Crashed yesterday

Member Stories
#76

Hi!

Where in Sweden do you live?

In your previous posts you said that you visited a doctor and did some tests and the doctor told you that you have hypopituitarism. Are you still seeing the doctor and are you in any treatments right now? What kind of treatment did the doctor offer?

#77

Hi, I would not like to share more personal information, as this is not something I would like to be recognized for.

The doctor who said I suffer from hypopituarism did not know much about PFS and could not give any reasonable advice. I also crashed again a week after the doctor’s appointment. Only thing he mentioned was prescribing testosterone gel, but since people on this forum have had bad experiences from it, I don’t want to try it. I have not taken any treatments besides vitamins and natural supplements.

#78

Hi,

It is soon 6 months since my last pill. I’ve been feeling relatively fine, some nights I can sleep 8 hours uninterrupted, sometimes 4, but fortunately I get a total of 8 hours of sleep every night. I can have sex multiple times per day without crashing. Fasted for 3 days this weeked, and although it seemed to help me sleep a little better and perhaps raised my libido, I am now starting to eat because of fatigue (have to work tomorrow).

As I have written before, my crash and other symptoms seem to be caused by elevated cortisol. Finasteride somehow messes the cortisol regulation, and after quitting finasteride cortisol rises, and causes testosterone to drop. Here is one article linking penis shrinkage to cortisol: herballove.com/guide/penis-s … s-hormones

If this is true, it might be important to advice people who are quitting finasteride to somehow limit their cortisol levels. Since the pfs usually begins at the crash, avoiding the crash might help people to avoid also pfs.

#79

That site is a sham promoting supplements sales, a few PFS guys have been stung from there in the past with no benefit.

I agree stress does not help matters at all, but how would you propose avoiding a crash? Seems it’s either going to happen or not, not much you can do about it.

#80

If crash happens because cortisol rises too high, then doing something that lowers cortisol or/and avoiding something that rises cortisol. might prevent the crash.

I wonder if people who quit finasteride in the future will be put on a diet, medication and exercise regime which keeps their cortisol levels minimal for weeks or months after quitting. That might solve the pfs for future quitters.

#81

I am now 10 months post crash, and would like to do an update, though not much has changed:

Ongoing problems

  • Insomnia, most nights I wake up after 4 hours of sleep to fast and strong heart beat, stay awake 1 hour and then sleep 4 hours more. Holding my breath seems to help to normalize the heart beat.
  • Visible eye floaters, eyes are blodshot and sometimes dry.
  • Erections are not very strong and morning erections are rare, maybe 1-2 per week.
  • Penis still has visible veins.
  • Sometimes mild pain in testicles, ejaculation volume has gotten smaller.

I would say I am still at 75% recovered. Mentally i do feel quite good though, I have no anxiety or depression.

A guy from India seems to have same theory as I do about finasteride causing elevated cortisol which then lowers testosterone. I think this is what happened to me during the crash, and my cortisol levels are still sometimes elevated (eg. during the nighttime awakenings): mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/cove … 016337.cms

“If the person works out unwillingly (or demands way too much from his body), the stress factor comes in causing cortisol production. And this cortisol dampens the effect of testosterone.”

#82

I am now a little over 1 year post crash, here is an update:

  • Libido is ok, but erection strength is not perfect and ejaculation volume is a little low. Penis still has visible dark blue veins. I have morning erections maybe once a week.
  • I have occasional pain in the heart. The pain passes if I stay still.
  • I always wake up after 3-6 hours of sleep. Sometimes I fall asleep again after peeing, but usually I stay up 1-2 hours.
  • My hair has started to thin a bit. I sometimes have a similar slight pain in the scalp which drove me to take the poison in the first place. Pain is stronger when I massage my scalp.
  • Penis does not seem to shrink that much after sports. Eating carbohydrates does not result in any problems.
  • Sunbathing a couple of days improves my symptoms. Garlic improves erections. Drinking mead also feels good. It could be that since I am avoiding gluten, mead is one of the rare natural sources of vitamin b, and thats why I feel I need it.

Overall I think I am slowly getting better. Despite a horrible crash a year ago my life is quite close to normal.

#83

Hi, I am now 1 year and 4,5 months post crash.

Improvements:

  • My body has stopped twitching before going to sleep.
  • I cannot hear my pulse anymore (there used to be pounding in my head when i pressed it on a pillow), also no more heart palpitations.

Ongoing symptoms:

  • I rarely have morning wood, max once per week.
  • My libido seems to have dropped. I don’t want or think about sex very often.
  • Penis still shrinks and gets cold after sports, although less than before.
  • I have gained weight on my waist area despite a lot of sports and healthy diet, now 105kg.
  • Penis is still veiny, ejaculation volume is low.
#84

Update, 1 year and a little over 8 months post crash:

Improvements:

  • Libido has returned to a pretty good level and erections have gotten harder.
  • There is noticeable pain in the scalp regularly, and i think hair has started to shed.
  • Sleep might be getting better, I do not wake up in the middle of the night that often.
  • Penis does not shrink that much after sports.
  • My forehead is often greasy and I get pimples in the face now and then.
#85

Congratulations!
I am also at a good point. Recovery is possible, keep fighting! :wink:

#86

Update, its now 2 years after crash.

  • Sleep problems exist, I sometimes wake up once or twice per night for 1-2 hours.
  • Penis is still veiny, scrotum is tighter and ejaculation volume lower than before the crash.
  • Erections are not very hard, but I am able to have sex.
  • I have problems losing weight, currently 104 kg.
  • Alcohol does not suit me, I have feverish feeling for days afterwards.
  • After 2 hours of exhausting sports I need one day to recover, I am so tired I cannot even work.
  • Luckily I don’t feel depressed, I also feel more aggressive in general.
#87

Hi,

I have been taking two nutritional supplements now for a week, another is a probiot containing bacteria beneficial for digestion, another is a fermented enzyme drink.

For some reason my lethargy is totally gone. I used to be tired after work, but not at all now. I have also been sleeping better.

I have a theory that finasteride messes up cortisol balance, which then messes up digestion. During my crash the digestion was totally wrecked, and problems have existed ever since. I will report if these improvements are permanent.

#88

Hi,

I am now 2 years and 4 months post-crash. I still have following symptoms:

  • Wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or so.
  • My penis leaks urine after peeing. Urine flow is not strong nor continuous.
  • Ambition in life is quite low.
  • Calf muscles cramp after sports despite magnesium supplements. I am considering topical magnesium spray.
  • I am 105kg, have a pot belly and losing weight is difficult.

Improvements:

  • I have not had prostate pain for couple of months.
  • Ejaculation volume might be increasing and semen is less watery.
  • Have not experienced twitching at bedtime.
  • Erections have been quite good in recent weeks, although I have been having less sex.
  • Vision problems have either gotten milder, or I have gotten used to them.
#89

Thanks for your update. I always watch new messages on your blog because we’ve stopped finasteride around the same time. Little question: have you done a feces test?

#90

SAME

#91

No, but thanks for the advice. I know I have some problems with my digestion, maybe thats something I should look into. I am also reading your story, it is interesting to see how your gut treatment works.

#92

Hey never_again,

I saw on my thread that you posted in september 2015. Regarding that post: i also worked on the cortisol problem. I had some tests done (t3, free t3, t4) but my orthomoloculair doctor said that the results from my triple feces test were more important. First heal your gut she said because 70% from our our immune system is located in the gut.

#93

Same here. Always interesting to see people post back their progress. Hang in there.

#94

Hi all,

It’s soon 2 years and 8 months post crash.

Not much has changed, except that I have been taking creatine for four days now, which has had some positive effects. Blood circulation in genitals has been better and scrotum has been less tight. Creatine is supposed to raise both testosterone and dht levels, which I suspect are low for me.

I also have not had calf cramps, which have been a problem for years. I have been able to create a cramp in my calf muscles just by contracting them for a few seconds. The cramp has been painful for about a minute, and after that the muscle has slowly returned to a relaxed or semi-relaxed state. But since starting creatine, contracting calf muscles has not lead to cramping anymore.

#95

Update, creatine monohydrate seems to really help. Genitals feel warmer and scrotum is more loose than ever after the crash. It is almost as loose as before finasteride. I remember I used to worry that I might need scrotum tightening surgery when I was younger, but after the crash the scrotum has usually been quite tight until now.

I have been taking 5-10 mg of creatine 2-4 times a week. The positive effect starts around 30 mins from ingestion.