This is a long story, but bear with me, because I really need someone to tell me what’s going on with me.
I’m 19 years old, soon to be 20. I discovered I was balding a couple of months ago, and was prescribed and started taking generic Finasteride in the beginning of July this year. I took 1 mg a day, and stopped a little less than a month later after finally getting the side effects I was dreading for so long.
To back up, just 30 minutes after taking my first pill, I noticed a slight ache in my left testicle that persisted as long as I continued to take the drug. Basically, I had normal sexual function during this time (although I noticed a complete lack of morning wood), but suddenly, about a month after taking my first pill I noticed I couldn’t get aroused or erect properly. This coincided with a disappearance of the testicle ache. But my libido was suddenly non-existent, and erections were short-lived and hard to maintain. I quit cold-turkey (more or less, I cut my pills in half for maybe 2-3 days before my doctor told me it’s better to stop taking them entirely), and things improved somewhat but not very much.
Two months later, sometime in September, my libido got really high again and my erections were back to their original hardness (I even woke up with rock-hard morning wood a couple of days during this period), but this improvement was short-lived and I returned to my pre-improvement state once again where I’ve remained ever since. (Interestingly, I noticed this improvement was preceded by a return of the mild testicle ache from before).
I have had a couple of couple of rare, lucky days where I’ve felt like my usual self while masturbating, and often, especially if I don’t masturbate for a couple of days I can get maybe an 80% hard erection with stimulation, but it takes a couple of minutes to work it up to that level, and this level of hardness is never guaranteed and is difficult to achieve in anything but a sitting position (getting a proper boner while standing up is next to impossible). I’ve started getting morning wood (and sometimes spontaneous erections) again, but these erections are very soft, nowhere near as hard as they used to be.
To sum it up: my sexual function has been greatly diminished ever since I hit the 1 month mark of taking the drug. It’s been 5 months since I’ve quit now, and I haven’t made any significant improvements ever since (I’ve started taking Vitamin D supplements for a week or two and have seen what I’m pretty sure is a slight return of the testicle ache, and a moderate upswing in libido, but erections are still as bad). Am I in the same boat as the rest of the people in this forum? Have I experienced a major “crash”, and will I have to rely on Viagra for the rest of my life to be able to have sex? As things are now, I doubt I would be able to function properly in bed with another woman. I haven’t even turned 20 yet and I feel like things have ended for me before they’ve even had a chance to begin. Tell it to me straight: how good are my chances of recovering anytime soon?
I would say quite a few improve in the first 2 years.
Some in the first 5 years.
Less after that time I think.
Take very good care of yourself as you dont want any of the other symptoms.
The isnt much you can do really. Stay away from all synthetic drugs. Try some herbs and vitamins if you like… but not many have been improved with this route.
Take it ease and enjoy what you can and hope for the best.
Most of all, don’t freak out. Tell the important people in your life what is happening to you—their support is much more important than any embarassment you might feel about your adverse reactions. Then, just wait, eating healthy, exercising, avoiding drugs. Your situation is way better than that of some who did manage to recover completely, so you have a good starting point.
About “chances”, nobody knows for sure. Anything we say is just our guess.
If you feel sad about having this condition so early in life, feel free to laugh at my greater misery: even though I’m 26, I’m a virgin. Yeah, I’m serious. I wasn’t waiting for the “right” girl, but I wanted to have sex only if I were truly in love with the girl. (And love didn’t happen.) A virgin PFS patient. Ridiculous, right? But such is my life. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I’m glad I don’t have other side-effects that are way worse: brain fog, headache, insomnia, gynecomastia…
Ah, and don’t do water fasts. I mean it. I just tried one, because so many people here claim improvements from them. But I now realize that I just risked my health with dangerous starvation trying to get some unclear benefit. I got to day 7 and felt very sick. i now doubt very much anyone who says they did a two-week, three-week water fast.
After finasteride, I should have learned that one shouldn’t ever risk his own health.
You took it very young, so probably if you fight properly against it your chances are at least bigger than other users’ ones (in my opinion). Also you took it short and quit it as soon as you noticed.
Do not be pessimistic.
There are different kinds of PFS. Only you know how screwed you are. And even if you think you are the worst pfser there are lots worse than you, however the good thing is that even some of those more screwed ones could recover. Trust in your young body capability of returning to homeostasis and help it all the way long because there are going to be ups and downs. This is fluctuating, but if you fight the good days can be more often and better with time. Hopefully, this is like this for some of us.
I would agree the first 2 years are very important. Think about a 2 year mark as the day you are close to cure, motivate yourself and adopt the good and patient attitude from here and out. Healthy lifestyle and positive mind are key.
I took finasteride when I was 20 yo for 2 years and developed very severe persistent symptoms. Now after 18 months I am almost recovered from anything.
There is light.
You had the classic crash, just like me.
You’re going To be better, but this demands time and patience.
I took when i was 18 for a year or so. now im 23, still not cured totally, but looking forward.
Read the stories of those who recovered and try To be healthy since now.
Take care
Fight against it how exactly?
I know you meant this in a good way, but man is that ever depressing for me … I’m approaching the 2 years off mark, and I have seen no improvements in the last 5 months. Libido and ED still very very far behind… Around 20%. No arousal whatsoever. I’m just back from a girlfriend’s house for dinner, who was only hoping I would bang her. At 9:00 pm, I just looked at my watch and said: “Ok, gotta run”. How depressing is that…
I’m still hoping I can recover someday, but I’m looking at the long haul… 5 years? Who knows? 5 years is still better than never.