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)? USA
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? 48 5’8 195lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Topical Finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
.25% Finasteride 5% Minoxidil at night (drops)
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hair Thinning
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
A little over 2 months
Date when you started the drug?
November 2022
Date when you quit the drug?
Early January 2023
Age when you quit?
47
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? 2 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Fasciculations
Twitching
Weakness
Fatigue
Cramping
Anxiety
Brain Fog
Hand numbness
Burning
Tightness
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
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
X[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
X[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
X[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
x[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
X[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
X[ ] 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
X[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
X[ ] Muscle Wastage
X[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
X[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
X[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
X[ ] 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
X[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
TRT & HCG and a barrage of supplements and benzo’s
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)?
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.
Like pretty much all the posts I was told Topical Finasteride would have no symptoms tied to it and the doc reassured he has never had anyone in his 8 years of prescribing. I first noticed a little emotional blunting and a slight twitch in my face with bouts of stiffness that felt unnatural for my age but attributed it to dehydration and not stretching. It wasn’t until January 2023 when I woke up with my forearms burning and testicles smaller that things didn’t add up and I quit the only drug I added to my regimen. I was already on a small dose of TRT. The topical Finasteride did work wonders to thicken my hair so i was originally excited but I was really being proactive. Once I stopped the topical I had a gradual in well feeling that wouldn’t go away and my mental clarity was on a downward spiral. One of my legs felt like it was burning and weak from my glute to my an ankle. From there I saw a barrage of doctors (pcp, Nuerologists, homeopath etc.). My pcp did acknowledged Finasteride could have caused hormonal imbalance and prescribed a benzo for sleep and Wellbutrin for the daytime and said things should be better in 6 months. From here I hit the insomnia and over-the-top anxiety stage that was nothing inexperienced before. I’d sleep 1-2 hour intervals and needed a benzo to get through each day to function. Although that stage did slow down (sleep is at 5-6 hours) fatigue set-in with hand numbness, stiffness, weakness and some muscle wastage mostly in the legs. I feel that the brain fog and anxiety have both decreased quite a bit from the first 3 months but i do tend to get weird feelings in my head almost like a headache is coming and the burning has moved up my body to my arms. My wrists and fingers have also stiffened like a nueroapthy or inflammation taken it’s place. It seems like it is mimicking an autoimmune disorder now and unfortunately I don’t feel like doing anything physical which is unlike me. I was hoping the initial symptoms would eventually have diminished at the 7 month mark but new symptoms are making the physical worse (stomach aches new). How much longer do I have to go through this shit life is short enough to be this miserable! I’m about to go to my second neurologist to rule out ALS. When I contract a muscle after it’s fatigued the muscle will fasiculate and slightly cramp. I haven’t seen many people post about that only random
twitching. Any input would be appreciated.
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 [ ]