Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)?
– U.S.
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?)
– Reddit
What is your current age, height, weight?
– 18
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
– Finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
– 1.25mg (5mg quartered)
What condition was being treated with the drug?
– Androgenic Alopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
– 1 month
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
– 18, Early February 2019
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
– 18, Late February 2019
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
– Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
– 5 Days
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual (Severity, –/10)
[*] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive (9/10)
[*] Erectile Dysfunction (7/10)
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[*] Loss of Spontaneous Erections (8/10)
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[*] Watery Ejaculate (8/10)
[*] Reduced Ejaculate (8/10)
[*] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm (8/10)
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[*] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat (8/10)
[*] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating (5/10)
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[*] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought (3/10)
[*] Slurring of Speech (3/10)
[*] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency (8/10)
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[*] Severe Depression / Melancholy (5/10)
[*] Suicidal Thoughts (5/10)
Physical
[*] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled) (8/10)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[*] Testicular Pain (3/10)
[*] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness (6/10)
[*] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease (9/10)
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[*] Muscle Wastage (5/10)
[*] Muscle Weakness (5/10)
[ ] Joint Pain
[*] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes (5/10)
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[*] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion (5/10) (Drowsiness/dizziness from brain fog)
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[*] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness (4/10); (Issues with double vision)
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[*] Other (please explain)
[*] Insomnia (5/10)
[*] Sexual anhedonia (10/10)
[*] Muscle spasms (3/10)
[*] Dizziness / Issues with balance (3/10)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
– N/A
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
– N/A
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Symptoms during use:
- loss of libido (4/10)
- ED (4/10)
- brain fog (3/10)
- loss of sensitivity in genitals (3/10)
I had mild side effects which became noticeable 3 weeks into usage (smaller erections, lower libido). I started noticing a loss in genital sensitivity, and I simply wasn’t getting aroused as much as I used to.
I immediately quit when I noticed my erections took on this strange hourglass shape if I didn’t stimulate my penis enough.
Symptoms on day of crash (and 1 week after):
- loss of libido (10/10). Note: Watching porn would give me a nauseous headache, forcing me to look away. Libido -1/10.
- ED (8/10)
- brain fog (8/10)
- loss of sensitivity in genitals (9/10)
- insomnia (8/10)
- muscle spasms (2/10)
- reduced ejaculatory volume (9/10)
- sexual anhedonia (10/10)
- epididymis (3/10)
- and etc. (I lumped in a bunch of other symptoms into brain fog and ED)
After quitting, I experienced no sort of relief in my symptoms-- they only continued to worsen.
A couple of days before crashing, the loss of sensitivity in my genitals started to make jacking off more of a hassle than pleasurable.
My sex drive continued to dwindle down, to the point where one day I hit rock bottom. Then, when I finally crashed, a whole new host of symptoms spontaneously occurred.
I woke up in the middle of the night, and felt a sharp pain in my testicles which went away. I had a nauseous headache, and couldn’t go back to sleep no matter how hard I tried.
I tried to jack off to take my mind off of things, only to realize I couldn’t get it up. Porn literally wasn’t doing anything for me, and even made my headache worse, so I gave up.
Persisting symptoms:
- None of my symptoms have subsided, but they have lessened in severity (see checklist).
The migraine from watching porn has dissipated. Now, I simply don’t respond to watching porn the way I used to anymore; it’s as if sex has been erased from my mind.