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 searched propecia brain fog
What is your current age, height, weight? n/a
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? finasteride then dutasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? finasteride - 1mg everyday then quit and dutasteride- 1 month loading dose of .5mg 3x, then .5mg everyday for 8 months
What condition was being treated with the drug? hair
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 9 months total
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 23
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 26
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? few months in, but was in denial/didnt know
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? brain fog, insomnia, emotional blunting, derealization
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
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x ] Confusion
[x ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x ] 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
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? herbs + andro pro hormone
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)? low total t (half of what it was 1 year prior while i was on dutasteride), low dhea, low hgh. will link later if have time
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 had brain fog and insomnia on propecia, didnt really know it was fin doing it. took it for 2 years, then switched to dutasteride. took a loading doase on dutasteride, lost morning woods and sexual sensitivity, and then got emotional blunting a few months later. around this time my brain fog and derealization was at an all time high. this kept going until one day i snapped out of it and was out of denial. i realized it was dutasteride and quit.
1 month after quitting, my sexual sides resolved. unfortunately my cognitives are not back and my shrewdness + awareness are gone. i just want my brain back lol. anyways, pleasure to be on this journey with you fine folks. lets figure this out 