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)?
US
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?)
Internet Search
What is your current age, height, weight?
48, 5’6, 130lb
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride ( Propecia )
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
11 months
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
36 year old
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
37 year old
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
YES
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
1 or 2 Year later after stopping the drug.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
I have resolved nearly 100% all the problems, still patchy hairless in my legs calf. insomnia is almost solved a lot better( no medication need it), Libido still low normal ( I want to skyrocket my libido like before Finasteride I am working on it ), everything for the rest I am very happy.
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
[x ] 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
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ x] Confusion
[ x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ x] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] 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
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ x] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ x] 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?
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)?
Testosterone Low normal 300 range, in one occasion 280, another occasion 115 because I was using testosterone gel for nearly 2 months and I stop it, the rest of the hormone test and lips parameters where normal except in 2008 my fasting glucose was in 109, the same doctor told that prescribe me Propecia told me that I was Pre-diabetic.
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.
I took the drug in 2006 ( January to November ) for a total of 11 months, while on Propecia I noted a just a little bit drop in libido, but not big deal.
When I come off the drug, between 2008 and 2009 I started with insomnia, and also I noted weak erections but libido was normal, but I handle to have sex with not problem, the big crash came later in 2012, with total lose of libido, total impotent, no able to reach an orgasm, depression, anxiety and panic attack, the situation remained pretty much stable between ( 2013, 2014, 2015), stable but for sure 2014 and 2015 were just title bit better than 2012 and 2013,because the improvement were so little at the beginning of 2016 I was so frustrated that I wanted to die, seriously, the only thing that keep me to no do it was my newborn daughter, fortunately I started having improvements since then until today, I am feeling 90-100 % recovered to Pre-Finasteride state.
Sexual side.
1- Libido had been up and down, still no so high as before but I consider it pretty much normal to the high side today ( 4/26/2019).
2- Erection like never before, pretty hard and lasting for an hour or more if I want it while watch porn ( I am very satisfied ).
3- Able to have erection with just thinking.
4- Morning erection and nocturnal erections are back, ( every day ).
5- Penis sensitivity is back pretty good.
6- Ejaculation volume no like Pre-finasteride but I am pretty satisfied.
7- Erotic Dreams are also back, ( but not every every ).
9- Ejaculation very pleasurable.
Physical
8- No penis shrinkage noticed at the moment foreskin normal, I remember that the back in 2009 I was considering to remove my foreskin because was bother me. ( it should be due a penis shrinkage )
9- Laterals calf hair loss no improvement in this aspect
10- My beard is growing quickly than before, no more hairless patchy in my beard noticed.
11- No muscle loss noticed
12- No Gynecomastia never noticed.
13- Yes I noticed testicular shrinkage when I touched had a soft filling, I had a varicosele and I went to a surgery to repair it in 2013, Now my testicle regained size and solid feeling.
Neurological
1- Insomnia a lot better, I can sleep for around 6 hours every night sometimes 7 hours, I wake up with erections with desire to pee every nigh, (Pre-finasteride I always wake up to pee in middle of the night, but I always sleep for 8 hours at least everyday ).
It have been some days that I sleep 5 hours.
No medication need it for sleep ( I use a eyes mask and rain sound amplified to mask background noises )
2- Phantom smell remain come and goes.
3- No anxiety
4- No depression
5- No anhedonia
6- Good motivation and Happy.
Overal recovered ( 90 -100 ) %
I just want to report that I am getting better and better over the time, please do not get desperate, I know that you all are going to get better also over the time. believe me.