Finasteride half a tablet experience, please help

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)? USA

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?)
google
What is your current age, height, weight?
5’11 27 170 pounds

What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Finasteride only

What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 0.5 mg one time

What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? One day

Date when you started the drug? 6/1

Date when you quit the drug? 6/2

Age when you quit? 27

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

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? 1 day

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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

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

Physical
[ x] 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
[ ] 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? None

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?

Basically took half a pill maybe slightly more a random day and boy do I regret it. I haven’t had an erection since Wednesday and don’t have libido. First thing I noticed was a slight numbing and then my penis was shrinked and wrinkled. Is it possible this can happen from just one pill? How long should I wait to wait for symptoms to go away?

1 Like

Hey there @anon41123898,

If you’ve taken your last pill about two or three days ago, there’s a very good chance you will still recover in the coming weeks/months. Generally, we don’t assume people will have chronic symptoms if they recover in the first three months or so. So please give it some more time.

There’s no first-line treatment to alleviate the symptoms for now, sadly.
In the meantime, please don’t go back on the drug and avoid any 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor or otherwise potent anti-androgen from now on. As you’ve experienced first-hand, these drugs are not safe.

If you don’t end up getting PFS and manage to escape this hell I really hope you will not forget about this community and simply walk away. Please be grateful if you escape the daily misery and torture we have to endure which goes far beyond mere sexual dysfunction and chemically induced asexuality.

Please consider supporting our research efforts so that no one has to suffer from the fear or reality of PFS.

1 Like

If you experience any of the side effects (either while still taking or after quitting the drug) that does not necessarily mean you have PFS. Try to trust that the situation will improve in the coming months. If it does not improve after three months or so, then you might be dealing with PFS. But for now, I see no reason to assume this is the case.