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?) Reddit tressless
What is your current age, height, weight? 31, 5’11", 160lbs
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
What condition was being treated with the drug? Androgenic alopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 1 week
Date when you started the drug? September 14 2024
Date when you quit the drug? September 21 2024
Age when you quit? 30
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? 2nd day
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? A “head pressure” that comes on principally when eating and lifting weights. It feels like an uncomfortable pressure in my head and ears, radiating to my eyes kinda. I would also describe this sensation as brain fog. When the sensation is there, I have difficulty concentrating and my eyes tend to “space out”. I also have dry eyes every morning when I wake up. Tired eyes in general, and light sensitivity. I feel like my eyes don’t focus on things as well / as quickly anymore. I have zero sexual side effects.
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
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] 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
[ ] 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”
[x] 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? Various supplements like fish oil to help with eyes. Warm compresses for eyes. Trying to get dry eye treatment.
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 don’t have this info
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.
Took 1mg a little over a year ago for 1 week. I noticed weird changes to my vision and decreased ability to concentrate/read text on my computer on the second day. These symptoms kept persisting, and are especially noticeable during the daytime and, for some bizarre reason, when I’m eating. I stopped a week later, but the symptoms persisted. The sensation comes on within a few minutes of starting a meal. At night, the sensation is rarely present. My current guess is that Fin gave me dry eye disease, but my eye exam numbers are pretty normal and no eye doctors take my complaints very seriously. I wish I could resolve this stupid issue. I hate being zonked out for hours every day. It makes work difficult.
Another weird thing I noticed in the early days is I would wake up with extremely weak hands. Thank goodness I don’t have this lately at all, but I noticed very weak hands in the first few months after I stopped. Sometimes I would wake up at night and barely be able to grasp a glass of water. Other times I would be eating dinner and notice gripping my work was way more difficult than it should be.