Interesting it just threw me for a loop because it seemed like things were steadily improving to that point. But you are probably right, maybe it was coming either way.
I like your idea of keeping diet and everything constant so I will know of there’s anything Im doing to make myself crash.
Thanks a lot man
I had the same pattern. I thought I was getting better for about 3 months and then crashed into oblivion. Many others here have experienced the same thing, it’s a typical pattern.
Make a routine. Stick to it. It’ll help you through the worst of it. I know you said no negativity, but just prepare yourself that it might get worse. If it does, just try your best not to panic and give it time, knowing that it’s possible to get better and improve over time.
59 months post-fin:
Other than the bad crash at the beginning of this month, this was MUCH better than the past few, I finally seem to be digging out of this hole. My main issue this month has been sleep which declined with my most recent crash about 30 days ago. After that, my sleep steadily improved although 5.5 hours seemed to be my ceiling. I’ve steadily been increasing over the last week and now am up to a consistent 7 hours with capability for more after first wake-up.
With the improvement in sleep though came some very significant brain fog. I am really struggling to get anything done at work right now and I again had to give up on my quest to learn a language as I simply cannot do it right now. Mentally I feel great though with my mood which is a blessing. I can deal with the rest. I feel like I’m on a pretty good upswing here, so I’m hoping my 5 year update will be a good one.
Man I just crashed again hard after having pho with tumeric two days in a row. Feels like Im back to where I started with insomnia, ED and cold feeling. I see it is a pretty strong 5ARI. It looks like you had a similar experience and came back ok? Thanks again for your stories, they bring me some hope when there isn’t much on here
Hang in there man. You’ll need a strong support structure of people that understand for you (or at least try). Remember what I said about establishing a routine, also find some distraction, mine was exercise. I wish you some relief.
Been doing very good since my last update, but wanted to do some record keeping as I’ve had an alarming number of symptoms returning over past few days and I’m struggling mentally a bit today.
Dipped further. Dryness has gotten way worse on hands, but itchiness has passed. They’re so dry it hurts/burns when they touch water. Brain fog is really bad, and I’m having bouts of mild dizziness (which is a completely new symptom I think). Vision issues have returned. Sleep has degraded. Quality of sleep is lower, and 5.5 hours seems to be the limit.
On the flip side libido is way up along with sensation and orgasm quality. Mental health is lower than baseline, but not bad overall. Very manageable situation, but just concerning with all the sudden symptoms at once. Brain fog and sleep are the worst at current.
Edit: Dizziness has gotten worse and headache have become the norm. Brain burning is back, there is something definitely going on in my brain.
There’s a new fear I have, and a way that it ma be possible to crash. I had a friend visit me and learned that they were on fin and minoxidil. I told him about PFS of course to try and convince him, but as I talked to him a few times he ran his hands through his hair and I realized he might have small amounts of that crap on his hands. With it becoming more and more popular, I’m now scared to shake anyone’s hand.
I’m not sure how to handle this new revelation in business circumstances, but man am I terrified now. I’ve been wiping down the house of anything he touched. I know it’s probably overboard, but if I can’t confirm otherwise it’s better safe than sorry.
Anybody else have any thoughts on this one? Is it a valid concern? How should it be handled?
If it is topical finasteride, it should dry fairly quickly. I would not worry about this.
5 years post-fin update:
A mixed bag and I would say a slight step down from last month. My symptoms have been worse this month with a lot of stuff going on in my head (dizziness, head pressure, brain burning, etc.). Had some days of mild depression and akathisia. However my sleep seems to finally be improving slowly. I’ve had some days of 8 hours and I can now sleep past the 5.5 mark, but along with this my sleep is becoming fractured some days. As with everything so far it’s 3 steps forward and 2 back. My body odor is coming back more and more often and it’s pretty bad most days now. Brain fog is lifting and it just generally feels like things are starting back up, but can’t quite fully catch. Yet.
I am hopeful that I’m gonna ride another solid upswing soon. Wishing everyone the best.
Feeling much better over past week and sleeping better, but the dizziness, head pressure, and brain burning have continued to increase. Brain burning is moving to different parts of my brain and it’s kind of terrifying. My hair has suddenly started to fall out a lot again, I suppose this is maybe a good sign?
Just wanted to document what’s going on.
61 months post-fin:
Best month in a while. I did a lot of traveling this month between time zones so it’s difficult to gauge the progress of my sleep. When I was adjusting between time zones my sleep was broken and strange, but I was able to do it without fear of getting no sleep which is progress from before. During the short periods where my sleep had time to adjust, I was able to get very good sleep, 7-9 hours with minimal disturbances. Just excellent sleep.
However, the main change this month, which I believe most would be interested to hear about, is return of libido. It’s finally back, and significantly back. It may go away again (likely), but it has been back a large portion of the month at a very high level. I had one day where it was so high it was immensely uncomfortable. I felt like I was 18 years old again for like 6 hours. Other than that day it’s been at much more normal levels. Along with this change, orgasm quality is way up and also (TMI warning) changes to ejaculation (main notable difference is increased force, but also seems like changes in consistency/quantity).
I’ve noticed some mental changes too, some are difficult to quantify, but overall just a decrease in pull of anxiety/paranoia and more of return to pre-PFS state. These days I never force myself to do anything I don’t feel like doing leisure-wise. I don’t feel like playing video games? Then I won’t. Libido not there? I won’t force it. I try very hard to let my brain guide me, it helps me better gauge where I’m at. Right now I have a hunger to read and learn, so that’s what I’ve been doing. No TV shows, no video games, etc. It’s abnormal for me and notable. Don’t get me wrong, I could play games and enjoy it, but I’m just not driven to do it currently.
Lastly, my hair loss has significantly returned. I wake up and my pillow is covered in hair. It comes out a lot in the shower again as well. I can only assume this means DHT is really starting to take full affect again and we’re hitting a true recovery point. I’ll keep an eye on it and report back. Wishing everyone the best.
Suddenly hit by debilitating brain fog this past week. Hard to get anything done. Light brain burning and just a general weird feeling in my head. Sleep is super fractured. I sleep 8 hours but wake up all throughout the night. All else is ok though, just struggling to get work done. Also doesn’t help that I’m dealing with jet lag at the same time.
Hi @Henchman21, do you avoid Anti Androgenic and 5ari foods and supplements?
I avoid ALL 5ari foods, and I find this helps me with avoiding crashes.
Hi Leesa, it’s difficult because we don’t even really have a firm list of items to avoid, but I do the best I can.
I restricted everything early on, and I’ve slowly expanded my diet, toiletries, etc. to where I can live my life pretty normally and just am very cautious whenever I add/try something new. I always use the same shampoo, hair gel, etc.
The only thing I really avoid now is flax seed, tofu, pumpkin seeds, alcohol and miso. Also, any known 5ari or anything “hair strengthening, hair thickening, etc.” no real evidence that I need to avoid those things, but I’m just fine without them.
Side note. The brain fog has passed and new symptoms come in, but overall better. Hair loss stopped again, body odor strongly returned. All of these items are constantly shifting for me, but to me currently it feels like PFS is circling the drain. I’m very aware I can get sucked back in at any time though and remain vigilant.
Hi Henchman,
I’m sorry to hear it feels like it’s circling the drain, but good to hear you remain vigilant.
And you’re quite right that there aren’t too many firms lists.
However there have been many studies on which foods, vitamins and chemicals inhibit 5ar.
So I have used AI to craft a list for me, that avoids all foods that are considered 5ari’s, Anti Androgenic and Endocrine Disruptors.
I now have a list of 40+ foods I avoid.
I avoided most of this list for 3 years, and went from “feeling” 30% recovered to roughly 70% recovered.
For the last 6 months, I have avoided ALL of this list like a plague, and have noticed almost a 99% symptom reduction. Some days I feel nearly recovered.
For what its worth, if I was to have a minor 5ari food (like Pumpkin or Kale) I have a return of PFS symptoms for 1-3 hours.
And if I was to have a major/potent 5ari food (Rosemary, Green Tea, Spearmint, Curcumin) then I believe I would have a big crash.
Every time I rule a new food or chemical out after doing research, I continue to feel better.
I had what feels like 100+ symptoms at the start. My only remaining symptoms now are Low-Med Libido, Erection Quality at 70%-80%, and slightly watery ejaculate (mostly thick and white these days).
I followed this advice from others on this forum who said they recovered over time by following this protocol.
I frequent the Reddit Finasteride sub more often these days, but this forum is better laid out.
Glad you’re feeling better, when I say it’s circling the drain I mean that I’ve got PFS on its last legs and I almost have it beaten. This is my best month in a while, one in which I’ve had almost complete return of my libido. Everything is still cycling and changing, but things are good currently.
I used to live on Reddit, but I deleted it recently for multiple reasons and life is better without it.
I’m so glad to hear that. I’m also in a similar spot. Good luck to you, and please be careful.
I wish you the best in your recovery.
And yep I know what you mean about reddit lol.