1st post, Member Stories

Member Stories
#1
  1. Where are you from (country)?
    US
  2. 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?)
    hairlosstalk.com
  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    32, 5-8, 144
  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    yes, cardio and light to moderate weights
  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    everything, not much fast food though
  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    hair loss
  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    7 yrs
  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    25
  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    currently taking
  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    n/a
  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    Propecia
  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1 mg/day
  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    5 years
  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    n/a
    Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    n/a

  2. If you have pre or post-Finasteride bloodtests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (pls post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
    n/a

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    [b]I had been taking Propecia for 7 yrs up through today…On 4/2/2011 I noticed that I did not have a full erection in shower which was abnormal for me (always instantaneous and always full erection). Previously the only other side effects was reduced ejaculate but not to a degree that was unsatisfying.

I tried to masterbate 2x on 4/2, after the morning shower and once more at night. I was successful both times but with great difficulty. Each time it took between 1-3 minutes to become fully erect, whereas the hundreds of times before, erection was instantaneous. The Morning of 4/3 I could not have an erection at all and thus could not ejaculate.[/b]

#2

I seen your post on HLT, too.

My advice is to get off the drug immediately as the alternative is to keep taking it and what kind of alternative is that?

The scarey part is alot of guys on here “crash” after going off it but staying on it is a sure-fire way to slowly decay your sexual health now the effects have onset.

I’m sure you’ll be reminded that this forum is for people who has QUIT propecia. I think you need to quit.

#3

well I haven’t taken it for 3 days now…But I want to so bad to continue to take an antiandrogen, which makes me want to not totally rule out propecia again…I have been able to get erect (around 2 min) the last 2 nights and ejaculate (to porn) but I can’t get an erection at any other time on my own

#4

If you choose this route do not bother posting on this forum.

#5

You need to consult your username if you consider propecia or ANY other oral anti-androgen again. Go topical with some of the new stuff if you really want. (Check HLT for all this chat)

As Mew said, it’s an insult to people on here if you want to be a member here but experiment with propecia like you are suggesting.

#6

It surprises me that some people will keep taking it for the sake of their hair when they expereince side effects like this and then even have read stories of countless men who have suffered permanent issues. If being chemically castrated permanently, haviong issues with energy, sharp thinking, mood etc etc does not sway you then i dont know what will. The only rerason you want hair is cos you want women to appreciate your hair, but guess what woman needs penis she could care less for your hair. If your penis works good you got a keeper. End of story.

#7

That’s a bit too simple I’m afraid muscleman. A woman wants hair (i.e. looks), money (success) and a pecker. I’m not condoning that people try to salvage their hair in any way, but, they do want it all. It’s not love and it’s not money that makes the world go round: it’s looks.

#8

That’s your personal opinion and unfortunately it was this way of thinking that got the vast majority of us into this mess in the first place. Not to derail this thread, but there are plenty of bald guys that get hot girls. Losing hair and self esteem over it sucks, but it points to a bigger issue – insecurity with oneself when it comes to vanity.

You need to learn to accept yourself for who you are, and not care what others think. Hair is nowhere near as important a factor as many of us would like to believe, it is not tops on a woman’s list considering the many other qualities men have, and any woman who will not date you over some hair loss probably doesn’t deserve you anyway and is probably stuck up and only focused on looks.

The lesson learnt from all this is not to wilt in the face of adversity, but become stronger.

#9

Mew, I agree being shallow will not get you anywhere worthwhile. Everyone these days seems to be overly concerned with looks; I was not arguing that an intelligent and discerning man/woman should aspire to be a vacuous pretty boy/girl. I was just noting, what I felt, were some uninspired trends.

#10

I did not mean an oral anti androgen! Is topical antiandrogen taboo? Can I not post to this site if I have ED but it’s not permanent and complete? Since I have only been off for 4 days now (after 7 years), I don’t know where I stand given my first ED symptom this past Saturday. (I have to wait for a diagnosis from my first visit to urologist next Thursday (and I am scheduled to see 2 endocrinologists early May, although I don’t expect much out of these docs).

#11

Anything that interferes with androgen metabolism has the potential to cause issues. That includes topical anti-androgens that can be absorbed systemically. The point is you are obviously still concerned about hair loss instead of health, and if that is the case, you will have more support on hair loss sites for what you are doing vs. here, where men have been decimated by treatments deemed “safe” for hair loss.

Exactly. This forum, as noted in the title, is for men with LONG TERM, persistent issues from the drug which have yet to recover months or YEARS after quitting. If you find your issues do not resolve in coming weeks/months, then it probably makes sense to post. If things resolve in that time, you will be on your way and can continue your hair loss quest on hair loss forums if that is your decision.

At the moment though, relax, try not to worry and recognize that it is likely you will recover from your issues as we are a subset of the minority of men who experienced side effects, which did not resolve.

#12

Embarrassed that I jumped in here by not noticing the “Long Term” issues noted in the title (as I am in the short-term phase of this side effect). I would have respected that and not posted had I been reading more carefully.

Whatever happens to me, my record is here that something did happen (most likely) due to Propecia and I may have to visit again down the road.