Hi guys
I wasn’t quite sure where to post this as I have a few points to raise although I felt that this was the most appropriate.
I had been taking propecia on and off (although mostly on) for over ten years, the times when I did stop was mostly due to me not getting round to getting a new supply. I initally became concerned about propecia over what I percieved to be premature ageing and skin damage to my face, particularly my cheeks. I had always been quite boyish and youthful looking (I’m now 39) and it now appeared that I had developed very fine, although still noticeable to me, lines on my cheeks. This damage was particularly noticeable when I scrunched my skin up. It has proved very difficult to disentangle the various elements that may have contributed to this as I had also been taking anti-depressants and SSRIs since my mid-teens for other issues.
Anyway, I stopped taking propecia nearly 6 months ago through a combination of worrying about the side effects and to be honest, the cost, and also arranging a repeat prescription (my mental health difficulties include problems with motivation). Although I feel that I have lost much more hair in this period than previously, I do feel that my skin, although still finely lined when I smile, appears to have improved slightly.
Another thing which has complicated my story further is that due to not getting round to picking up a repeat prescription for my anti-depressant (paroxetine/paxil) during the new year I have effectively gone cold turkey and maybe experiencing some of the side effects of this withdrawal. As it stands, when I was on my anti-depressant my libido was lower, with me masturbating approximately every 2 weeks (I’m single!) and even then I really struggled to orgasm/ejaculate. Since coming off my anti-depressant however I have been able to masturbate on a daily basis. One of my few concerns however is that the volume of the ejaculate appears much depleted and possibly a bit more watery (amongst other concerns about much less of a feeling of that whole body satisfaction that an orgasm can bring - it just feels more apathetic than that with possible increased localised sensation at the end of the penis itself). The volume of the ejaculate has slightly improved with time.
The reason I’m posting all this on this particular forum is that I had taken propecia for a very long time and despite SSRI withdrawal having a separate impact, I was wondering if propecia has a part to play at all in my current position. I say this particularly as I observed this week that like others have reported, my testicles do appear to be a bit smaller. I say this as when I lift my penis to look at them, they don’t appear to hang as low as they used to and reside just at the base of the penis. Is this because they have a smaller mass? I appreciate like stocks and shares, testicles can go up as well as down! How can I, or anyone for that matter, empirically measure this change when it is only from memory? Does anyone know what the average size of a testicle is? I apologise if this has been covered before in the forum. One other point to mention which has been noted elsewhere is that I have a few white pubic hair on my testicles which started to appear a few years ago. Again, I don’t if this is normal for a guy my age. I was also wondering if a possible shrinkage/atrophy of my testicles could be a possible reason for the change in volume/quality? It does appear to have dropped in volume since coming off the SSRIs, although maybe the reduction in volume is just more noticeable now that I’m masturbating daily (although others that have come off SSRIs have also reported a decrease in volume).
Could anyone recommend any measures to improve volume/testicle size?
And would it be worthwhile to have my bloods taken by an endicrinologist?
I live in the U.K. (Scotland) and I am used to the public health care system and really don’t have a clue as to where to begin, or whether they have the funds or the understanding to humour me.
Apologies for such a lengthy and fragmented post.