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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?)
I was merely looking up info on Propecia and problems associated with it -
What is your current age, height, weight?
31 years old, 6’1", 180 lbs -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
I go to the gym, though not as often as I used to -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Meat eater -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Over 6 years -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
24 years old and in June of 2004 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
31 years old and in February of 2011 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
I had started taking less prior to me quitting but it actually wasn’t me attempting to taper off at the time. Instead it was me reading that people got the same results taking less but then I quit ‘cold turkey’ -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Generic -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Originally 1mg a day then went to .5mg a day -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Now that I know what the other side effects are I would say about 6 months into taking it. -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Emotional blunting, anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[ x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ x] Erectile Dysfunction
[ x] Complete Impotence
[ x] Loss of Morning Erections
[ x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ x] Watery Ejaculate
[ x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ x] Confusion
[ x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ x] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ x] Testicular Pain
[ x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ x] Weight Gain
[ x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ x] Muscle Wastage
[ x] Muscle Weakness
[ x] Joint Pain
[ x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ x] Frequent urination
[ x] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
A variety of vitamins that were suggested in another link concerning coming off of Propecia
- 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 blood tests.
- Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
Nothing I can think of off the top of my head.
- Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Well this isn’t exactly how I expected to begin writing again but this is a story that definitely needs to be told. My name is Dave and I am 31 years old now living with an condition that the public mocks and men fear. I once thought it would’ve been the most horrible thing to lose my hair, little did I realize that simple vanity would rewrite the course of my life. I am now in the midst of a life of ‘what ifs.’
In 2004 at 24 years old I moved to Los Angeles and began my life and career. Shortly after finding work I saw a doctor and immediately knew that I would need Propecia/Finasteride. The men in my family all went bald by the age of 26 and I didn’t want that to happen to me. Propecia is marketed as a cure, a way to stop the inevitable from happening before it happens. It is suggested to take it before you start losing your hair so as to maintain what you have. I took that marketing ploy and ran with it. I read the 2% chance of loss of some sexual drive but figured that the percentage was low enough to attempt the risk. I am not going to lie and say it immediately created sexual issues. I had a really high sex drive and barely noticed any change. Unbeknownst to me I was exhibiting other side effects not mentioned. For the past 7 years I had increasing sleep issues, dark circles under my eyes, I felt like I never got enough sleep and would almost pass out at work feeling so tired, I would have trouble thinking at times. I would lose my train of thought or simply blank out. I never knew what was going on and never once thought it could be something I was taking nor did I think that it was an issue worth seeing the doctor for. I chalked it up to not going to the gym as often and the change of pace in Los Angeles as well as the normal stresses of life. This went on for years and other issues began to creep up. I noticed that I wouldn’t orgasm as often or I would merely get over it and no longer want to have sex and just stop saying I was tired. I noticed that when I would orgasm there wouldn’t be as much ejaculate. Dreams began to come less and less, I felt consistently depressed and sometimes feelings of anxiety or panic that were unexplainable, I also always felt like a spring waiting to jump but would never reach that point, lack of motivation and drive became a huge factor. Fortunately some of the issues would dissipate only to return at some unexpected date. I also began to notice I would be more emotional at times but other times completely flat and unfeeling almost callous in my behavior. I also noticed that going to the gym I wouldn’t get the gains I once did, that my stamina had trouble building and often I wouldn’t feel as strong as I should be for the amount of effort I put in. My arms and legs wouldn’t build as well as got skinnier in odd ways, as well as had strange twitches and stomach pains. I also began to gain little bits of weight in odd places as well as noticed a little bit of what is called bitch tits, nothing overly shaming but it was irritating and unexplainable to me at the time. I also noticed a huge problem with my ability to urinate, I would have to sit or stand there for awhile as I felt like I really needed to go but was almost unable to most times.
The years passed and then in November 2010 I began to really notice the first real sexually related issues. Using condoms I would lose my erection very quickly due to lack of feeling as well as noticed I would have trouble maintaining an erection as much as I used to. Sometimes I would attempt to avoid sex just so as to not feel shamed. Once again I thought it was stress related. It wasn’t until February of 2011 when I began dating my current girlfriend that the issues really became apparent. I would lose the erection in the middle of sex. Sometimes I somehow knew I would have trouble getting hard and would drink so I wouldn’t face it. I began looking at my life and how things were being impacted and knew something was wrong. Once I started to look up my symptoms I noticed that it was connecting to other men on the internet and those men were taking Propecia/Finasteride just like me. My girlfriend at first took this problem personally and then I explained to her that it wasn’t her and that I needed to quit but I also shared my fear of losing my hair. I then realized that what kind of life would I lead if I had a full head of hair and no sex life, no way to truly connect with the woman I adore and love. I took the leap for her and myself and quit.
Having quit I noticed immediate benefits. I noticed my thinking was a little clearer, I wouldn’t blank out as much, my sleep patterns changed. I began to wake up at 6 or 7am without an alarm and feeling refreshed. The gym became something that felt great again and noticed I was losing some weight around my stomach and hips. I also noticed some strength gains as well as some increased muscle definition much more quickly than I had prior almost like my years in college. My sexual function also began to increase once again and I my physical connection with my girlfriend was no longer being impeded. I feared the possibility of ongoing issues but looked to the future with hope and did my best to remain optimistic, little did I know what was in store for me next.
It has been about five months since I quit and now I think I am having what is called an endocrine crash or hormonal imbalance. About a week a half ago I noticed my body reacted very strangely. I suddenly was breaking out with deep painful zits on my face, chest, and back. I also began to feel a sense of anxiety and panic that wouldn’t really subside as well as a feeling like almost a withdrawal like symptom, like my body knew something was missing. Then came the worst part, I noticed I was having trouble getting erect. The last time I had sex with my girlfriend it took a bit to try and get hard then it got even worse. The following day I noticed I didn’t have morning erection, I couldn’t get hard when trying to masturbate, as well as trying to be intimate with my girlfriend got me nowhere. It proceeded to get worse, my testicles and penis began to feel smaller and I noticed a lack of feeling almost a numbness to touch. It’s now been a week and I’ve not had sex with my girlfriend. Just like most relationships we have our ups and downs, it is well known that a relationship is hard enough without issues such as this especially at my age. My girlfriend now thinks that I don’t want her. She says that something has changed, that I’m not attracted, that I may be over the relationship, that I am talking to someone else. I immediately began looking up my symptoms again and come to see that this seems to connected to the pills once again. I’ve been explaining to her that it isn’t her that it’s my body recovering from the pills but it doesn’t quite make sense to her because we were still enjoying a healthy sex life until almost 2 weeks ago. It doesn’t even make sense to me, it hurts me to see her annoyance with the situation, the pain and hurt she feels thinking it is her, that she feels I don’t find her attractive that if I did find her that sexually desirable that it would overcome the issues I am having. It doesn’t help matters that it has caused me to become depressed and I feel unworthy of her. I feel like she deserves more than me, that I am unable to fulfill my obligations sexually, to fulfill or physical and emotional connection. It has made me draw into myself, feeling alone and damaged. I feel as though my touch bothers her because she knows that ultimately I can’t do anything right now. The worst part is my mind is willing but the flesh is weak. Maybe somewhere in my mind I am self sabotaging myself because I feel like she doesn’t deserve this.
Do you know how it feels to share such an embarassing situation with the woman you love, to fear you will lose her because you aren’t completely fulfilling her. On top of it all being depressed and pulling back which definitely isn’t helping matters. Talking with your parents about the issue as well, hoping that this goes away. This isn’t exactly something that you can go and share with your friends. I am now living in disbelief, feeling like less of a man, that I don’t measure up. As I said earlier I am in a situation of ‘what ifs.’ Would I have been more motivated? Where would I be now without this pill? How would my relationship be right now without a pill that has impacted me physically, mentally, and emotionally? Propecia/Finasteride has become my own personal hell and I am only now realizing how far reaching its impact has been in my life. All I can do now is move forward, be a better man, realize I need to do more to improve myself, do more for my girlfriend assuming that this is something we can overcome together, and realize that vanity is never worth it.
Any chance anyone else can add something to this… right now really dealing with some issues with the girlfriend not understanding what is occurring and not quite believing it. Hell I don’t want to believe it myself considering what it is doing to me, I want to just open my eyes and wake up from this nightmare, but I want her to know that it’s not her and that her and I can make it through this.