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Where are you from (country)?
A: The United Kingdom. -
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?)
A: Google searches around PFS, after I found out the name of the syndrome. -
What is your current age, height, weight?
A: 35 years old, 1182cm, 68kg -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
A: I go out for a walk every day. I used to walk for miles each day because I lived in a much more pedestrian-friendly city (outside the UK). I have been thinking of getting an exercise bike and really going for it, but I haven’t got around to that yet. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
A: I have a healthy diet and it has always been pretty healthy. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
A: Hair loss. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
A: Just five days -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
A: 31. This was on 2 June 2010. -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
A: 31. I quit on 7 June 2010. -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
A: I quit abruptly after feeling an aching sensation in the prostate region. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
A: Propecia. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
A: I took 1mg per day. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
A: After about three days, I experienced dramatic loss of libido and less (also watery) ejaculate. I became tired very easily. But even so, it was difficult sleeping. So it all happened very quickly. -
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
[X ] Complete Impotence
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X] Watery Ejaculate
[X] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] 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
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain): Bear in mind that I felt an aching pain in my prostate, then became impotent. But the pain did not continue after that. Just total numbness.
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
A: B12, D3, colloidal silver, alkaline water, C60 olive oil in EVOO, liposomal Vitamin C megadosing, Vitamin E megadosing, liposomal glutathione, Aloe vera juice, Xyrem, zinc supplements, ZMA supplements, dexamethasone, Clomid, testosterone gel, Arimidex, Stano Elite. -
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)?
A: I have not had a recent blood test. However, the first test showed EXTREMELY low Vitamin D levels in the blood. Close to zero. Also I was turned away by my GP, despite having the testosterone levels of an 85 year old man, because they fell within the officially acceptable parameters. -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
A: No. -
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
The side effects came very quickly. I tried Big Softie’s suggestion (a liqua vade solution) a long time ago and crashed. I followed almost all the advice I could find on this forum and others on the internet. I drank a lot of alkaline water, adopted an even healthier diet (fruit and vegetable based with no meat), moderate levels of exercise, no alcohol. I always attempt to avoid sugar.
I don’t claim to be an expert but after a great deal of experimentation, I can tell fellow sufferers what worked for me:
B12 - improved energy
D3 - improved energy
Colloidal silver - destroyed my lethargy; I got an amazing boost from this
Xyrem - solved sleeping and insomnia issues
C60 olive oil in EVOO - I could feel my immune system becoming stronger, but still didn’t get rid of the remaining side-effects
Stano Elite - gave me a feeling of life, like I had strength in my bloodstream again, but with only slight improvements of sexual symptoms
I no longer have brainfog, but I’m slower than I used to be, and cannot communicate that easily. My main remaining problem is the impotence. It just feels like I have a loose piece of rubber dangling off my body. Total numbness.
My mission here, is to help victims get out to Boston for the new study. Myself and a few others want to club together, to raise cash for flights and hotel stays. Hopefully together we can work to speed things up.