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Where are you from (country)? USA
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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
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What is your current age, height, weight?
34 5’11" -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes 5-6 days a week, usually only running 30-70 miles a week depending on time of year. But over winter, sometimes no exercise -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
I guess I would call it a paleo diet. 98% only natural foods/non processed, except for cheese. I avoid all wheat products. I also avoid sugar, except for sugar in natural foods such as fruit, milk and such -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
1 year -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
29 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
30 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
propecia -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg am empty stomach -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
maybe 5 months -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[x] 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 to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[x] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x] Frequent urination
[x] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain)
Joint clicking
feeling of being colder/hotter to the bone/less tolerant of temp extremes
inability to fully empty bladder
change in sperm smell, abnormal (for me)bleach smell
carpel tunnel type pains
dizzy upon standing
great difficulty obtaining restful sleep
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
CBT sleep therapy, medications to improve sleep (ambien xr, remeron, sonota, gaba, vit c) -
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)?
Dont have the results, but did see a lower white blood cell count -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I had a hair transplant in LA,California. The doctor gave me a script for Propecia for 1 year. On the drug I had less sensitivity and difficulty in reaching climax. My sleep became progressively worse. I was sleeping about 9 hours a night but I felt as I only slept 4 hours or less. My frustration lies primarily in that the company that produces propecia does not list insomnia(or reduced quality of sleep) within its side effects. If I would have known why I was having horrific trouble obtaining quality of sleep I would have got off the drug the day I found out. Instead, I stayed on it and it hurt my social,family, and marriage. I had to skip out on a lot.
Post Propecia
after 4 years or so, my sleep is getting there, its still not what it was before the drug, but I am extremely grateful to see an improvement
Libido is still greatly reduced. I used to have an appetite for sex about 4-5 days a week. Currently I am interested in sex about once every other month
My thinking is slower, and I feel as my brain is foggy. Exercise and diet have helped this a moderate amount
My bone density is off the charts low. I can look up and post my numbers if anyone is interested, but my numbers I think are -3.5…Ill have to look… But this worries me, as I enjoy running races almost more than anything. If anyone has experience with this (hopefully positive improvement) please let me know
Currently I am not taking any supplements except for high doses of fish oil. The fish oil seems to help, quite a bit for mood. I am also following a strict pre-sleep routine. Journal, bath or shower, no internet or tv an hour before bed. Although I believe time off the drug helped me combat the insomnia more, every little bit helps. My no wheat, no sugar and no processed food diet also seems to have helped my mental clarity and mood a good deal. I might be biased, but running has also been a must. Im outside, getting vit d, my mental clarity has improved+ better sleep and mood. I just hope I can keep it up over the winter. Treadmills are so boring. I also do not drink alcohol whatsoever. I used to drink to excess, but quit almost 7 years ago.
I realize my side effects pale in comparison to many of you, but nonetheless they have made my life difficult for many years. I wonder if my sides are not as great because I am slightly older?
Thanks everyone for maintaining this site. If I never found this site I think I would have gone nuts not knowing where these side effects were coming from
1 last thing, Is there any interest in starting a new section “symptom recovery”. I am not convinced “recover” from every single side effect. How about a section where we can post on specifically on how we recovered from individual sides. say, “sleep”, “frequent urination”,“clicking joints”