Wow, my first ever post! Anyway, has anyone experienced joint pain from using Propecia? I had been taking Propecia for a little less than a year. During this time, one day I experienced a searing pain in my neck. A few weeks later I started feeling pain in my shoulders and elbows. My joints basically feel arthritic. I’ve been off Propecia for about 4 months now, and luckily some of the side effects have subsided, namely the twitching. However, the joint pain still remains. I haven’t seen any other posts about joint pain, so possibly something else is causing this.
you don’t have any pain in your dick, or sexual side effects? that is great then.
Hi,
Long before I started taking Propecia I had a problem with my hip joint; an old injury from when I was 19. From time to time I would get arthritic pains in it, but I got by.
Twenty years on, and now I’m 39. Around Easter, the pains in my hip suddenly got a lot worse - the flare ups have been much more severe, take longer to subside, and are much more frequent. It’s really affecting my mobility, and my orthopaedic doctor is now talking about me needing a hip replacement, which is a prospect I find terrifying.
Perhaps one would just expect the pains in my hip to get worse with age - I’ve had twenty years of reasonable service from this dodgy hip of mine - but I’m struck by the timing of this sudden decline in my hip joint…
I started taking Propecia at the end of January 07, and the noticeable decline in my hip joint started just over four months later on 7 May 07; around the same time that I started to notice some of the positive affects of Propecia kicking in.
Coincidence? Yes, I guess that’s entirely possible. But I’d be interested to hear any theories of how it might be possible for Propecia to play a role in aggravating a pre-existing physical problem such as a damaged hip joint.
A hip replacement before the age of 40 is not a prospect anyone would relish. If Propecia might really be playing a role in this problem, and coming off the drug might help my situation, I’d like to know about it.
Any useful comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Maybe its not a coincidence… have a look:
propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=590
“We have reported a 63-yr-old male with well controlled PMR [polymyalgia rheumatica – form of arthritis] and eczema in whom both diseases became more active following the introduction of finasteride. Mechanisms of this apparent interaction deserve further study.”
…
"Furthermore, the patient noted that delaying ingestion of steroid beyond two finasteride half-lives abolished the interaction, suggesting a more acute effect. A less likely explanation is that finasteride induces PMR and eczema. Reversible myopathy has been described. "
…
“The Committee has, however, received a single report of a 69-yr-old man whose rheumatoidated arthritis flared up 2 months after starting the drug and settled when it was withdrawn.”
propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=589
“The current case confirms rapidly reversible myopathy (progressive muscle weakness and atrophy) as a possible adverse effect of finasteride treatment, attributable to its structural affinity to corticosteroids.”
…Perhaps such factors are playing a role in your case. Only way to know for sure is to stop the drug.
Just to say;
One of the major symptoms of low testosterone is joint pain and finasteride often causes low testosterone.
Most men who have been diagnosed with low testosterone who are treated with TRT have no such pain, but even a day or two off medication often results in severe joint/bone pain.
Low testosterone often causes osteopenia and osteoporosis in men.
Hello
I am newbie in the forum - Can you explain how finasteride causes “low testosterone” ? I have read all the FAQ and my interpretation is that testosterone levels are elevated on the contrary while the drug is being used, as it prevents its conversion to DHT?
Cheers!
For some guys, after they quit the drug, their Testosterone levels crash, along with low LH and FSH… and at times high Estradiol or SHBG.
Nobody knows why, there are various theories floated around on this site, but nobody here, or medical professionals, seem to know why this only happens to certain men when coming off the drug… only that it does.
If you want to learn more about our own hypotheses, read through the Questions & Theories section of the site.
Cheers,
Mew.
I just posted a similar question in another forum before seeing yours. I was on this drug for a few months when I started developing sharp jabbing pain in my joints (as well as swelling), particularly in my fingers and elbows. When I stopped taking it, very slowly, the symptoms disappeared, but not completely.
I would seriously suggest that you try taking Naprosyn (Naproxyn Sodium), which reduces joint inflammation, to give your joints time to recuperate, as well as one aspirin every day. (Naprosyn is hard on the stomach, so eat something before you take it). I also found that Glucosamine with Chondroitin helped me. I think this drug may have damaged your joints, and taking these medications may give your body a chance to heal, at least a little. Good luck.
I had joint pain while on fin-nasty-ride and I was taking glucosamine and chondroitin to mask the side effects (which worked).
Now that I’m off both I don’t have much joint pain at all.
Found something interesting about joint pain, particularly an inflammation condition called bursitis,
"If the inflammation does not respond to the initial treatment, it may be necessary to draw out fluid from the bursa and inject corticosteroids. "
nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency … 000419.htm
Just found that reference interesting and possibly related to fin usage causing a decrease or withdrawal of corticosteroids. Random relation, thought it worth sharing. I for one know I have felt joint pain, right now even.
i have suffered inflamed bursar s since the onset of taking this medicinethis medicine. Have had cjortiszone to no efect. Have stopped taking this medicine now and forever!
Tony Boston
I’ve got joint pain too… started after I started Fin, worst part is that the muscles are weaker so the joints don’t line up right and it just gets worse and worse. Try correcting your posture and see if it corrects the problem.
When I walk and my knees/hips/shoulders hurt, if it tighten the core, it stops…but tightening the core every moment isn’t sustainable… 
My muscles and joints hurt me a lot. My fingers ,toes and hip bones were effected very severly. hip bones were giving me severe pain at night time. I was unable to sleep on my sides. Toes when I walked and sometimes there was severe swelling.
thanks God they all stopped after taking Vit D3. It took me one month to feel completely better.
Saw palmetto of fin, are called Anti-DHT but I think they sould be called Anti-Testosterone. in 90% ex-users T-level is down and low T is the root cause of all physical problems.
I have stopped taking finasteride as mentioned before. The joint pain has become less acute, but it is still present. It limits my ability to walk since it is in the sinus tarsi of the foot, and I am unable to walk for any length of time. I have always been active so this is a real “reversal of fortune” for me. The constipation lingers on. My doctor had to order a colonoscopy for me but it showed nothing.
Tony Boston
Howdy, I can definately confirm joint pain associated with finasteride usage, although it has been suggested it could be due to low test levels in previous post, I disagree. I am a pro bodybuilder and have experimented with finasteride to stop the conversion of test to DHT (in an effort to slow hair loss associated with high androgen levels). Whilst still having high serum test levels, I have experienced severe joint pain whilst on this medication, especially in the elbows, after ceasing the medication the pain goes away, thankfully! Hope this is of help, and I look forward to hearing other peoples experiences with this drug…
I started taking Propecia around September 2003. I’ll give my full story in another thread, but with respect to what you have been saying about joint pain, after having no apparant side effects for 6 years, I developed the symptoms of what I thought was MS last year. I had MRI scans and the Neurologists found that I had growth spurs on my spine, (these growth spurs usually being the early stages of Osteoarthritis). I was only 36 at the time. The Neurologist said that I was young to be getting this (though not the youngest he’d seen), but it was probably genetic. Yet nobody in my family or ancestry that I am aware of has ever suffered from early onset arthritis. That to me didn’t add up.
Also, about a year or so ago, I started noticing pain in my right knee. Over the last few months this has developed rapidly into pain, stiffness, and weakness in both knees and my left shoulder, lower back, and neck. My girlfriend told me that women who go through the menopause early (and hence have lower amounts of female hormones for a longer period) could develop Osteoporosis. I wondered if Propecia could be the cause of my condition as this is a drug that interferes with your hormones. Last week I googled “Propecia and arthritis”, and found your thread. Because of this, and the other hitherto unknown horror stories I have read on here, I have decided to stop taking Propecia for good. I only stopped three days ago, and already I can feel my joints have improved, and appear to be almost back to normal.
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I just read Mew’s post here again, must have only glanced at it before. I’ve got the big three, myopathy, excema, and joint pain in conjunction with joint popping still after discontinuation. All three didn’t start until I took fin and have improved some however I get flare ups often.
I really hope JN is onto something with thyroid treatment because I’m fed up with being held back from everything!!! @$%#
Martin,
I also have the joint popping well after discontinuation. I have been off for 1.5 years and still my joints are popping. Do we have any idea what causes this popping? I frequently hear them pop when I am lifting weights.
I haven’t researched it. I can feel my joints popping because they are displaced. The muscles & ligaments literally do not hold their tension to keep the joints in alignment. This happens primarily with the hips, shoulders, and spine but has spread through most other joints at times as putting these out will have an effect downstream.