0) Where are you from (country)?
USA
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?)
2) What is your current age, height, weight?
26; 5’10"; 155
3) Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Short, vigorous strength workouts 2-3 times per week (lots of pushups, pullups, squats). Light cardio (1 hour of biking or 20 minutes of running) 1-3 times per week. I am one of the two healthiest (not counting the Propecia side effects) and strongest people I know.
4) What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
I have adopted what I consider a “perfect diet” (to the best of my knowledge) and stick to it:
No alcohol. Almost no caffeine (exceptions are small amounts of extremely dark (85%+) chocolate and occasional tea / kombucha). No junk food. Gluten free. No refined carbs (no rice, pasta, bread, candy, soda). Little to no fruit with tons of sugar (citrus, bananas). I eat clean meats (100% grass fed lamb and beef) most days. Several grams of fish oil per day. Flax seed oil several times per week. Serious multivitamin, beefy B vit, 5000 IUD vit D. Lots of EVOO every day. Avocado. Apples. Lots of salad- arugula and spinach. Nasty green juice (kale, spinach, broccoli, celery, chard, 1 carrot, sometimes ginger + garlic) every day. Coconut butter. Almond butter. 2-6 cups of wild organic blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries per day. Everything organic.
I’ve tried lots of natural supplements but don’t take them any more (don’t seem sustainable or make me feel weird). I still take the basic vitamins mentioned above though.
5) Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss.
6) For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Only two weeks. 1mg per day.
7) How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
Started taking it in late August 2010. Don’t have the exact date on me. I was 23.
8) How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
I quit in early September 2010 (after two weeks) after experiencing sexual side effects and bad brain fog.
9) How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey.
10) What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Brand-name Propecia 1mg.
11) What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg
12) How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
After a few days I (and my girlfriend) started noticing sexual side effects. The wisdom was to continue taking it so I did. After 10-14 days it started getting much worse (inability to get aroused / an erection just “by thinking”, reduced flaccid penis size, and the onset of a scary brain fog). The brain fog is ultimately what broke the camel’s back and made me quit.
13) What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Sexual side effects. Mainly, severe lack of libido and erection strength. I went from being very sexually active (sex or masturbation at least once per day, often at least twice per night, sometimes up to 6 times within a few hours) to having almost no desire for sex (masturbating maybe once a week, and getting very little pleasure from it). No spontaneous erections, and only occasional nocturnal erections (weak ones). Smaller flaccid penis size. Weaker erections- I want to say 60% strength. Inability to maintain an erection- it pretty much dies the moment stimulation stops and takes forever to get aroused again (with or without someone else). Very rare morning erections (and they’re as weak as any other).
It’s hard to tell what mental side effects have persisted, if any. The brain fog seems to have completely lifted though (soon after I quit taking the drug). I used to feel like “something was missing” (had blunted emotions and had to make an effort not to stare at people blankly and robot-like). That seems to have lifted too (although I still get the “something is missing” feeling from time to time).
I’m thankful that I have no depression or anxiety (I had a little of both before taking propecia), which I credit to overhauling my lifestyle, nutrition, and “spiritual life” (daily meditation). I also have a good energy level after the overhaul, although it was pretty bad before that (after quitting but before changing my lifestyle). I started introducing those changes into my lifestyle after about a year of quitting Propecia.
I’m pretty sure Propecia affected my general motivation and drive. I’ve been working on that though (through lifestyle change and taking action in different areas of my life), and my drive is decent now. I’m regaining some of the “punch” I used to have.
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
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[X] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] 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)
14) What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Lifestyle overhaul (quit drinking alcohol and caffeine, sticking to a “perfect” diet as explained above). Various natural short-term treatments including DIM and that plant stimulant that’s marketed as an ED treatment (blanking on the name) and various amino acids (which work great for depression and motivation but make me feel weird / aren’t really sustainable I don’t think).
15) 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 pre-fin bloodtests. Only have an incomplete one taken 2 years after (doc wouldn’t prescribe the tests I requested, just got the regular hormone profile which was normal).
16) Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
I didn’t seek doctor treatment after getting symptoms because I viewed the situation as pretty hopeless after spending hours on this forum. I didn’t think a doctor would be able to do anything for me, and it would cost a lot of money (like $500+ for a consult with the top endocrinologist). I’m very wary of taking “hormone protocols” or any other kind of pill for that matter, “natural” or not. My approach has been to clean up my diet and lifestyle. Unfortunately the symptoms seem to be getting gradually worse. I nonetheless focus on the positive in my life to the extent that I can.
Another reason I wasn’t very proactive with getting treatment is my low energy level in the year after I quit. I think a lot of that was due to my lifestyle though (moderate drinking, eating a mostly normal high-carb “Standard American Diet”, regular caffeine consumption, not much sunlight).
17) Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I’ve pretty much spelled it out above. Moving forward, I’m not really sure where to go from here, and I don’t really know what to try. I’m pretty convinced the answer is not drugs or supplements. I plan to continue focusing on nutrition, exercise, meditation, sleep, socializing, and general self development.
By revamping my lifestyle I’ve improved my life a lot in other areas (doesn’t seem to have helped the sexual side effects at all, which actually seem to be slowly worsening, although maybe it has lessened them). I encourage everyone who hasn’t to research nutrition and exercise (Primal Blueprint and Ultramind Solution are good places to start) and to implement those changes. I’m surprised what a big impact nutrition in particular has had on my life. Not only in terms of the physical result, but on my confidence to change a big area of my life.
I found I was getting “dragged down” by reading this forum too much before- it made it harder for me to stay positive (basically to “not think” about it, which I’ve been doing better since not reading it). But now I feel a strong need to overcome this problem and have the energy to really tackle it.
Lastly, I’m very grateful for what I have.