Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)?
Western Europe
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?)
Google search
What is your current age, height, weight?
30, 190cm, 82kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg/day
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Alopecia androgenetica / Male pattern baldness
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
19 days
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
28 years old, March 15, 2020
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
28, April 3, 2020
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
±15 days
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Completely flat emotions, loss of androgenic drive and ego/confidence, anhedonia, loss of feeling of satisfaction, complete loss of libido, loss of brain - penis connection, loss of genital sensitivity, erectile dysfunction, loss of general excitement and passion for life, never feeling alone anymore
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[x] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[x] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
10 months of low dose hCG (first 6 months 300IU eod, now 250IU every 3 days because E2 skyrocketed on former dose)
Bupropion 300mg for 3 months in summer 2021: Aside from anorexia and waking up early/bad sleep no positive effects
Mesterolone 200mg per day since 03-11-2021
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
Dec 2020, before any treatment
T 15nmol/L
Free T 398 pmol/L (165 - 655)
SHBG 20nmol/L
LH 2.2 U/L (1.0 - 8.4)
FAI 75 (30-85)
Prolactin 0.16 U/L
E2 not tested
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Apart from insecurity about my hair starting in 2019 I was the happiest guy in the world, very ambitious, high libido, constant girlfriends, never been depressed and had a privileged youth with caring parents.
Took 1mg finasteride for 19 days in March 2020. Noticed watery semen, erectile dysfunction and total loss of libido, immediately quit but these sides never passed. Anhedonia and flat emotions seem to have creeped in during the year 2020. I never feel any androgenic drive/ego/hierarchy anymore. Before finasteride I used to want to share good experiences with other people and could feel very alone, but now I never feel alone anymore. Such a weird experience.
Fortunately not feeling depressed, no serious brain fog or cognitive impairment. But seem to have worse memory due to less of an emotional impression by experiences. I do often wonder though if life is still worth living this way, since quality of life is near 0. I try to keep myself busy working and meeting up with friends/colleagues. Even though it all feels “fake”. Only my parents and one of my best friends know about the PFS ordeal. I think PFS is so hard to grasp for normal people that sharing it with friends you see every week might have more negatives than positives.
Still exercising regularly and eating healthy. Athletic physique.
It’s just bizarre how only a couple of pills can completely ruin the only life you have, and how it’s still on the market and approved for male pattern baldness.
Tried hCG 200IU eod for 6 months (jan '21 - june '21), increased my testosteron to 35nmol/L, skyrocketed estradiol to way above normal, noticed an increase in energy in the purest sense of the word (no effect on all the symptoms, except energy levels) and stools turned a little softer again, hair less dry. After quitting had severe drop in energy levels, felt miserable. Tried bupropion 300mg every day without any noticeable benefits for 3 months.
Restarted hCG 200IU every 3 days to raise energy levels again (through higher testosteron).
Current situation:
hCG 250U every 3 days
Low cardohydrates diet / backloading
Running 5K twice a week (pace ±5:00 per km)
Push ups (18-14-14-10) + pull ups (9-7-7-5) twice a week.
Started mesterolone 200mg early november as per “Pals” and “RebelWithACause” experiences. Until now not noticing anything, maybe a little more flat emotions.