39 from Canada, not sure if pfs.. please read!

Member Stories
#1

Where are you from (country)? Canada

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

What is your current age, height, weight? 39 5’8 165lbs

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.)? 1 mg

What condition was being treated with the drug? baldness NW3

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 1.5 years

How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 2018

How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? STOPPE TODAY !

How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? flushed it all in the toilet

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Not sure, it’s random

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

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
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[x ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

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

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
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[x ] Other (please explain)

Insomnia

First of all, let me explain that i am not 100% sure that my symptoms are caused by usage of finasteride. I am suspecting it is, because it’s the one and only medication i am using. Started to use it late october at the same time I was having very busy time at work. I was on duty and working very long weeks, so during christmas break i was very very tired and stressed out, i experienced my first panic attack. At that time i didnt know it was a panic attack but i only realised it a few weeks later. I had other panic attack and very bad insomnia so i went to see a doctor who prescribed sleep pills and suggested to talk with a psy to find out the root cause of my issues. All blood test were good. Then weeks went by and i felt not so good, however things improved when i switched position at work.

I still felt anxiety and had a bad libido, but it was tolerable. From time to time I had insomnia issue but was able to manage it with sleep pills. I am father of 2 kids and i am with my wife, if you are parents you know it’s not always easy but i feel i am not enjoying life as i should, add that to the nightmare we all lived with COVID, nothing to help an anxious person. So today i found your forum while doing research before going back to see a doctor, because in the past week my symptoms came back or worsen. The worst symptom I have is insomnia followed by a low libido.

Again, i am unsure if it’s related to finasteride, but after reading on the subjects for 2 hours I went in my pharmacy took my meds bottle and flushed all it’s content in the toilet. Will not touch this medication again. Now I am afraid : what will happen if it’s pfs ? Will I ever recover from it? Is so… how many years of suffering is ahead of me?

I truly hope it’s not pfs related. I am exploring all potential causes right now, this one seems one of the worst :frowning:

Thanks for your support. This forum is a blessing.

#2

Welcome !
Sorry to hear you have had some issues already , I know they are not fun as I have had/ have anxiety issues and insomnia also from Finasteride use .

I think you made the best move today by doing what you did …I didn’t think Finasteride should be taken by anyone at all UNTIL there’s widespread awareness and ACCEPTANCE by the medical and pharmaceutical industries and they investigate the syndrome and ways to treat it properly . There’s several drugs out there that have similar lasting side effects that do not resolve after quitting - Lariam the malaria drug is another one they have known about for years but they still keep prescribing that one like it’s no big deal.
Anyhow that’s some of the issues with the medical industry aside but with your situation I’m sure you aware of this as it seems you have done your research already but problems can arise DRAMATICALLY after stopping this drug - we are not clear on the reasons why just yet but it’s commonplace so I don’t wanna paint you a pretty picture and say you’re out of the water just yet , but I hope that you will be. Everyone’s body and response is diffferent . For e.g I initially decided to quit finasteride after getting soft erections and Unilateral gynocomastia , however it was about a month or so after quitting that severe insomnia, tinnitus and bizarre General Anxiety/obsessive compulsive anxieties kicked in . Sone people where totally fine until they stopped , some people got a ‘crash’ 10 days after stopping and briefly returning to normal, I was not one of those and never got a crash as such, we are all different .
Best advice for ya is to let the body heal naturally if it can the next 3 months and see where you’re at after .Don’t worry about supplements and taking more and more stuff just exercise, diet, sleep and social interaction wherever possible helps you to stay grounded .
Best of luck !

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#3

Thanks for your kinds words Forwardsnotbackwards, it is greatly appreciated.

So just to let everybody know, I will try to provide updates on my situation as much as possible. First day after I stopped fin was also a day off from work. I had a good night of sleep, woke up only once at had almost 7 hours of sleep which is really very good for me.

Here is the regimen I will follow over the next couple weeks

1 caspule of ashwagandha in the morning to reduce anxiety/improve mood. I have been using it for weeks and it has good results on me.
Vitamin C to boost immune System
30+ minutes of exercise per day
At least one hour outdoor per day (walk, run, enjoy the sun)
1 capsule of L-Theamine at night after dinner time to reduce anxiety
1 capsule of melatonin 30 minutes before going to bed.

So like I said I will post updates at least once every week to let you guys know how im doing and hopefully it can help somebody else…

#4

A word of caution with Ashwaganda, search the forum and you’ll find that it has made some worse.

#5

You are right, I read that for some it improved while for other it made things go worst. So far I have been using Ashwaganda for a while but randomly, for example I pop one pill when I feel a lot of stress and it seems to have a positive effect on my overall anxiety, so I was planning to start using it daily and see it that makes a difference. I read many posts on here and realized that most men are doing trial and error to see what fits best for them… it’s a long process. The most important rule is : never give up!

Thanks for the advice !

#6

When you are so early in this you shouldnt forget that time is maybe the most important healer in an early stage.
I believe many gets unnecessarily worse by trying speed up the process with what they believe are healthy things. I want to say its a huge risk with supplements in a withdrawal stage

#7

Hi all,

After one month off from Finasteride, my overall condition and well being have greatly improved. I was suffering from heavy insomnia since march but now since about 6-7 days I had some great night of sleep. I take 12.5 mg of Seroquel meds that a doctor prescribed me to treat my insomnia, which is a very small amount, that you could argue it might be a placebo effect and i take it along a camomile tea 1 hour just before bed. Sometimes I don’t even take the Seroquel and still able to get 5-6 hours of sleep! In the past week I have had 8 hours night at least 3 times, which is very awesome for me, I feel alive again.

Now I am still asking myself whether or not if my issue is PFS related or something else. How do I know for sure ? I am expecting your answers guys… please don’t throw stones at me for asking this but : Should give finasteride a second chance ? I am disappointed to think my baldness will worsen in the next months and I think finasteride was truly helping for that aspect. At the same time, I don’t want to go thru stress/panic attacks and insomnia again, but what if PFS had nothing to do with it?

Again, please don’t be rude, I am only asking the question and I was wondering if anyone here went into the same dilemma or questioning ?

Thanks

#8

Haha …don’t do it ! Just use the laser hair comb and some Biotin ! How long did you use finasteride for ?

Sounds like youre doing better - I had seroquel a long time ago but I didn’t like the drowsiness from it , it wasn’t a fun drowsiness like a Klonopin , it was heavy and out of body to me . Oh well if it works for you that’s great ! I know other people (not PFS) who use it to help with sleep at that dosage

1 Like
#9

Only when you try it again you’ll be sure whether it is was caused by finasteride or whether its a nocebo effect.

You’ll soon know after 3 doses.

1 Like
#10

Don’t do it mate i had persistent issues the second time trying the drug (took me about a 1.5 months to recover first time). Repeated rounds on finasteride seems to be the nail in the coffin for so many. I haven’t slept properly in coming up to 9 months now.

There are other options to deal with hair loss. Also although not guaranteed to be safe breezula will be out in a year or two. Beats rolling the dice with finasteride again.

1 Like
#11

Thanks for your comments guys. Today I think i might have received a message from God. While I tough all this was behind me, today I had a panic attack that lasted about 5-10 minutes, my first attack in months. I am very sad and hope i don’t go downhill again.

I am no longer considering giving a 2nd chance to finasteride… oh no…never again.

#12

smart move buddy!

1 Like
#13

Serquel is anti androgenic, can cause pssd.