You’ve seen the memes, you might have made some. You’ve probably reacted with a laughing emoji to them, too. For all the drama in American politics (and it really is relentless now), sometimes the weirdest debates are about as silly stuff as the US president Donald Trump’s hair! Seriously, nothing’s sparked as much curiosity or memes as Donny Boy’s remarkable hair and hairstyle have!For years, his secret weapon was a drug called finasteride — a commonly used medication to prevent male-pattern hair loss. But now, as per The Washington Post, it’s vanished from the POTUS’s medical records.It’s only normal that people can’t stop asking why. Nobody’s claiming publicly that anything odd is happening medically, but the missing drug has everyone talking about transparency, the president’s health, and what finasteride can do to your body, good and bad.
The medicine behind the mane: What’s the story with Trump and finasteride?
For the unversed, finasteride isn’t just another rumor or some speculation. Back in 2017, Trump’s doctor, Harold Bornstein, said Trump took the orally administered drug (the brand name is Propecia), and his official health records listed it during his first term.However, as The Washington Post reports, it hasn’t been mentioned in any of the 79-year-old president’s medical reports since his inauguration for this second term as POTUS, including a report published last week following his latest check-up at Walter Reed.The aforementioned report mentioned Trump taking rosuvastatin and ezetimibe to manage high cholesterol, along with aspirin for heart health. His physician, Sean Barbabella, also concluded that the president “remains in excellent physical health.” However, no mention of finasteride has had experts voicing their concerns about the implications of this shift in reporting for transparency surrounding the president’s health.Robert Klitzman, a Columbia University psychiatrist, told the Post that “It raises significant questions of what else is possibly not being revealed,” noting that finasteride has been tied to an increased risk of depression.Now, the way finasteride works is pretty straightforward: it blocks the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), all the stuff that makes hair fall out. Lower DHT slows baldness, and sometimes hair even grows back. But lately, Trump’s new medical reports don’t mention it. The White House won’t come clean about whether he still takes it or not, saying only that disclosed reports only include medications considered “clinically relevant” at the time.This admission leaves room for several possibilities: maybe Trump stopped the medication, maybe it’s no longer seen as an “important” medication to include in publicly released records, or maybe they just view it as a non-essential disclosure.The bottom line is that at present, there is no public evidence confirming which explanation is correct.Whatever the case, the drug’s sudden disappearance has folks wondering what should be public and what presidents can keep private.
About finasteride: What do we know?
If hair loss could be traded like stocks, finasteride would be on top. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it in the ‘90s, and millions of men use it. Per The Wall Street Journal, unlike all those shampoos and miracle cures, this one actually goes after what’s causing your hair loss.For someone always in the public eye, especially politicians who care a great deal about their image and pay attention to it, keeping one’s hair matters. People tend to see hair as a sign of youth and energy, and let’s face it, nobody wants to look older than they are on TV.But there’s a catch…The thing about finasteride is, sure, it works for lots of men, but it doesn’t come without its fair share of risks. Most don’t get serious side effects, but some do, especially around sexual health: lower sex drive, erectile problems, less semen, and other issues. Sometimes, these stick around even after you stop taking the medication.Mental health gets talked about more and more, as some users report depression, anxiety, insomnia, feeling foggy, calling it the reason behind their “brain fog,” and even suicidal thoughts. The FDA keeps an eye on these, but the exact connection still gets debated. Lawsuits and studies keep popping up, but no one can say exactly how common these lasting effects are.Finasteride isn’t a miracle, but it’s also not a nightmare. Like most drugs, there are trade-offs, and one should always talk it over with a professional healthcare provider before signing up.
Why is it causing a stir?
Because this isn’t really about hair. It’s about what kind of transparency and accountability we expect from our leaders.Presidential health is always a sensitive topic. We’ve seen this during the Joe Biden administration as well. In fact, the current administration has left no stone unturned, ripping apart the previous administration on the grounds of an “unfit” president running the show.People want transparency from the leaders who lead a very public life and are responsible for making sound decisions for the citizens. Trump’s health records have drawn attention for years, from glowing doctor statements to missing details about hospital visits.Now, the finasteride controversy is really just part of the bigger question: How much do we get to know about those in charge?Because, at the end of the day, the question isn’t really about his privacy — it’s whether the president is trying to hide away a more serious concern in the name of privacy.
