I’m new, I want help (cure!)

I’m waiting for a cure. I think in order to have a cure there needs to be funding.

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

What is your current age, height, weight?
5 foot 10, 30 years of age, 192 lb

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.)?
1 mg every day

What condition was being treated with the drug?
Male pattern baldness

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
From June 2020 until October 10th 2020
5 months

How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
I was 29 years old when I started taking the drug. I started taking Finasteride June 14th (as best I can remember).

How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
I was 30 years of age when I stopped taking Finasteride in October 10th 2020.

How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
I took 0.5 mg the last ten days.

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
After 1 month

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Loss of orgasm is the only side effect I care about it’s most important to me.

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
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[x] 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
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[x] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] 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

[x] Other (please explain)
1 I discharged blood from my penis on 5 different occasions.
2 When I pee it goes to the left.

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

I haven’t really had any treatment. I underwent systoskopy, ct scans and blood exam to check my testosterone level

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 have a blood test which I will post.

Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Finasteride is a terrible thing and I have regrets.

Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I have to mention that I took somebody else’s Finasteride which was expired before I got my own prescription for it in September 2020.

Before I started using Finasteride I weighed 172LB. During the time I took Finasteride I lost lots of weight. I was 166 lb. I gained weight after I stopped using Finasteride. I’m now 192 lb.

We just have to raise awareness of our condition and then scientists can get funding to figure out what PFS is and produce a cure. The problem is for some reason we have completely failed to do that so far.

Your T level looks good. Indeed, it does look like you may have PFS rather than hypogonadism, which is much more common and entirely treatable. I would wait about a year before assuming your condition is permanent rather than merely temporary effects of the drug, however.

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