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Where are you from (country)?
Ireland -
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?)
Not sure where i found it, was in to much of a state to note pages or links -
What is your current age, height, weight?
41 and 5’7" -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Weights and some running but only recently -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Everything -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Just over 2 years but stopped for 5 months in at 1.5 years -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
36 years & started in february 2009 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
39 years old, Sometime in summer 2012, -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey, as it was deemed to be ok -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg/day -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
about 1.5 years -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Anxiety, depression, cognitive, headache
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] 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
[ X] Confusion
[ ] 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] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ X] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X ] Testicular Pain
[X ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ X] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ X] Joint Pain
[ ] 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)
I have what feels like a heavy heart beat, irregular, and a feeling of lightheaded dizziness
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
None -
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)?
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I went to a doctor in January 2009 because i want to prevent the on set of baldness for as long as i could, for the simple reason that did not want to lose my hair. i heard about Propecia a few years before when i first noticing the hair going, the doctor didn’t even know about the drug when i asked about trying it for my problem. so after another consultation he advice me i could start it but informed me there where possible side effects, low libido and reduced seamen and if i was thinking of starting a family i needed to stop a few months before proceeding with that. he then said if symptoms of side effects showed that stopping the drug would revert things to normal again. in his defense, he was reading from Propecia’s fact sheet.
so i started the drug and sure enough it started to work at about three months, brilliant; everything was great for the next 12 months
until i started noticing a significant loss of muscle mass and increased fatigue with headaches. things kept getting worse and then i decided to stop for a while as i had exams coming up and figured i would start after exams finished. so after the exams where over i never started immediately again on the drug, i stayed of it for 5 to 6 months. In that time i had severe pain in the testicles, i went to the doctor and though that it just was them reverting back to normal again and things would be OK in time, he gave me some medication and eventually the pain subsided. So stupidly i eventually went back on it again. The next 6 months on the drug where horrible, near the end of that period i had all the old symptoms and some new ones, i could not leave the house or talk to my friends down the pub, as i was nervous and could not speak properly, i had very a dry mouth and could not get my words out. I was seriously depressed and suffering some sort of panic disorder, I went to a neighbors funeral and almost collapsed when i had to talk to his wife, my balance left me and almost passed out. This symptom has been the worst for me quite a few times. I cant think straight, have a feeling of being spaced out, soar head all day and periodic heart palpation’s or a feeling of flopping in my chest. I went to my doctor about the chest problem, but all results say my heart is fine.
Well thats about it, well what i remember now anyway, if i could turn back the clock, i would never take that poison again knowing what i know now.
feel free to ask any questions