My Story, 26, finasteride

Member Stories
#1

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)?
USA
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?)
searching for help with side effects
What is your current age, height, weight?
26, 5ft11in, 160lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg/day
What condition was being treated with the drug?
mpb
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
5-6 weeks
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
i was 25, started beginning september 2018
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
quit at 25, mid october 2018
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
probably 3-4 weeks
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
still have weak erections/ED, no libido, loss of sensitivity in penis
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
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] 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
[ ] 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?
none yet
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)?

Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
had worse side effects during taking the drug, luckily most went away
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

I started taking a generic finasteride at the beginning of September as I had become concerned about losing my hair and wanted to stop it. It took me a while to notice any side effects as I wasn’t in a relationship/sexually active at the time and was assuming a lot of the mental “side effects” I was experiencing were due to other issues and general stresses in my life. I had gone through a rough break up earlier in the year, was in a new city with no friends/connections so was pretty lonely, and was working a stressful night shift job so I assumed the depression, mood swings, and the moments of anxiety/panic were more related to those factors. I became concerned when I eventually tried to have sex and was unable to get hard enough. I let my doctor know of my concerns and we decided I should stop using finasteride for a while, this was mid October.

As soon as I stopped, I noticed a huge difference in how I felt. My head felt clear again and the strong feelings of depression and panic went away. It was really shocking how much better I felt and I am very thankful those side effects did not stick around. The sexual side effects did stick around but I have hope that they may improve. I started to pay more attention to my side effects once I stopped fin and realized that I was no longer getting morning wood, or night erections, no spontaneous erections, lost feeling in head of penis, and the only way I could get an erection was through masturbation although it was weak. These symptoms have stayed the same for the most part. I do notice that I will occasionally have morning erections and very rarely can get a spontaneous erection, but these are very weak- probably like half strength. If I masturbate I can get better quality erections, but these are only decent quality if im laying down- never standing or sitting. I still do not have much feeling in the head of my penis and can’t get hard enough for sex.

I haven’t tried any treatments yet. I’ve moved back to an area where I have social support, have taken a less stressful job, and have started to exercise more frequently and eat healthier. I’m setting an appointment with a general practitioner as soon as I get on my new work insurance to see if my issues could be caused by something else or if the doctor can help me in any way.

If you all have any advice for me I’d greatly appreciate it.

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#2

Hi there mate,

Welcome to the forum. Your very early in your symptoms and so there is a good chance that you may recover naturally within the next 3 months.

If you don’t recover after 3 months then do not worry as some people have then had improvements in their symptoms over a number of years. There isn’t a cure for pfs/pas at the moment, but research through the pfs foundation is progressing steadily and a very important study by Baylor university is due to be released next year. There is also research taking place at the University of Milan and a drug called Sage 217 which is to be released in two years which many are excited about. If possible please can you donate monthly what you can afford to the pfs foundation as they are determined to find a cure.

Please also do take part in a project that we are doing on this forum to identify the genetic cause of pfs. The project is analysing genomes from members who have used the 23 and me genetic test and uploaded their data:

It is positive that your still having morning erections sometimes. Please do take a look around the forum and people have tried many protocols and supplements. I would try and be careful and research and discuss before starting a protocol to ensure what you are doing is safe. I would recommend kegel exercises, mindfulness for relaxation, and also taking things as easy as you can and trying to avoid stress. I’d recommend things that raise nitric oxide like pomegranate juice, raw garlic, broccoli to improve the blood flow in your penis. ED drugs such as Viagra and Cialis can also help with blood flow and just improving confidence. I’d also try and avoid things that inhibit the 5ar enzyme. You can search online for this information, but zinc would be an example of something to avoid.

There are plenty of reasons to be hopeful, and so please try and stay strong, but always get help if you need support and reach out to other members where you can.

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60.000 RXisk prize
#3

Hey I’m also in the same boat as you I think. Got hit by sexual side effects after quitting. You used Fin roughly 5-6 weeks… Good! Thats relatively a a short period but now never ever touch that stuff ever again. Judging by your story you don’t have brain fog or mental exhaustion! Thats a good sign.

As for the sexual sides, It will take the body some time to recover, do not take any other medication or herbs or anything… Let your body adjust naturally by working out and eating healthy. The human body is an amazing well oiled machine with hormones keeping the balance / emotions / pleasure etc in check! Fin has disrupted that system but I say give it some time, dont stress too much! Most probably you will bounce back. I learnt all this from some supportive gentlemen I met here :slight_smile:

I was freaking out too at first but now I feel much better. (I mean mentally, sides are there still. But i’m giving it some time too) If you have more questions ask the more experienced members of this group! We are here to help

#4

Canabis is totally right about relaxing and keeping stress to a minimum. However I wish that at the start of my post pfs journey that I would have taken more things to help with blood flow as I think my recovery would have been a lot quicker. I think even small amounts of Viagra like 12.5mgs once or twice a week would help, just to get the blood flowing and increase morning erections. I have found that some natural products such as pom juice and raw garlic can also have a similar affect. I’m taking L Carnitine too, but I don’t want to recommend that as I only started taking recently, but so far I seem to have had positive effects. I’ve had pfs for just over 3 years, but I seem to have finally started making some progress with my symptoms this year.

#5

Have you thought about low dose aspirin or pycnogenol for blood flow? I’ve been obessed with blood flow to the brain, so I take the above and I also actually use an inversion table every day lol

#6

Thanks mate. I hadn’t heard of pycnogenol and will look into it further. It’s also from pine and so I wonder what the diference is between that and pine pollen.

#7

Update on me:
No major changes in my sexual symptoms. Still loss of sensitivity and erection problems, no libido. I’ve noticed more mental health issues arising such as depression and sometimes deep sense of despair. These issues tend to cycle with having good days where I feel generally happy to days where I’m feeling completely down or empty in my head or like I’m dead inside. Sometimes these feelings will cycle throughout a single day, with a few hours of bad or good- seems pretty random but it’s a different type of feeling than I’ve ever had before. I’ve never been diagnosed with depression or other mental health issues before but have definitely experienced periods in my life where I’ve been depressed but these feelings I will have are a lot different.

I have not tried any sort of self treatments yet- just trying to keep a relatively healthy diet, regular workout schedule, and healthy amount of sleep. I have finally been able to get in to a doctor to discuss what I’ve been experiencing. I told them of my experience taking finasteride, having side effects, and then having many of these side effects continuing after I had stopped. I didn’t say anything about Post Finasteride Syndrome- just the side effects/ health problems I was still experiencing.

They listened to what I had to say, looked at my penis and said it seems normal, and then advised that I should go get therapy because I may have a mood disorder and it could all be psychosomatic. They didn’t take any blood samples or run any sort of tests besides look at my penis. They said I should come back after meeting with a therapist.

Has anyone else had experiences like this? Should I specifically ask them to run any tests on me when I return like a blood test to check hormone levels or other tests that could see how my body has specifically been affected to possibly give ideas of treatment to alleviate some symptoms?

Or maybe any recommendations for methods that have helped your symptoms?

Thank You

2 Likes
#8

Hey man I wish you a speedy recovery. I just wanted to give you my advice on how I managed improve.
3 foods affect me in a positive way.
1- garlic
2- onion
3- raw honey

1 tea spoon of honey improves my libido.

I know it sounds funny of odd but I don’t care what anyone will think. It helps me and I hope that I helps you too.

sometimes I 24 hour fasts and I feel improvements. I work also and I get very tired so once or twice a month ill do 24 hour fast.

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