Its been emotional

Member Stories
#1

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)?
UK
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 searching
What is your current age, height, weight?
29, 6ft,89kg
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.)?
1mg/day
What condition was being treated with the drug?
hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
21 days
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
27th feb 2020
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
18 March 2020
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
20 days . I stopped a day later
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
erectile dysfunction, discoloured semen and breast/nipple discomfort were the initial side effects that made me stop taking the drug. Things then went from bad to worse unfortunately over the past 6 months

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
[ x] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x ] 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
[ x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ x] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[ x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ x] 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
[ ] 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

[ x] Other (please explain)

  • Along with the penis changes in shape and size I’ve also noticed a lot of superficial penile veins along the shaft
  • A mild pulsating and retracting sensation in penis when sat in certain positions

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

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)?

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.
Well, what a huge mistake taking that was!
After starting to become conscious of my hair thinning slightly (it wasn’t even that bad) I began to research online how to prevent the inevitable. Came across finasteride on a pharmacy website and began to look further into it, saw some of the possible side effects and like a lot of people I assumed ‘‘nahh that wont be me, its only a small percentage affected, lets give it a go’’
6 months later and I’m writing my story;

The original side effects I noticed which lead me to stop taking the drug;

  • loss of erectile function
  • nipple/breast discomfort
  • drastic changes in semen colour (a very bright white colour)

Obviously I was alarmed by these side effects however initially I thought given a bit of time things would revert back to normal … 6 months along and this is far from the truth and things have progressively got worse. Only the nipple/breast pain has subsided. The rest are still present along with more as detailed below.

5- 6 weeks after id noticed these original side effects as mentioned above I called my GP to discuss my worries and concerns. I was sent for a blood test to check all relevant hormone levels which came back as within the normal ranges.

The side effects over the past 6 months (after stopping the drug) -

-I noticed very early on that my penis had become a lot less sensitive and responsive than before the medication, erections are much more difficult to achieve and also a lot weaker when finally getting erect, much more physical and visual stimulation is now required. I’ve had No spontaneous erections since taking the drug and also a very alarming lack of nocturnal & morning erections.

  • semen seems to have returned to a more normal colour, although consistency seems less and also thinner.

  • Breast/nipple discomfort seemed to go away after a week or so.

  • Most alarmingly of all the side effects has been the changes I’ve noticed in my penis itself which have seemed to progressively get worse over the months. The penis has shrunk in both girth and length and sometimes seems to be in flaccid but ridged state. More veins are now visible on the penis showing through the tissue which were not there before. More excess skin on the penis which now wrinkles at the base as if a loss of size of the tissue. reduced size also in testicles. It’s difficult to explain the feeling in the penis but it sort of feels like an emptiness or numbness.

  • no noticeable hair loss on my scalp since stopping the drug, almost as if the drug is still taking effect.

  • complete loss of libido and interest in sexual encounters.

  • a noticeable Pulsating/retracting sensation in penis especially when in a sat down position.

  • weaker and less pleasurable orgasms.

-Mental health side of dealing with this side effects has now become a serious issue, first few months not so much as I was still positive of returning back to some form of normality. However now as time goes on and I begin to realise this maybe something I will have to live with the rest of my life its obviously affected my mental health. Anxious & Depressive thoughts about what the future holds and how I get by accepting the changes I’m currently suffering.

Finally can I say that finding this forum today as lifted my spirits somewhat. The positivity and passion people have to get back on track is inspiring

thanks for reading

2 Likes
#2

Welcome brother, you are young and dropped early there is a very high chance that you will recover in few months. Just wait and do not think about it.

1 Like
#3

Thanks mate that’s nice to hear. Yh hopefully. Seemed like it was getting better at one point, week by week I was seeing improvements, but the last 2 months for some reason It’s been the worst of all. Like you say though suppose worrying about constantly doesn’t exactly help.

#4

Hey man,

We’re in this together. The penile changes you describe are exactly what I have. I’m now 8 months off the drug (saw palmetto in my case). I almost returned to normal 6 months ago, and crashed hard after that.

I’m taking solace in the fact that many seem te recover over time. And that recovery, even from shrinkage, is in fact possible.

Lots of courage, friend.

#5

Thanks crembo, thats good to hear mate. hopefully things will improve.
I’m still in shock and can’t actually believe these kind of products are on the market and so easy to get hold of. blows my mind. like wtf.

#6

Any things you tried to recover?

#7

welcome Gord, im having the same symptoms you describe on the penile department.

5 months out, im praying that I will recover fully over time.

1 Like
#8

hi casual & das … Stupidly I hit the supplements pretty hard straight after I stopped taking. after finding this forum I realised that probably didn’t help. obviously panic and worry set in so loads of googling and lots of supps.
-d-aspratic acid
-tribulus
-creatine
-amino acids
-L-arginine

I’ll obviously change my approach now after reading other peoples accounts. eat clean and no supps.

I did feel like I was improving at a certain points but cant put my finger on why it was.
nocturnal and morning erections were still good even up to 2 months after, they felt weird though like they were almost too strong, they actually woke me up on a number of occasions. Thats all stopped though now and i’ve not had one for around 6 weeks.
ive tried viagra and ciallis and managed to get hard enough for sex but its just not the same… theres a massive disconnect between my head and my penis
I dont recall having any brain fog/muscle aches/fatigue like other people have unfortunately, all mine seems to have been penis and sexual dysfunction. obviously with the added anxiety/depression of the mess i find myself in at the moment.

#9

Are you exercising?

#10

Yh zonz i go the gym 4/5 days a week usually, mainly weights. Is there anything thats helped you in particular?

#11

Welcome brother

Help us out in our community projects

Don’t try any risky therapeutics, and avoid anything that messes with hormones or inhibits androgen etc

Find the inner strength to take it one day at a time

We will get better someday

#12

Hey @Gord after reading your story, your symptomology and relatively brief usage of fin tells me my story is really similar to yours.
How are you lately?

#13

Hi andras, no improvements as of yet mate. Penis is still dead. Very rare weak morning erections. Strange discomfort/retracting feeling in penis still. Hoping and praying i get back to my previous self. How are you doing ?

#14

Hey man, so sorry to hear you still suffer from this medicine.
For me on february 3rd it will be 1 year since my hit by 4 pills of propecia. Still suffering from similar sides as you. I have penile and testicular shrinkage as you, no libido, less ejacuation volume. I also suffer from depression and occasionally anxiety which seem to be controllable.
My worst side is the chronic fatigue it has caused me. Every day is like i felt after 2 hard nights out drinking, even if i’m sleeping 8 hours.
I’ve taken now action and started to get tested and than treated by an endocrine autoimmune specialist, he said he sees big potential in improving my sides, so will see. Fingers crossed.

Do you also have fatigue? Did you experience any insomnia after crash? I couldnt sleep normally fora month after my crash. Also, did you experience muscle atrophy or any metabolic changes?

Keep your head up, I have a big believe in our body, especially because they are still kind of young to balance into better shape by time.

1 Like
#16

I had a few sleepless nights in the early stages but i put that more down to the anxiety of the situation i was dealing with, i sleep ok now. Mornings are bad for me, i used to be a morning person (gym at 6am before work) not so much now, getting up for work is a chore but i force myself.
In terms of muscle wastage; i have definitely noticed muscle loss, but i’m also realistic that i aren’t eating as much as i was before and also not going the gym anymore due to the covid restrictions in the UK, so is it related or not?
I believe one of the main mental issues with PFS is that it forces us to over analyse every aspect of our body and its function daily, so i try my best to have an open mind about changes i see or believe i’m seeing.
The progressiveness of the symptoms are what baffle me the most, my symptoms were better 6 months ago than they are now

Please keep us updated when you visit your endo👍🏼

#17

Same man! It was really horrible, but I think so too that my insomnia was due to fear and anxiety about PFS.

The chances are that you have muscle loss due to lack of gym and eating less. Anyways, dont miss any chance to go to gym when you can again. Unfortunately also in Hungary gyms are closed, so I cannot workout either. But when I was back weight lifting with PFS ,i noticed my muscles dont grow as quickly and significantly as pre-pfs, which is really horrible.

Yea, I had also much better periods ,sept-october I was feeling much better, then worse since november again as far as mood and energy, and this hits of course the quality of erection and libido. But maybe its just due to the complete covid lockdown, who knows.

Anyways, keep your head up, I’ll follow your story cause as I said your symptoms nature and chronology is one of the most similar to mine on this forum. If you added (fortunately you didnt) “muscle wastage” and “persistent fatigue” our symptoms would be 1:1
take care