75%- 80% Recovered

I made a promise to myself three months ago that if I started the protocol suggested by mlevyholden and Chi and I saw results and an overall improvement in my PFS then I would post on the Propecia Help forums to give some hope to all of the sufferers out there.

mrlevyholden’s thread:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=2199

First off, I wanted to mention that I took finasteride over a course of 9 months starting in August 2010; however, I only completed one three month prescription dose of the drug over that period. Yet, that is not say I did not suffer from the severe side effects that came with coming off the drug. I had persistent and severe groin and stomach pains, ED issues, penile shrinkage, sleeping difficulties, brain fog and possible depression. After coming off the drug as we all know many of us had somewhat of spike in our sex hormone activity that could be due to a number of reasons, one of them being due to the suppression of our DHT levels and of course with that a sudden crash a few weeks later.

At first I didn’t believe anything had been wrong with me but as a few months past and the symptoms had not subsided and had gotten worse I began my search for answers and hopefully a treatment to cure myself.

When I came across this forum posting I thought to myself what did I have to lose in following the posted protocols? So I started working out regularly ( I had been working out frequently before taking finasteride but stopped during the course of treatment due to school and my own stupidity) After a solid month I had noticed quite a change in the feeling, look, shape of my penis and of course my overall well being. Severe stomach and groin pains are gone and I feel rejuvenated and confident again in myself. Now at the three month mark I can say that I have recovered 75-80%.

Now that I am about 75-80% recovered, my erections are rock hard again the only thing I have noticed that just starting a few centimeteres below the head of the penis, sensitivity still has not fully returned and as one other poster had written it has not fully filled out or become “plump” like the rest of my penis. If anyone has any thoughts or is experiencing something similar please share it.
However, I believe this final recovery step will be due to treating and reducing the inflammation in my prostate as I still feel a dull but mild ache from time to time. I am getting my PSA levels and my hormones checked this weekend so hopefully I can get some more insight and answers to the root of my problems.

I hope this post gives you guys some hope. Be positive, workout, eat healthy, and take the supplements suggested and let us all know your progress at either the 1 month, 3 month etc. mark.
I will keep posting on my improvements in the coming months or so and be fully recovered in due time.

By the way, Chi, if you’re still on the forums or if anyone else has been in contact with him could please see if he could update all of us on all his progress, now that he is at the six month mark.

Please post your full member story details using this template: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=371

Thanks

Did you experience the endocrine system crash? testicular shrinkage, muscle loss, etc. etc. Please post your story.

Please give us your full story with timescales. Have you been recovered for over a couple of months now?

What we know is this:

There is a problem with our androgen receptors (scientific fact) viewtopic.php?p=44242#p44242
Resitance training upregulates androgen receptors (scentific fact) viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5140

We have scientific proof that resistance training can help with PFS symptoms.

Where are you from (country)?

Canada

  1. 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 – finasteride symptoms

  1. What is your current age, height, weight?

23 year old Male

  1. Do you exercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise?

Weight Lifting + Compact movements and interval training cardio

  1. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?

As of this moment, unhealthy but trying to revert back to healthy eating again

  1. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    Hair loss

  2. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    8 months

  3. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    21

  4. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    22

  5. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    Cold turkey

  6. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?

Propecia

  1. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1 mg for a period of time every day and then sporadically over the course of the 8 months

  2. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?

After 1 to 1.5 months

  1. 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
[ ] Complete Impotence
[x ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

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

Physical
[x ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ x] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[x ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ x] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?

MACA ROOT PILLS TWICE TO THREE TIME A DAY
ONE MULTIVITAMIN (Make sure it does not include Saw Palmetto)

  1. 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)? Have not completed them yet

  2. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

I hope that people on the forums begin to realize that in some form or the other proper exercise such as weight lifting (specifically compact movements), cardio, and of course eating right can ultimately lead to improvements, you just have to stick with it.

  1. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
1 Like

this is great news. how much of your penis was numb and for how long. how much sensativity has improved? other than working out what else have you done to get better?