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Where are you from (country)? United States
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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?) General search, using terms Propecia side-effects
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What is your current age, height, weight? 49 yrs. old, 5’10", 190 lbs
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? walking
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? overal general diet, wide variety of foods
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? hair loss
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 19 months
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 33 yrs old, started February 5, 1999
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 35 yrs old, quit August 29, 2000
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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? Propecia
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 mg/day
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? side effects gradually started a few months after beginning use but we didn’t realize that Propecia was the cause of the side effects.
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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
[X ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X ] Confusion
[X ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[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
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] 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”
[X ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[X ] Increased hair loss
[X ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Testosterone injections and gel, physiological counseling and therapy, Viagra, prostate examinations.
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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)? A very severe drop in my testosterone levels which haven’t recovered ever since.
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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. After using Finasteride (Propecia) my life fell into ruins, I became severely depressed which lasted for many years, I became suicidal and attempted suicide twice, because of my mental state I lost my job and haven’t been able to hold one since then. I have suffered sexually and haven’t been able to get or maintain an erection nor have a healthy, active sex life ever since. My memory has noticeably suffered as has my concentration and my general interest in things that I used to enjoy doing. I’ve become homeless twice because of these symptoms and am barely able to survive on a day to day basis. Because of my change in my health and mental state, I’ve lost most of my friends and family who don’t understand what I am enduring. I am now very much alone in life and don’t know how or why I will be able to continue on. My doctors have taken countless tests and examinations on me and everything that we try has failed. My testosterone levels are at extremely low levels and using testosterone replacement therapy with injections and/or gels has not effect on my libido what so ever. All of this has greatly added to my depression and my mood and general health have diminished to unbearable levels. In the past 14 years I’ve gone from a successful software game designer to a solitary, house-bound hermit and avoid any social contact with anyone because of all of the problems and effects that I’ve suffered permanently from my use of Propecia 14 years ago. I don’t know how to go on from here and have come to this website as a last resort that someone may be able to help me. Thank you.