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)? 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?) Google search
What is your current age, height, weight? 33 years old, 5’8, 145 lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? Finasteride and Dutasteride 1mg /day on Fin, 0.5mg/day on Dut.
What condition was being treated with the drug? Hair Loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Finasteride 1mg 5 years, then 1 year on Dutasterdide then back to Finasteride for a year, 7years total.
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 23 years old
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 30 years old
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Penis numbness would occur from time to time as soon as I started but lifted off after a month then came back on my last year with a slew of other sides. So mostly at the crash stage ( 7 years point)
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
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
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[mild] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[mild] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[x] 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
[x] Prostate pain (happened about 8 time time after dropping a number 2 during first year after first crash).
[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
[ ] 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? Topical Progesterone & Supplements: Tribulus, Tonkat Ali, Creatine, Iodine, Inuline, Carnitine, Arginine, Citruline, Vit D3, Maca, Vitex.
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)? Even before starting progesterone supplementation, my prog levels were above range (1.23). Else T , Free T, HCG, DHT are in range but close to the low reference.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.