Hello everyone, I’m Jeanreno and here is my story.
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Where are you from (country)?
France -
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?)
From a french health forum called doctissimo. -
What is your current age, height, weight?
I’m 24, 188cm, 73Kg -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
I walk a lot (I go to walk in mountains almost every weeks) and make some excercices at home. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Asian: lot of rice, miso soup, meat
I have been living in Asia for one year now, so my regimen contains far less sugar than I was used to eat in my home country. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
hairloss -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
First I took it 2 months with very small dosage, then I took it a second time several months later at full dose during 3 weeks. -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
23 years-old -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
24 years-old -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey the fist time, taper-off the second time. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Generic: Mylan and Sandoz. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
If i make and average it would be something like 0.5mg every two days. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
The first time I took it was almost immediately (less than one hour after take my first dose) and the second period I took it it was after something like 17 days. -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Head-aches
Put an X beside all that apply:
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 to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] 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
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
To fight the migraines and brain fog I am now taking lioresal (muscle relaxant) and loxonin (pain killer). -
If you have pre or post-Finasteride bloodtests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (pls 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 with Finasteride?
- Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
The first time I took the drug I had a syncope approximately 15 minutes later. I experienced insomnia, severe fatigue, brain fog, difficulties to concentrate and speack, testicule pain and depression but at the same time I felt quite confident and gain muscle without exercicing my arms. Although I used two take a very small dose twice of three times a week it was so difficult to deal with that I stopped after two months. I quickly recovered and didn’t felt any side effects after 3 days.
Then, a few months later, I begin the treatment again. During 17 days I didn’t experience side effects but suddenly the brain fog and others symptomes (except insomnia) came back. I reduced the dose and stopped defininitively the drug after another one week of treatment. Once again I recovered very quickly.
Nevertheless, I took a saw palmetto supplement (folligain) to replace finasteride during 40 days. At first with a full-dose I had some difficulties to concentrate and talk, and also my penis did shrink a lot with some testicule pain. Then I just took half a dose and my sexual power came back. After 40 days head-aches and brain fog (same kind as finasteride) came back so I stopped the drug.
It’s been more than two months that I have stopped this supplement now and I have still permanent head-ache, with difficulties to concentrate, learn new things and work properly.