Elliot story poisoned by este medical group illegally

Member Stories
#1

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 kingdom

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?) post finasteride post

What is your current age, height, weight? 6ft, 96kg

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.)? topical once rubbed into my face mixed with minoxidil without my consent

What condition was being treated with the drug? beard enhancer

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? the clinic applied it just once

Date when you started the drug? 11/08/2022

Date when you quit the drug? 11/08/2022

Age when you quit?28

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

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? hours after

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

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

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

Misc
[ x] Prostate pain
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[x] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[x] Hearing loss
[x ] Increased hair loss
[x ] Frequent urination
[x ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain) skin pigmentationy , pale skin, female deposit around thighs and skinny wrists also no sebum oil on my hair at all its so dry and brittle.

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?vitamins, antibiotics

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)?

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.

Hi my name is Elliot I am a 29 year old Male who’s whole life has been destroyed by one time use of topical finasteride mixed with minoxidil. I NEED TO MAKE THIS CLEAR I HAVE NEVER SUFFERED FROM HAIR LOSS OR THINNING.

On august 2022 I went up to este medical group London for laser hair regrowth on my beard area I was told like in instagram videos of the official clinic that they only use minoxidil 5% nothing else and it makes your beard stronger and increase thickness as stated on the official website they only mention minoxidil. I agreed to have this done thinking it was only minoxidil as during the consultation they said it was minoxidil and nothing else.

I was told no side effects about 10times from the actual managing director and the nurse after constantly pushing me to do it I agreed to have minoxidil 5% on my beard and was told this will do no harm they also used a derma roller and a LLT on the area for about 30mins. They did not show me any bottles it was just a syringe what was rubbed onto my facial area after completing treatment they gave me a bag to take back with bottles in to carry on using the product at home with a derma roller and then visiting once a month.

The following day woke up extremely dizzy like a severe hungover and was having tescular pain obviously I did not go out so I couldn’t work out what was going on. It was like being smashed over the head with a baseball bat I was so confused and also over night my hair instantly dried up the texture there was no oil at all when touching my hair.

I could not work out what was going on as I was told no side effects and was also told this was just minoxidil in the syringe, as I had this unusual shock I decided I was not going to use this and put it on my beard. A few days after my hair rapidly started shedding and was so itchy I then got in contact and said to este medical what is going on you promised me no side effects and I even have s message fron them stating I do not suffer from hair loss i never have in my life until this was applied.

I started to contact the woman at este medical group via what’s app and she instantly denied It saying that it was not from her products causing this whilst also stating at the same time before it I do not suffer from hair loss.

They then instantly wanted me to sign a non disclaimer stating I couldn’t take legal action in order to get my refund which I never agreed to obviously I knew they was panicking at this stage as they clearly knew it was from the finasteride illegally applied over my beard you can imagine.

As time went went on I declined massively with symptoms and also my anxiety was so bad that I was having so many panic attacks throughout the day and couldn’t sleep very well. I was living with my flatmate at the time and I got so ill I couldn’t even take the bins down or physically leave the flat at all ever. People then started picking up on my speech when I was miss pronouncing things and slurring mainly my friends taking the piss because I’ve never done it before along with being called Kasper the ghost/looking like a zombie.

I had the full on crash in march 2023 ringing ears, insomnia,extremely cold, brain fog, cognitive impairment, my bones felt like they was breaking my back and chest and legs I remember having to go down a&e THE DRS RESPONSE WAS WE ARE AWARE OF THIS AND KNOW ABOUT THIS BUT THERE IS NO CURE FOR IT AND TOLD ME JUST TO JOIN SUPPORT GROUPS AND STAY STRONG.

In march I was so bad I had to move out and I’ve barely seen anyone since I’ve had to cut off all my friends and family.

My mum has not been supportive in anyway she tried making me believe this was an obsession and it was all in my head. Even knowing full well I’ve never suffered from hairloss, never had issues with my speech/brain fog. And while I was dealing with all these life changing symptoms she would constantly taunt me and say why don’t you move to Dubai or Thailand and live with your friend the uk is no good for you.

At this point I was beyond suicidal and felt betrayed my own mum did not believe what was going on and I will not forgive her ever! some of the arguments and things what was said was just wrong and I can honestly say writing this I will never look at her in the same way again its sad but the truth.

My Dr told me I just need to wait for it to get out my system even after I told him I tried running into the middle of the road from the cognitive impairment and extreme anxiety this was giving me and was useless they couldn’t even do me the proper blood tests I asked for and have just left me for dead. They passed me onto the mental health team who have acknowledged there has been negligence and believe what is going on after seeing my mental and psychical changes.

Im left with no friends because I cannot meet up with them and keep making excuses why I cannot go to the events, I’ve had to cancel all festivals holidays, its my 30th birthday in September which I said to everyone was the deadline if I was not feeling better from this I would end my life.

The mental health team do believe what is going on and have been supportive my social worker Katie has done everything for me and I would probably be dead already if it wasn’t for her help, and has urgently referred me to the endrochronoligist who are yet to see me even though my social worker keeps hassling them they have still not given me an appointment,

im on the verge of ending my life

I am now on universal credit and cannot afford all these tests.

where im currently staying is only valid until end of October

my younger brother was a cancer patient and has a life expectancy of 30 so I cannot go on holiday or share any nice memories because of this drug has completely destroyed my life.

I cannot see any of my friends because of the side effects.

im spinning around constantly, my permanent tinnitus has remained since the crash, I cannot sleep for any longer then a few hours each night,

straw hair remains, loss of so much bone I cannot feel my arm muscles my skin has completely deformed into jelly like that of others users and my thighs have quadrupled in size along with pigmentation, eye floaters and vision damage, facial changes, eye colour, hair shedding all over and light contrast.gynecosmastia.

I would like to send someone the documents and my story written properly along with photos so if I do kill myself you can share my story I believe I am the only person who has illegally been poisoned on the forum(finasteride without my consent). I believe this will create awareness for us all and they will have to investigate it because what they have done if nothing short of life destroying and illegal,

I have read many stories on here and it makes me cry this is the end of my life I don’t want to do it but there is little to no hope.

I hope you can all recover one day I mentally cannot cope for much longer.

I will be taking legal action against this clinic este medical group.

Please see photos attached of the bottle, it states it contains finasteride on the website it mentions they only use minoxidil for this treatment. also it states it should be used on scalp only and they rubbed all over my face.

IMG_2641.PNG|231x500

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#2

Wow, it’s rare to see someone suffering from almost all the classic symptoms. And from a very low dose too. This shows what we already suspect – finasteride can be devastating to those who are susceptible, and if you’re susceptible, then dosage does not dictate severity of symptoms. As little as one dose can mess someone up for months or years. I hope you’ll see at least some improvement in the months ahead.

In the meantime here are some things you can do:

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#3

My god that is completely horrific and unfair. So the solution contained finasteride and they did not inform you of this? Why would they apply finasteride to your beard? Beard growth has nothing to do with mpb…

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#4

Wow… the negligence of some doctors. Finasteride in a beard growth formula? Finasteride is the last thing they should be putting in a beard growth formula as it literally blocks the main hormone responsible for facial hair.

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#5

How do you know it was finasteride in the solution?

#6

The entire este medical group internet presentation looked very marketing oriented with some presentations of their art of cosmetics, but what should I tell you!

I myself trusted a backdoor frickler urologist practice only because the marmor on their floor and their urologists at the art club sophisticated sounding name. And this “archaic castrator” urologists did their work.

#7

Hi everyone for some reason my story did not fully post I am just updating it now I’m in a worse state than ever as you can imagine, I have cut off all my friends and my mum. And all plans I had holidays festivals, my 30th,

please read the full story

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#8

Anyone who sells snake oil to desperate people under the guise of ‘medical’ should be strapped to a chair and tortured. Death is too good for them. I mean for fuck’s sake at least fin actually works.

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#9

I’m so sorry for you! In retrospect, you get a queasy feeling of horrific dubiousness at first glance at the “estemedicalgroup” website. Unbeleavible!!

But I have been as stupid as you with my ugly backdoor frickler urologists. Lightyears away from a modern practice, with doctors sitting in little prison cells with toilett space examination cells. I have been blind too.

#10

I don’t think he did anything stupid. He went to an established clinic in London for a pretty normal procedure. How could someone anticipate something like this happening without any forewarning at all…

#11

This story still blows my mind. To use topical Finasteride that was applied by a medical professional without your consent and then to be suffering with the worst symptoms of PFS has gotta be one of the biggest injustices ever. It’s also a tremendous example of how sensitive some of our bodies are to any 5ARI exposure.

I’m sorry you’re going through this, man. This is why it’s so important that we all continue supporting the research, going public, and donating so we can eventually find targeted therapeutics to get over selves out of this.

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#12

I have just updated the story sorry for my poor grammar, yes what they have done is destroyed my life.

thanks for the message

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#13

Dear @elliot that has not been an accusation that you fell for this irresponsible clinic established all over great britan. Ijust wanted to show you that I trusted by name a terribly famous urologist and was severely punished for it like you.

Up to now Garry Linikov, the hairloss doctors, Kevin Mann and thousand other “doctors” and hair transplant clinics offer Minoxidil and Finasteride treatment, even after a transplant to close the ring of baldness around the new hair.

Like a tibetian prayer wheel I warn the customers in the comments on YouTube, TicToc and everywhere about the post finasteride syndrome and persistent issues. Some I could warn. So this clinic where you have been gaslighted has to be named. They all go home to their families, fire up the grill, feel good, meet friends, can have sex with their partner, while we hang fucked at home.

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#14

Elliot, would you please consider joining our support group and fundraising group? You don’t need to contribute financially. I think seeing action taking and the amazing group we have will give you some measure of hope. You need support right now. We care about you. You’re not alone. The situation is not hopeless.

My parents are also in the UK and can meet you. Please get in contact. You can send me your whats app number through DM. Your life has tremendous value and we are here for you.

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#15

You’ve got a lot of support here, Elliott. We’re all in this together, and we’re all going to get out of it together. Please don’t do anything permanent. There is hope.

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#16

Yes, we have really good momentum in this community rn and I am sure that we will find a way out of this all together sooner than later.

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#17

Please hang in there Elliot. We have a real path forward and hope for the future. We will get our lives back and justice for all those who were lost.

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#18

Bro join the group. It’s in your best interest, we’ve all been there and we’re all in this together

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#19

Hang in there mate. There’s a lot of people doing a hell of a lot to try and fix this. Just stay with us and we will all get out of this hell together!

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#21

Dear Elliot,

I don’t know how best to deal with this illness. Perhaps there is no right or wrong way to respond but I’m going to share what I’ve learned and what has worked for me. You can take what suits you and leave the rest. I guess each of us has our own way of coping after all.

I can imagine your feelings of anger and injustice. But please try to counteract any impulsive thoughts. Give yourself some time to digest what has happened and be kind to yourself as you try to adjust to your new situation. Acceptance is very hard and won’t happen in a day. To be honest, it was a very slow process for me and it took me almost two years to adapt. Acceptance is not the same as giving up or resigning yourself to the disease. It means to stop fighting your present situation. This will enable you to shape a plan to move forward. Give yourself a chance to move on. After that, the initial turmoil will subside and some aspects of life will feel a bit normal again.

This condition is not well known in the medical community. Explaining it was a real challenge for me at first. I didn’t know which words to use and in what order to express my problem in the most appropriate and convincing way. There were feelings of guilt and shame involved. And that can certainly make you feel alone and cut off from even those closest to you. I’m really sorry that your mother seems to be unsupportive at the moment. But it would be helpful to try and see things from her perspective and be as patient with her as you can. Maybe you can talk to her again in the future when you have the energy.

I only have a few close friends around me now, all of whom are aware of my problem. You will find that even a handful of understanding people is more than enough. I came out to them very late. Looking back now, I realise that was probably a mistake.

Now is not the time to retreat into your shell. Isolation fosters depression. Don’t let the fear of being a burden stop you from reaching out. Whenever I decided to talk to a friend, their first reaction was always to thank me for my trust. Reaching out to them will only enhance the connection between you.

Surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people is essential. You can consider joining to the group Erik has mentioned. You don’t have to contribute, you don’t have to talk, just breathe in the supportive atmosphere and community spirit. It’s something that I wish I had done earlier.

Many aspects of PFS are beyond our control and unfortunately it is indeed a very life-limiting disease. But you can still try to organise the things in your life over which you have some control. So here are my suggestions:

  • Don’t get caught up in wishes to change the past. Don’t try to pretend that it never happened. Confronting it directly is a much better way to deal with it. Start accepting and adjusting your life today.

  • Spend less time in the company of people who are not supportive. I refrain from talking to those (even in my family) who aren’t open-minded enough to understand what I’m going through, or who might unintentionally say something hurtful. Of course, it is important to give them a chance first and not to be prejudiced.

  • Instead of making excuses for invitations you can’t attend, try opening up to one of your dearest friends whom you can trust. You’ll see how comforting that can be. Your best friends will get used to your disease and continue to love and support you.

  • Talking on the phone with a close friend can be very therapeutic. I try to do this on a weekly basis. I can say that it is one of the most helpful habits I have.

  • Take time to enjoy the small things in your daily life and set reasonable short-term goals for yourself. Over time, you will find that you become more sensitive to appreciating the little things. Let me give you a personal example. Initially, I was very upset about my performance at work. I was constantly judging myself against who I used to be. When I started to appreciate and be glad about every sentence I read, instead of forcing myself to finish a work with negative emotions, it made a big difference. Don’t let all-or-nothing thinking keep you from doing what you can.

  • Avoid comparing yourself to your former self or to other people. Don’t see life as a competition or a test to be passed. Focus only on your own path and development.

  • A psychiatrist had told me that I should try to do things that I used to enjoy and force myself to do them, even if it feels unsatisfying now. Frankly, I can’t say I’ve been very successful at it. But when I challenge myself to do it, it has a positive effect on me.

  • If you are considering seeking help from a psychiatrist, make sure they are aware of PFS or PSSD (Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction). Because antidepressants have endocrine disrupting effects and it is probably in our best interests to avoid them.

  • Don’t forget to get at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day. (The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity). Take a brisk walk in a park for example. It’s good for your cardiovascular system, increases cerebral blood flow and helps you sleep.

  • Try to get as much sleep as possible, avoid stress and eat well. Some of us, myself included, have intolerances to certain foods and alcohol. Observe your responses and make your own dietary decisions.

  • The general rule of thumb is to avoid further exposure to endocrine disrupters as much as possible. No anti-androgen products, no minoxidil. It would probably be wise to stay away from any kind of pharmaceutical or supplement in the hope of getting some relief from the symptoms.

  • If you have the opportunity to take a break from work, I think it would be helpful. If you’re like me and unable to do that, at least you can take comfort in the fact that you have the excuse of not being alone.

  • It’s alright to let your anger out or shed tears. It’s common to go through different stages of grief including denial, bargaining, anger, and depression. You may be tolerant and accepting one day and angry the next. Remind yourself that these feelings and fluctuations are completely normal and will eventually subside.

  • Passive suicidal ideation can occur after major adverse life events, as in our case. I also struggled with thoughts of not wanting to live. But please be very careful. NEVER allow suicidal thoughts to become an acceptable option in your mind. Actively forming a plan or researching possible methods are major RED FLAGs. If that’s the case, do not contemplate it any longer and try to take your mind off these ideas right away. Seek professional help, talk to someone, talk to us, write your thoughts here, sleep, go for a walk, watch a film… Do whatever works best for you. As others have pointed out remember that you’re not alone in this.

Please do not try to romanticise or rationalise suicidal thoughts :bangbang: You can only help us by joining the fight. And hopefully, through the aid of scientific research on the horizon, we will extricate ourselves from this mess together, side by side.

  • And lastly, try to turn a blind eye to those aspects of life that are not within reach at the moment. It took me a lot of time and effort to become skilled in this ability. It’s a very difficult feature of this disease to see others around you living life joyfully and freely, while you feel segregated, as if you’re being kept behind glass walls. In time, those missed events and festivals you mentioned will become a bit more bearable. They will be replaced by little things that you can enjoy.

Sorry for the lengthy post and the many do’s and don’ts. Again, this is a subjective list. I hope you can find something helpful. I know that sometimes the severity of the symptoms can make any suggestion seem unbearable. At times like this, just try to rest and get through the worst of it. Be gentle and patient with yourself. Please take care and let us know how you are.

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