2.5 months later, getting worse. gonna be a long struggle to get out of this...

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    USA

  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?)
    Google for “propecia depression”

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    24, 5’10", 130lbs

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    I do not, but I am going to start a daily exercise regime (running, weight lifting) today.

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    I used to eat anything: usually meat/fish, dairy, grain/pasta, very few fruits/vegetables, lots of chocolate and sweets. Now I will be cutting out the caffeine, beer, sugar, and most grain/pasta out of my diet, and replacing it with only meat, fish, and fruits/vegetables.

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    hair loss

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    4 months

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    24, june 11, 2001

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    24, oct 19, 2011

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    cold turkey

  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    propecia, finpecia

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1mg/day

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    10 days before quitting

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

Put an X beside all that apply:

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

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] 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)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X] 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?
    Taking a GABA supplement. Helped at first (placebo effect?), no longer helps.

  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)?
    Had blood tests during the 4 week period when I felt normal. Will post when I know the results.

  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.
    I started taking the drug in June. I did not realize that depression was a side effect, because when I searched for side effects, I mostly found erectile dysfunction and loss of libido. My doctor did not tell me depression was a side effect, and I guess I did not do enough research (still beating myself up over this). If I had known that depression was a possible side effect, there’s no way in hell I would have taken this drug. My father committed suicide and depression runs in my mom’s side of the family too.

Soon after I started taking it, I started feeling depressed at work. I just thought I hated my job, but looking back at it now, it was probably the best job I could possibly get. I quit my job to join a startup and then travel, because it seemed more exciting. The way I did this was really stupid and emotional, and I wonder if propecia had already started affecting my logic and reasoning abilities, as I am usually very methodical, responsible, and not impulsive. Then again, the lack of research I did before I started using propecia is also suspect.

On the drug, while working on my startup, I had a massive panic attack (relating to the startup’s lack of success). I went off of it because I couldn’t do anything (even take a pill). When I recovered after a few days, I started taking it again for another week. Then I got another massive panic attack. I had to go home and stay with my mom, who told me it was probably a side effect of propecia. That’s when I found this site. I haven’t taken it since I came home to stay with my mom. 2 weeks after quitting, I felt normal. Then, about 4-6 weeks after quitting, I slowly crashed (had ups and downs). I’ve now been mostly down for about 30 days.

I had a good, stable job which paid six figures and I was on track to be promoted to manager. Now I have no job and don’t know if I will even be able to work. I can barely get up in the morning (but I am forcing myself to do so). My startup has failed because I can’t work. And I can’t travel because I am in a constant state of anxiety/depression, so I wouldn’t enjoy it and it would be a waste of money.

I have started exercising daily (at least pushups/situps/running, but I also try to weightlift). I have mostly eliminated caffeine and sugar from my diet. I have completely stopped drinking alcohol. I try to only eat meat, fruits/vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.

The lack of a job is definitely making my depression and anxiety worse. Thankfully I have health insurance for 1.5 years and enough money to last me 2-3 years at my current expenses (much longer if I move back in with my parents). I want to find another job and have people offering me work but I don’t know if I’ll be able to perform the work required of me, and I don’t want to ruin my relationship with people. I’m thinking about moving back in with my parents and focusing solely on recovery, but my parents think I need to find a job to occupy my thoughts.

#2

man just get happy you didnt get penile shrinkage…seriously… its only been 2.5 months give it some more time, things will slowly go back to normal. however libido is something that for most of us probably will never be the same

#3

Believe me, I am very happy I have a supportive family, friends, and even acquaintances. I am also happy I have enough money to spend on treatment if necessary.

However, I have lost enjoyment of most things in life, and I do have extremely decreased libido. If the depression goes away and the libido recovers to 50%… I don’t really see that as a problem. I was like a sex addict before; I’d rather have sex occasionally while also focusing my mental energy on more fulfilling pursuits. That being said, I do think my current libido is too low, and the huge decrease in ejaculate volume also worries me. I hope this improves.

#4

Shortly after my previous posts, I started getting better. I went on vacation with some friends and did some solo travelling, without experiencing any side effects. When I got back, I was able to go to job interviews and did not notice any side effects for about a week. A few days ago, I started having chest pain and anxiety again, so I did some pushups and went out and the anxiety dissipated.

But then it came back yesterday, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve been doing exercises, I’ve been outside, I went to a concert and danced, I took GABA and 5-HTP. I spent several hours today lying on the floor curled up in the shower because I couldn’t deal with the world. It didn’t really help. I also don’t have any appetite.

I am concerned that, in my current state, I am unable to focus and thus will fail the second (technical) interviews I have scheduled this week. Even if I pass one of those miraculously, I don’t know if I will be able to do my job at all.

The interesting thing is that, when I was feeling fine, my ejaculate volume was ok (a bit on the low side), but as soon as I started feeling panicked and depressed, my ejaculate is barely existent.

#5

its only been a few months for you. Hows your brain to penis connection feeling? Hows the libido from 0 - 100?

#6

@dumed

I know how you are feeling. I have had horrendous ups and downs, but one thing in particular which seems to have helped my mind is fish oil. Mew suggested this in a past thread. For months I used it in pill form, and still felt just hellish. Then, I began to consume fish oil in the literal oil form, and I immideatly had a positive reaction. Obviously, many members will tell you go easy on caffiene and sugar etc. and personally I could not agree more. The most important thing for now is to breathe and stay calm. In the beginning, I literally felt frightened and my insides were a wreck. Staying calm is important. Stay positive and do not give up. Do not stop fighting brother.

#7

At this point, libido is the least of my concerns. I have absolutely no desire for sex, but that could be because of the anxiety and depression. If I really try, I can get hard, and can orgasm. It feels somewhat good. My ejaculate volume is basically nonexistent though.

If I can just get my mind back, I wouldn’t even mind losing my libido forever. Of course it would be great to have both of them back, but I envy those of you who just have had their libido affected.

#8

Here are my blood test results:
Vitamin D: 40 ng/mL
T4: 8.1 ug/dL
T3-uptake: 39.4% (this is high, range is 22.5-37)
T7 (FTI): 3.2 ng/dL
TSH 3rd generation: 1.42 uIU/mL
T3, Total: 106 ng/dL
T4, Feee: 1.42 ng/dL

Testosterone: 610 ng/dL
SHBG: 32 nmol/L
Free Testosterone: 121 pg/mL
% Free Testosterone: 2.0

I went to a psychiatrist yesterday, was diagnosed with Bipolar II (may have started even before propecia, but was probably intensified by the propecia) and am now taking Symbyax. I don’t know if that’s a good idea, but I was unable to exist yesterday and now I am slightly more able to exist. At least I was able to get a good night’s sleep, finally.

#9

Have you researched the safety profile of symbyax? It’s a combo drug of Zyprexa and Prozac and not without it’s own set of problems including increased risk of suicide and sexual dysfunction. If you decide to continue with the drug please make every effort to check for dietary and other lifestyle triggers for your condition and eliminate them.

rxlist.com/symbyax-drug.htm

#10

Yea, I was a bit concerned about Zyprexa and so was another psychiatrist I talked to, so now I am just taking Prozac 10mg. I know Prozac has its own set of side effects, but if it can make me feel well enough to do a job, I will just have to deal with them. My first priority is becoming a productive member of society again and sexual side effects are a secondary concern.

#11

The problem with taking other medications before/post-Fin (like SSRIs) is, your medical history shows this.

For medical/legal reasons, docs or lawyers can look at your history and exclude you from evaluations/research/lawsuits based on the fact you cannot pinpoint your Finasteride usage as the sole reason for your dysfunction (confounding variables due to introduction of another drug with its own set of side effects).

If this is not important to you, then don’t worry about it. If this concerns you, look for alternatives to pharmaceuticals to deal with depression…natural supplements, excercise, good diet, fish oils are good starting points.