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)? US
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?) Reddit
What is your current age, height, weight?
21, 5,10, 140
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.)? .5 every other day
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Diffuse hair thinning
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
2 days
Date when you started the drug?
12/26/2023
Date when you quit the drug?
12/28/2023
Age when you quit?
21
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
First dose
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
All
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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[x] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x] Frequent urination
[x] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain)
Dry skin
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
None
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)?
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.
In March 2023 I noticed that my hair started to thin and right temple started to slowly recede. It was extremely bothersome for the longest time and was a giant insecurity, so much to the point I refused to get a haircut because the top wasn’t growing as fast and as thick as it used to. Fast forward to November and one of my roommates tells me about finasteride you could get from Hims and how he took it for 2 weeks and felt nothing, so I took this to heart and got onto keeps to get a finasteride prescription. I went through the whole process, talked to a doctor and was warned of some slight side effects that could occur, these being incredibly benign to the full cascade of symptoms that occurred. I ordered the finasteride and it came in a box with some ketozonozole shampoo a week later, but the prescription bottle sat in my room for a month before I decided to take it on the night of 12/26/2023. I split the pill in half to reduce the chances for side effects, and when I took it I had some slight but benign side effects, mostly just brain fog and a weaker erection, but I stupidly thought these were tolerable and I could reduce the chances for side effects by taking a .25mg on Thursday night. After getting home from work I took the quarter and immediately crashed within the next 2 hours; unable to sleep at all, panic attacks all night, completely impotent and the next morning it was done, I was essentially a dead man walking. I experienced the worst cascade of physical, sexual, and mental symptoms all overnight, and the next few days I would literally lose everything. I was debilitated, I had to quit work because I was functionally disabled, and I’m now in the process of moving back in with my parents. I did do some research into finasteride side effects beforehand, and most information stated it was temporary and you could lower the dose to mitigate it. I’m utterly ravaged, and now knowing what happens to the most severe cases of PFS(quickly rotting into a dementia patient in a matter of months, losing your teeth/eyebrows and becoming unrecognizable) I’m now faced with the prospect of either having to make my mom watch her only child waste away without ever having lived my life or suicide. I don’t know what’s worse
Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY
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Name of the therapy/substance:
- Dosage:
- How often you took it:
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Status
- Still using [ ]
- Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
- Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
- Duration of use: Days [ ] Months [ ] Years [ ]
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Response when you started:
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]