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Where are you from (country)? The Bahamas
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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. I was researching Propecia.
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What is your current age, height, weight? I’m currently 28 and I am about 5’10". I weigh about 217 pounds.
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? Somewhat. I took a break from the gym about three weeks ago. I would do about 60-80 minutes of weight training and 30 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical trainer and the stair climber (15 minutes on each).
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? Home-cooked meals and occasional fast-food.
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? Hair loss.
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? I took it for about 6-7 weeks.
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? I started the drug (along with topical Rogaine foam) on Feb. 27 2013.
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? I quit on April 15 2013. (Honestly I can’t exactly remember.) All I remember is I didn’t finish the second container of Propecia that I had.
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 mg if 1 mg = one tablet.
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? I started the drug on Wednesday, Feb. 27th 2013 at night. On Saturday March 2nd during the late evening, I started to feel super bloated. It was like I could feel my stomach swelling/distending. By Monday, I felt like I’d put on five pounds so I started the gym again after a four and a half month hiatus due to a lower back injury. People at the gym started noticing my bloated stomach and love handles as well.
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? The bloated stomach and my perceived weight gain. I say perceived because I honestly didn’t put on much weight. It’s almost as if I am inflated. Pants that fit me when I weight 235+ pounds now fit me snugly even though the scale says I weigh 20 pounds less. Also I feel like I have very, very slight gynecomastia.
Put an X beside all that apply:
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 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
[X] Weight Gain Possibly???
[X] Slight 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)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? None.
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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)? NA
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I took the drug for about 6 weeks. I started the drug on Wednesday, Feb. 27th 2013 at night. On Saturday March 2nd during the late evening, I started to feel super bloated. It was like I could feel my stomach swelling/distending. By Monday, I felt like I’d put on five pounds so I started the gym again after a four and a half month hiatus due to a lower back injury. People at the gym started noticing my bloated stomach and love handles as well. The bloated stomach and my perceived weight gain. I say perceived because I honestly didn’t put on much weight. It’s almost as if I am inflated. Pants that fit me when I weight 235+ pounds now fit me snugly even though the scale says I weigh 20 pounds less. Also I feel like I have very, very slight gynecomastia. Additionally there was no major change in my diet. Prior to my initial usage of the drug, my wife and I were going through some very difficult times. I was highly stressed before and during my initial usage of Propecia and Rogaine. I’m going to start jogging for 35-40 minutes and restricting my diet in effort to get rid of my swollen waistline.