Just another sucker.

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    USA

  2. 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 search for “persistent finasteride side effects”

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    27, 5’7", 140lbs.

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

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Variable, but I generally aim to eat healthy.

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

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    I took 1mg every other day for ~1.5 months.

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    27

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    27

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

  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.)?
    1mg every other day.

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    ~2 weeks.

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    Loss of libido, ED, and gynecomastia are the most noticeable. I have also been feeling passive and more tired lately, and seem to have more difficulty expressing myself (i.e. losing words and thoughts often) but I hadn’t thought to attribute it to a hormonal imbalance until reading other member stories. Sigh.

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
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] 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?
    I was just blind-sided by this a couple weeks ago. So, I haven’t had time to strategize.

  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)?
    Getting a preliminary blood test tomorrow (9/12/10)

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
    I don’t have anything novel to add.

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    I’m sure you’ve all already heard everything I have to say about a thousand times before…
    Started noticing my hair was thinning, was prescribed propecia by a local doctor. He listed off the potential side effects, but noted that the incidence of side effects was minor (~2%) and reversible (oops). Thinking that the worst that could happen is I would develop temporary ED, quit the regimen, and be as good as new, I happily started it. I decided that to minimize the potential for developing side effects, I would halve the dosage (1mg every other day). I noticed a dramatic decline in libido and an associated development of ED about 2 weeks in, but read (from Merck) that these side effects usually disappear with continued usage, so I plugged along. At ~1.5 months my breasts had become noticeably larger and I decided I didn’t want to continue messing with my hormones for the sake of a cosmetic issue. Stopped the regimen “cold turkey”. Within a week the sexual side effects had been resolved (no change in gynecomastia, unsurprisingly, as this should theoretically take longer to reverse). By 2.5 weeks, I started noticing that I was regressing, but I initially thought that maybe I was just coming off a “DHT-high” that resulted from DHT re-flooding my system. By 3 weeks I was clearly back in the doldrums, libido had tanked, loss of spontaneous erections, and major difficulty in achieving/maintaining an erection otherwise. I seem to have stabilized in this state, which I’ve been in now for ~2 weeks. I’ve become aware of associated behavioral/psychological changes as additional symptoms of this syndrome (passiveness and fatigue, mostly), which I had previously attributed to temporary manifestations of stress - but the onset was parallel to those of the sexual sides, and these too have persisted with them. I’ve also noticed a general loss in strength, but this seems to be too rapid to be a consequence to be related to this syndrome (I think?) - I’ve only been off finasteride for ~ 4 weeks. Tomorrow I’m having my first blood test done, so I’ll post those results as soon as I get them back.

I’d like to thank the creators of this forum, you’ve really done a great thing here for all the rest of us that might have otherwise suffered in silence. I’d like to especially thank “'Mew”, whoever he is, as he seems to spend a great deal of time consoling other and collecting critical new information. Please know that your appreciated.

-Ozz

#2

Welcome.

Seems you were on it for very short time and only 1 mg every other day. Although we dont really understand what happens specifically maybe that will play in your favor.

Post your bloodtests if you can when you get them back.

gl

#3

Has anyone else experienced a RAPID and MASSIVE loss of strength as a consequence of stopping fin? I work out regularly, performing the same set of exercises week to week. I’ve been building muscle progressively with this regimen over the last 2 years, so I know exactly how I should be performing relative to my performance from the week prior. I would estimate that I’ve regressed ~6 MONTHS in terms of strength in the last TWO WEEKS!!, with NO change in my workout regimen/diet/level of stress/etc. Realistically, the only significant change in my lifestyle has been that I stopped taking fin ~ a month ago. The onset of this rapid decrease in strength was coincident with the re-emergence of libido-loss and ED that I’ve obviously attributed to something hormonal fin is responsible for - but this loss of strength? So quickly? Could this really be related? Not having my blood-work back yet, would anyone like to take a stab at what the source of my problem could be (assuming this strength loss is related to fin’s handy-work)? Low testosterone perhaps? And I’ve seen lots of other reports of people suffering from strength loss/muscle wastage, but has anyone seen such a rapid onset? At the rate I’m declining I feel as if I won’t be able to lift my keys by next week.

#4

Could possibly be related to the post-Fin low testosterone, low LH, low FSH issues many experience within weeks of stopping, or it could not.

In my own experience, the fatigue/loss of strength came on rapidly within few weeks after stopping, when my T levels dropped. However, this is just my experience and may not apply to your situation.

Get bloodwork done to see what’s up, its the only way to be sure and rule out psychological causes. Obtain copies of your bloodwork (doc may consider bottom of range T levels “normal”) so you have a record. Sounds like you are already waiting on the results so let’s see what they say.

#5

Yea, Ive seen alot of muscle loss. I used to be jock type, in the gym and lifting with kids in their 20’s. Now Im weak, arms and chest muscles shrunk and put on alot more belly fat.

#6

@Boston -

Have you had a problem with persistently low testosterone? Or is your muscle loss due to some other (possibly unrecognized) issue? I’m hopeful that the strength loss is a straight-forward matter of decreased T, and that a simple supplement can tackle the problem. Even if the sexual sides are a more complex issue of Androgen insensitivity, I would think that muscle mass/strength would just be dependent on T/E levels…or am I kidding myself here?

Thanks for the input.

#7

I too work out regularly prior to fin, and I noticed that I am not as strong as I was and my muscles get tired faster then they normally would… I also cant gain strength on bench press, but i dont have any man boobs or anything, my pecks are pure muscle pretty much.

#8

OZZ,

Yes the exact same thing happened to me. I have been serious with weight training for 15 years and when I quit propecia my strength & muscle size dropped off a cliff. I still have not been able to get even close to back where I was prior.

My situation is a little different, in that I was idiot and kept taking this medication. Gradually the sexual sides got worse over years, until I coudn’t deny it any more and quit. I hung my hat on the Merck verbiage that sides would go away after discontinuing.

My total Testosterone levels have been ok, but my Free Testosterone is very low. I will be curious to see your numbers. I have been feeling all along this is the link to the change regarding physical strength, some sexual symptoms as well too.

#9

Just got back my bloodtests. Aside from a Vitamin-D deficiency, nothing appears to be out of whack. I’m not sure if I should take this as good news or bad, as I am still exhibiting hypogonadal symptoms (dead libido, moderate ED, reduced testicle size, and mild testicle pain). The dramatic deterioration of muscle strength that I had been earlier complaining about has abruptly stopped, and I feel as if I am slowly gaining muscle back. Unless anyone sees any other red-flags in my blood results that I overlooked, I guess I’ll just sit back and eat Vit-D pills and hope everything else slowly returns to normal. Has anyone else exhibited such symptoms without any appreciable reflection of hypogonadism in their hormonal profile? I think I will be hard-pressed to find a local doctor to take my symptoms seriously with such a normal-looking spread of results.

                                  Reference Range

FSH: 2.1 1.5 - 10
LH: 3.8 2 - 12
Prolactin: 8 3 - 23
TSH: 2.23 0.3 - 5.5
T (maybe total T?): 7.2 2.5 - 9.5 (this was done a few days earlier, test just says “testosterone level”)
SHBG: 30 10 - 60
Total T: 676 240 - 950
Bio-available T: 216 83 - 257
Vit-D: 19 25 - 80 < low
DHT: 438 112 - 955
3A diol-G: 551 190 - 900

For some reason Free T, E2, and Androstenedione didn’t get tested, maybe the doctor threw those requests out. Anyway, I don’t even know what to do now aside from wait and hope things go back to normal. Any suggestions?

-Ozz

#10

Ozz, your missing some of the more important hormones on your blood test.

You need to see Free Testosterone and Estradiol.

Get it checked on your next blood test. High Estrogen can cause tons of male problems.
Free Testosterone is important. The total Testosterone is binded to proteins and not available for use.

No surprise to see your Vit D is low.

#11

I’m re-posting this because the spacing I originally used was collapsed and it makes it difficult to distinguish my levels from the reference ranges:

My levels, Reference Range
FSH: 2.1, 1.5 - 10
LH: 3.8, 2 - 12
Prolactin: 8, 3 - 23
TSH: 2.23, 0.3 - 5.5
T (maybe total T?): 7.2, 2.5 - 9.5 (this was done a few days earlier, test just says “testosterone level”)
SHBG: 30, 10 - 60
Total T: 676, 240 - 950
Bio-available T: 216, 83 - 257
Vit-D: 19, 25 - 80 < low
DHT: 438, 112 - 955
3A diol-G: 551, 190 - 900

After looking over my tests again, I also found that my doctor had run some additional tests which I didn’t initially pay attention to…the results are generally uninteresting except I have a high Eosinophils (EO) count (white blood cell type): my level is 3.8 where the reference range is 0.9 - 2.9. I also have elevated MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume) and MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin), both of which are above the reference ranges. Some quick googling suggested hypothyroidism as a common potential cause, among a number of anemias (namely folic acid deficiency). Hypothyroidism is particularly interesting to me, because the symptom profile is very similar to that of many PFS sufferers.

Thanks Boston for the recommendation to have Estradiol and Free T tested. I think I need to find a new doctor, as my current one looked at this profile and deemed me fully operational (minus the low Vit-D).

Lastly, despite my prolactin levels falling into the quote “reference values” I’ve found some documentation that stated that most men should expect to find their prolactin levels between 2 and 4 ng/mL (mine is 8). Anyone care to weigh in on this?

#12

Welcome to pfs

My blood count also showed some abnormal results, mostly on the low side. A few guys have had this (abnormal blood count results)

I would expect your e2 and free t to be fine, but best to get tested to make sure. You have good results so far from what you have been tested with the exception of a lowish fsh and low vit d which is pretty common to us all. If i was a gp i would send you on your way, but im not, im a post fin man so i just feel for you. I dont think your prolactin would be causing you any harm…its one of the best here.

#13

Ozz,

no problem. If your Estradiol is over 30 it’s likely too high. You will need to see the range, but most of the information you’ll find online indicates anything over 30 is going to cause problems.

Many of us have low Free Testosterone, so there is a fair chance you could have a problem with that as well.

I would recommend getting your adrenals checked next. Thyroid & adrenal problems go hand in hand if you didn’t know it already. My cell count looked very similar to yours.

Most guys opt to get an ACTH stimulation test done. You can also get a 24 hour salva test done, that will allow you to check your cortisol 4 x per day.

The levels should be peak in the morning and then gradually go down throughout the day, so by the time you are ready to sleep your levels are at their lowest. So the levels change during the day and getting the 4 readings is important.

I’m giving you this advice, because several of us learned the hard way and tried to treat our thryoid first. If you have an adrenal issue, you will need to deal with that first and then address the thryoid problem. Our bodies cortisol helps get the thyroid hormone to our cells. If you aren’t producing enough cortisol it’s going to be an issue.

#14

I think boston is right when he says e2 over 30 is probably bad. Few weeks ago mine was 37. I used to actually start crying out of the blue. While driving, in a restaurant, at work. People probably thought I was some headcase. Anyway, I dont know if its just conincidence but I started a natural estrogen blocker (calcium D-Glucarate) a few days ago and almost immediately felt less weepy and less passive. Penis is still pretty dead but def mood has improved. I mix in alot of diff supps so I cant say for sure but I think thats what did it.

Also, wonder if I should have addressed adrenals first. I forgot my T3 one day and felt alot better that day. I seem to feel more wiped out.

#15

I had the crying thing too. Was going to start a thread on it. Had minor moments of emotionality on fin, eyes watering occassionally for not much, then a lot of crying the first few months off. I thought part of it must be the shock of it all but it was likely elevated estrogens, or unopposed estrogenic activity, thankfully this dissipated after about a year or so off.

#16

I sat out for a few weeks hoping to see some natural improvements, as I’ve only been off now for ~2 months and I had only been on a small dose (0.5 mg/day) for a short time (~1.5 months). I saw my strength return, which was very encouraging, but I’ve also felt a growing mental fog and my testicles have become more regularly painful and have begun shrinking. :frowning: My penis, while still about the same size, has also acquired a distinct and unfamiliar curvature. ED (moderate) and libido (dead) have remained unchanged. My blood panel (see above) looks very good relative to many of the others I’ve seen on this site, with no clear indication of any one profound problem. But with my symptoms slowly worsening, I’ve decided to take a pro-active approach…

I’ve seen repeated reports of individuals feeling brief episodes of “recovery” after taking iodine or tyrosine, with the explanation generally being that we suffer from some thyroid problem. This sounds reasonable to me, as I also had some indications from comprehensive blood-work that would corroborate that. BUT, I have a TSH level of only ~2.2, which is apparently too for someone with hypothyroidism? Is this a hard-and-fast rule? Or more of a guideline? Anyone know?

If a thyroid problem is ruled out by my low TSH, I’m rather clueless as to what to try next. If not, I will likely take bostonusa2009’s advice:

…for which I have a couple questions:

  • What exactly should I be checking for when examining adrenals? Just cortisol?
  • Is an ACTH stimulation test or 24-hour saliva test sufficient for this purpose? Or would someone recommend additional tests at this point to rule out/identify an adrenal issue?
  • I’ve been thinking about eating some iodine just to see if anything improves (which would I suppose indicate I have a thyroid problem)…have people just been eating sea-salt? How much and for how long?

Thanks so much! This community is really, really helpful. I hope I can contribute something helpful at some point…

-Ozz

#17

With a 3adiolg like that you should be fine…hmmm?

Good luck with your supplementing ozz. :slight_smile:

#18

what are your body temps?

If you have high eosiniphils your cortisol is probably low. High eosiniphils is used to diagnose low cortisol output. You need a silivary cortisol test.