My short tryst with Finpecia

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    India

  2. 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

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    33, 168cm, 68kh

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    very rarely

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

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    Finpecia (The cipla product containing Finasteride in India)

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    Just 5 days

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    33

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    33, quit after just 5 days

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

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

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    3-4 days

  14. 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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[ ] 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
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] 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)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    No

  2. 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)?
    NO

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

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

I’m a 33 yr old male, losing hair for a few years now - maybe Norwood 3 or 4. I apply minoxidyl (generic) regularly and I guess I have some benefit our of it. I read about the sexual side effects of finasteride but due to frustration in our marriage and lack of interest from my wife - I thought lets give it a try. I got about 20 finasteride 1mg tablets (Finpecia - generic from Cipla) for about Rs. 100/- and started it on a Friday. By Sunday, I could feel my organ going numb and all fantasy thoughts vanished. I almost felt lesser than a man. I was so obsessed about and it and after just 5 days I realized my body is more important than hair. My father and grand father lost hair so there’s nothing I can do to prevent it.
The side effects like impotence and lack of interest lasted for another 5 days and now I have fully recovered after 10 days from stopping Finpecia. I think I’m lucky that I could notice the side effects so quickly. I’m continuing with Minoxidil and take whatever help it provides.