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?) Google
What is your current age, height, weight? 25 , 5’9, 170
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.)? .25mg every other day for 3 days
What condition was being treated with the drug? hairloss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 3 days
Date when you started the drug? June 30th
Date when you quit the drug? July 3rd
Age when you quit? 25
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? A day after
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Loss of appetite, mood, and libido.
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
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ X] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[X ] 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
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
X[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[X ] Weight Loss
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[X ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[X ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[X ] Other (please explain) Loss of appetite led to severe weightloss, and constant thirst, no matter how much water I drank.
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? I have been staying away from any drugs. I’ve only been taking vitamin d3 supplements, and eating 3 times a day in a timely manner and trying to hold a schedule.
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)? No hormonal blood tests were given. But a regular blood test occurred, and I only had higher bilirubin, although I was told I had Gilbert’s disease - it was typically higher than what it usually would be.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Nightmares, insomnia, a lot of tears, and severe depression.
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I took the drug for three days, every other day at 0.25mg. I immediately felt more anxious than ever (had a history already with some anxiety already that was more so related to academics/future/jobs) but now that anxiety was heightened into other aspects of life, and I couldn’t finish a movie without some sort of triggers in the movie that would make me feel scared and more anxious than ever. I was not able to sleep because I would get adrenaline rushes in my sleep, higher heart rates and insomnia followed by nightmares. I completely lost my appetite, I did not feel any hunger at all. (And I still don’t, I just eat 3 times a day, however I can - I lost 10 pounds in a week and a half) This whole situation triggered my health anxiety and I thought some other things were happening in my body without realizing that it could have been the finasteride this whole time (I genuinely thought that .25mg wouldn’t do any damage for that matter) As I felt the extreme anxiety out of nowhere I completely stopped the medication to rule it out, it gradually got worse and worse, until I hit a severe wall of depression, anhedonia crept in, and I was emotionally blunt, could not feel anything, and I was trapped in my own body, even crying would be hard to do ( I could not play any of the games I use to enjoy, or do anything else I use to enjoy, I couldn’t even listen to music) . And when I was able to cry, I cried like a child, It was horrific. I am now 2 weeks off the drug and feel 50% recovered. I still feel some anxiety and digestion issues (like GERD and higher heart rate after eating) I still have less interest in doing the things I use to love to do. But mood wise, I’ve gotten a bit better.
I just want to remind everyone here, that you are not alone, and no one can feel what we’ve felt.
We are an army of soldiers having a mental battle with this poison, do not lose hope, time is our only ally. I know it’s easier said than done. But it has to be done.
As for coming out of this ditch. I’ve eaten clean, given my liver less to worry about in terms of filtering anything else BUT water. And I take vitamin d3 pills, waiting for my brain to reconstruct itself. Staying away from stressors, and trying my best to avoid being sad.
I will keep updating this for anything else, if I don’t, it likely means things got better.
I will try to reply to any comments, if I don’t, don’t be offended, it’s likely me trying to stay away from this topic to get better.