Minoxidil has destroyed my life

Member Stories
#1

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)?
Australia

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?
28, 5’5, 60kgs

What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Minoxidil

What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Foam once a day for 2 months

What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hairloss

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
2 months

How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
27 started in May

How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
27 quit in July (2 months)

How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
One month

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Sexual dysfunction

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
[X ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ X] Erectile Dysfunction
[X ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X ] Watery Ejaculate
[X ] Reduced Ejaculate
[X ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[X] 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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[X ] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[X ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[X] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[X] 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?

Fasting, vitamins, androgenic herbs, excersize, time

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)?

Full blood tests for everything, only thing abnormal was prolactin tested at 1000 (Max 400)… tested again 2 days later and back to normal 200. Dr said it was just a mistake.

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.

In 2016 I took finsteride for 1 month, gradually tapering off after immediate side effects started, half a tablet after one week, then quarter after two, then just licking crumbs haha. Successful taper. Recovered %100 within 2 weeks.

4 years later… I thought about trying trying minoxodil. I wasn’t keen on the idea due to applying daily but I didn’t want to risk finasteride again and from all my research no side effects! Yay! (Not the case)

Essentially, I bought a 3 month supply of foam minoxidil and started applying straight away. This is mid pandemic, im now working from home, we’re under strict quarantine so cant go outside. After the initial one month, my libido SKYROCKETED! Crazy horny. At the time I thought nothing of it… until a few days later… nothing. No libido, no erections, completely dead. I thought it was maybe stress from the pandemic, or lack of vitamin D.

Another month passes by, still applying minoxidil. I did some researching but EVERYTHING was reassuring me minox was %100 safe and it can’t cause any harm. And there were ZERO warnings anywhere about sexual dysfunction.

Two months is up and I start doing some more digging and finally find the askpatients form. Hundreds of guys complaining of sexual dysfunction. This time, im so freaked out, and not thinking minox is a drug as its just a topical foam I quit cold Turkey (no tapering) which I believe saved me the first time.

Over the next 7 months my body has gone insane

Sexual dysfunction somewhat improved, i got soft erectiobs back. However over the coming months I would develop severe muscle twitches/spasms, internal vibrations, tremors, body jerks, burning skin (like constant sunburn)

Unfortunately in the last month, its now attacking my head. I woke up with my whole vision covered in floaters and visual snow, dry eye, tinnitus

I’ve written a full list of symptoms below, which I %100 did not have before and I contribute solely to minoxidil.

Erectile dysfunction
Zero libido / sex drive
Reduced/changed penis size
Shrunken testicles
Watery semen
Reduced ejaculate volume
Reduced sensitivity
Reduced orgasm

Altered sensation in left pinky toe to heat (like a hot shower)
Numbness and tingling in feet/legs that moved to hands/arms
Burning skin on upper body (like constant sunburn)
Burning bicep muscles
Stabbing in muscles
Muscle twitching/spasms/prickling
Hand/jaw/eyelid trembling/tremors
Internal vibrations
Random body “jerks” in legs/arms

Tinea Versicolor

Tinnitus
Blurry vision
Eye FLoaters
Visual snow
After images
Impaired night vision
Starbursts
Dry eye/Blepharitis - MGD
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (in left ear popping)
Pulsatile tinnitus
Popping in joints (wrists, knees however no pain)
Stabbing pain/discomfort behind right ear (possibly occipital neuralgia) that travelled down right arm
Sinus pressure/infection

Extreme Fatigue
Annehdonia
Panic/anxiety attacks
Severe depression
Health OCD/PTSD
Suicidal ideation (Due to side effects

The hardest part of all of this, is not knowing what’s coming next. It does seem like something has been triggered and is unrelentingly attacking me. I dont know how much more I can take.

I’ve had all bloods, all scans, everythings %100 normal.

The hardest part is NOT KNOWING what minoxidil actually did.

There’s so much debate around where its a 5ar reductase inhibitor (i think most likely as it seems to target sexual function first in the cases I’ve seen) or if its similar to PSSD or if its something/another mechanism entirely.

Im very close to suicide, although I dont think I can go through with it because im too fucking weak.

Again, because I dont know what its actually done I dont even know if any protocol like CDnuts would work or what PSSD protocol I would follow. Im so scared im going to continually deteriorate. The only good thing of all this is apart from some tinea versicolor, physically I havnt developed gyno or anything.

Im at a complete loss, about to lose my job and my home because I can’t keep going anymore.

Any theories about if you think this is more PFS or PSSD are welcome. I ultimately just want to know what’s happened. Im only 28, and only 7 months in. No idea what happens from here but it sounds like I’ve crashed a lot harder than some other people.

Thank you.

2 Likes
#2

Hi @Christoffrrr

So sorry to hear about your story. It sounds like you’ve been hit particularly hard. I’m also an Australian, based in Brisbane, and one of the moderators here. I too was hit very hard from less than 30 doses of finasteride.

Unfortunately there are no effective treatments for PFS which are replicable. Protocols or substances that may help one patient can have the exact opposite effect on others, so I would recommend simply giving it some more time to see if you make improvements. I remember around the 9-month mark I really started to climb out of that initial crash, which was a massive relief.

We on the moderator team have been working very hard for years to establish new research into PFS, which is slowly coming to fruition. We created a thread recently about possible research coming later this year, which I’d encourage you to view here. It would also be invaluable if you could complete the patient survey via the link at the top of the forum.

PFS is tough, so I would encourage you to take it as easy as possible for as long as you can. Eat healthy. Get support from your family and friends if possible. And if you’d ever like to chat, or meet in person if you’re in Brisbane, feel free to reach out in PM.

Best,
Mitch

3 Likes
#3

Minoxodil? Are you sure it wasn’t finasteride? Minoxodil is pretty harmless.

#4

Oh I see I took fin in 2016. I highly doubt pfs stayed dormant in u for 4 years …

#5

Minox is not harmless, I have seen hundreds and hundreds of reports of PFS like sides from it. I wish I could find the webpage I posted here a few years back, so many dudes are getting F-ed up from it.

5 Likes
#6

%100 minoxidil use ONLY

IT IS NOT HARMLESS. I could feel the effect on my body, I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong as EVERYWHERE reports it as safe. I also had the typical PFS crash as I mentioned after cessation.

They’re are also multiple reports stating it inhibits 5ar type 2, but if you google minox it actually states the mechanism by which it works isn’t known.

Orally, the tablet form grows hair exactly the same as the oral version of finasteride.

Good “bloodflow” isn’t a scientific reason for the amount of regrowth/inducing hirtuism it achieves

A lot of people have said to me “but its a topical application, that’s impossible” the best comeback I’ve seen to that is by that logic cyanide and radium are fine to apply to your skin. All gets absorbed.

Also hundreds of guys on askpatient, reddit and even here have reported permanent PFS sides.

Granted, it is rarer than finasteride PFS but im in a groupchat on telegram with over 50 over sufferers (minox only)

I want warning labels on this shit. On saw palmetto, on everything. Or all taken off the market. Way too many suicides and lives ruined. Find a cure then go nuts but until then stop destroying lives.

2 Likes
#7

Hey Christoffrrr, I just wanted to let you know I took SSRI for about 3 months and I never had any side effects while using nor after stopping. I also used minoxidil and nizoral for 5+ years and also had absolutely no side effects ever. Fast forward 3-4 years and I try topical saw palmetto for about 3 months, completely screws me up.

This makes me think minoxidil might be more connected to SSRI than to fin, and makes me question whole this theory about blocking DHT being the problem. We have all been taking so many DHT blockers in our lives, like coconut oil for example or basically any other freekin plant we ingested or cream/shampoo that we put on our skin, minox and nizoral also apparetnly block DHT and I never had any sides, I smoke TONS of weed EVERY single day for the past 10 years, NEVER had a single side effect… Yet 2-3 months of topical saw palmetto made my dick a foreign object.

Can you tell me which brand of minoxidil have you been using btw? Are you sure it didn’t contain saw palmetto as well?

Also regarding being “topical”, I actually believe topical could be worse than ingesting. CBD oil is always taken topically by putting under your tongue and letting it absorb into skin and not ingesting, because this way it goes directly into the bloodstream rather than through digestive system and then to bloodstream. I also found article about testing various saw palmetto products on the market which proved topical solutions to be by far most concentrated with beta sisterol and lauric acid.

#8

A lot of times people who find themselves here use a substance without issue. Then take a break and use it or even a different substance and everything goes wrong.

I think of the process as being like priming a person, the first time (or maybe even more times) something is used, the body can either adapt to changes or the changes are subtle and wouldn’t be noticed or thought of as cause for concern. Then the next time exposure occurs, the changes are more severe.

This can lead to a lack of recognition about what is harmful. Minoxidil has absolutely brought people here, but I wonder how many people tried it, were “primed” and then use Finasteride or an SSRI and then found that all hell broke loose and don’t acknowledge their history with these drugs.

I think it’s worth considering any and all exposure in a patient’s past when considering what happened to them recently.

1 Like
#9

I can’t say if my previous usage of SSRI and minoxidil may have contributed to what has later happened with saw palmetto, but I am someone who always payed a lot of attention to my D and I can 100% assure you I had no side effects whatsoever prior to saw palmetto. After saw palmetto half of my D muscles are simply dead

#10

Yep, what you’ve said doesn’t contradict what I’ve suggested at all.

#11

Truth. I tried fin years ago and recovered from the sides. Years later, I tried trazodone and recovered from those sides. Then I used azelaic acid for skin. That was the nail in the coffin and possibly why I’m a severe case.