My Partial Recovery

Member Stories
#1

I’ve been following this site and the yahoo one before it for a while but never posted previously. I’m in my early 20s. I took propecia for a little under 3 months a couple of years ago. I noticed the ED side effects after about 8 weeks and stopped taking it soon afterwards.

For the first 18 months after coming off the drug I experienced severe erectile difficulties, but none of the other symptoms. For the first year I could barely get an erection other than through masturbation. I had never had any erectile problems before taking propecia, and it was huge shock dealing with it.

I tried various supplements and the broccoli treatment. I exercised regularly. The only thing that seemed to do any good was zinc but the initial effect of that seemed to diminish after a few weeks, and I lost interest in taking it regularly.

I saw my doctor, who said it was impossible for the drug to have such a long lasting effect, and a urologist, who said he had noticed an increase in patients reporting similar symptoms but that they really couldn’t explain it. He recommended I take viagra to try to ‘kick-start’ things. When I reported success with viagra, but said that I still could not get an erection naturally, he said that it must be in my head and recommended counselling. I didn’t accept that and refused the offer. I decided to wait it out.

After a year off I had blood tests; my testosterone levels were apparently in the ‘normal’ range and no other abnormalities were reported.

Things started to improve about a year and a half after I stopping taking propecia. I still experienced erection failures - including during the ‘critical moments’ - but at least I started to get morning erections, and it felt like I was become more aroused by erotic material.

Things started to improve dramatically about 2 years. I began to get regular erections and could generally get them when needed. Now, about 2 & 1/4 years later I don’t think I am quite back to the position I was in before I took the drug, but I would say I am 80% there and that feels pretty good.

For me, I think the only real factor in my improvement has been time off the drug. Staying positive was important for my sanity, too; if there’s any advice I would offer it is to stay positive and believe that things will get better. Otherwise you will go nuts.

The one benefit of this experience is the lesson it has taught me about vanity. I was driven to take the drug because I could imagine nothing worse than going bald. Well, as many of us here now know, there are far worse things. This drug can have a far more devastating impact on a man’s lifestyle than losing his hair. It is simply a massive risk, however supposedly small.

Good luck to everyone.

#2

Hi,
Have you noticed any mental side effects at all?

#3

AlexRalph,

Thank you for your story. One thing I wanted to ask:

Before you started taking propecia, did you have morning erections everyday? And did you lose your morning erections completely once you started having erectile difficulties?

I ask this because I used to get morning erections everyday, but now that I have this sexual dysfunction, they are completely gone.

Thanks.

#4

No mental side effects, other than anxiety and worry from the situation.

Yes, I had morning erections everyday until I started taking the drug. For the next 12 months they were almost completely gone - at most once every one or two months.

#5

Alex, same here my morning erections disappeared and my anxiety has increased, do you have any tips for getting this back?

#6

I really can’t offer much advice other than to be patient. The thing that got me through it was trying not to focus too much on getting erections and staying positive that things would eventually improve. As frustrating as the situation is, worring is not going help you so you may as well get on with life as best you can.

I experienced almost no improvement in the first 12 months (and was then at a complete low), a little in the next 6 months, and then huge gains around the 2 year mark.

#7

than,just to understand…the recover if happens,comes slowly ,day by day;it s not suddenly ,right?

#8

This story is so promising, it’s a shame this guy wasn’t much of a regular.

#9

Yeh and its been another couple of years since his post too, so would be very interesting to see how thing shave progressed since then.

Is it possible for emails to be sent out to past members in the hope of getting a response and seeing how they are progressing?

#10

Click PM or Email buttons at bottom of his post. If his email address is still valid and he checks it and decides to read it, maybe he’ll answer you.