After months of reading I'm finally posting....

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)? USA

  2. 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

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    25, 6ft, 175lbs

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    yes, 5 days a week. 3 days weight train, 2 cardio

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    i try to eat healthy, lots of vegetables, no processed foods

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    hairloss

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

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    June2006

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    24, March2009

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    cold-turkey

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

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1mg/day

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    Almost immediately lots morning wood and spontaneous erections. Felt pain in my testicles

  14. 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
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ X] Loss of Morning Erections
[ X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ X] 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
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ X] 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
[X] Breast Pain

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)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    None…giving it time

  2. 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)?

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

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

So I have been reading these forums on and off now for a while. Like many people I took the drug for hairloss, thinking hey I’ll give this a try, if I get sides I will stop and everything will go back to normal. Before taking it I was very virile, and horny all of the time. As soon as I started taking it morning wood disappeared, but since I was able to have sex normally I continued. Then the testicular pain came. I decided to stick it out since side effects were supposed to go away if you keep taking it. Anyways, long story short my libido went down and I decided to cut it off.

So I quit, then after two weeks things went back to normal. I thought hooray, I’m cured. But then a couple weeks later it all just crashed and has been crappy since, even after 5 months.

I know that maybe my symptoms aren’t as bad as others on here…I still have a libido that I can live with. The only thing that is bothering me is that my erections are weak. Like I can bend my penis if I want to, and if I try to flex it, it is hard to do. I didn’t have morning erections for a while, but they are coming back, albeit very weak ones. It is nowhere the same as it was before though.

I still have testicular pain. I told my doctor about it but he said I probably hurt my balls while working out. But I took a break from working out and they still hurt.

My situation seems to be a bit different than others, since I still have a libido, still can get erections, etc, but they are weak and not enjoyable as they once were. Does anyone think I have a prostate problem since my testes keep hurting. Anyways, I’m planning on going to the doctor soon if things don’t get better. I’m also worried about if I don’t do anything, things will get worse.

Anyways, that’s my struggle with this poison. If the damn information packet stated that people get permanent sides, I would have never taken it. I truly am disgusted by big corporations after this…all they care about is their pockets no matter how many lives they destroy.

#2

I have had testicular pain on and off while on propecia that lasted for a day or two. I still had it after I quit, then didn’t get it for a while. Now I have had it for a week straight and it’s bothering me so I’m going to go to the doc. This is on top of my ED issues which I haven’t really told him about yet, but I’m planning to tomorrow.

I know that I should try to get him to do the necessary hormone tests, and I’m wondering if he should check my prostate since it seems to hurt down there. Plus last time I was in for a physical a month ago there were white blood cells in my urine and he told me it was a urinary infection and gave me antibiotics to take for a week. I’m wondering if prostate problems could have caused the white blood cells in the urine.

Any other suggestions on what I should ask or try to get done?

Thanks

#3

Yes get hormones tested, get prostate checked with an ultrasound if possible – propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=92

Other tests:

#4

So I went to the doc today. After I told him my ED symptoms and problems since starting fin, this is what he told me “Welcome to getting older. You’re not a teenager anymore” Well I felt like one just a year ago before I started taking this poison. I presented him with some research that I found here and asked him to do more hormone tests and his response was “Stop doing research until you get your MD” Maybe I will, I have been thinking about it for quite some time. I will be in my early 30’s when I finish though, but that’s besides the point.

Anyway, he did schedule an appnt with a urologist that will do an ultrasound on the testicles to address the pain I have been having. Maybe I can convince him to do an ultrasound on the prostate.

Also, he had just my testoterone levels checked, and PSA. Probably useless tests without any other info.

Anyways, this situation is frustrating…

#5

Congratulations - you have an asshole for a doctor! Don’t “convince” just tell them what to do, because the price for not getting checked out is far worse, and can’t be covered with situational guilt. Maybe if you show him some of this site (personal accounts) and the videos, he’ll get the picture. If not to be honest I would tell him off and walk out.

#6

Got the results from my lousy tests. The testoterone was 6.21 (1.68 to 7.46) which was taken in the afternoon so it was lower than it would have been in the morning. I know this doesn’t mean anything by itself.

The PSA test was ok. I don’t even understand why the doc had done that one. Doesn’t PSA get screwed up after taking fin?

I’m gonna try to get the urologist to do some more tests, I doubt he will though. I might just bite the bullet and make the 5 hr drive to see Dr. Crisler. I’m waiting to see how others will do that have already started with him.

BTW, does anyone know what the cost of that 24hr urine hormone profile is?

#7

your doc is an ass , 25 is too young to be having these kind of issues , especially if you are training alot and eating quite healthily

when my doc couldn’t find anything abnormal in the tests he prescribed me antidepressants! yet my problems are all physical rather than mental

#8

hi… i used finasteride i mg daily for about 3.5 months and then i quit it as i felt decrease in libido and lower amount of serum. And then like after 5 months of quitting i felt pain in the testicle. Actually what happenend was i jumped from the heihjt of abt 9 feet… and the moment i landed on ground i felt the extreme pain in the testi. it was huge amount of pain … somehow i spent the night and in the morning went to a urologist and he gave me pain killers and antibiotics … and i was well… but my ultrasound report was not rite. they said there might be a strong possibility that i was having testi cancer. anywayz i went through the surgery and the testi was removed…

now i really dont know what happenend to me … i dont think so that it was finasteride what caused it… as i never felt any pain untill i was on finasteride… and even after quitting finasteride … nothing happened for about 5 months .

i hav also taken finasteride for a month in july… and suddenly i found the side effects of finasteride 3… days ago on internet… now im really scared… ive stopped the pills … but whts frightening me is… IF "what happenend to me last year and in result of what i had to remove the testi " happens again then what ive gotta do.

i dont think it was finasteride what caused the cancer. As i was off it till 5 months… and then the pain came… and the ultrasound resulted in my testi having cancerous lesion.

I am not frightening you … but ive got myself frightened now… as u r also having pain… PLz tell me if ure pain has gone away… or it still persists…

thanx

#9

hey shakee, so you had the testicles removed?

#10

Shakee, you got me scared. now the pain has subsided somewhat and I still sometimes feel it. I’m going for an ultrasound this week. Hopefully it will be ok. I wouldn’t put it past finasteride to cause testicular cancer though. I have not heard of any reports yet. Does anyone know of any cases linked to fin?

Italy, it seems like shakee only had one testi removed due to cancer.

#11

propeciahelp.com/forum/viewt … ght=cancer
propeciahelp.com/forum/viewt … ght=cancer
propeciahelp.com/forum/viewt … ght=cancer

“Therefore, finasteride could potentially be involved in alteration of immune surveillance against cancer in aging males.”

“it seems reasonable to believe that long-term treatment with finasteride may disturb androgen-estrogen balance to the extent that may result in carcinogenesis.”

#12

So the urologist did not perform any ultrasound. He did feel my testes and reassured me that I do not have testicular cancer. He also did a rectal exam and felt my prostate and told me that it was fine. When he did some milky fluid came out of my penis. Is that what prostate secretion is supposed to look like??

Anyways, concerning the testicular pain the urologist said that it is normal and is from sitting at work all day. He told me to take advil to relieve it. The pain is still there it feels as if it is coming from behind the left testicle and the pain is always in the same area, sometimes more intense and sometimes less. Anyone else experience this? This pain is the thing that reminds me most of this evil drug since I can’t just ignore it.

Anyways, should I see Dr. Crisler about my problems? I live 5 hrs away by car and should be able to make it there. I have been off the drug for almost 7months now and was on it for 9months before, so I was hoping time will still heal my problems, but I’m running out of patience.

This is so frustrating

#13

Does anyone think that the longer we go with these sides without seeking treatment the more damage is done to our bodies?

The reason that I’m asking is I’m wanting to see Dr. Crisler but I don’t know if I should see him asap or wait a couple months and see if things start to get better or stabilize? Who knows what happens though, because for me things have gotten worse from month two to now being off the drug

#14

Yes. Crisler’s a good mind and will work with you (not on you), which makes stabilizing and recovering all the more realistic.

#15

So I’m going to see Dr. Crisler this week. I can’t handle the pain in my groin region and one of my nipples/breast tissue. I don’t think I have gyno but one of my nipples has felt irritated on and off for the last couple of months and it is ever so slightly puffier than the other one. This is telling me that maybe my hormones are out of whack and has contributed to me seeking help instead of just waiting it out to see if things get better.

So I know that Dr. Crisler does the Rhein lab 24hr urine panel. In that test the following hormones are not looked at: prolactin, FSH, LH. Should I ask him to try to test for those also? Anything else I should ask him?
Mew any input on this?

#16

Yes of course you should test for those, pay for them yourself if need be.

#17

Dr. Crisler knows what he’s doing, after the first visit you will have your hormones tested.

#18

Alright, I’m trying to rationalize why my sides are progressively getting worse after being off of fin. I didn’t have too many sides while being on other than testicular pain every once in a while and loss of morning/spontaneous erections. I could still get rock hard and had a healthy libido. Coming off the drug within two weeks I was great. Things were actually good 2 to 3 months later. My morning/spontaneous erections came back. As time went on my erections have gotten worse and worse and same with libido. Now I’m at month 7 and I still have night erections and spontaneous ones every once in a while but they are very very weak. No desire for sex and actually failed at it twice(lost it while trying)

So, in my mind it’s possible that my body downregulated to adjust to low DHT levels but when I came off fin the sudden inrush of DHT caused it to go out of whack since the receptors were used to low levels. So, maybe in response to this the body throttles other hormones to compensate(Test for example). If only our bodies can upregulate to normal levels then things would be fine. Any thoughts on this?

#19

Since my last update here’s what has happened.

Got results from the Rhein test. Dr. Crisler said that he could not point out anything. He wants to monitor my cortisol levels to make sure I don’t go into adrenal burnout. He told me to take DHEA, tried that for a couple weeks no effect and to me it seemed it was giving slight breast pain, so I stopped.

Went to another urologist, he said I might have epididymitis so I asked for antibiotics and he prescribed them. I took a couple weeks of doxycycline with no effect. He suggested I talk to a psych about my ED.

Went to an endocrinologist that has done lots of research on androgens and men’s health. I presented him the urine hormone results, and immediately he said that those tests are inconclusive and no results can be drawn from them. He looked at the other test results I have and said I’m fine. He said I just have anxiety and I should take some anti-anxiety pills if I want. I told him I didn’t and would just rather deal with it naturally.

Anyways, my conclusion is this. I was doing okay, maybe not super after propecia and once I started reading the site I started to panic. Most of the stories are horrific and my heart would sink when reading some of the stories/progress of people. In my mind I felt that I was stuck in this situation and I can’t get out of it…like my life was ruined with no out. Well, I still believe there is a problem, but I know that I can live this way.
The problem is that medicine cannot treat our problems and we have seen this in the stories of TRT, HGH users. Even Dr. Crisler hasn’t been able to help. I have tried to do research with no major conclusions. We have to remember that most of the studies that we have looked at are performed on limited sample groups and no meaningful conclusions or patient care can be deduced from them.
We just have to cope and make the best of the situation. If possible we have to raise awareness somehow.

Anyways, I still have slight pain discomfort down there, but I’m still able to have sex…maybe not the best that it has been but it still is possible. So I’m going to try to stay off the site for a while. I just can’t take reading depressing things anymore. I will post if there are any major updates. BTW I’m going to go to medical school and hopefully through my contacts there I will trump up support for our cause.

For now, I urge everyone to report this drug and the problems that it has caused to the FDA. Here is the link: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm

good luck everyone

#20

Putting everything aside…Did you get your 3 Adiol G tested?