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How did you find this forum?
By chance whilst looking into what legal action may have been taken against this ‘wonder drug.’ -
What is your current age, height, weight?
41 yrs; 6.1; 10.5 stone -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise?
Not much as it mostly aggravates my hernias - I can’t cycle any more which I’m gutted about. A long brisk walk about once a week for a couple of hours, that’s about it. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Mostly veggie, fish once a week. Became gluten intolerant a few years ago so have had to focus on diet and feel healthier in this respect. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss…turned 40, freshly out of a long (13 yr) relationship and single. Wanted to turn back the pages. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
10 days at first and stopped due to adverse effect (blood coming from my penis.) Continued hair loss and the reassurance of no long term side effects saw me give it another bash for 3 months.
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How old were you when you started Finasteride?
40 -
How old were you when you quit?
40 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Taper off. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia (very briefly); then a generic brand ‘Finapecia’
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg day. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
10 days
- 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
[X] 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
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] 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
[X] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] 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?
None
- 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)?
NA
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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.
Hi, I’m Tim. I live in the UK and first took Finesteride in May 2010, under its branded name ‘Propecia’, as part of Boots Hair Retention Service. After ten days of taking the drug I noticed blood dripping from the tip of my penis. This was something that had never occurred before in my entire life and did not coincide with a period of any sexual activity. I also experienced a numb sensation in my groin at this time.
Boots advised I cease taking the drug immediately, which I did, and to consult my Doctor, who seemed unfamiliar with the drug and advised against tampering with nature. For several months I heeded his advice. However the hair loss I was experiencing prompted me to recommence taking the drug from early Sept 2010, this time bought online under the name ‘Finpecia’.
Why would something take a drug with which I had already had a negative effect? I had recently turned 40, was single and my hair was falling out. I had also seen the positive effect the drug had in not only halting but reversing hair loss of a close relative. I was also reassured by Finasteride’s claim that its side effects weren’t permanent.
This course of the drug, totaling 107 1 mg doses, continued until late December 2010. During this period I had frequent bouts of extreme dizziness but persisted with the medicine, sometimes reducing the dosage. Eventually I did noticing some hair renewal but such was the severity of newly emerging side effects at this stage that I ceased taking the drug…
• complete loss of libido
• difficulty in achieving and maintaining an erection
• complete loss of nocturnal erections
• excessively watery semen
• trouble urinating at times
• decreased force in the stream of urine
Over a year later these symptoms persist…
• loss of libido (some improvement)
• difficulty in achieving and maintaining an erection (some improvement)
• lack of nocturnal erections (some improvement)
• excessively watery semen
• problematic ejaculation
• trouble urinating at times
• decreased force in the stream of urine
Those I have discussed it with ask whether it is not a problem of getting older. My response is that nobody ages that quickly overnight.
In addition I suffer from anxiety and insomnia something that I really struggle with and until today, having found this site, had no knowledge of it being linked to ‘Finasteride.’ My anxiety is severe - I rarely ever stop and relax these days as other than getting hammered I just don’t know how. Its taken a bad virus to lay me up in bed to actually stop and investigate ‘post-fin.’ My journey starts here. Hello!