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Member Stories
#1

How have your experiences been with Dr Jacobs?

  1. Where are you from (Canada)?

  2. How did you find this forum (Google search - Propecia sexual dysfunction)

  3. What is your current 32, 6’, 170?

  4. Do you excercise regularly? Yes If so, what type of excercise? Squash Soccer

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Meat once a day vegetarian the other two meals

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? HAir Loss

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 10 years

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 32 (Feb 2011)

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Tapered off

  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 MG

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? 3 or 4 years into it.

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Erectile dysfunction.

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[x ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ x] Complete Impotence
[ x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[x ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x ] 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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

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”
[x ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? None

  2. 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)? None

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

#2

Hello I’m new to the forum.
I’m considering seeing Dr Jacobs about my PFS. Did anybody here see him or chat about their situation with him? If so how did it go?
Also I read the forums at the Bald Truth and I noticed a number of people there are also complaining of the propecia side effects that continue even though they have stopped taking the drug.
One poster mentioned using AIFM (Aromatase Inhibitor for Men) and that he’s had pretty good results with it. (morning erections came back, anxiety went away, strong erections, good feelings etc)
I also tried cabergoline a few years back in very small doses. It worked very well for a while, I felt great, morning erections came back, solid erections good enough for sex came back, athletic performance improved and I was very sharp mentally. However after about a week of using it I had an extreme panic attack and have not used it since. I was however taking propecia while also taking cabergoline. I’m not sure what would happen if I was to take cabergoline without propecia.

#3

Many have. Do a search for “Jacobs”. He has also made blog posts about the problem:

A Neuroendocrine Approach To Finasteride Side Effects In Men
blog.alanjacobsmd.com/alan-jacobs-mds-blog/2010/04/a-neuroendocrine-approach-to-finasteride-side-effects-in-men.html

The Plot Thickens, Along With The Hair, When You Mess With Dihydrotestosterone
blog.alanjacobsmd.com/alan-jacobs-mds-blog/2010/06/the-plot-thickens-along-with-the-hair-when-you-mess-with-dihydrotestosterone.html

A Proposed Mechanism For Prolonged Sexual Side Effects From Finasteride
blog.alanjacobsmd.com/alan-jacobs-mds-blog/2010/06/a-proposed-mechanism-for-prolonged-sexual-side-effects-from-finasteride.html

Another Piece of the Post-Finasteride Hypogonadism Puzzle?
blog.alanjacobsmd.com/alan-jacobs-mds-blog/2010/10/another-piece-of-the-post-finasteride-hypogonadism-puzzle.html

Welcome to the club.

Are you still taking Finasteride?

#4

I stopped taking Finasteride early Feb 2011. I had been taking it since December 2000

For the two months after I stopped taking Finasteride I felt great. Sex drive increased significantly, morning erections came back, erection quality was incredible, my prostrate felt fuller, athletic performance improved significantly, less muscle soreness and stiffness after heavy workouts, increased stamina, anxiety disappeared, mental clarity was incredible. I felt really good and had no intention of ever going back on Finasteride after such an improvement.
However beginning last week I started to revert back to my old Finasteride self…Morning erections disappeared and I became fatigued more easily. Cloudy thoughts, mild anxiety all the old PFS symptoms came back.
Not sure what to do at this point in time so was inquiring about peoples experiences with Jacobs.
I read his blog however its not clear that there is any treatment options or if its more of a ‘wait and see’ approach that is best.