Chrisis' Story...

Member Stories
#1

  1. How did you find this forum?
    I found it searching for answers

  2. What is your current age, height, weight?
    28, 6’1 and 11 stone

  3. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    I run once or twice a week

  4. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    I eat a vegetarian diet

  5. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    For hair loss at the hairline

  6. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    2 months

  7. How old were you when you started Finasteride?
    28

  8. How old were you when you quit?
    28

  9. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    Cold turkey

  10. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    Fincar

  11. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1.25mg a day

  12. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    About 2 months

  13. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    Lower libido
    Less sensitivity in the penis
    Weaker force of ejaculations
    Less volume of ejaculate
    Struggling to orgasm

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[x] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    None

  2. 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)?
    N/A

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
    I think it’s all covered

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    [b]I started taking finasteride in November 2011, and due to the studies I thought that the risks of side effects was negligible and exaggerated by a minority on the forums. For a month or so I didn’t experience any sexual health issues, if anything my libido was stronger! Then by the 8 week mark I noticed one day that when I orgasmed, my ejaculate just seeped out of my penis and I was horrified. I stopped the drug cold turkey, and realised that for a few weeks leading up to that point I’d probably been denying any side effects that were starting to creep up on me.

I assumed that within a few weeks I’d be back to normal, but 3 months later I’m still suffering. I can still orgasm and such, but it’s just not the same. I’ve posted on forums like BaldTruthTalk but most of the members are unhelpful, uncompassionate and closed-minded. Hopefully I’ll get some answers here!
[/b]

#2

Sorry 2 hear this. What type of answers do you need?

You need some blood tests.

#3

Thanks for your reply. I guess I would like to be pointed in the right direction. I feel I have probably waited long enough to see if the problems go away without intervention. I will try to get some blood tests next week.

Does anyone know exactly how I put this to my doctor? And what I need to ask for, specifically?

Thank you in advance.

#4

Chrisis, go and see your GP. Tell him/her your symptoms and that you are very worried.

Do not mention propecia unless specifically asked about your history of prescription drug usage.
Many doctors think the drug is harmless and will fob you off if you start blaming propecia.

Ask your GP for a referal to a specialist, such as an endocrinologist.
An endocrinologist should be able to order the proper blood tests for testosterone, estrogen, prolactin, thyroid function etc.

Good luck.

In the meantime:

  • Avoid alcohol completely
  • Avoid excessive masturbation/ejaculation, maybe every 3 or 4 days to keep things working. You don’t want to burn yourself out.
  • Focus on getting a good nights sleep and keeping your stress levels as low as possible :slight_smile:
#5

Propecia now is lableded that it may cause permanent issues. So this is important to show your doctor.

I would not waste money asking for doctors advice because they can not help. You are best to spend your money testiong and trying to draw a clear picture of the problem.

#6

Thank you very much for your advice noniman.

Can you explain why I have to avoid alcohol? I have to admit I’m a big drinker - my social circle is quite big and we go out drinking a lot…

The second tip is interesting, can you say why that might help? I restrained from masturbating for 4 days recently and had a normal orgasm and normal sensitivity, for the first time in a few weeks. Should I keep it to every 3-4 days for a few weeks and see if that sorts me out?

#7

Thanks vincentv. Luckily I live in England so medical help is provided by the NHS.

#8
#9

Sorry i forgot to add a salivary cortisol test onto your list, very important.

#10

blood cortisol, transcortin, thyroid binding globulin.

#11

It’s been over a year since I stopped taking finasteride, and I’m still not recovered :frowning:

So far I’ve been to the doctors about 6 times and am struggling to even get referred to an endocrinologist.

Not sure where I go from here. Private endocrinologist perhaps? I’ve heard of Prof. Bouloux in London, but is there any point in paying £££ when there doesn’t appear to be an answer to this?

I’ve even wondered about going back on finasteride, tricking my body into doing something… anything. Maybe then wean off and see if I recover… Is that crazy?

What do other men do? Accept that they can’t change it and live in hope that something is discovered? A cure? :confused:

#12

Have you been slowly improving or absolutely no change since your crash

#13

No change really. My libido is about 50% what it was, if not less.

#14

Do you have any need for sex? I guess 50% means that at least you need sex from time to time, is that right?

As you probably know, there’s no answer to PFS so far. All you can do is to keep a healthy diet and a regular workout schedule, just don’t overdo it.

Please consider making donations to PFS Foundation - it’s our best bet.

If you do have any urge for sex as I mentioned before, consider yourself a lucky bastard. I know that this is not what you wanted to hear, but you can always see your problem from a different perspective and maybe it brings you some comfort.

Keep in mind that you don’t have mental sides either. This and the fact that you still have some libido make you a VEERY lucky guy. Again, try to look at this from a different angle.