I plan on making an in-depth video about this on the Moral Medicine YouTube channel as well, but the physical changes that people experience with Post Finasteride Syndrome really need to start being acknowledged. It amazes me that people continue denying the facial/body changes associated with this disease. I want to document, publicly, the changes I’ve had in my face, specifically, since being off Finasteride.
Photo 1 (green shirt) – October 2020 - this was me on my 27th birthday. This was just about 3 months before starting Finasteride. My life was going GREAT. To give a quick overview:
- My career was going very well, having worked on high-level projects with the FBI, Walter Reed Hospital, Proctor and Gamble, Microsoft, Disney world, and several others since graduating college with 2 degrees just 3 years earlier.
- I was making good money.
- I had just gotten out of the U.S. Army and was on a two-year IIR status.
- I had just bought my first duplex using my VA loan from the military.
- I had started a real estate business with a colleague.
- I was taking up ballroom dancing – focusing specifically on tango, east/west coast swing, and foxtrot.
- I was working out like a maniac and very passionate about bodybuilding.
As evident by this photo, I was very happy and content with my life; ready to continue advancing my career and focusing on personal development as a whole (something I’ve always loved). I was reading an average of one book a month at this time. I had noticed very minor thinning around my crown and decided to take Finasteride for preventative measures as it is so often preached by the YouTube hair loss gurus that starting early is key. I was still in the midst of doing my research on Finasteride at this time.
Photo 2 (black shirt) – June 2021 (about 6 months after starting Finasteride) – My face was full, vibrant and masculine here. I had just started a new job making more money and was very content in the role. While I may look happy here, I was in the midst of my severe neurological issues. I was experiencing intense cognitive impairment, a speech impediment, and profound anhedonia that came out of nowhere one abrupt morning. This photo was taken right around that time, and nothing has ever been the same since. I never suspected Finasteride could be the culprit, and why would I? This wasn’t something you heard about. Over the next 6 months after this photo was taken, I went to multiple different neurologists to try and understand what was happening to me. I completed 2 MRIs, 1 MRA, 2 EMGs, and a full cognitive screening during this time. I also had plenty of blood work done. There was nothing substantial shown through any of these tests and doctors chalked it up to being anxiety. I continued taking Finasteride, unaware that it was continuing to damage me and affect every fiber of my being.
Photo 3 (white shirt) – October 2022 (6 months after quitting Finasteride) I took my last Finasteride pill on April 9th, 2022 after learning, that day, that Finasteride could cause serious neurological issues. My facial structure completely changed. My jaw got smaller, my face lost color, my skin began to sag, and the overall shape of my face was now different. I no longer recognized myself in the mirror. I couldn’t believe something like this could happen, and happen so quickly. Nothing had changed in my life other than quitting Finasteride. I was on the same diet and workout regimen that I had been on for years. I had virtually no physical changes while taking Finasteride. It was only after STOPPING the mediation that my body began to change.