Hi all. I’m new here and have similar problems as other members on this forum. English is not my first language so I apologize in advance for possible grammar mistakes.
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How did you find this forum?
Google. -
What is your current age, height, weight?
25, 182 cm, 80 kg -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes. I workout at home regularly, I do not lift some heavy weights, but I put some weight, I don’t work only with my body weight. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
I think I’m eating quite healthy. I eat 5-6 times per day, a lot of protein-rich food, vegetables, good fats and carbs (including fruits) only in the morning and post workout. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
2 years, 10 months. -
How old were you when you started Finasteride?
- How old were you when you quit?
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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 for the first 16 months, Proscar for the last 18 months. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg/day for 16 months, 1.25 mg/day for 18 months. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Some side effects I noticed first week of use, some 30 months later. -
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
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[X] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] 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
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Nothing yet. -
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)?
No blood tests yet. -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
No. -
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I started to use finasteride at the age of 22 because my hair loss increased. I thought as many of us here that finasteride is pretty safe drug and side effects happen only to small percentage of users, and if they happen, they disappear with longer use or after cessation, they disappear completely. But I was wrong.
First week on finasteride I noticed decreased libido and nothing changed till now. I also felt 4 times (2 times in first 2 weeks, 2 times in last 4 months on finasteride) pain in the area of penis, I’m not sure it that was pain in testicles of prostate. I had a feeling like I have to piss although I did that 2 minutes before. So I ignored sides (low libido) for very long time because I didn’t find that as a problem if I can get an erection whenever I want and can have sex without any problem. But slowly, I lost nocturnal, morning and spontaneous erections. I wasn’t looking even on that as on some huge problem, because still my sex life was normal.
In 2,5 years on fin I had several girlfriends and never had any erection problem till it happened 5 months ago. I started to have a problems with getting and maintaining erection with my last girlfriend, the hottest one. I ignored that for 4 months and then I decided to tell everything to my girlfriend and stop to use finasteride. She said she never thought that I have any problems with that, because when I couldn’t get an erection (few times), I was a bit drunk and she thought that alcohol caused that. But I knew it was finasteride.
Now it’s one month that I’m off finasteride. 3 days after cessation I felt recovery, I was horny all the time, had erections whole day, it wasn’t normal. But 3 weeks later, sides came back. I also noticed some penis rotation on axis to left that I didn’t notice when I was on finasteride, like it occurred post finasteride, after brief recovery.
Usually I sleep from 2 am to 10 am. Sometimes I wake up because I have to piss. Last few days I noticed that I have an erections (sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker) when I wake up around 6-7 pm, but when I wake up at 10 pm I do not have an erection. I also noticed that is much easier for me to get and maintain stronger erection in the morning than in the afternoon and evening.
I started to eat and live healthy at the same time as I started to take finasteride. I also worked out so I felt better and my look was better. My hair was stronger and darker, I gained some muscle weight and started to read and study a lot. So everyone said that I have changed a lot - to better. I was less interested in going out and drinking.
I had some anxiety problems before finasteride, but it seems like they become stronger on finasteride and happened more often. When I’m on the place where are a lot of people, I have some small panic attacks and I’m sweating a lot even if it is cold. Local buses full of people became a nightmare for me. I discontinued to go to my university lectures due to same reason. I’m not sure if that was caused by finasteride, because I had same problems before finasteride, but they were just less intense.
I have visited my doctor two days after I stopped with finasteride. I have asked him if it is possible to do some hormonal tests to see if everything is OK with me, bud he said that he even doesn’t know what kind of tests should I do (he’s not an endo, he’s physician). He gave me perscription for both, Propecia and Proscar. He said that probably it’s all in my head because, as he said, he had more than 50 patients on finasteride and never any of them have reported any side effect. He also told me that he could send me to do some hormonal test only if I bring him some article from the internet where is written something like this: “After discontinuation of finasteride it’s necessary to do these hormonal tests:…”. So I’m asking you guys, which study or article should I print and bring him to let him know that finasteride can cause serious problems and something where he could see what blood tests should I do? I know there is many studies on this forum, but I’m new here and a bit lost in all that, I need a time to investigate all that.
I would appreciate any respond and help.