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)?
Turkey (Türkiye)
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?)
What is your current age, height, weight?
24, 1.78m, 77
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/day
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Male Androgenetic Alopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
About 2 years
Date when you started the drug?
10.06.2022
Date when you quit the drug?
06.11.2024
Age when you quit?
24
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
Nearly immediately
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
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
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x ] Testicular Pain
[x ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[x ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
None.
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)?
No.
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.
I’ve been asking this question over and over since I stopped taking Finasteride. All I wanted was to save some hair—how could I have known it would change my entire life?
Let me start from the beginning. I was a happy, carefree guy in my 20s when I started using this drug. In Turkey, it’s ridiculously easy to get; no prescription is needed, and it costs as little as $3.50. Of course, I consulted a doctor first. She warned me about potential sexual side effects, but nothing could have prepared me for what came next.
After meeting someone new, I decided to stop taking the drug. The side effects were interfering with my life. At first, I felt amazing—my libido skyrocketed, morning wood returned stronger than ever, and my energy levels soared. All the negative effects disappeared within days.
But the relief didn’t last.
About 10 days after stopping, everything changed. On the night of November 15, as I was getting ready for bed, I felt my heart racing and a fever setting in. Then came an unsettling sensation around my genitals. Something was wrong. I couldn’t sleep and couldn’t shake the fear of what might be happening.
The next day, I tested myself. Watching porn was difficult, and while I could still ejaculate, the size and responsiveness of my penis had diminished—something that hadn’t happened during my initial week off the drug.
Now, just days later, I’m overwhelmed by anxiety, low libido, shrinkage, depression, and confusion. I feel dizzy and detached from reality. It’s only been two days since these symptoms hit, but I can’t shake the thought: Is this the beginning of PFS?
I’m devastated. I stopped Finasteride to start a better chapter in my life, not to enter a nightmare. I know there’s no cure for PFS, but I need guidance. How can I manage a sexual life like this? Would drugs like Viagra help? I’m determined to fight this—I’ve always been ambitious and refuse to let this condition define me.
Please, if you’ve been through this, share your advice. I won’t touch hormones or supplements right now, but I’m desperate for hope. If there are people from Turkey suffering from this, feel free to contact me in any way possible.
Is it too early to say this will pass? Or is this just the start of something worse?
Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY
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Name of the therapy/substance:
- Dosage:
- How often you took it:
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Status
- Still using [ ]
- Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
- Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
- Duration of use: Days [ ] Months [ ] Years [ ]
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Response when you started:
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]