Hi all
Figured it’s about time I should probably post one of these threads already.
-
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?)
Googled “numb penis finasteride” -
What is your current age, height, weight?
27, 5’9, 70kg -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Started doing pushups post crash. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Meat maybe once a week. Lots of bread, dairy and vegetables. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Few months shy of two years. -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
- Late October 2011.
-
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
July 2013. 27. -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Began tapering. Crashed a week later. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Generic proscar. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1.25mg -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Within a few days -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[/] Loss of Morning Erections – occur once every two days or so
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[/] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility – not sure, it’s possible
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks - had during crash, believe it was related to my situation rather than hormonal
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy - see above
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[x] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[/] Prostate pain – sporadic and quite minor
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[/] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness - sporadic blurriness in left eye, returns to normal after blinking
[x] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination - resolved, i think
[x] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain) – Not sure if all these are related to fin, but thought I’d mention them anyway:
Numbness in the upper part of lower left foot. Middle toe is also affected.
Vibration in the back/right hand side of my neck when in bed.
Occasional tingling on right side of face.
Coldness in head of penis and testicles.
Muscle twitching/spasms, especially in legs.
Waking up throughout the night unable to get back to sleep.
Age spots.
Get the chills for no reason.
-
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Vit D, Magnesium, Fish Oil, Dim, Tribulus, 5HTP, L-Arginine, pushups, Tramadol. -
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Hopefully this isn’t too long.
I first noticed I was losing my hair in my late teens. Seven years later in 2011 I decided to go on finasteride. I knew about the possible side effects but figured if I stopped the drug they’d stop altogether and I’d go back to normal as per the pamphlet. Boy was I wrong.
In the first few weeks I noticed my first side effect: a slight pain in my testicles. I assumed I was just being paranoid and as it was so minor I put it to the back of my mind and forgot about it. Over the next few years I experienced a myriad of other side effects that seemed quite inconsequential and thought nothing of, but in hindsight were definitely related to my ingestion of the drug. These included, among others: a low libido, reduced clear, yellow, ejaculate, absence of spontaneous/morning/night erections, and gynecomastia (to the point where I had to put tape on my nipples to reduce irritation (which I justified by placing the blame on a new shirt I owned, haha)). However, perhaps the worst side effect occurred in late 2012 when I woke up one morning and felt like I had an intense pressure on my bladder and had to urinate constantly. This was by far the worst side effect up until this point. Went to a doctor who thought it was a mere prostate infection and prescribed ciprofloxacin, which actually reduced the pressure over a few weeks and allowed me to sleep again.
Anyway, in mid 2012 I connected a few of the sexual sides to finasteride. It was at this point I decided to taper off the dose, and began taking 1.25mg every two days or so. A week later I crashed. Woke up in the middle of the night needing to urinate, and noticed my penis was numb. Began freaking out about the prostate infection returning and just thought I was being paranoid about the numbness. Next day I couldn’t achieve an erection at all and my penis felt rubbery and that’s when I found this site. Immediately had a borderline mental breakdown and went to a 24 hour clinic, no help of course and they just told me to go to my GP the next day. GP told me not to worry and that I would likely come right in a few days and if I still had issues in a week to pay him another visit. In this week I had some minor improvements, as I gained the ability to sustain an erection and have sex but my brain fog deteriorated to the point where I couldn’t focus at work and people kept asking me what was wrong. Anyway the doctor sent me off to get a thyroid test or something and gave me a script for Viagra and sleeping pills. What a joke.
At this point I read a bunch of stuff on the site about how opiates could increase 5ar activity in the CNS and thus, possibly, restore a certain amount of sexual function. For the next three weeks or so I took a small dose of tramadol (a painkiller I had been prescribed about a month before my crash when I pulled a muscle in my neck and couldn’t move at all) once every 3 days and immediately noticed improvements. My penis began sitting normally (still was rotated and slightly curved, but wasn’t as rigid, retracted or thin) and I could achieve an erection much easier. My brain fog improved to the point where I could function like a normal person. I could sleep again. The constant twitching stopped. However, after three weeks I ran out of the drug. For around two months after this the improvements stuck and I figured I was healing naturally and taking the tramadol was just a coincidence. I even began to develop more hair on my chest, arms and back and was having consistent nocturnal and morning erections most nights. Alas, most of the improvements began to dissipate. My penis began sitting more often in its prior state. It got much colder near the tip. My testicles got colder and less full. Brain fog came back in full force, possibly even worse than before. I even picked up a new side: the top part of my left foot has gone numb.
Not sure on what to do next, have been toying with the idea of a two week fast followed by a raw/paleo diet. Have also considered starting a methylation protocol like droit/mario but not sure. Just trying to stay positive at the moment as so many of us have improved at least temporarily, which to me suggests that this disease is reversible.