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)? UK
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 - propecia
What is your current age, height, weight? 31, 6ft 4, 85kg
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.)? 1mg ED and then every other day
What condition was being treated with the drug? Male pattern baldness
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 2 months
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 30, January 2019
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 30, March 2019
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Immediately
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Loss of libido, fatigue (to a certain degree), some muscle and joint pain
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
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[X] 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
[X] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] 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? I have only taken cialis (as required).
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)? I had a blood test done in December 2018 before going on propecia which showed mid/high testosterone and mid/high free t. I had another blood test immediately following discontinuing propecia which showed low testosterone, low free t, high SHBG. I haven’t had any further blood tests done.
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.
The usual pfs story I suppose… I have been lurking on this forum since April 2019. I started losing my hair in 2018 and decided to see a dermatologist in late 2018 to get a prescription for propecia.
I started taking propecia in January 2019. I remember that I felt extremely strange the following day after the first pill but thought nothing of it. Initially I experienced a massive increase in my libido (as has been reported on this forum by other users) and overall I felt really good. During the first week of usage the quality of my nocturnal erections decreased as did the consistency and volume of ejaculate but accepted that these are common side effects. After about 7 days I started experiencing what some users call “brain fog”. It felt like my brain was wrapped in plastic, it was difficult to focus my eyes on anything and I had difficulty concentrating. I decided to stop taking the drug. My symptoms went away after about 3 days and I was very pleased. My hair loss still bothered me though and I decided to go back on the drug a few days later but only take it every other day. Of course the symptoms came back in full force. I persevered for 2 weeks or so but when the symptoms didn’t shift I decided to quit the drug again.
For the first month after cessation the symptoms seemed to be improving (albeit very slowly). However, after about a month I experienced the “crash”. Extreme brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, emotional blunting, penile tissue change, no libido, ED, no spontaneous, nocturnal or morning erections, testicular pain, prostate pain, muscle and joint pain (constant persistent pain), muscle wastage - the whole spiel.
I saw a specialist in London a month after my crash - he did some blood tests which showed low testosterone, low free T, high SHBG etc. He said to take it easy, propecia caused a disruption in my endocrine system and he has seen a number of men who are suffering from the same symptoms and most of them are getting better. He wouldn’t recommend going on more drugs to try and rectify what has been damaged. It is possible for your body to recover naturally although it will take a long time and will be hard.
It has been over a year now after my crash. Although I wouldn’t say I am recovered I reckon I am at 70% now. I haven’t done anything radical, no wild diets or drugs just tried to relax and let my body recover naturally. Currently my issues are low libido, some fatigue (although much better than how it was) and some muscle/joint pain (although this could be as a result of the cialis). I feel much better and am grateful that I have seen any sort of recovery. There have been many many ups and downs along the way and it has been a tough ride if I’m honest (especially the first 6 months or so) but I am hoping I am mostly through the other side now.
Frankie
keep up the good fight!