Just stopped Finasteride after 5 months

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)?

USA

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 PFS forum

What is your current age, height, weight?

79, 5’10”, 165

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.)?

5 mg every day after dinner.

What condition was being treated with the drug?

Enlarged prostate.

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?

5 months

Date when you started the drug?

Late December 2024

Date when you quit the drug?

Late May 2025

Age when you quit?

79

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

Cold Turkey.

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?

4 months

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

Potential loss of muscle mass.p

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

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[o ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] pious opSuicidal 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
[o ] 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
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)
I stopped taking Finasteride last Friday and immediately became sick on Saturday morning with weak legs and arms, upset stomach and decreased appetite, and mental confusion.

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?

Taking Remeron

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)?

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 started Finasteride in late Dec 2024 because of enlarged prostate. Doc said it would take four months for full effect. It worked. Urination was better, but it also seemed like I was losing muscle mass from my already thin arms and so I decided to quit in late May without contacting my doctor. That was a week ago. The immediately the next day I experienced weak arms and legs, upset stomach and loss of appetite, and mental confusion. I have experienced those symptoms in the past due to drug interactions and I took Remeron at that time which eventually cleared it up. I don’t know whether to get back on Finasteride or try to overcome my present symptoms with Remeron. I am miserable from morning to night with my symptoms presently.

Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY

  1. Name of the therapy/substance:
    • Dosage:
    • How often you took it:
  2. Status
    • Still using [ ]
    • Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
    • Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
  3. Duration of use: Days [ ] Months [ ] Years [ ]
  4. Response when you started:
    • Greatly improved [ ]
    • Slightly improved [ ]
    • Stayed the same [ ]
    • Slightly worsened [ ]
    • Greatly worsened [ ]
  5. Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
    • Greatly improved [ ]
    • Slightly improved [ ]
    • Stayed the same [ ]
    • Slightly worsened [ ]
    • Greatly worsened [ ]
  6. Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
    • Greatly improved [ ]
    • Slightly improved [ ]
    • Stayed the same [ ]
    • Slightly worsened [ ]
    • Greatly worsened [ ]
2 Likes
#2

Hey what’s up, @watsup.

What we have found through the years of running the site is that people who have been adversely affected by finasteride can suffer significant and long term worsening as a result of resuming the drug after cessation.

Sorry to not have better news, but I would suggest that you risk worsening your position, possibly significantly, if you do resume using finasteride.

#3

I am also of the opinion that taking the medication again can only make your condition worse when you stop it again. You’re lucky to have lost some muscles in your arms and to feel a little weak. I’ve lost all the muscles in my body. I have very strong pain and I’ve lost weight consistently. There is nothing that has stopped or mitigated this. I’ve been taking finasteride for over 22 years I’m depressed and with erectile dysfunction of course in addition to everything I’ve said. I stopped a year ago after doing a year of take and stop I’m completely destroyed. Will it be finasteride? I don’t know? I only know that I’m a sore skeleton

1 Like
#4

@watsup,
I would say welcome to the club, but this isn’t really the kind of Club anybody wants to be in. You are now only the second person here that I know of, besides myself, who would be considered in the “elder group” with prostate problems instead of hair loss. (You can read my full story in Journal of a wild man.)

I am currently 69, nearly 70, and have been in this group for over 5 years now. I took proscar for 3 months.

I’m not sure if you chose not to fill in all your symptoms, or if your only problem is muscle loss. If it is the latter, you are luckier than most. (If you can call any of this lucky.)

I just thought I’d let you know you’re not the only old guy here. But we are definitely in the minority! Jim

3 Likes
#5

Thank you for that feedback. I am also losing weight like crazy, and I continue to be mixed up as to whether I should restart Finasteride after less than two weeks off of it because my primary physician thinks that I should.

#6

To treat the prostate there are other treatments instead of finasteride you could try other treatments. These are not matters to discuss with a general practitioner but you should go to a specialized urologist. If you have an enlarged prostate, surgery is better than finasteride, which compromises your health. Arm problems are in clear symptoms of neuropathy your nerves are fragile and are subjected to stress. Think about it