I suppose I’ll start with this post:
) Where are you from (country)?
Canada
- 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?
34, 5’9 155 lbs
- Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Not really
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
gluten and starch free. Mostly meats/fish/chicken/fruits and veggies
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
hair loss at a young age (or at least a fear of it)
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Over 10 years. I’m not sure of my exact start date, it’s something I need to go find.
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
Around 23
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
34, 3 months ago
- How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
I’d start skipping days and then weeks and then none
- What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
I started with Propecia then was given something generic for about 2 years. I started seeing serious changes when they switched to the generic thing coming in a little pill box instead of the Propecia box I’d usually get
- 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?
For years I honestly didn’t see any big differences. Then about 5 years in I started to see some. In the last few years it’s been the most severe
- 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
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ x] Watery Ejaculate
[x ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
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
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x ] 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?
none yet
- 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)?
none yet
- Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
I suppose my big fear is having taken it for so long, and now perhaps being more at risk to aggressive cancers? I don’t understand enough about what sort of exposure I have. I’d like to think being off it now is a good thing. Other than the hair loss, which now at age almost 35 I suppose I can live with,
- Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Well I suppose like a lot of boys, I was terrified of losing my hair. I took the propecia brand and frankly it seemed like a success. I kept my hair, I went on with my life. Then one testicle shrank tremendously. I could live with it, it seemed common enough. Then frequent urination (which seems to have passed now). But the big killer is the almost non-existant ejaculatory force or volume. Sex is considerably less enjoyable. From the looks of things my decreased libido and reduced ejaculation almost sounds like I’m getting off easy compared to others. But I feel like this hasn’t completely played out yet. And my biggest fear now is cancer related, due to how little I understand about the process of being on the drug for so long, and then quitting.