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)? Canada
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, not sure what terms, can’t remember.
What is your current age, height, weight? 35, 6ft, 170lbs
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.)? A 5mg pill of Proscar over 10 days (split into quarters).
What condition was being treated with the drug? Scarring Alopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 10 days.
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 35yrs old - Started the drug in November 2019.
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 35
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? 1 week
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? loss of libido, anxiety, insomnia, heart / chest pains.
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
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[?] Watery Ejaculate
[?] Reduced Ejaculate
[?] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[?] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] 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
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] 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
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[x] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain)
loss of voice (hoarse) followed by a dry cough that has improved but still remains.
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? For insomnia, sleeping pills (zopiclone) and melatonin.
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)? None.
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.
Where to start… I was prescribed Proscar after a biopsy confirmed I had scarring alopecia. I have lost most of my hair in the past 5 years and as a result struggle with depression because of my hairloss and the scarring. I felt I needed to do something about it, unfortunately I turned to finisteride for a solution. I split a pill of Proscar into 4 quarters and ingested a quarter about every 3 days. After about 7 days on the drug I first noticed something wrong with my digestion, I was constipated but also hearing very loud concerning sounds coming from my stomach. I was also having issues falling asleep. On day 10 I awoke with brain fog and genital numbness and shrinkage. I immediately started researching side effects and came upon this site, I started to get very worried and stopped taking the drug.
The next day I felt better for some reason, I was relieved but still worried. I was right to be worried, the following day (day 12) I crashed. Complete emotional collapse, high stress, high blood pressure, heart and chest pains, brain fog and uncontrollable anxiety. The worst of all was my insomnia, I didn’t sleep for 2 nights. The most frightening sensation was the feeling just before I was beginning to fall asleep, I could feel something uncontrollably overcoming my ability to sleep, I would be jolted awake with a feeling of anxiety and panic, my heart rate would speed up, in my ears was tinnitus and the sound of my pulse. This was a horrifying experience to say the least.
Since the crash things have improved, a silver lining hopefully. I have been able to sleep with the help of zopiclone and melatonin. I now sometimes can sleep up to 4 hours but am awaken in the same horrifying way, although less intense. I can sometimes get back to sleep without medication.
I have occasional nighttime and morning erections, but they are not as frequent as before. I have avoided masturbation and sex, I’m too afraid to find out something I just don’t want to face. Shrinkage is intermittent now, which is reassuring. I experienced a complete loss of my voice about 1 week after my crash followed by a dry cough. My voice has improved but often hoarse especially near the end of the day. This might be due to a viral infection but I feel it may be a side effect, hopefully not permanent.
I’m trying to heal my body naturally, at first I tried taking zinc, vitamin D and testosterone increasing vitamins like fenugreek. I stopped that recently and now just trying to eat healthy and attempting to recover naturally. I think it’s working. I have no urge to drink alcohol whatsoever, I feel immensely better after exercise. I find aggressive exercise before bed increases length of sleep. Unfortunately I am still relying on zopiclone and melatonin for sleep. I am very concerned about becoming addicted to sleeping pills, this is what scares me the most. I feel if I can get back to my normal sleep patterns without drugs I have a chance of recovering.
That’s my story. It sucks. I wish I never took this horrible drug. I’m looking for support, but I also want to be supportive of other members here suffering from PFS. I know my situation could be much worse, I feel so sad for those of you with severe long term side effects.
Staying strong for now.