3 doses of finasteride

Member Stories
#1

Where are you from (country)?
UK

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 - Finasteride side effects

What is your current age, height, weight?
33 years old
179cm
88kg

What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride (I was also using topical tretinoin at the time, but I don’t think this caused issues as I had been using it for a while prior without issue.)

What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
0.25mg one day, 0.05mg about 3 to 4 days later, then 0.04mg 3 days later. That was all.

What condition was being treated with the drug?
Male pattern balding

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
3 doses

Date when you started the drug?
October 2025

Date when you quit the drug?
October 2025

Age when you quit?
33

How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
It ended up being a taper. After taking my first dose, I read more about finasteride and saw that it could suppress DHT even at very small doses. I also came across reports of severe side effects, which made me think that lowering the dose might help me avoid them. I had heard of some side effects before, but not to the extent of a lot of them here. Unfortunately, I still developed side effects after my third dose, so I stopped taking it then.

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
3rd dose

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
All that I listed below

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

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

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[:heavy_check_mark:] Sensitivity decrease (Moderate)
[ ] Weight Gain
[~] Gynecomastia (No development yet, but tingling nipples)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[:heavy_check_mark:] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[:heavy_check_mark:] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

Other (please add)
[:heavy_check_mark:] Loss of hunger

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
None, it doesn’t look like there’s any reliable / universal treatments? I am just going to try and live a healthy lifestyle for now and look into if diet can have an impact.

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)?
I’ve got some blood tests booked in with my doctors. Once done I will post the results to the forum.

Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
N/A

Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Nothing to add. I took finasteride for hair loss, got side effects as listed and here I am.

SYMPTOM UPDATES:
3rd Nov 2025…

  • Dulled sensation in palms, fingertips, feet, and scalp (noticed when scratching).
  • Abs remain constantly tense. I can relax them slightly if I focus, but they quickly tighten again when I stop paying attention.

4th Nov 2025…

  • Bodyweight dropping fast, down 2.9kg (6.4lbs) in five days. PFS has shut off my appetite but I’m still trying to eat enough.
  • The reduction in sensitivity in my palms, fingertips, feet, and scalp remain.
  • Penis sensitivity mostly returned to the head in the morning but dropped to around 10% by evening. Complete loss of shaft sensitivity.
  • Zero libido and full ED even with attempted manual stimulation.
  • Penis looks smaller, reduced blood flow?
  • Balls / groin has been slightly aching today and have mostly been pulled close upto my body.
  • Chest tenderness has worsened.
  • One plus, my anxiety is lower than yesterday so far; hoping it stays that way when I go to bed, as lying down and closing my eyes to sleep usually worsens it.

5th Nov 2025…

  • Constipation since last night. I still haven’t been able to go despite eating a tin of prunes about 8 hours a go.
  • My body looks noticeably softer. I’ve always been muscular and in good shape from regular exercise and a physical job, but now I seem to be holding water and looking puffy.
  • A dull aching sensation has started in my cheeks for some reason.
  • Chest and nipple tenderness has increased.
  • The ache in my groin has worsened. To clarify, it’s not the testicles themselves that’s worsened, but close to them.
  • Feeling a huge amount of regret and depression today. I don’t feel this is a direct symptom of finasteride like the rest, but more due to the situation I’m in.

I’m not going to do any more updates as things are changing rapidly it seems, for the worse. If there are any drastic or alarming changes I will probably add a new comment to this post instead.

#2

Yes SSRI and Accutane usage is relevant. SSRIs can cause PSSD and Accutane can cause PAS. Not everyone gets these though and that’s what makes these class of meds a dice roll.

#3

Serum DHT levels do not represent tissue DHT levels but it’s still worth getting a hormonal panel done.

#5

Crashwaganda is rumored to act on serotonin and can unfortunately cause a syndrome similar to PSSD.

#7

I can relate to this. My sexual symptoms are devastating but the relentless anxiety, anhedonia, and sleep disturbances drive me insane. Not medical advice but Ramelton may help. It’s a melatonin antagonist.

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#9

Of course, no problem. In the early stages, I knew I had PFS but was doing alright because I did not have anhedonia. Anhedonia makes dating impossible but it’s definitely possible without it. I’m living proof of that even if you have ED. Women can be understanding if you’re unfront, even if they don’t understand the severity of the situation.

I’ve personally avoided benzodiazepines and zolpidem (baby brother of benzos for sleep) but I can understand for sleep and silencing the anxiety. I can almost promise you if you can get rid of the emotional blunting/anhedonia that the other symptoms will improve (especially sleep).

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#11

You’re not being negative, even if it feels like it. There is really no way to sugarcoat anything more than mild PFS. When I crashed I noticed a bunch of strange things too. I would look in the mirror and I could feel stuff happening on the inside, yet I couldn’t see it visually at that time. Something just felt amiss 24/7. New symptoms would pop up in place of old ones. You can actually feel like you are worsening for quite some time, but it’s extremely like you settle at a baseline and have some symptoms improve.

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#13

you probably won’t deteriorate much more, this is your new normal however. at least that how it went down for me, 2 months of decline and now 1+ year in that has become my new “normal”.

it’s kinda unbearable at times, but there is only one way out and it ain’t pretty…

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#15

the skin thing hit me about 2 months in, overnight my skin became strecthy and loose, and took on this weird texture, it’s also very dry and flaky not oily like pre pfs

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#17

doctors are useless for this, and frankly a lot of other diseases, they cant cure shit

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#20

I’ve had watery and reduced semen volume since I got PFS after two pills of finasteride. When ejaculating a month ago that introduced additional physical sexual issues.

I can fully relate to the sexual dreams. The waking up from them is like torture. I’ve had occasional nocturnal emissions from them but the volume is very low.

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#21

Obviously this affects everyone differently but I haven’t had any issues with food but I’d try to not obsess over what food you consume. If possible, just try to eat cleanly. Getting a stool test may be a good idea to see your microbiome in your gut.

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#26

I used to exercise and had a physique to be proud of. When PFS hit I didn’t have the strength or frame of mind to exercise and in 9 months I gained 100 pounds. It’s been 6 years I still have not been able to take it off. Don’t let this happen to you! This weight gain is as depressing to me as the original PFS was. I don’t post as often as I used to, frankly because everything seems so hopeless. Just a word to the wise my friend: don’t gain weight, you may never shed it! … Jim

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#27

I can relate this to this. Dopamine binge eating to cope with anhedonia has to led to me gaining 10 pounds. It seems to be building up on my waist like I’m being feminized. Good times, what a wonderful drug for hair loss. I remember seeing @Toughluck24 mention this in an interview one time and I’d hope I would not get this symptom.

#31

the problem with pfs “recovery” is that you can easily be plunged back to square 1 if you mess up with wrong supplement, medication, hygiene product, food etc list goes on.

that is the scary part…

#33

Deleted

#34

there is definitely a strong link between fapping and crashing, every time i do it my symptoms get way worse for like 2 days

#35

Latest Update.
Below is a summary of my symptoms, I’ve tried to remember to compare them from their worst points to where they are now.
As a note, I am about 10 weeks since stopping finasteride after getting my first side effects after my 3rd dose, and about 6 and a half weeks since my crash.

Improvements…

Sexual…

  • I’ve gone from complete impotence at my worst to now having solid erections as good as before PFS, aside from a slightly softer glans.

  • My penis no longer feels hollow, like jelly or unusually light. It feels normal again in those regards (but still feels rubbery).

  • My genitals no longer feel cold or dead, they feel back to normal in this regards.

  • Flaccid penis size is now actually larger than what it was before PFS. Erection size hasn’t changed at any point from before PFS.

  • Orgasm pleasure has improved from literally zero to approximately 60–70%.

  • Sensation in my penis shaft (previously zero) and the glans (previously very largely reduced, but never zero) has fully returned to normal.

  • Libido has improved from 0 to around 20%. I can become aroused and achieve erections from visual stimulation alone, though my baseline sex drive remains much lower than before PFS. Previously I was constantly horny throughout the day, now I don’t think of sex at all, I only get into it when I’m watching porn, I probably would with a woman too but I’ve yet to test that. I don’t believe porn is related to the problem here, it wasn’t before PFS, however I plan to significantly reduce or eliminate it as I know it can be.

  • I now experience regular nocturnal and morning erections. They are solid.

  • I can masturbate and ejaculate without triggering symptom crashes. Previously, ejaculation appeared to worsen my condition and I think was the initial cause of triggering the total impotence I had.

  • Testicular pain, which was present daily for most of the day, is completely gone.

Mental & Emotional…

  • Emotional blunting has noticeably reduced.

  • Brain fog has improved, though it is still present.

  • Dissociation has reduced. It gets bad again in social situations, along with the brain fog and emotional blunting however. I would guess this is due to an increase in base anxiety and this is how my body and mind is responding to this.

  • Suicidal ideation is gone.

  • Depression and panic attacks are gone.

  • Motivation has largely returned.

  • Insomnia has improved from the begining but seems to of now plateaued. At the start I was waking every 30 to 45 minutes, getting a max of probably 3 hours sleep a night, to now sleeping for an hour a time and getting maybe 5 hours of total sleep on my good nights.

Neurological & Sensory…

  • Sensation in my scalp, forehead, fingers, and feet, which was previously reduced (severely in my forehead and scalp), has returned to normal.

  • My mind muscle connection during workouts has returned. Previously I could not feel my muscles working at all. I can now also feel the pump which was completely absent before.

Hormonal / Physical…

  • Gynaecomastia related sensations in my chest and nipples have largely stopped. The occasional tingling pops up but it’s not as intense and doesn’t last. It seems like the glandular tissue behind my nipples has stopped growing too or at least slowed significantly. There’s been no reduction in the mass though. The gynocamastia was also assessed by my doctor during an examination who confirmed he felt abnormally large lumps there.

  • My upper body muscle mass and strength have increased. I am still working out, just less frequently (every 3 to 4 days instead of every other day), and with less volume (13 sets per workout now instead of 18), and with much larger tests between exercises.

Digestive & Metabolic Improvements…

  • Digestion is about 95% back to normal. It only feels slightly slower after large meals.

  • Bowel movements have normalised. Initially, I had severe stool impaction requiring maximum dose laxatives. After this cleared, some time later I instead got bad diarrhea. Stool color was also abnormally pale throughout. All of this has resolved.

  • Body odor for under my arms has significantly improved and is now close to my normal scent.

Other…

Tinnitus fluctuates. At times it returns to pre-PFS levels. At other times it is even better than before PFS.

No Improvement or Worsening Symptoms…

Sexual…

  • Scrotal volume loss remains just as bad. It’s hard to say as I didn’t regularly check my testicle size, but I think it’s reduced fluid rather than testicular atrophy. It has visually lost a lot of volume though. The skin is still rubbery and has a loss of elasticity, as does my penis skin.

Physical…

  • I’ve lost a noticeable amount of muscle in my lower body, particularly the glutes. My legs and glutes were always my strongest area despite never training them directly. Like, my muscles were well above average, even larger than most people who train their legs regularly.
    The muscle loss here seems surprising, especially as I’ve gained muscle in my upper body with training. Maybe I have more androgen receptors in my lower body which is why I was naturally very strong in this area, and they got hit harder or something?
    I will note, I’ve stayed active with walking and gardening and I wasn’t training my legs before PFS so this muscle loss is unexpected.

  • There is a reduction in fat/volume in my fingers and feet.

  • There is also fat loss in my arms, making them more vascular. I don’t personally mind the appearance, heck I use to see it as a good sign of getting leaner when I use to train more before PFS, but this is actually a negative symptom related to PFS. My body fat elsewhere, such as around my abdomen, legs, glutes and face has increased.

Skin…

  • My skin issues continue to worsen overall. This is my worst symptoms. I seem to of been hit particularly hard in this area and it keeps getting worse overall.

  • More areas of my skin feel rubbery.

  • My skin has become increasingly stretchy.

  • The discoloration under my eyes has become worse, plus the sunken appearance has become worsened due to localised fat loss. My skin here and on my cheeks look droopy.

  • For those of you who know the toy stretch armstrong, I feel like I’m becoming a much more terrible version of that lol. My skin is turning to rubber and becoming very stretchy. But for real, it’s awful. I also look like a drug addict with my eyes and face now.

  • Oh, and although my skin has become more stretchy, it has also lost it’s elasticity. For example, I can pull the skin out further and it takes a long time to retract and return to it’s normal position. This is very pronounced in my penis and scrotum skin. If I pinch the skin there it won’t fully go back to normal and will stay wrinkled to a degree. The next worst area is my hands. The skin on the back of my hands takes a long time to return to it’s resting position when pinched. If I apply pressure to my finger pads they will dent and stay dented also.

  • I still barely sweat and my skin is very dry. My hair is also very dry.

I think that’s about everything for this update. I hope my skin improves eventually!!! This seems to be the worst hit. Occasionally my skin has felt less rubbery, and has been slightly less stretchy at times, for a short period my penis stopped feeling rubbery at all, so I hope that means I can make permanent improvements in those areas eventually, currently though things are on a downward path with my skin. Most the other things have made some decent progress. I’m hopeful for continued progress in those areas still.

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#36

Masturbating to completion perma worsened my sexual symptoms and introduced new ones

#37

but then again what is the alternative to never jerk off again…

this is the ultimate nightmare condition man, either your dick stops working completely or fapping makes your other symptome 10x worse