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)? UK
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Persistent side effects of saw palmetto.
What is your current age, height, weight? 24, 188cm, 110kg, 102kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Saw Palmetto.
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 500mg a day.
What condition was being treated with the drug? Hair loss.
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Roughly 3 months.
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 20, 29/5/2016.
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 20, 31/08/2016.
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey.
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? 8 Weeks.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Lowered libido, e.d, brain fog, feeling detached, inability to deal with stress, dry skin, dry hair, grainy vision, eye floaterers, mild depression.
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
[
] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] 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
[ ] Other (please explain) Adrenal issues.
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)? Listed below story.
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.
I have been a lurker on this forum for sometime and have finally decided to share my story as I have some free time. Around May 2016 I discovered that I was losing my hair and decided to seek treatment for it. So I visited a hair loss clinic near me which recommended a saw palmetto supplement which contained 500mg of saw palmetto berry extract and 8 other dht inhibitors. I took this supplement once daily for about 3 months, starting from May to the end of August and noticed after about 7-8 weeks that I had developed side effects like low libido, e.d, brain fog etc. Same as listed above. I persisted with the supplement as I was told that these side effects would eventually go away and that I was also desperate keep my hair at the time. Another 4 weeks later and the sides are all still there. It was at this point I decided to quit the supplement because I was worried it was doing more harm than good and I wanted to feel normal again. Unfortunately, even after more than 4 years later the side effects still persist, I haven’t really gotten better or worse since quitting. The only thing that seems to worsen my condition temporarily is weightlifting or too much stress. I also want to add that I didn’t experience the crash that others do here.
I do have blood test results which I took very recently that I would like to share, and I would be very appreciative if someone could maybe offer some advice or some suggestions on what I should do next based off these. Thank you.
