Lawsuits, Mental Sides, and Trying Again

Member Stories
#1

Hi all -

I used to visit the site under a different username up until 4 years ago when I decided I would try to live my life as best I could with my symptoms from PFS. Long story short, I had slowly increasing cognitive and mental sides while on Propecia for ~3 years, and once I quit, crashed (nearly a decade ago). While I had significant sides on the P, my cognitive/anxiety sides post-crash forced me to leave work for a year.

Over time, my sexual sides have greatly improved, and improved to the point where only I would know something isn’t working/feeling as well as it did pre-fin. Sensitivity is not what it once was, but performance is not an issue.

However, anxiety, depressive, and cognitive sides never relented to the same degree as the sexual sides. About 2 years ago, I had made peace with the fact I likely would never be 100%. This peace was possible because though my memory, ability to process details, and general physical calmness (no more heart palpitations, yay!) were not great, I no longer felt ill to the point that life was just an exercise in enduring suffering. I even got to the point where I could say I generally felt happy again.

Unfortunately, after a chaotic withdrawal from counsel in my suit against Merck by my former attorneys, a withdrawal for reasons which have still not been made clear to me, my illness has taken a turn for the worse. The stress of the unexplained withdrawal and the attempt to compel responses from my former counsel through another attorney has caused a minor uptick in my sexual sides, but a major uptick in my anxiety and depression sides.

This uptick has gone on for 7 months now, and I’ve had to go back on non-SSRI anti-depressants in order to get some relief from suicidal ideation. I’m currently receiving psychological help as well, and I’m struggling to find what I’ve got left in the tank to fight back from this downturn. Nearly a decade of anxiety and cognitive sides, with the first few years being a lesson in the extreme of how horrible one can feel, that’ll wear a man out…feels awkward to naturally say “man” now, given I was by all accounts a “kid” when this started.

Yet, outside how I feel, the measurables of my life are now quite good - fiance, enjoyable job, strong income, active social life, great family, pretty fit. Given the quality of my external life, and the fact most people seem to have had significant success in mental side improvements, I think I’m able to give recovery another disciplined run.

Not sure who is still around from the back when (e.g. Boston, awor, Mew, japanther, Tim), but if anyone wants to chat, feel free to PM me (especially if you have a competent attorney, ha!).

Anyhow, over the next 2 weeks, I’m going to be planning out my next approach to recovery. Once that plan is complete, I think I’d like to share progress and regression here for at least a period of time in order to help hold myself accountable/enforce discipline.

Thanks for reading and best wishes.

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#2

80% plus of the lawsuits against Merck was thrown out by plaintiffs so called expert I was never allowed to talk with . MY counsel was incompetent suing the wrong drug manufacturer as my finasterdie was from the VA and was generic fiansterdie 5mg that Merck doesn’t make so she sued the wrong party and no lawyer will take my case once its thrown out. I took the drug from the VA from 2009 through 2014 and had full blown PFS in 2011 The Veterasn administration doctors to this day say its a 100% safe drug and had no warning labels from 2009 through 2014 although FDA required such warnings in 2012 and 2014 . Although i had full blown symptomology my VA doctors lied to me to keep taking the drug for BPH-enalrged prostate stating it was a hundred percent safe drug to this day . In fact I have in writing that there is no such thing as PFS and that the all symptomology goes away once you cease finasterdie . The VA has refused to treat us or do anything and is killing us PFS vets . The VA has not one reported case ever made to VA pharmacy on the side effects nor medwatch FDA as VA urologists are lying on the drug telling vets its due to their mental health diagnosis although kept in check for years or due to enlarged prosatte r any excuse they can give . Its like giving candy out with no screening and no warnings by VA urologists

Anyway my case was thrown out despite all this proof as the supposed expert for the plaintiffs threw out all cases if you took finasterdie, proscar or procepia after FDA warnings came out in 2012 een if you didn’t have warnings from VA pharmacy and VA doctors . how can there be warnings when VA urologists have stated in writing and they chief of staffs at the Lebanon Pa VAMC that there are no adverse symotomology from th drug finasterdie that it all goes away once one ceases finasteride. Thus most of the cases despite full blown PFS before 2012 were throne out if you continued despite the lies of your doctor was taken past FDA warnings of 2012.

Is this why your case was throne out and where can we find lawyers to take our cases ??

Please help us veterans get lawyers to sue the VA and to get us PFS vets help at lshorowitz@yahoo.com

Veteran

#3

Hey man, I was decimated by this drug and I’m getting better. I know you’ve been at this for a long time would love to chat.

@awor @axolotl is there reason why I can’t PM? I would love to chat with you guys as well in terms of how I can make an impact here without causing issues.

I think that people out there need to hear the truth in improvements recently in those fighting PFS. Its just not on this board anywhere at all and its sad to see.

#4

As you know, you axolotl and I have a private topic (pm) through which you can contact us. If you need to discuss with us privately, you can do it there.

Feel free to keep us posted on your progress and findings via your member story. If you don’t already have one, you can create your own topic in the Therapeutic Efforts category. Very welcomed, as long as you abide by our community guidelines. Also, if you do so, please describe in as much detail as possible what you found has worked, and let us know how many users have already recovered by following your protocol. Let’s get an honest and open discussion going on this site regarding your findings.

#5

Awesome thank you @awor

#6

Hi @7YearsOff , thanks for posting and I’m sorry that you have had a down turn in your symptoms and I’m sure you will turn it around. You mentioned that after a while your sexual sides improved. Can I ask how long did it take for this to happen.

#7

Gonna hit a couple items here.

Lawsuit @veteran I stopped taking Propecia prior to 2012. My case was not thrown out, my counsel withdrew very late last year stating I had been diagnosed only with “hypogonadism” and with no diagnoses of “sexual dysfunction or similar.” I provided my counsel with medical records explicitly stating DX codes for sexual dysfunction, low libido, and genital pain; not to mention I don’t actually have hypogonadism, but because I have cognitive and sexual sides, hypogonadism was the closest DX available. I am pursuing litigation against my former counsel. If you’d like to mention your former counsel, feel free to PM me.

If there is anyone else who has potentially encountered unethical behavior by their attorneys, please don’t hesitate to PM me. I am not sure whether the mishandling of my case is an isolated incident, and I’d be glad to discuss the route I am taking further. However, I believe that most (not all) firms handling Propecia more or less got “owned” by Merck’s team, and that most firms still involved are trying to cut their losses. The calculus could change if bellweather cases go well this fall, but at this time, I think attorneys fighting hard for Propecia victims are few and far between.

Sexual Sides @Ukguy82 - Improvement in sexual sides occurred gradually over a period of years. Like I said, I’m still not 100% sexually, but I’m no longer sexually impacted to a degree where I couldn’t live a completely normal life if I didn’t have the persistent cognitive/anxiety/depression sides.

Planning - Thought here currently is to work my way into a regiment that is hopefully conducive to recovery vs. making a drastic and immediate life shift. A few simple things that I’m beginning to enforce/have begun to enforce this week:

    • Cut out coffee (again)
    • 8 hours of sleep every night (again)
    • 1 anti-anxiety practice per day (e.g. restorative yoga, mindfulness training) and to work up to 1 anti-anxiety practice + 1 other “positive” practice (e.g. running, lifting, social activity, other anti-anxiety) tasks per day
      - Related to this, I am generally in well-above average physical health - low body fat %, regular weight training, athletic, good blood labs (both hormone and non-hormone panels). My SHBG runs high, but my Free T is still upper 30th percentile, so no concerns there. In the months first off fin, estradiol ran high and free T ran low within range, but that numerical imbalance has resolved.

Best to you all -7-

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#8

Ugh - kicking coffee was an awful experience - really ramped up the depression sides. However, good to go on the coffee front now.

As far as the other items to which I’ve committed, I’ve done pretty well. There have been a lot of family events (weddings, travel, etc.), which have kept me from getting 8 hours of sleep every day, but I’ve done really well on ensuring I’m taking on 1 anti-anxiety practice + 1 other healthy practice each day. I even had 1 day last week where I didn’t feel completely awful!

Anyhow, most problematic sides continue to be those that mimic anxiety/neurologic issues - somatic anxiety/palpitations, memory/focus problems, difficulty finding words/speaking fluidly, some light sensitivity and vision that seems “off.” One positive is that the sides generally wax and wane in tandem, which has me hopeful that I’m not chasing 3 different problems, but rather working on the general “anxiety” will help to alleviate a number of symptoms.

Best, -7-