Hi all. First off, I just want to write that I’m aware I technically shouldn’t be on this forum, because I’m in the process of quitting, as opposed to having already quit. But I’m feeling quite scared and alone right now, and need some advice from this forum–which to me are the de facto experts. I want to quit finasteride, and do everything in my power to minimize PFS. Here is a little bit of my story.
I’ve been taking 1mg of finasteride daily since January 30th, 2006, which is 9 years + 3 months on the treatment. I was 22 years old when I started, and I’m now 31. When I began the treatment in January 2006, I experienced zero observable side effects, so it was an easy decision for me to stay the course. I had a very high and functioning sex drive prior to finasteride, and that didn’t change when I began the drug.
However, over the last 4-or-so years, I’ve been accumulating side effects: I’ve experienced a marked drop in my sex drive and libido. My sex drive and libido are still functioning, but let’s just say they’re operating at 30% (if that) of where it should be for a man my age (low libido, way less interest in sex, weak orgasms, less ejaculate, loss of morning/nocturnal erections, achieving erections takes more work, maintaining erections takes more work, etc.).
Here is a timeline of my experience with the drug. You’ll note that sometime in 2012/2013 (I can’t recall the exact month), I switched from cutting Proscar into 1/5ths, to buying 1mg tabs of generic finasteride.
[Size=4]Year 01 | Age 22 | 2006 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | No observable side effects
Year 02 | Age 23 | 2007 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | No observable side effects
Year 03 | Age 24 | 2008 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | No observable side effects
Year 04 | Age 25 | 2009 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | No observable side effects
Year 05 | Age 26 | 2010 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | No observable side effects
Year 06 | Age 27 | 2011 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | No observable side effects
Year 07 | Age 28 | 2012 | 1/5th of Proscar tab daily | Low Libido
Year 08 | Age 29 | 2013 | 1 mg Finasteride tab daily | Low Libido
Year 09 | Age 30 | 2014 | 1 mg Finasteride tab daily | Low Libido
Year 10 | Age 31 | 2015 | 1 mg Finasteride tab daily | Low Libido[/size]
I’m baffled why side effects would begin after so many years of being side-effect free. I’m an otherwise above-average healthy person: I eat very clean, run, bicycle, weight lift regularly, and I’m fit.
At any rate, after thinking it over, I’ve decided to stop the drug. However, after reading online of PFS, and of people’s endocrine systems collapsing, I’m terrified. I’m terrified to stay on the drug, I’m terrified to get off the drug–but it’s something I must do.
I know there’s no evidence that tapering limits PFS over quitting cold turkey, but from what I’ve read, people lean toward tapering. I’ve read the FAQ, and now I’m trying to formulate a tapering regimen.
Any advice on what this should look like? A combination of slowly lowering doses, and skipping days seems to be the preferred approach, but how exactly? 1mg EOD for a month, then 0.5 EOD for a month, then 0.25mg EOD for a month, then ~0.125mg EOD for a month, then ~0.125mg every third day for a month, then ~0.125mg every fourth day for a month, and so on? What exactly does a good tapering regimen look like?
This week, I’m also going to get some baseline diagnostic work done, incase something goes wrong. I’m also considering having a sperm test, and putting some sperm into storage, for the same reason.
Any help would be much appreciated.