Just one dose... I'm getting worried

Member Stories
#1

Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.

Where are you from (country)?
Australia
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
What is your current age, height, weight?
180 70kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
0.25mg? or 0.5mg?
What condition was being treated with the drug?
hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
1 day
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
28
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
28
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
3 days
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.

Sexual
[ x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ x] Watery Ejaculate
[ x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] 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
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[x ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain) insomnia

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
n/a
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
n/a
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?

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

I have tried finasteride several times once when i was 18 i took it for under 2 weeks and suffered a loss of libido, ED, loss of sensitivity and insomnia (possibly stress induced) along with the other classic symptoms. As the years went on however i convinced myself that these side effects were all in my head and this incidence was primarily due to me over reacting, big mistake. Given that i thought that this past event was psychosomatically induced i’ve retried finasteride at small doses between 0.1 and 0.25 mg 2 different times over different periods (1-2 months) although dosing very infrequently maybe once-twice per week. I stopped both times because I was pretty much fine with having hairloss and basically just tried finasteride during these periods on a whim with a ‘why not’ attitude. I may have had some very minor sides that resolved during these periods e.g harder to sleep and less ejaculate.

Most recently i tried finasteride again at 0.25 mg (maybe even 0.5 mg i can’t actually remember lol) after feeling a little insecure about my hairloss basically just on a whim. I decided the next day that i wasn’t going to continue with treatment and laughed at myself for even trying it again. This was a terrible idea and i don’t think ill ever forgive myself for putting myself through this hell again.

About 3-4 days after taking this dose i had very intense insomnia that lasted about a week which ranged from not sleeping to 1-2 hours of sleep. I didn’t originally make the connection to finasteride because i figured it may have been linked to a big weekend, however after googling “insomnia finasteride” i got a bit worried. My sleep has improved with the help of sleep aids and on one occasion i used some temazapam to help me sleep but i’m still only sleeping between 4-5 hours straight and sometimes able to sleep lightly after that for 1-2 hours. I was managing to keep calm about the situation until the last two days about 2.5 weeks after dropping the fin where i’ve noticed my penis has started to have this rubbery feel to it, it’s harder to get an errection (which have lower quality cannot be maintained) and my ejaculate is very small. Another weird thing i’ve noticed are my balls are constantly moving in my sac or at least much more than they normally would.

I’m feeling very distraught as of right now and nervous and am also dealing with a huge sense of regret. I love my life and everyone in it too much to have done this to myself again. The worst part is i was never really seriously going to take up taking finasteride again, literally impulsively just tried it again. Fucking idiot.

I don’t think i’ve had a crash per say just a general popping up of more symptoms, is my story typical for someone who has only had one dose? I know this is a stupid quiestion but what do you think my odds are of recovery given i’ve only had a single pill?

I’m not exactly sure why i’m posting this i guess i’m just looking for some advice and support. My heart goes out to everyone suffering on this forum, it’s awful what has happened to some of you and i hope everyone finds a way to recover or at least live a decent life given their circumstances.

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#2

First off, it sounds like you can’t tolerate 5ar inhibitors. Don’t ever touch them again.

Report your reaction to your doctor and your local medical authority.

Next, the majority of people will get better with time. This could be a long time.

Eat normally, exercise, prioritise rest, no stress. Don’t take any crazy supplements or do anything stupid with your diet.

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#4

Thanks Greek

Yeah I’ll take your advice on board for sure i’ll never be touching this stuff again. Funnily enough your posts have been helping me as of late so thank you for that.

I’ll update any changes as they come

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#5

New symptoms are popping up hot flushes, this is nightmarish. Anyway being on this forum isn’t helping, I’m just going to try and live my life normally for a month if things don’t improve by then I’ll update.

Good luck everyone

#6

My sexual problems seemed to have resolved just under 3 weeks post taking fin I think this is similar to what happened with my first experience with fin, which is positive. Sleep problems are still an issue it’s so weird it’s as if my brain but not my body gets tired, hopefully this improves at any rate my problems aren’t life destroying which I’m great full for. Sorry for the ramble just using this thread to track my progression

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#7

about 3.5 weeks after taking finasteride i feel like my sleep and mental state is improving. I feel tired again in the evenings rather than that feeling of feeling buzzed but exhausted at the same time, which i think is a good sign. Slept a good 6-7 hours straight last night, fingers crossed this continues.

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#8

Unfortunately sleep hasn’t really changed much I struggle to get over 4 hours sleep without taking medications on most nights, it’s almost 5 weeks post Finasteride now :slightly_frowning_face:. Seeing as I only took a fraction of a pill I’m sceptical whether this is just going to magically go away soon given how long it’s been. I’m meant to be going back to medical school in a few months and am not sure if I’ll be able to in this state, needless to say I’m worried (but trying to stay calm). Do most people see improvement with their sleep over time if i could get to 6 hours of decent sleep I’d be over the moon.

#9

So just my 7 week update for everyone, once again i’m sorry to say that sleep hasn’t improved much about the same as above, i’m also experiencing semi consistent pain or discomfort around my testicles, penis and groin. I’m going to get a referral to a urologist from my GP i don’t think testicle pain is a good sign in any circumstance. Good news is my sexual function still appears to be in relatively tact have solid libido, get morning erections semi regularly, however it seems i cannot get an erection on command as easily and often require some degree of manual stimulation.

At my present state i’m trying to come to terms with acceptance of my condition with the hope that things will change into the future, i realise that this mind set may be incredibly difficult or impossible for the most serious cases on this forum, but it has helped me from living in a constant state of regret.

My biggest concern is still sleep as i’m meant to be going back to university soon, I’m tempted to ask my doc about mirtazapine as i’ve seen several stories on the forum of positive experiences in regards to sleep. I realise the danger in taking any AD due to its capacity to cause PSSD or potentially worsen PFS. Any input would be appreciated.

#10

There is always a few other options for sleep agents rather than ones that could permanently worsen PFS like SSRIs.

Start with trying melatonin out though this is likely to be ineffective, if that doesn’t work ask your doctor about zopiclone drugs and the last resort alternative doctors will be very hesitant to supply you with but will certainly work is benzodiazepines.

#11

Thanks for the advice dude, i’ve been using melatonin throughout this whole process it helps for sure in getting to sleep but doesn’t seem to help with the staying asleep aspect. I don’t see benzos or z drugs as a long term solution as tolerance can rear its head quite quickly as well as addiction/reliance.

So as it stands at around 10 weeks post finasteride i don’t seem to have any significant sexual side effects now, potentially some minor ones but won’t go into detail. However i am still suffering from poor sleep although it seems to have slightly improved since my last post. Right now my sleep changes from night to night but i do manage to get 4-5.5 (rarely 2-3 hours) hours of straight sleep on some nights and then am sometimes able to sleep lightly on and off after that. At the very least i have dodged a bullet in the severity of my sides (which i am grateful for), although my insomnia has had a significant impact on my life. I will update if things improve significantly. At any rate i will fill out the survey in a few weeks time. Thank you all for the support you provide in this forum and i wish everyone best of luck in their recoveries.

2 Likes
#12

Best of luck man. If you don’t exercise, I’d incorporate that. Did wonders for the insomnia I had even before pfs.

#13

Same to you, i must admit i’m a bit worried reading some of your posts however, as it seems you are very gun-ho with your approach even after being off the drug for such a short period of time.

Have you considered seeing a therapist in the mean time to deal with some of your emotional difficulties and coping with your situation in the short term? I can sympathise with the feeling of trying things impulsively to improve your situation. I honestly think you should take a bit more of a slow methodical approach, our bodies are delicate as it is, things can always get worse.

#14

I’m not doing very well guys sleeps terrible, not coping probably going to have to drop out of school :cry:

#15

Any experiences of people’s sleep improving with time? Need some motivation to keep on keeping on.

#16

I think there are many members whose insomnia improved over time. It is definitely something that is difficult to deal with when it hits, have you gone to a sleep specialist yet and attempted intervention? (without medication of course)

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#17

I’ve had improvements in the sense that I can sleep a full 8 hours uninterrupted but I always wake up exhausted and it’s a struggle to get through the day

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#18

I’ve got a referral to see a sleep specialist I’ve been putting off going because I’ve been so busy. I should go, it’s almost like I’m awake while I’m sleeping it’s just bizarre. How’s your sleep?

#19

It’s varied over the time I’ve had PFS. For now though, at the moment, it hasn’t been a huge problem. Hoping it stays decent. The possibility of it worsening again scares me.

I had pretty bad sleep issues during last summer (feeling awake while sleeping) and all my symptoms got worse, then somehow it improved. The summer before that as well I had pretty bad sleep issues after a concussion, and it had me suicidal.

I definitely recommend going to see a sleep specialist and considering their recommendations.

1 Like
#20

Sorry to butt in with this @whathaveidone4669, but as you’ve been here 3 months now, if you still have side effects can you take the survey please.

1 Like
#21

in the process of doing ma man

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