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Where are you from (country)? England
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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?) Hair loss help forum
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What is your current age, height, weight? 33, 6 foot 2, 13 stone
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise? Yes, weight training
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? meat/healthy with junk food cheat meals.
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? hair loss
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 10 years exactly
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 23 & May 2004
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 33 & May 2014
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Tapered to 0.33mg then cold turkey
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia/Proscar & generic finpecia
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1mg/1.25mg/0.33mg
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? 4 years I think
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? puffy nipples/gyno & libido/ED issues
Put an X beside all that apply:
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
[ x] Watery Ejaculate
[ x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] 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
[ 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
[ ] 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? nothing yet
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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)? not yet
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride? the key thing I’d like to add would be to anyone determined to take finasteride, get pre fin blood work so you at least know what’s normal for you, before taking a serious drug.
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
My story is quite straightforward really. I was bullied at school about my high hairline and became very self conscious at the first sign of receding. I jumped on propecia on the advice of a consultant my GP sent me to at 23 and it certainly stopped me losing anymore hair. Nothing would’ve stopped me taking it at the time although I regret it a lot now. However I feel bitter that the consultant didn’t even suggest having some baseline pre-fin blood tests done so I could know what was normal hormonally for me.
Anyhow, after a few years (it could’ve been 3 or maybe 6 but somewhere in there I noticed my nipples getting puffy through a tight T-shirt. My GP and consultant confirmed slight gyno and I considered surgery but didn’t consider stopping fin which amazes even myself in hindsight.
I also had a number of bad sexual experiences through my 20’s basically where I couldn’t maintain an erection during sex (although my libido/drive never seemed to suffer). I was never sure how much was in my head and how much may be due to the fin and it’s still difficult to know.
I stopped after 10 years because hair loss wasn’t such a big deal, I wanted to be healthier and I wanted to improve my ED difficulties that resurfaced in new relationships. I quit but haven’t felt as good as I hoped hence why I found this place.
I’ve only been off 2 months and am hopeful things will improve but wanted to be forewarned of the issues that up until now I’d not considered. I’ve had some of the shorter list of suggested blood tests done but need some advice with the rest. I will start a new thread on this.
Cheers
JJ