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)? Italy
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? 32, 175 cm, 62 kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? finasteride 1 mg
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 mg/day
What condition was being treated with the drug? Androgenetic alopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 6 years and 9 months.
Date when you started the drug? April 2015
Date when you quit the drug? Januart 2022
Age when you quit? 30
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? In the last year I was tired of taking the medicine and I would occasionally stop taking it for three months or take it every other day.
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? When I stopped taking the drug.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Erectile dysfunction and lack of penis sensitivity.
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
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ x] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] 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
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] 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?
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)?
When I was taking the drug in 2018, my TRT was 41.2 (limit was 34.6) and my DHT 1036 pg/ml (limit was 1200).
Now that I stopped taking the drug my TRT is 6.92 (limit is 7.82) and DHT is 466 pg/mL (limit 842)
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
When I started taking the drug I had read something online about the problems, but the dermatologist told me that all I had to do was stop the drug and all the problems would go away. I never noticed any particular problems while taking it and decided to stop taking the drug as a precaution and because I no longer cared about my hair. In the weeks following the cessation of use I started to have erection problems with my then girlfriend, but at first I did not think about finasteride. Only now, after two years, am I realising by seeing a new girlfriend my problems. Now the urologist has prescribed tadalafil, with this I can get erections easily especially with my girlfriend. The problem is that my penis has lost sensitivity and I experience little pleasure with sex, I struggle to reach orgasm for this reason. With masturbation orgasm is less difficult, although it is tiring. Has anyone here on the forum found a way to have more pleasure during sex? I have thought about lubricants that warm and give sensations. Has anyone tried anything specific?