Issues from rogain and saw palmetto, quite devastated but trying to stay positive

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?) Recommendation

What is your current age, height, weight?
20, 5’11, 160 pounds
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Saw palmetto and rogain
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Every day for a month for the saw and everyday for 6 months for rogain
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
6 months
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
19
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
20
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
First week
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Erectile disfunction and significant reduction in libido and virility
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
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] 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)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] 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
[ ] 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?
Non so far
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)?
Haven’t taken super recently but tests a few months ago revealed high testosterone
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.

Basically I started taking the saw palmetto and rogain and noticed aching in my testicles. I had a really high sex drive for the first week but then it eventually crashed and I’ve been dealing with my current state for the past months, it feels as if it is getting worse in the past month.

I have a bunch of problems with erections and libido and it is all very mentally traumatic. I want nothing else but to recover from this condition. I knew it was a bad idea to take the saw palmetto but took it anyways for some reason, can’t imagine what would of happened had I taken finasteride

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Welcome to our community @Elb1 and thank you for sharing your story. If you haven’t already, please have a look at out new user guide

Really sorry to hear this is happening to to you.
I’m here because of saw palmetto and rogaine too. I thought I was dodging a bullet with them but now I’m fucked up. I want nothing more in life but to recover too, I was unappreciative of my old life and didn’t realise how good I had it till I threw it all away.

Rogaine + SP + Accutane here…

Could you update your user story so we can see which symptoms you are suffering from? It is not clear from the post currently.

I don’t think saw palmetto is any less dangerous than finasteride to be honest, although I sincerely hope that it’s less severe for saw palmetto sufferers of course.
There are plenty people here who took saw palmetto and have been suffering for a while, I’m afraid.

How long has it been since you quit the drug cold turkey?
Some people make good recoveries within 3 months so if you quit recently you may still have a good chance for recovery.

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