Getting Worried, Is There Hope For Me?

Member Stories
#1

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 search

What is your current age, height, weight?

20, 6’0", 140 lbs

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.)?

I first took 1 mg every day, sides went away after 1,5 weeks. Then I did .25 mg every other day

What condition was being treated with the drug?

Hair loss

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?

Just 1 week

How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?

20 years old, October 18

How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?

20 years old October 25

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

Cold Turkey

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

After the second dose both times

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
[x] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] 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)
[x] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[x] 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

[x] Other (please explain)

Insomnia - no issues falling asleep, but I will wake up 1-4 hrs early and not be able to go back to sleep

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?

Just healthy living - weightlifting 4x a week, go to bed early every night

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?

Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

I’m someone who made the mistake of starting finasteride a second time on lower dose after getting side effects the first time. First time my side effects cleared after just 10 days. Today marks exactly 3 weeks since I quit the second time and my side effects are still persisting, and worsening if anything.

Both times I tried finasteride I would feel a surge in libido after the first dose, and then by the second dose it would be gone and my penis would start changing. It becomes very limp and skinny while flaccid, losing all of its fullness. My erections are still hard, but they are harder to achieve and maintain, and they aren’t as firm anymore (easy to move around at the base). I also experienced insomnia while on finasteride, sleeping for 4-5 hours and then waking up and not being able to sleep.

When I stopped the first time, all sides improved day by day and were gone by 10 days. This time, it’s been 3 weeks and the sides still persist. And most recently which is really concerning to me, my testicles are shrinking, and today they’re probably less than half the size they used to be. The only side effect that’s improved is insomnia, now I can sleep and only wake up 1 hour earlier than I want to.

I was wondering since I haven’t experienced the typical “crash” maybe there is still hope I can recover? And I wanted to see if anyone had a similar experience/symptoms to me, and if they eventually got better or are stuck with this disease, and if anyone has tips for what I can do to stay healthy

I’m very anxious that I might’ve destroyed my sexual function, and I’ll never see the same libido or rock hard erections that I used to. Even more, I’m anxious I could have a crash, and start experiencing all the cognitive side effects that other users here have and basically have my life severely altered.

Anyways I will post updates on my condition here, hopefully it can provide insight to some people

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#2

There is always a chance to recover, especially that early in. Most people get better/recover with time. So relax, and allow your body to heal. But stay away from Fin and similar drugs forever! You are clearly sensitive to them and even very low doses could make you much worse. Alternating days etc. is not necessary better, either. Just stay away!

Good luck!

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#3

Thanks! I will definitely never touch a 5ar inhibitor again, my hair is not worth it.

#4

Small update: Lately my erection and flaccid penis quality have been improving, but my testicles continue to shrink. I don’t know what to make of this but I’m hoping the improvement is a good sign

#5

Ugh I thought I was getting better but for the past few days my testicles have been smaller than ever and now I’m losing some strength in my erection, which was barely an issue before. My flaccid penis also bends to the left now which it definitely didn’t before finasteride. My side effects are still purely sexual besides slight insomnia but now I’m worried I’ll keep getting worse. I hate the unpredictability of this

#6

Still getting worse, testicles are severely shrunken, penis has lost tons of strength (sex is not feasible at this point). My penis feels so weightless and empty, when I squeeze it there’s no give, like the corpus cavernosum is atrophied.

Two new symptoms:
-severe testicular ache and the blue balls feeling any time I get slightly erect. Was wondering if anyone has anyone has a way to alleviate this
-Insomnia, can only sleep for 4-5 hours at a time

#7

Try to keep calm and avoid heavy excersizes at this stage. Let your body rest as much as possible and dont touch any hormonal supplements or medicines. Your androgens needs to balance by their own.

Insomnia will definately improve over time, as it did for me, I was in similar position as you now.

For sexual sides you need to keep calm and give it time, you better not stress your body with dealing about it mentally.

It could be helpful to see how your hormones are at this point. Have you taken blood tests?

1 Like
#8

I completely agree. The best thing to do is to avoid stressing your body and mind at the moment. Try to get maximum ralax, if necessary take days off even at work. Avoid making great efforts, especially avoid taking supplements or hormone-altering drugs.

Pay no attention to those stories where people say they are cured of a miracle substance: at best those substances will only have made you waste money, sometimes (as in my case) leave you disabled.

#9

Update: So my symptoms started improving again about a week after my last update and I was probably 90% recovered (although definitely not 100) for 3-4 days. Unfortunately I crashed and insomnia and erectile dysfunction are back into full gear now. I was wondering if something in my diet could’ve caused it and found out tumeric is a 5ar inhibitor and I crashed the day after eating a dish with lots of it. Might be a coincidence, might not be, but I’m going to avoid it from now on as well as other foods that can inhibit 5ar.

#10

I don’t know why, but I feel that the up and downs during recovery time are normal.
I slept last night also better than normally, but feel like my ED got more worse over the night.

So maybe our body really just need time to balance again.

But that’s just what I guess, I’m also still struggling with insomnia, ED and digestion problems since around 5 weeks.

#11

Well I pretty much 90% recovered for a week but I’ve crashed again and now my symptoms are back to square one. I thought my recovery was overall an upward trend but my erectile dysfunction and insomnia are as severe as they were at my lowest point and it’s been this way for a while now. It’s also officially been over 3 months since I quit so it’s starting to sink in that this may just be my new life. At first I thought the ED was the most devastating symptom but now I just want to be able to sleep. I’m exhausted all the time and am physically unable to get more than 6 hours a night. So much nostalgia (if thats the right word for it) for the times when I was able to wake up and actually feel rested. Anyways, Im hanging in there, hope you guys are too

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#12

Your case is so much like mine, temporary recoveries for a few days which end in crashes. I think it’s a good thing as it shows that whatever damage has been done is not permanent even if it’s long lasting. If the body can recover temporarily, it can recover.

Also, there are aspects of this condition which have improved long-term for me, like sensitivity loss, flaccid atrophy, ball ache/that annoying feeling in your privates, mental sides, etc. so from personal experience you will probably improve anyway with time.

In terms of libido and ED I’m still in the same boat, and still struggling, but these temporary recoveries give me some hope. Stay strong, we’ll get through it and recover completely one day.

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#13

As for sleep, I’m not so sure, I have always suffered from bouts of insomnia as I have ADD (PFS+untreated ADD is a nightmare at times). Since PFS my insomnia didn’t get any better or worse.

Try avoiding artificial light from 8pm though, that seems to help me. And go for a walk on a night.

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#14

One last thing, for ED, avoid porn (can induce ED by itself), avoid alcohol (I get completely impotent after drinking). Don’t be afraid to use viagra or cialis if you have to.

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