My story/4yrs after

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

America

  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

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

37/210/6ft

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

Sporadically. Currently weight lifting.

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

Plant Strong. Dr Caldwell Esselstyn style. Whole foods, no oil, no animal anything.

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

Hair loss

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

Roughly 4 years

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

I was 29. Exact date I can’t remember. 2004, maybe summer.

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

I was 34. Nov. or Dec 2008.

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

Cold Turkey. However I had been taking 1/2 doses for 2 years after I stopped ejaculating.

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

Propecia

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

1st 1mg a day, then 1 mg every other day

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

2 years

  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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ x] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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?

Many many things.

  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?

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

When I first noticed side effects I consulted with my pharmacist and doctor and was assured that as soon as I stopped the symptoms would stop. I continued using until one day I had a complete loss of ability to get an erection. I decided to stop. After a month I still had a total loss of erection. Too embarrassed to seek a doctors help I took Herbal supplements.

The supplements worked, as long as I took them, but not as good as I was before finasteride. Finally I went to see a doctor and tested for “low normal T”. I was put on testosterone gel and given viagra. Since then I have been using Cialis and Viagra at a great personal cost. Sometimes I can’t afford it and when I can’t I can’t have sex. I Stopped the T gel after 1 month because I wanted my body to produce it’s own Testosterone and feared using the gel would have further harmful side effects. It also did little for my symptoms by itself.

For the full first year after stopping my erections were very weak or non existent. I had some improvement in the second year after I went on a Vegan diet, but still cannot maintain erections and have very low ejaculate as well as a long recovery time. This is the exact opposite of before I started propecia. I used to have sex three times in a row on a regular basis. In order to have sex with a woman I must take viagra or cialis in order to get a hard enough erection. I am also concerned about long term side effects from these drugs. Needless to say, I don’t trust pharmaceutical companies anymore.