating,' she said. They got married and stayed together for seven years, with Songkaeo convincing her ex to take an erectile dysfunction drug to improve intimacy. The couple welcomed a daughter, but Songkaeo's loneliness worsened. Ultimately, she decided to walk away from the sex-starved marriage. Noting that her ex was a wonderful partner outside of the bedroom, they remained great friends — and Songkaeo went on to write a novel about her experience, 'Stamford Hospital,' which became a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon Singapore. 3 'The depth of the loneliness I felt was to the point where I myself was becoming suicidal or having suicidal thoughts,' Songkaeo said. Gorodenkoff – Now, she's trying to spread the word not only about how post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) — a condition in which someone experiences severe side effects after they stop using finasteride — affects its victims, but also the ones they love. 'The depth of the loneliness I felt was to the point where I, myself, was becoming suicidal or having suicidal thoughts,' Songkaeo said. 'I had to call the suicide hotline because it became that bad for me — and, usually, I'm a pretty happy person.' She questions the ethics of distributing a drug that can have such potentially devastating consequences. 'Finasteride has the capacity to dissolve one person so much that it becomes this domino effect…there's just so much destruction around it — and it feels like unnecessary destruction,' she said. Songkaeo was interviewed by podcast host Mark Millich, who made headlines earlier this year by telling the Wall Street Journal that he experienced debilitating side effects after buying finasteride. 3 Mark Millich — the host of the podcast — made headlines earlier this year by telling the Wall Street Journal that he experienced debilitating side effects after buying finasteride. X/@Unstoppable218 Some of his side effects included anxiety, dizziness and slurred speech. His sex drive also plummeted, and his genitals shrank and changed shape. Millich previously interviewed a 28-year-old man who reported a roller coaster of side effects due to PFS, including sexual dysfunction, insomnia, severe weight and muscle loss, skin rashes and pelvic pain. 'Every month, I feel like there's a new side effect,' the man said. 'It's really changed my life completely.' In April, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about topical finasteride products distributed by telehealth companies, citing several reports of adverse events such as erectile dysfunction, anxiety, suicidal ideation, brain fog, depression, fatigue, insomnia, decreased libido and testicular pain. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE My marriage and sex life was ruined by common drug taken by millions... please heed my warning
Thammika Songkaeo knew instantly her husband was the one when they met in 2011. The pair connected almost immediately and married two years later, welcoming a daughter into the world together. But despite how deep their emotional connection was, there was always one thought nagging away at Songkaeo: her husband was not that interested in sex. When they first met, her now ex-husband told Songkaeo how he had low libido and erectile dysfunction which he said started after taking finasteride, a drug used by millions of men to prevent hair loss. But she dismissed his problems as 'something temporary'. When he struggled to perform in the bedroom, she got him to take Viagra. Fearing being labeled a 'sex addict', she avoided discussing it with friends — but quickly started to feel isolated, and became depressed, and then suicidal. After seven years, she ended the relationship and filed for divorce. Finasteride is sold by telehealth companies for as little as $30 for a month's supply, with doctors saying it can prevent hair loss with little more than a pill a day. The drug was originally developed for men with an enlarged prostate, but it has since become a popular hair loss treatment. Around 2.6million men in the US take the drug. It works by blocking the conversion of the male hormone testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a compound thought to cause hair loss by shrinking hair follicles on the scalp. But DHT is also crucial for sexual arousal, erectile function, and genital tissue health, and its reduction. While the drug shows a remarkable ability to promote hair growth, some men pay a steep price. Some say the drug ruined their sex life, genitals and relationships — even long after they stopped taking it. Songkaeo's husband was prescribed the drug by an unnamed health clinic and took it before they met. Doctors believe he was suffering from post-finasteride syndrome, a condition of persistent sexual, neurological, physical and mental adverse reactions in patients after they take finasteride to treat hair loss. Her experience inspired her to write a book about a woman stuck in a marriage with an asexual husband in Singapore, titled: Stamford Hospital. Speaking to Songkaeo said her husband told her he was suffering from side effects of the drug after they became a couple. 'We noticed... that there was something off about the physical intimacy,' she said. 'There just wasn't the amount or intensity that there would be in my experience of a relationship.' She added: 'I thought it was something that could be overcome, as in I did not think it would be a lifelong thing — and from what I understood from my ex-partner there was no way for him to know if it would be a lifelong thing. 'I thought, "maybe it will be ok. Maybe what it is will be ok ". It turns out, it was not ok.' The couple met on the East Coast, and initially dated there before moving to her native Singapore together. Songkaeo said in an interview with Moral Medicine — which raises awareness over harms caused by finasteride — that the couple tried Viagra to help with intimacy. But after the birth of their daughter, she felt that what physical intimacy there was had now almost gone — and that there was just too little in the relationship. 'I felt extremely lonely at that point,' she told this website, 'I've never felt that kind of loneliness in my life and never knew loneliness like that could be possible. 'It felt like a loneliness that had no place on this Earth. It was very intense and harrowing. 'And became like something that I could not live with, because it became very intense and harrowing.' After speaking to her husband about their differences, the pair decided to amicably end the relationship. Songkaeo said she experienced opposition from her family, who are from Thailand, when she revealed she was ending her marriage over problems in the bedroom. But since the relationship was resolved, she and her husband have remained best friends — and now happily co-parent their daughter. She would never, however, re-enter the relationship. Finasteride works by blocking the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, which — according to the Cleveland Clinic — is typically found in the genitals. About two to three percent of finasteride patients experience side effects, doctors say — with the most common being problems getting an erection, less interest in sex and problems with ejaculation, such as little or no semen. Doctors tend to tell patients that these will subside after they stop taking the drug. Giving other women advice on how to handle the issue, she said: 'Letting compassion for both people guide the conversation leads to the best results. A conversation that is led by love and understanding for both people. 'I really don't think that people who suffer from post finasteride syndrome should be treated as anything other than victims of a very dangerous drug in terms of the side effects it can give. 'At the same time, I don't think that any partner needs to endure the effects as if they were inconsequential.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
CT man accused of intentionally striking pedestrian, landing victim in ICU
Police arrested a man on Monday and accused him of intentionally crashing his vehicle into a pedestrian in Stamford in February, which landed the victim in the intensive care unit in a local hospital. Jeremiah Vizzo, 43, of Stamford turned himself in at the Stamford Police Department where investigators had a warrant for his arrest, according to Sgt. Jeffrey Booth. He faces charges of first-degree assault, reckless operation and evading responsibility. Booth said the crash was reported on Feb. 16 around 7 a.m. in the 400 block of West Main Street where officers responded on the report of a motor vehicle versus pedestrian collision. Police found that a 2008 Lexus SUV was being driven west when it struck a pedestrian identified as a 57-year-old Stamford resident, who suffered very serious injuries, according to Booth. The victim was taken to Stamford Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. The driver of the Lexus took off from the scene, Booth said. Patrol officers used multiple investigative techniques to identify the vehicle involved as well as locate someone believed to possibly be the driver, according to Booth. The Stamford Police Department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad responded and assumed the investigation, which included obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle. The vehicle was later seized and taken to the police department where it was processed for evidence. According to Booth, the investigation found that the driver intentionally crashed into the pedestrian. The driver was identified as 43-year-old Jeremiah Vizzo of Stamford, Booth said. Officer Cory Fisher obtained an arrest warrant for Vizzo, who was initially held on a $75,000 bond. Booth said Vizzo is scheduled to appear before a judge on April 21.
