) 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. Finesteride side effects -
What is your current age, height, weight?
37, 5’9 175 -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Somewhat. Lifting mostly. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Normal US diet. Higher than avg protein, less carbs. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair was thinking. Really worried me. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
5 years. -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
32 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
37, less than a month ago. About three weeks. -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Used to be 1mg, then it became 5mg 8 mo ago when I changed Rx -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Maybe a month or two. -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
I’m not so sure. I had very mild side effects if at all. Read on for full info.
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[/ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[/ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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-Finasteride bloodtests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (pls post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
Note taken. Wish I did. - Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
I never noticed anything mental but I am not very good at looking at my mental state. Which rarely seems to change. - Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug
So I’ve read more than a few of the articles posted here and had my own qualms about pursuing a cosmetic issue with a potentially serious outcome.
But I never saw big alarms so I didn’t stop. My thinking hair was really bothering me.
A few months into it, I jokingly told my wife how wonderful this pill must be for her. It slows my rate of hair loss, and maybe it’s been lowering my libido! We joked about how less pushy and lusty I have been since being on it. She laughed and said she noticed it too. And that it was nice. We’ve always had a libido mismatch. This kind of bothered me a bit but everything seemed to be fine and I was still very interested in romantic efforts so I didn’t care. I was always way too preoccupied with it.
Fast forward five years, and I was looking at getting Cialis or whatnot since some of the stimulants I take for another illness give me temporary ED. When they go away, I’m fine when they are in effect I have serious “quality” problems.
While reading about it, I decided to Google again Fin side effects. Wondering what my baseline horniness would be if I wasn’t five years on Fin. I had a lingering though that my maximum erections weren’t as good as they used to be. But I just told myself quietly that’s because I had stopped cardio years ago and that I’m just getting old.
While browsing I found this site. And I read one thing that shook me so completely that I never took Fin again. That was the last time I visited this board. It was about three weeks ago. I never took Fin again.
I read someone say “I don’t have morning erections anymore”
And it crushed me. Not that someone else had a problem - plenty of people on here report nightmares I don’t have, from serious ED to depression. What shook me was this: I reflexively thought about myself, and realized I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up with morning wood. Once or twice is not surprising, If woken up at an abnormal time, a never have it, sure - but this wasn’t just one or two early alarm clocks or being woken by others.
I honestly couldn’t remember the last one.
Everyone around me is balding. And for the longest time I’ve always known fin was just a stopgap until I saved and pulled the trigger on hair transplants… And I was what? Worried about one cosmetic thing that is a shot to my pride? Vs the shot to the pride that comes with hurting my favorite hobby?
Scared the shit out of me. I got scared.
Never did it again.
This morning I woke up with a half erection. May have happened once more in the last week but that could have been a fluke, maybe tossing and turning and horny thoughts. This time it was unmistakable.
For the first time in as long as I can remember. I have what can be called a half morning wood.
Now I know my hair is falling out faster. It started to a few months back. Even while on Fin. I think it was the new stimulants, from the an RX for something else. I’m staring at more hair loss than I’ve had… Ever.
But I can’t even feel that sadness right now.
More happy than sad, this morning.
So took the last ten to twenty grueling minutes to type this up on a smartphone of all things.
Anyway, best of luck to you and yours.