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)?
England
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 with keyword PFS and other similar post Finasteride related words.
What is your current age, height, weight?
26, 5ft 10, 80kg
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 daily
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Mpb
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
6 months
Date when you started the drug?
01/06/22
Date when you quit the drug?
10/12/22
Age when you quit?
26
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
Looking back, I had reduced libido and reduced responsiveness from the start. It was only about 5/6 months in that I got adverse mental effects and ceased.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
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
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[X ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[X ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ X] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ X] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ X] Suicidal Thoughts
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
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ X] Joint Pain
[X ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ X] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ X] Other (please explain)
I have light internal shaking which seems to lead to my fingers shaking and sometimes being jittery. I say light, only to adequately describe it, and not to take away from its troubling nature.
I have occasional muscle spasms.
Some of my skin is less sensitive than I remember, sort of numb ish.
I have difficulty focussing my eyes fully. It is most noticeable when reading as I can’t fully look at the letters anymore.
I also have a pressure at the front of my head, which I am calling part of my ‘brain fog’ which intensifies with concentration. Perhaps, now I think about it, this may be the only thing that has eased with time. It is no longer constant.
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
I have taken tadalafil, daily for a month and a half, which helps with the sexual function. It does not, however, revive anything down there or help with libido.
I have also taken clomid for about 3 weeks. It shot my testosterone up and I think has increased my muscle mass. It has done nothing for the sexual or cognitive problems though. I stopped taking it as it was making me even more depressed and anxious.
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)?
I have had many tests done. I will place them in the blood tests section and link it later.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I took Finasteride for 6 months mid 2022. I got mild sexual issues during this time which I stupidly thought I could ignore. Once getting a side effect which I can only describe as ‘waking up in a thick fog’ I stopped taking the medication. I then felt pretty fine ish for a period of 1-2 weeks and then had the ‘crash’ that people talk about. Honestly was so crazy. It was like I could barely see, think or feel anything. My entire system felt like it was killing me. That has since ‘calmed’ to the position I have described above.
My condition seems to change day to day and week to week. The feeling of horror I get in my head, the anxiety and tiredness are the worst of it.
Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY
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Name of the therapy/substance:
- Dosage:
- How often you took it:
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Status
- Still using [ ]
- Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
- Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
- Duration of use: Days [ ] Months [ ] Years [ ]
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Response when you started:
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]