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)?
United States
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?)
Subreddit r/Anhedonia
What is your current age, height, weight?
21, 5’3, 120 pounds
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Birth control (Depo shot, then Yas, then Gianvi)
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Pill everyday
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Acne
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
7 years…
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
13, 2012
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
20, July 7, 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?
Immediately
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Absolutely no romantic or sexual feelings toward other human beings
Anhedonia
Low motivation
Loss of personality
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
[ x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[x ] Suicidal Thoughts
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
[x ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Fish oil pills, vitamin B6, vitamin b12, zinc/magnesium supplements
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?
I’ll just go into detail below
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Everyday of my life I regret ever being put on birth control. I was given the depo shot at age 13 to control hormonal acne I had. After that I was then prescribed birth control pills, which I was told to take basically for the rest of my life to control my persistent acne. Immediately I lost all attraction and love to my boyfriend I had been dating for 8 months. I thought nothing of it, first relationship so I figured it’s just something that happens unfortunately. Fast forward and I realize I just don’t feel attracted to people anymore. I tell an endocrinologist about it and she just says I’m a teenager and my taste in boys is changing because I’m getting older. Okay, I figure she’s a doctor so she knows what I’m talking about. As this is happening I notice I’m doing poorly in school because I just can’t sleep or remember anything. I have less interest in the things that I used to, I feel shitty and tired all the time even if I get 8 hours of sleep. I can’t stand my family, annoyed and irritated constantly describes how I felt throughout this time. I become apathetic and detached from my everyday life and feel as if what I say is contrived because I don’t have the natural feeling or drive behind my words. Whole time I don’t even realize something is terribly wrong with me because I can still function in a conventional sense and doctors just make it seem like I’m moody because I’m young. Finally realize how horribly this drug has fucked me over through research at age 20 and decide to get off it. 9 months later I have not recovered my ability to feel attraction or love, still suffer from motivational issues, feel detached from friends and family, and have memory issues. Not sure what kind of life this is to live if I mentally cannot even feel human warmth and emotion.