- 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 - What is your current age, height, weight?
28, 5"7", 150LBS - Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
YES-HEAVY WEIGHT TRAINING, SOME CARDIO - What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
MIX OF VEGETABLES, GRAINS, MEATS-PRETTY HEALTHY OVERALL - Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
HAIRLOSS/THINNING - For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
7 YEARS - How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
21-JULY 2004 - How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
28-MARCH 2011 - How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
COLD TURKEY - What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
PROPECIA - What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1MG/DAY - How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
IMMEDIATELY HAD WATERY EJACULATE AND SLOWLY THE LIBIDO WANED-EVER SO SLOWLY-UNTIL THE VERY END WHERE IT LITERALLY DISAPPEARED LIKE A CANDLE FLAME BEING BLOWN OUT - What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X ] Erectile Dysfunction
[X ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[X ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[X ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[XX ] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[X ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[X ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[X ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[X ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[X ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
HORNY GOAT WEED, CLOMID, ARIMIDEX, HARD WORKOUTS, CLEAN DIET, -
If you have pre or post-Finasteride bloodtests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (pls post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
NO BLOOD TESTS PRIOR OR DURING MY YEARS ON THAT POISON. AFTERWARDS, MY TOTAL TESTOSTERONE WAS RIDICULOUSLY LOW, NOT EVEN ON THE CHART, AND LH/FSH WERE BOTH AROUND 2, WITH HIGH LEVELS OF ESTROGEN
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I NOTICED HAIR THINNING IN MY LATE TEENS AND EARLY 20’S AND WOULD JOKE ABOUT HOW BALD I WAS BECOMING. A FEW FRIENDS OF MINE AT THE TIME DISCUSSED POSSIBLE OPTIONS AND PROPECIA WAS ONE OF THEM. I SPOKE TO A SPECIALIST DOCTOR WHO ASSURED ME THE PILLS WERE SAFE AND HAD NO LONG TERM RISKS AND COULD ACTUALLY LOWER YOUR PROSTATE CANCER RISK–I THOUGHT THIS WAS GREAT BC I WOULD SAVE MY HAIRLINE AND REDUCE MY CANCER RISK.
WHEN ON THE DRUG, I FELT FINE (AT LEAST I THOUGHT I DID) AND HAD A VERY HIGH LIBIDO AND NO TROUBLES WITH SLEEP, DEPRESSION, OR SEXUAL PERFORMANCES. I MET A WONDERFUL WOMAN AND WE HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP AND I WAS ABLE TO PERFORM MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY, AND BASICALLY ALWAYS WANTED TO BE INTIMATE. IN 2009 I HAD ONE EPISODE OF E.D, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS STRESS AND DID NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THAT AND THINGS WERE FINE AFTERWARDS.
HOWEVER, JUST THIS LAST YEAR IN EARLY 2011 I EXPERIENCED , LITERALLY TOTAL IMPOTENCE AND A COMPLETE LACK OF LIBIDO, INSTANTLY. IN DECEMBER 2010 I WAS DOING GREAT, LOVING LIFE, AND BY FEBRUARY, I WAS IMPOTENT AND HAD A VERY LOW SPERM COUNT AND NO SEX DRIVE. AT THE TIME I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS STRESS RELATED. A MONTH LATER I FOUND THIS SITE AND I BEGAN TO PANIC.
THE NEXT MONTH THAT FOLLOWED LEAD ME DOWN THE DARKEST, MOST DEEPEST DEPRESSION IMAGINEABLE AND I COULD NOT TELL ANYONE BECAUSE I WAS SO ASHAMED, SO UPSET, AND SO DESPERATE. IT CAME TO THE POINT THAT I FELT I REALLY NEEDED TO END MY LIFE. I WAS IN THE PRIME OF MY LIFE, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULD NOT HAVE SEX WITH MY PARTNER, A PERSON WHOM I ADORED AND WHO ADORED ME. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I FELT COMPLETELY DEAD,LIKE A PRIMAL URGE COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED AND I WAS LEFT WITH THIS NUMB, LIFELESS APPENDAGE THAT MADE ME SICK TO LOOK OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN. AS I WAS SAYING, THE DEPRESSION THAT FOLLOWED NEARLY LEAD ME TO THE END OF MY LIFE, BUT LUCKILY I SOUGHT MEDICAL HELP AND GOT THROUGH THAT PART OF MY LIFE.
THE MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED HOWEVER WERE JUST AS BAD-AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF ANTI DEPRESSANTS, I DECIDED THAT I WOULD TAKE NO MORE PILLS THAT WOULD MESS ME UP EVEN FURTHER AND STARTED SEEING VARIOUS DOCS IN THE SUMMER THAT BRUSHED ME OFF AND TOLD ME MY ISSUES WERE DEPRESSION RELATED—OF NOTE, I HAVE NEVER SUFFERED FROM DEPRESSION IN THE PAST AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE MOST OUT GOING, HAPPY GO LUCKY JOKER IN THE WORLD, AND I REALLY FELT THAT I HAD THE WORLD BY THE BALLS SO TO SPEAK. ANYWAYS, THE SUMMER OF 2011 WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND I LITERALLY CRIED EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT TRIED TO HIDE THIS FROM EVERYONE. ITS AMAZING HOW YOU CAN FAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH A DAY AND SMILE AND THEN COME HOME AND CONTEMPLATE SUICIDE FOR A FEW HOURS AS THE ONLY OPTION TO THE MESS YOU HAVE CREATED.
THIS FALL I SAW DR SHIPPEN WHO NOW HAS ME TAKING CLOMID 3X WEEK 15MG AS WELL AS A VERY LOW DOSE OF ARIMIDEX…MY TESTOSTERONE INCREASED TO 23 (8 TO 28 NORMAL) AND ESTROGEN IS ABOUT 30 (NORMAL 15-30) AND LH/FSH ARE STILL HOVERING AROUND ONLY A 2 WHICH IS VERY LOW. I FEEL LIKE MY ZEST FOR LIFE HAS DIMINISHED SO VERY MUCH AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER HAVE SUFFERED SO VERY MUCH BC I JUST FEEL SO DEAD, SO HOPELESS RIGHT NOW.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING OUT VERY HARD AND AM NOW STRONGER THAN I EVER WAS WHILE ON PROPECIA, BUT MY PENIS IS STILL VERY LIMP, MY SCROTUM IS VERY TIGHT, AND I HAVE TERRIBLE E.D AND PREMATURE EJACULATION ISSUES AS WELL AS BASICALLY NO LIBIDO–THIS IS LITERALLY KILLING ME SLOWLY, AND I HAVE STILL CONTEMPLATED THE MOST HAENOUS ENDINGS IF THINGS DIDNT IMPROVE. I JUST WANT SO BADLY TO FEEL ALIVE AGAIN, FEEL HORNY AGAIN, BE ABLE TO FEEL LIKE A MAN AGAIN AND NOT ONLY HAVE SEX, BUT ACTUALLY ‘WANT SEX’ AND ENJOY IT, AS WELL AS LIFE. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE NO ONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS BC IT IS SO NEW AND HUMILIATING AND JUST FUCKED UP, SO I HOPE TO GOD YOU ALL CAN BE OF SOME HELP.
I WILL CONTINUE TO LET YOU KNOW HOW MY TREATMENT IS PROGRESSING. I HAVE FORGOTTEN SOME DETAILS BUT WILL FILL YOU ALL IN LATER.
I HAVE FOUND SOME HOPE READING SOME OTHERS ISSUES AND RECOVERIES ON HERE, AND THAT IS WHY I FINALLY DECIDED TO JOIN AFTER NEARLY A YEAR OF LURKING, SO TO SPEAK.
THANKS
