- Where are you from (country)?
US
- 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?)
- What is your current age, height, weight?
38, 6 foot 1 inches
- Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes, weight lifting
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
no diet, eat what I like
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hairloss
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
9 years
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
29
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
38
- 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
- What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg/day
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
9 years
- 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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[X] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[X] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
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
[X] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[X] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
Tintinus, non-allergic sinusitus, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, dry skin, red flushing face and skin, decrease in pleasure from orgasms
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
No treatment but taking Fish Oil, Zinc, 4000 Vitamin D, 3000 Vitamin C
-
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)?
-
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
-
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Hi everyone. First of all let me say thanks to everyone that has ever posted or replied to a post with their treatment/symptomology. It has been extremely helpful to me as I have spent countless hours researching and comparing symptoms and treatments of hundreds of members. I took propecia for almost 9 years symptom free until I decided to stop taking it. Once I stop taking it all of the symptoms talked about here happened to me, dry red face, chest, and arms, legs and forearms got thinner, lost 25 pounds in 3 weeks, digestive problems, liver pain, lowered body temp, brain fog, etc and of course ALL of the sexual dysfunction side effects. This was roughly 5 months ago, some of the symptoms have decreased in severity such as brain fog, muscle twitching of lower legs, testicle pain and others remain. Currently under the care of Dr. Alan Jacobs in the city. Without a doubt I feel the cyclic nature of the symtoms as I have almost all of them. Bloodtests revealed, extremely low range testosterone, low vitamin D, and most notably high cortisol. I Have not tried any real treatment plans, I am not a big fan of Testosterone injections as I dont believe that is the root cause or our probelms but merely a symptom. This is the first time I have ever posted anything on-line and I would encourage all the lurkers out there to come forward with your story as it adds to the general awareness and understanding of this syndrome.