Intermittent depression and anxiety

Symptoms
#1

Hello, I would like to discuss anxiety and depression, which have been almost part of my daily life for the past 1.5 months since I stopped the treatment.

Sometimes I wake up feeling bad in the morning, then I feel fine throughout the day. Other times, I wake up feeling good, then I feel bad as the day goes on. At other times, I feel good but I can sense that anxiety is not far… and at other moments, I feel like I did before taking finasteride, and that’s great.

I only have mental side effects (anxiety, depression, rarely panic attacks I did only 2 from the beginning). But all these symptoms come and go intermittently. When I’m in these states, I can also experience tinnitus or hyperacusis. I’ve been on TRT since the 3rd week post-finasteride (because of low testosterone total, free and bio)

For those who have gone through the same thing, is it a good sign that these symptoms are intermittent? Is 1.5 months post-finasteride considered short when talking about PFS? Do you think I can expect recovery? I really need some reassurance, thank you.

#2

Hi, I experienced what you did and would now consider myself recovered, but it got MUCH worse before it got better. I am now at almost 4 years and still not 100%, still having fluctuations. They are not as bad though, and I am also better at managing it. The worst was over at about 18 months, and I felt significantly “recovered” probably at around 30 months.

In general, it seems like people who fluctuate have a better chance of recovery than those that don’t. However, it affects everyone differently and nothing is a given.

1.5 months is extremely early. I believe you should wait at least 3 months before it’s really considered that you have PFS. Hopefully you will recover in the coming month and it will just have been the worst 3 months of your life.

I don’t want to scare you, but I just want you to be prepared, just in case. Be aware of the risk of initial false recovery. This is something I experienced. After 1-2 months I started steadily feeling better over the course 2-3 months and thought I was recovered. I then crashed into oblivion, into such a horrifying state I did not think it was possible. If this happens to you, stay strong and know that recovery is possible (I’m proof). It will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but just give it time and see if you recover before any drastic measures.

#3

I thank you infinitely for your message, which is very precious to me. I am going through a difficult time that I have never experienced before in my life. I am a 29-year-old man, a nurse, and I have a child. All I want is to find back the joy of living I had 50 days ago. There are moments when I feel almost 100%, but then I relapse in the same day or sometimes the next morning, feeling an inexplicable sense of discomfort. During the very difficult moments (I have tinnitus and ear pressure too when I’m bad) I take Alprazolam, which calms me down and brings me back to 100% for several hours, but I know this is not the solution. I’m almost sure that my condition is just related to the GABAA receptors, which must be damaged because Alprazolam relieves all of my symptoms, and its action directly targets the GABAA receptors. I truly believe in my heart that I can fully recover, but the thought of how long it will take scares me. I feel a lot of guilt for not being okay sometimes; I don’t want my child to see me like this. I manage to hide it, but it’s sometimes difficult. Thank you again for your message. May I ask what has helped you in terms of supplements/medications or anything else? When you tell me to be careful with false recoveries, how long are you referring to?