Where are you from (country)?
- Belgium
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?)
What is your current age, height, weight?
- 25, 1m93 (6’3), 86kg
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.)?
- 1.25mg (singular dose)
What condition was being treated with the drug?
- MPB
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
- One day
Date when you started the drug?
- 10 of June 2023
Date when you quit the drug?
- 11th of June 2023
Age when you quit?
- 24
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
- cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
- The next day after I woke up.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
- Severe anhedonia, severe anxiety, eye floaters, severe depression and suicidal ideation, loss of libido, difficulty maintaining erections, watery semen.
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
[ ] 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
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] 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
[X] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[X] 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
[X] 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
[X] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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)?
- I have done a hormonal blood test before taking Finasteride but have yet to do one since taking it (doctors are being difficult and tests are expenaive). I will update once I do.
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 started taking Finasteride as I began having heavy recession around my temples. It was prescribed by a dermatologist who only mentioned it could impact my fertility. I didn’t take it for a long time as I did hear it could impact sexual function, but never knew it could be permanent. Or that it could impact my mental health. My sexual side effects don’t seem as extreme as some. I only have minor loss off feeling and have no ‘cold’ or ‘dead’ feelings down there, can still have an erection and can still have orgasms, my libido is muted but this could be because of my extreme anxiety. I regret taking this pill every day. I should be in the prime of my life but am in a constant state of anhedonia and anxiety. To top it off I also developed eye floaters which always serve as a nice reminder that I ruined my body somehow. I truly hope there is still a chance of getting better. I had myself committed for suicidal behaviour but am not taking any meds (as I am not a fan of SSRI’S for obvious reasons). I don’t know what god i angered but I hope he can forgive me. Vanity was not worth this. I only wish someone had warned me as I now see them warning others on reddit/youtube/twitter. If i knew PFS existed, I would have never risked it and can’t help but feel frustrated that nobody warned me or that I didn’t do more research myself.
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 [ ]