Hi,
My form first and my story at the bottom.
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Where are you from (country)? India/Australia/England
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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?) PSF forum
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What is your current age, height, weight? 39, 6’3 (190cm), 220 lb (100kg)
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? Used to do weight lifting - now switched to cardio and yoga
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? everything - not organic though
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? to prevent hair loss
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? about 15 years on and off
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? I think I was somewhere between 25 and 30
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 6 months ago - 39
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? other generic
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1.25mg - 2.5mg everyday - but sometimes I missed my dose, that is when I would take 2.5mg to catch-up
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? I don’t know - 6 months?
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? total loss of libido, erections, low semen volume, no drive in general, hot flushes, sweating
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[x] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[?] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[x] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain)
easily sweat with very little physical exertion, have hot flushes in my skull and back
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Lots of herbs
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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)?
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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 am a 39 year old guy and recently discovered that all my woes could be PFS!! I am so happy that I atleast know the cause. I started Fina in my 20s - as an insurance policy to ensure I don’t lose any hair. I think it already killed a lot of my sex drive and libido at that time but I did not realise as I was young. then in my 30s when my libido flatlined again … I suspected it was Fina and discontinued it - hoping that I would recover. I think I did - not sure how long it took (unknowingly, years?). Then as I do steroid cycles every now and then I especially take Fina to protect against the hair loss that comes with it. It was then I realised that my steroids (a very low dose - say around 250-500mg of Sustanon 250) was having no effect. Even Viagra was not having much affect. I remember taking Viagra as a test when I was abt 27 - OMG - I was hard and it lasted for hours! Now it barely makes any difference (i dont take Viagra THAT often). Also, having my gorgeous hot sexy gf in the bed next to me … and not having any desire for her sexually was a killer - although your brain just adjusts and you think it is not important. Then I was single and I am not having any erections at all - I have lost interest in women sexually. But some part of your head is still wanting to bang her - but the rest of you is empty.
I went to doctors and sorry but they are clueless (an angdrologist and an endocronoligst and no less!!) - they said as my blood levels are normal there is nothing they can do. But reality is that my E2, SHBG, and Prolactin are about AS HIGH AS CAN BE on the normal range. My test is also higher than it was when I was younger - so my body is trying to produce more T but binding to SHBG more likely.
Again, I am happy that tonight I feel that I have found the answer to my question … now the road to real recovery can begin.