Hi I'm new here (kind of)

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)? UK

  2. 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

  3. What is your current age, height, weight? 43, 95 kg, 185 cm

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? No

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? All of the above

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? For thinning of my hair

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? Aprox. 3 Years

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? Around Jan 2000, was 30 YO

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? Jan 2003, was 33 YO

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold Turkey

  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 Small pill a day

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? Hair shed in first 2 weeks, then sexual side effects started

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[X ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[X ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X ] Watery Ejaculate
[X ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[X ] 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
[X ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[X ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[X ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[X ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

All over rash
Tingling sensation in fingers and toes
Shooting pain in extremities
Itching on top of feet
itching on back of hands
Desire to crossdress

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? No treatment yet, I dont know where to start

  2. 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)? Not for maybe 8 years

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

I was straight before I started taking propecia, I had a heathy sex life with my girlfriend, within a year of taking propecia I had lost interest in sex with my girlfriend and could not maintain an erection, I had also begun cross dressing, and within the first year I started seeing men for sex, if I was with a man my erection was full and normal, it is the same to this day. I still try to maintain relationships with girls, but it feels like Propecia turned my sexual orientation upside down, I no longer fit in hero relationships and I do not want a homosexual one.

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

It ruined my life, it took away my ability to be a man, it took my erections, I could no longer ejaculate. When I do come its just water. Me and a previous girlfriend wanted to have children, in order to find sperm doctors had to withdraw semen directly from my testicles with 6 needles, yes that wasn’t much fun… they did find some sperm and it was frozen 2 years ago.

I feel like Propecia took my sexuality and reversed it, but I am still the man I was in my head, still attracted to women, but I can no longer satisfy them. The girls last about 3 years with me then I have to let them go, they feel rejected because all I want to do is cuddle! - what sort of life is it for them?

I feel very depressed, and alone, I do not like my transgender alter ego, but I cannot get rid of it, nor can I stop it from destroying my life.

I think my post may be deleted, I get the feeling that transgender issues related to finasteride are ignored or swept under the carpet, but I really believe they are probably more common than most like to admit and I’m keen to hear any views if the moderator allows my post to survive.

Thanks

Steve