- Where are you from (country)?
U.K - 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?)
Google - What is your current age, height, weight?
31 , 5" 9 , 11 1/2 stone - Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Exersized religously until huge crash. Cardio, weights, yoga and surfing. - What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
all sorts - Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
hair loss - For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
5 years , and then switched to saw palmetto (beta sitosterol) - How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
25 - How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
30 - 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 then Fincar - 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?
In retrospect , subtle sides up until 4th year when more severe then huge crash after quitting all dht blockers. - 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
[ ] 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
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] Testicular Pain
[X] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[X] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[X] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
-
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
EVERYTHING, see below. -
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)?
See below -
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.
Hello everyone. I have been lurking on this site a lot recently but am now telling my story as I realise how important it is that everyone suffering as we are come forward so the scale of this problem can be appreciated by people who may be able to help. So here it is.
I started experiencing diffuse unpatterned hair loss in my early twenties (around 2001). When it first started I visited a GP here in the UK who looked at my hair and suggested i tried Regain.So I tried it but as my hair loss was all over my scalp and not just at the crown I gave up on it.
Anyway I tried to forget about the hairloss as much as possible for the next few years. Then when i was 25 (2005) and living in Australia the hair loss increased to a rate that got me quite distressed and I visited a GP in sydney who prescribed ‘Propecia’. As is the case for all of you, I had no idea of the possible disasterous effects this drug could have, only the infamous “2 percent loss of libido -non persistent” Rubbish!!.
So I began with It and It had the desired effect on my hair and I carried on with it for the next 5 years with the occasional month off…Now, the only possible side effect I was looking out for was ED and loss of libido, and i have to say even though i may go a few days with no interest in sex and did have loss of spontaneous and morning erections a lot of the time, I could always perform and it was not effecting me greatly so thats why i continued.
What i didnt realise was that all the other deteriarations in my health that were increasing year on year were related to this poison. These deteriarations i refer to were mental and physical and were subtle at first thinking back and increased over time. They were: depressive mood, anxiety, Sleep disorders, constipation, extreme ageing of face particularly wrinkles and dark circles under eyes, subtle changes over time of penis tissue and appearance (darker, wrinklier, more veins, shrinkage when flacid), constipation amongst others which il get to shortly. So while I was completely aware of these things that were happening to my body I never associated them with propecia until the time where I stopped.
So after using propecia for some years (still before I connected these sides with it) I switched to generic Fincar to save money. This is when my sides became much more acute. It was more effective than propecia for my hair but the sides were worse. I developed chronic rhinitus, constipation and fatigue but still did not associate it with finisteride and niether did my GP, in fact he dismissed it. So I had to have all sorts of tests on my bowels and my sinuses by specialists who could not find the problem.
So I had a thought to stop the finisteride and sure enough, Rhinitus and constipation relieved within a week or so. This was when i realised that this drug i had been taking for years effected more than my hair and my sex drive and decided never to take it again. So I quit cold turkey, and i have to say there was no real crash after a month or so.
My hair started shedding again so I looked on the internet for a “safer, natural” alternative and read about a study using saw palmetto 325mg and 50mg of beta sitosterol which was “as effective as propecia without the side effects” so foolishly I ordered some. So I started taking 325mg of SP and 50mg of beta sitosterol. I found it got me slightly constipated but nothing major so kind of went on and off it for a while. Then my stomach seemed to become more tolerant of it and i took it every day for about 4 months.
It worked great for my hair, better results i would say than finisteride gave me. However unlike finisteride (for me) the ED was a more prominent side. With a lack of feeling when having sex with a pretty weak erection. On top of this I began to realise a depressive mood and emotional blunting. So I stopped cold turkey from these “safe, natural” alternatives.
The next 3 weeks after stopping there was no problem, If anything a higher sex drive than I have had for some time. Then my real nightmare began overnight. I woke up one day very lethargic and with severe “brain fog”. I went to work and found after being on my feet for short periods I had acute pain in my feet that feels like its coming from the bones. This was alarming as I was feeling fine the day before. This was the beginning of my ‘Crash’.
It has been a month since then now and my symptoms are worse than ever. I still have pain in my feet although not as bad as the first day of onset, I am chronically fatigued, have brain fog, No libido (can get a 70 percent erection with help), I feel like i need to urinate constantly, have an ache in my testicals. My sleep is strange with weird vivid dreams and am very depressed at the moment. My penis tissue seems to have gone very poor and i have a big (varicous?) vein down the left side. I am emotionally blunted to everything. It seems to me that the saw palmetto and beta sitosterol has ruined me far more than finisteride ever did. although i realise it could be a combination of the use of both over the years.
So right now im pretty desperate. I have been to my GP a couple of times and im sure they think i am some kind of hypochondriac although they have given me blood tests. apparently my testosterone is normal and the only thing abnormal was that i had low calcium. So they sent me for more blood tests to test for Vit D deficiency. I am awaiting these results but it has become apparent that these doctors have little knowledge of the effects of DHT blocking and potential side effects.
So if im not Vit D deficient and they have no other suggestions where do i go from here?..I am wondering if any of you fellow surfferers have any knowledge of any doctors / specialists in the UK that are more informed and are able to offer some possible treatment options?..any suggestions would be much appreciated.
My best wishes go out to all of you.