almost recovered.21 years old.

Member Stories
#1

Hi everyone.
Nobody knows me on this site but i have been browsing this site for several months.I also had a problem with propecia/proscar and
somehow i think i managed to go back to normal. I know from reading the forum that a lot of people after they get well they do not stop by anymore and they do not post their recoveris.At least that is what i think.So even though i have not posted before i`m going to tell you guys my story :slight_smile:

It all started about one and a half years ago when my hair started falling out really fast…I started to worry and i tried a copule of remedies like multivitamins,revalid,vichy etc… and since none of them were working i had the “bright” ideea to go to a dermatologist.
First guy i went to, of course, prescribed me proscar (quarter of a pill) and minoxidil. He said it could have some side effects but dont worry because they rearily happen.OK. So , i took propecia and minoxidil i think for a full month. At that time i was in a really crazy and serious relantionship (fortunately).I started seeing some side effects like my girlfriend having to work extra to even not beeing able to perform (no chance of putting a condom on)…
These annoying things lasted about a month, until i broke up with the girlfriend.After that i can say i had no desire for sex or anything else.I think it was the propecia combined with the fact that i was heart broken. So i said ok no worries… it will come back
and stopped thinking about it.
About a month maybe two i was not thinking so much about my ex and i wanted to get back to my normal life…but surprise…i had no wish to have sex whatsoever…and i mean none ! I looked at girls and as someone said on the forum i saw them as i see a plate of food…
Then i started to get worried…i started looking at porn and tried to get it up withoug touching it.Tried to really focus…but nothing.Started to get really frustrated… i mean it was about 3 months after i stoped propecia and still nothing…WTF?
Started looking on this forum and getting ever moore paranoid.
Another month after searching the net i decided i should take some zinc (i was obsessing over it), and i did.Zinc only supplement.I have no ideea how much zinc it was in it and i took it once a day (1 pill efervescent).After about 3-4 days…man i was soo damn horny i would get a hard-on just for looking at an ass so i started to feel really damn good.
Then i did the stupidest mistake ever…what did i do?..i went to another dermatologist about my hair (was really desperate because my eyebrows were falling out)…this guy seemed to be a pro because he only handled hair loss. What did he prescribe after i told him my story? PROPECIA…because it will not have side effects like proscar, it is specially made for hairloss.That is what he said.I had my doubts because i read on the internet that there is no difference in the 2 pills except for one ingredient that has nothing to do with impotence.
Anyway he was so confident in what he said that i tried it.I started taking propecia along with multiminerals because my zinc ran out.About 10 days after…no libido, and i mean zero !, could bearly get an erection by masturbating,semen quantity really poor and thick.I was freaking out.About 1 month of side effects with no change, looked on the internet for remedies and stuff.
Then i started to try and deal with the fact that i may never have a normal life again…impotent and bald.I said to myself i will not try as much to get an erection…if it comes, it comes , if not well thats life…maybe i can devote myself to making money and helping people…was looking for a purpose.Also i was more relaxed and i think that helped.So after reading the succes stories posted on propeciahelp i followed a few peoples advice.I started taking some multiminerals (only about 3 mg of zinc everyday) and fish oil(2 capsules a day-omega3), also i went running every week and trying to be as relaxed as i can (i was allways anctious but after propecia its like i was on drugs…getting excited just for meeting with my friends), not thinking about it and thinking things that made me feel better.Funny things that seem idiotic but it helped me.Things like "what the hell, we are all gonna die anyway, whats 50 years in an eternity;if i cant have kids, i can eventualy adopt and give someone a good life;there are tons of stuff i can do; etc…

So after a while i started seeing some change, like easier ejaculation (i could ejaculate 2 times a day, with effort but could) and more semen.I forgot to tell you that before propecia i was masturbating a lot and sometimes 3 times a day with no problem.
More time passed and semen went through phases getting more thin, then thick, thin again and more in quantity.Suddenly one day as i was sitting in bed and watching TV, bang, i saw a girl and i felt just a little action in my pants.It didnt get hard or big but i could feel like it wanted too.
After a month from then i can say these things : i stopped taking fish oil, havent been working out for about 2 weeks, only taking multiminerals, i can ejaculate 2, maybe 3 times a day if i want to; if i wait about two days i can watch porn and my penis gets hard (i just have to be relaxed and not have anything else bother me), my semen are not thick or thin and in suficient quantity i think, my penis seems normal sized and can get really hard like before propecia.I can say that my libido is at about 70% of what it was before, wich is good because i was a really horny person.But it might also be because i grew up and after a serious relationship (first love) i`m not looking for sex as i was before.As for my body i think its about 90% as it was.

So if it were for advice i would tell you this.Take some fish oil with multiminerals, do not got overboard with suplements so that the body can heal itself but does not get addicted to them.Exercise because it really helps and most imortant stop thinking about it and think pozitive if you really have to.Do not focus on the problem !!! Stop obsessing ! Try and treat it but do not obsess!! You must not feel when watching porn or having sex that you have something in the back of your mind haunting you.

Good luck to everyone and i hope u all recover !

1 Like
#2

I’ve been using omega 3 fatty acids/fish oil before, during, and after Propecia and they have done nothing for my side effects. Also, I lift weights 6x a week and run 3x a week and these, while obviously healthy, did not seem to help with my side effects.

However, I don’t eat red meat (contains a lot of zinc) or take zinc supplements, but I do eat chicken and nuts. What did you say zinc did?

#3

Dude, zinc is about the number one best thing you can do! According to everyone!

#4

Here’s a bit on how Zinc might relate and help our symptoms:

"Zinc is necessary to maintain normal serum testosterone. Inadequate zinc levels prevent the pituitary gland from releasing luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormones, which stimulate testosterone production. Zinc also inhibits the aromatase enzyme that converts testosterone into excess estrogen. In addition to the impact on hormone levels, zinc also has been proven to help the body produce healthier sperm by increasing sperm count and motility. A USDA study found that semen volume dropped 30 percent when zinc intake was low. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that male volunteers who consumed low amounts of zinc exhibited decreased semen volumes and serum testosterone concentrations. Zinc deficiency has been found to have a severe impact on the male prostate gland. Zinc deficiency predisposes the prostate to infection (prostatis) which may lead to enlargement of the prostate gland (prostatic hypertrophy). "

advance-health.com/zinc.html … s%20Health

Unfortunately while I’ve been on Zinc for ~1 week now, there’ve been no changes yet.

#5

Thanks for that study there. I mean, I consume chicken and nuts. I know those have some zinc but nowhere near the levels of red meat or oysters. Maybe with our conditions, much more than the average amount of zinc is necessary. But the study also says lack of zinc increases the prostate size – don’t we want our prostates to enlarge back to normal size?

#6

I found the prospect on the efervescent tablets i used. They had 44mg of zinc(daily).From what i read the body needs about 15 mg of zinc daily.

#7

prospect?

#8

One week?? That’s it? Don’t expect changes with most drugs (chemicals) in less than 2-4 weeks, it takes time.

#9

I’ve been using GNC’S Cal/Mag/Zinc Complex for two weeks, and it definetely improved my sleep and my energy. My balls, also, seems not so wrinkled as before.

#10

Forgot to say that while i had no libido i still masturbated. At first because i really wanted to feel good again even if for a moment and later i did it because i read that its good for the penis, keeping it from shrinking.
I do not think it helped in my recovery that much but i think it is a good ideea to masturbate once in a while.

#11

alandr, I’m about your age and, although I took propecia quite a bit longer, I really hope that my story turns out something like yours. I got side effects right after stopping the drug, then had them get a little better only to come back with a vengence one month later. I’m about to get blood tests and then start taking zinc supplements / multivitamins and just living healthier… I hope that I can be where you are sooner rather than later.

#12

well i hope u get well soon. but remember try not to get anxious and think about it. as u probably seen on this forum a lot of people got better.it is just a matter of time

#13

i have a question for the people with low libido and no erections
Can you guys feel orgasms when you ejaculate, is it a pleasurable expirence are do you feel nothing.

Cause i seem to be on the other side of things. My erections are acceptible same with my libido but i cant feel anything, anyone in the same boat.

i know i think i have asked this before.

#14

Before propecia, orgasms were phenomenal, a 10, no complaints.

Now, post propecia, a 2 at best, not even worth the effort,

Before propecia, if I saw a really hot girl, it was difficult to not get an erection.

Now, post propecia, nothing happens. I see her, I want her, but my body doesn’t react.

What’s weird, is that with the slightest amount of physical manipulation I have absolutely no problem achieving an erection.

I can get an erection whenever I want. The lone caveat is, there must be physical contact.

#15

ya i had that problem when i first started my penis was alot more numb and the only erections i got were if i grabbed it. My theory on the situation at least the ones that have sexual anhedonia. Is that we have weaker erections because our orgasms are weaker you dont think about sex as much because sex has become a upsetting subject. I am not even worried about my erections our my libido i am worried about my orgasms. I had sex about a month ago i did not tell the girl about my problem and she didnt even no. Believe it are not i had sex for about a total of 30 hours that weekend, and i did not enjoy one bit of it i would like to be with this girl but i cant. It was painful when she got orgasms and i could not. there is no point in faking the problems must be solved.

PS i was going with my urologist advice he said i should have more sex to cure my problem what a croc

#16

It’s tragic, that what should have been a blissful, euphoric union, was instead an exercise in futility.

Undoubtedly it’s entirely up to you but you might want to consider enlightening her on your situation instead of allowing her to remain oblivious to what you’re going through. Some girls are extremely understanding and want nothing more than to help the person they care for.

In regards to your urologist, is he aware of the fact you’re far from alone and that there are over a thousand people that have been negatively impacted by this dire drug.

#17

he will not listen alot of doctors seem to view things as a set formula everything has an answer. Even the psychitrist i was supposed to see told me that when doctors dont know what is wrong with you they tell you its all in your head. He told me it was not neccisarry to see a psychitrist and that it was probally propecia.

#18

Voice, did you submit your story to Dr Irwig? He is interested in studying ahedonia/loss of orgasm from Propecia.

#19

ya i sent my story to the doctor but i have not heard anything about it has he contacted anyone.

#20

I see that there has been some responses to the original message entitled “almost recovered.” I wish that I could say the same.

It is amazing how the side effects linger even though you stop taking the drug. I feel like my life is absolutely ruined.

I can also share stories about doctors who tell you that “it is all in your head.” Try waking up without an erection in the morning. That is not all in my head. It doesn’t seem psychogenic to me. I didn’t start having these problems until I took the drug.

I think in the “General Section,” a guy posted a message that he may have reconsidered after hearing our stories. I hope that I can be a help to some guy out there. I hope that some guy will avoid all the problems that I have experienced.