Changes in Sexual Orientation

General Discussion
#14

interesting topic! i am a self-identified gay - was for years prior to propecia. i haven’t noticed any big change - though oddly a few weeks ago i was completely craving sex with a woman. i dismissed the feelings… hmm… i still identify as homosexual. i’ve always felt and been told that you can’t really tell that i am gay but during my “crash” i felt like my voice was higher pitched than normal. everything seems to have kind of evened out - though i am NOT recovered. i must say that cutting alcohol seems to help tremendously. which fucking blows. but whatever.

btw - i don’t think people become suicidal because the experience “gay” thoughts? though maybe they do… i think the magnitude of what some men on here experience forces them to lose hope. it IS a lot to deal with. plus depression is a known persistent side effect - so even if some gay thoughts do come into play - i think its a combination of things.

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#15

Please post your members story. Did you also suffer impotence and lower libido?

#16

Finasteride burned down my grandparents house, stole my brother’s car, killed my dog, and caused the US national debt to increase.

#17

Seriously people need to stop these stupid threads. Doctors go to this site to learn more about their patients’ problem, threads like this need to stop and be deleted.

#18

This is a support forum. Perhaps what you feel is “appropriate” or “not appropriate” to discuss may differ from what other sufferers feel. If it is a senseless topic - don’t post. And don’t make people feel stupid for whatever symptoms they may experience especially when it seems like science may back them up!

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#19

I’ve experienced exactly what you’re talking about.
I’m still what you would consider to be straight, but since finasteride I’ve experienced gay urges, and feel more feminine overall.

This isn’t a crazy topic at all, because finasteride is a feminizing medication, and it obviously affects the mind. I read somewhere that transsexuals use this stuff, or have used it, or something, to become more womanly

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Sexual Orientation Change - I am now gay
#20

I was gay long before I started taking propecia and the truth is that now, age 34 (12 years on propecia and 56 days off) I’m more attracted to women than I have been in years, though I am still totally gay. Though I’m kind of depressed I’ve actually been more assertive at work etc. Still, I had sex with a girl TONS for about 5 years, all while on propecia.

For you guys who are suddenly experiencing same-sex thoughts, don’t beat yourself up. When I came out, many of my friends admitted to me that they had had same sex attractions or experiences … All of these same guys stayed straight, and many got married and had kids. If you want to be straight, be straight and don’t worry about random thoughts here and there - propecia related or not.

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#21

Maybe this question is more relevant to the Loss of Libido topic, but has anyone else questioned if their lack of libido towards women might be substitued by some interest toward men?

Before, when I thought my “performance and interest” problems were unique and not part of the widespread casualties of Propecia use, I did start to wonder what was going on with my Psyche.

I do think the software engineer who claimes Propecia use “turned him into a woman” is overreaching, but, again, does anyone have any experiences or thoughts down this road?

#22

if i was offered the choice of being turned gay and having a great sex drive or being stuck with my current symtoms for the rest of my life ( being a numb hetro zombie who cant feel anything sexual anymore ) id take gay anyday…

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#23

Just received this article in my daily science digest: the-scientist.com/TheScienti … 1/02a.html
(very recommendable newsletter if you are interested in science)

I was then interested to find this thread on our site. I am sure that the authors of the following paper would also be very interested to read what you guys wrote: jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668167#abstract

Feel free to contact them.

Based on this paper, it would at least seem plausible that changes in androgen signaling can influence sexual orientation in some cases.

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#24

I think “turning gay” is an inflammatory and unhelpful way to address this matter. Even suggesting a fin-derived flip in sexual orientation may be going too far. But an increase in same-sex desire as a result of hormonal upheaval? What’s so unbelievable about that?

The very high view-count of this thread and its comparatively low number of replies leads me to believe that this is subject is at least a concern for many of us. And yet no one wants to talk about it. I think that’s ridiculous. This is the one place where we should be able to speak openly about stuff like this. How much of our shared ailment is considered paranoia and pseudoscience by the larger medical community? Try punching “shrinking penis” into your search engine and see what greets you–“Impossible”, “you’re imagining things”, “you’re just looking for an excuse for your perceived inadequacies.” I myself visited two urologists and the emergency room with that very problem, only to be met with that same reflexive reaction of disbelief and cruel sarcasm. And then I found you guys, and here we all are. And we all know too well that an atrophying penis is an all too real prospect.

So I don’t think we should dismiss anyone’s symptoms as impossible, no matter how initially far-out they might appear–it’ll only discourage them from coming forth and sharing their stories and so ultimately hamper our search for a cure and comfort. Remember that even hair re-growth was once the stuff of snake oil and witchcraft. Don’t underestimate propecia.

Personally, I DID feel an uncomfortable shift in my sexual preferences during the early and most severe days of my post-fin nightmare.To my embarrassment I found that my eyes tended to wander to male passers-by as opposed to females. The idea of having sex with another man, which had never before crossed my mind, crossed it often. As sex was (and is) impossible for me, it wasn’t a pressing issue; but it was still pretty disturbing. I have nothing but love for the homosexual community, but the prospect of becoming gay against my will was unsettling. In time, I recovered a little from PFS and the homosexual thoughts abated. Now I’m just asexual.

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#25

Better is: "I think “turning gay” is an inflammatory and unhelpful way to LABEL this matter.

#26

Slightly off topic, but if there are any gay/bisexual men on this forum who wanna chat, shoot me a PM. I thought coming out as gay was the most difficult form of adversity I’d experience in life. Then I got PFS. I’d love to chat with anyone who understands this, relates, or needs support.

#27

I have just joined this site today and I have to confess to having a huge alteration is sexual motivation. I had these urges and they came and went, often incredibly powerful. I did act on them with an ex-colleague who is gay and grateful at my change of heart. Then the urge dramatically left! This is the first time I have mentioned this to anyone except an understanding ex-girlfriend who was astounded by my confession. What kind of a drug have I been taking?

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#28

I’m gay and I don’t find this inflammatory. I find the prospect of it actually quite interesting. I can’t even imagine having this drug which has already done enough damage to relationship-potential make me hetero. Coming out once was enough. I’m lucky to have more mild effects than most it seems…

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#29

Would you really? I was straight before I started taking Propecia, which I was on for 3 years, I have been trying to maintain my straight lifestyle since I came off it 11 years ago, but like everyone else here, I can’t get or maintain an erection, when I do get an erection it’s partial, and I’ve never been able to father children because I don’t produce sperm anymore. I love my girlfriends but I don’t feel any desire for them sexually.i can’t even jerk off, I don’t get a hardon.

The real sting in the tail is that I started crossdressing the year I started propecia,it seemed like I had always done it, but I hadn’t, a year or so later I started to see men for sex. If I’m with a man I do have a sex drive, and I can maintain an erection, I could cut glass with it and I have plenty of desire.

I have been in counselling and sex therapy for over 10 years, trying to figure out what happened.

It turns out that guys that want to become girls take propecia, amongst other drugs because of it’s feminising effects.

I took it so I could get a Hugh grant hairstyle to get even hotter girls, I didn’t take it to be turned into a girl myself

Before you start, I’m not trolling, I am for real, I want to be married with kids not some sort of asexual freak.

Yes I do blame propecia for this, no I can’t prove it, but I feel like Ive been forced to live a lifestyle I don’t want, because I can no longer function in the lifestyle that I had become used to pre propecia.

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Sexual Orientation Change - I am now gay
#30

This is very interesting. Im 33 years old guy that always liked girls since I was a little child. Never had any clue of homososexual interest until 2 years after propecia.

It has happened to me 2 times, 1 year ago for about a week, and today.

For me today I have been a lot emotional. And I was watching a video on youtube and the man that was talking had a very deep voice, and I felt this atraction for the masculity from my feminim side I guess.

The last time that was last year I found myself looking at male bodies and found them atractive (wtf!). This has never happened to me in the past.

No “sexual” regarding organ sexual or feeling of pleasure, but some interest by my mind that wasnt in the past.

Just a note: Friday I went out and drank a lot of alcohol, yesterday I was edging to porn ( I do that to transform T -> DHT) for 6 hours. I dont know if the alcohol mixed with this long time edging had something to do, but today I felt emotionally I was thinking in my ex-gf relationship a lot.

I know that Im sexually 100% straight now and in the past. But this thing is interesting and should open some investigation on this issue.

Greetings

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#31

Lack of male androgen activity makes me feel feminine

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#32

Hi i’m New in this forum. This topic is very intersting…i only used Propecia for 2 months and after one month i noticed a big shift in my sexual preferences…i’v been always truly interested in woman and after one month of usage i had a big Loss of libido…no more interest in having sex with my girlfriend and it is terrible for me…but what is more terrible is that i started to have strange sensation into my body…i started looking at men and when i looked at them i had like an explosion into my hearth and body…started to have no interest in women and no reaction of my penis…on the other hand Homosexual thought started to pop up into my mind and i had Also Homosexual urges…please believe me this is not a joke…i’m really depressed and scared…i have nothing but love for homosexual people and i’ve never had any problem to have gay friends…but a sudden change in my sexual preferences against my will and desire it’s really strange…

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#33

Hi actually this could indicste that sexual preferences are exchangable via levels of hormones, there has been studies than confirmed these with other hormoemnes, so… How are you feeling right now?