My Proscar Story

Member Stories
#1
  1. Where are you from (country)?

Canada

  1. 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, finasteride side effects

  1. What is your current age, height, weight?

45 / 6’2" / 195lbs

  1. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?

Mostly long distance walking, some cycling

  1. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?

omnivoure , mostly healthy

  1. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?

for hair loss

  1. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?

roughly 3 years

  1. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?

27 yrs old 1994

  1. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?

30 years old 1997

  1. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?

cold turkey

  1. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?

Proscar

  1. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?

1.25 mg a day

  1. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?

roughly 1 year

  1. 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
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x] 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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[x] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[x] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[x] Other (please explain)

chronic insomnia for the last 18 years

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?

none

  1. 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)?

  2. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

I’m on my 18th year of ceasing finasteride but still have mostly the same symptoms all these years later

  1. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

I believe I was one of the first few to try finasteride, I took it before propecia was marketed and had my Dr. prescribe the 5 mg Proscar pills of which I cut into quarters.
I took it for hairloss. As time went by I began to experience the above listed symptoms, I went to my Dr. and complained of them, but neither one of us linked it to Proscar. The Dr. decided I was suffering from severe depression and I began taking antidepressants, which didn’t really help. Eventually I began to think it was the AD’s that were causing all my problems and for most of the last 18 years blamed them for my problems, until a lot of reports began surfacing on the net about finasteride side effects. Eventually I realized my problems stemmed from finasteride usage. At first I was excited thinking now I can fix things, but after some exploring realized that there is no “cure” or treatment for what’s happened, which is very frustrating. It has destroyed my life on many levels. The mental effects are what bother me the most, depression, anxiety and chronic insomnia, these symptoms have never once let up, not even for a day.

#2

your post should be taken as an eye_opener for both doctors and some of us who think a small group of users get side effects from 5 ARIs. I know three males (me, my friend and my one in law ) who used finasteride or saw palmetto. two out of these three got severe side effects.The third one ( my friend) did not get side effects but was diagnosed clinically low in Vitamin D and was given vitamin D injections for many weeks.Now he takes 2000 IU daily as per his dr recommendation.My guess is if a proper survey is conducted through news papers and TV there would be millions of males who have suffered from Saw Palmetto or Finasteride but they are clueless and treating their problems with Anti-depressants or other medicines.

#3

Welcome; I’m not sure, but I think you may be the earliest user of finasteride on this forum. It’s, simply put, awful that you’ve seen no improvement in your side effects in the eighteen years since you’ve stopped taking the drug. As far as the mental side effects, many guys here see a slow improvement in them in the months/years after quitting, though that’s obviously and sadly not the case for you. Take some time to look around the forum and read the stories of other users. While there’s no cure for what we have, certain treatments (fish oil, intense exercise, others) have shown to be effective in tamping down or eliminating the mental issues.

Also, have you had any lab tests in the years you’ve been off finasteride? Seeing those would help get an idea of how the drug has affected you.

#4

Hey stillwater

you have checked every box.
have you got any improvements in any area?
how are you managing your life. I think you are a brave man who is still fighting.

#5

Thanks guys, it is very appreciated.

I’ve spent most of the years believing it was side effects from the anti-depressants and that the more or less permanent changes were due to them. But my problems started just before their use when I had used proscar and I realize that now. I have actually tried a million different things aimed at higher brain functioning, but nothing brought any substantial changes. You name it, I’ve probably tried it.

Some of the things I continue to use because they’ve provided some relief are Vitamin D3 around 2000 iu , high DHA fish oil, Bacopa, a good multivitamin, tryptophan, tyrosine, sublingual gaba, etc.

Knowing now that there is a hormone side to this, I plan on getting a full blood panel test and I have a suspicion I could be infertile for a few reasons, but will check for that as well. There are a couple of difficult to acquire substances that I’d still like to try to see if they can cause any kind of repair to what’s been done, and if successful, I will of course pass it on the members here. I get this constant feeling that something just needs to be re-booted or kick started and things will go back to what they once were, possibly wishful thinking.

What’s got me through this all these years? I think luckily having done a lot of counseling and learning some skills such as CBT and mindfullness have kept me somewhat balanced. On the sexual side of things there was some improvement after a few years, but I still have difficulty maintaining erections or becoming immediately aroused, my ejaculate is still quite watery and thin in comparison to before I took finasteride. I’ve lost a lot of girlfriends and a marriage over these complications, but it’s also happened so often, that I’ve become a bit immune or numb to it, and never really expect anyone to stick around for too long.

I still get panicky and anxious if I think about the before and after too much, it’s best to focus on the now and have hope that something will come along shortly. I wish everyone here luck in that regard and agree that the more press and media attention this receives the more dollars will be thrown at doing something about it.

#6

I get this constant feeling that something just needs to be re-booted or kick started and things will go back to what they once were, possibly wishful thinking.

I feel the same way, like some thing has broken, if fixed all will be good. I take vitamin D too. I feel our cells have lost their capability to hold vitamin D in them. the moment I stop all my symptoms jump back.

#7

How many IU are you taking a day of Vitamin D? I take about 1-2000 of D3 a day. I notice a difference as well, but sometimes wonder if I should take more.

#8

I started with 4000IU - 6000 but now take 2000 - 3000. I feel pain in my kidneys if taken more.

have you done any auto immune tests like ESR,ANA CRP etc?

#9

I totally feel the same. I have emotional blunting, but it seems like everything is there and just not clicking. It’s like starting the engine of your car and keeps stuttering, while you it just needs a little kick to get going. It’s like the fuse that has been lightened, but doesn’t reach the explosive device. It’s like having the urge to say something, but missing the right word, although you know it’s there somewhere.