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Where are you from (country)? USA
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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?) Dr. Irwin Goldstein
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What is your current age, height, weight? 43, 6ft 2in, 212 pds
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? yes weightlift three times a week, basketball once a week
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? I try to eat healthy but love red meat and hamburgers
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? Hair loss
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 1.5 years
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 41
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 42
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? tapered off to try and get rid of side effects
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1mg every day and tapered off to one every 3rd day
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? within a month
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Pretty much all have cleared up RECENTLY
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
[x ] Watery Ejaculate
[x ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x ] Slurring of Speech
[x ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ x] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] 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
[x ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? I am taking testosterone shots and wobenzyme
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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)? I went to see my dr a year after I quite proecia and my testosterone level was 187. It is now 450
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride? No
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
My story and RECOVERY
I am writing this to offer some hope to some of you guys. My heart goes out to all who are suffering out there from this horrible drug. I have waited over four months to share this because I wanted to make sure it was for real and it is. I started taking propecia in January of 2010 to stop my hair loss. Within a month I noticed a marked loss of libido. I called the Dr. and he told me it was probably mental. So I continued to take the medication for the rest of the year (2010) and I basically fell apart sexually and emotionally. I suffered from a complete sexual detachment from my normal self…
-I felt like my mind was completely detached from my penis.
-I completely lost the primal urge for sex.
-My ejaculation became a pathetic dribble of almost nothing.
-I would have a very weak …partial erection 60% of normal.
-I would sometimes lose my erection DURING intercourse.
-My penis was grey and cold all the time and was shrunk like I had been swimming in cold water.
-Sometimes I just could not get an erection at all!!!
Not to mention the mental side effects…
-Complete lack of motivation
-Tired all the time.
-Brain fog and slurred speech.
-Anxiety attacks
-Dark sleepless nights
So one year into my Propecia use I cut my dose in half to try and get rid of the sexual side effects…to no avail. Finally six months later I just quit using the drug altogether after 1.5 years on the poison. I immediately started to feel better and felt relieved. THEN about two weeks later my entire body crashed and felt as bad or worse than I ever did on the drug! So I just figured it would take a few months for my body to recover. Over the rest of that year I consider my life a complete brainfog. All the symptoms above were in full effect with no hope of recovery.
Finally after quitting for a year my wife and I were in Vegas and she bought a naughty nurse outfit (which looked good on here because my wife is very pretty) AND I could not get it up!!! I knew then that I had a major problem and needed help! I don’t know what your beliefs are BUT I got on my hands and knees and pleaded for the Lord Jesus to help me. I was crying and desperate. My poor wife at that point had dealt with 2.5 years of a brain fogged, moody, and sexless husband. Obviously that started to blow up our marriage. I did some research and went to see Dr. Irwin Goldstein in San Diego. He took some blood tests and my testosterone level was 184 and DHT was 19. The Dr. immediately put me on injectable testosterone and clomiphene pills (twice a week). Within a month I started to feel a little better (sleep really improved), BUT my sexual side effects were still in force. I called the Dr. after a few months on testosterone and told him the sexual issues were still present. He prescribed Viagra to get my by while my body healed. He is a very good Dr. and I am very grateful I found him.
So I started testosterone treatment a year ago and this has been my routine and supplements timeline AND what I took which really helped me.
First eight months…
-I started working out every day at lunch. Weightlifting 3 times a week and basketball once a week. I figured if I was going to be a man with 60% sexual capacity I had better get in good shape so my wife would not leave me. The testosterone really helped this area of my life.
-I tried to have one good sexual encounter with my once a week (used to be all the time before propecia) I used Viagra sometimes to make sure she was satisfied.
-I started taking a good multivitamin, alpha lipoic acid, and carnitine daily. I did this to help with anxiety and stress. It really helps event to this day.
-I cut all other supplements.
At the end of the eight month period the only improvement was I was starting to get morning erections occasionally and my semen volume increased.
MY RECOVERY over the last Five months.
- I kept doing all of the above.
PLUS in late February I hurt my knee playing basketball. I play ball with a natural medicine Dr. and he recommended Wobenzym the last time I tore my meniscus five year ago (worked wonders back then). SO I reinjured my knee and started to take Wobenzym in late February of 2013. Within a month I started to have occasional nocturnal erections, morning erections, and very full erections. I also felt the numbness on scrotum sack go away and it felt sensitive again. Sex with my wife improved tremendously. I could have a full erection and a powerful orgasm with high volume ejaculation. WHEW! I was still worried about having sex and not being able to perform (mentally scarred from the past) but every time I tried I could and not only that when I was having intercourse it felt good and I felt the primal urge that had been gone from my life for 3 years! I have waited until July to post this because I always had the fear that it was temporary BUT its seems to be permanent. I wanted to share this you because I hope it does for you what it did for me (along with tons of prayer). Restored my maleness.
-I took 5 pills three times a day for the first bottle (800 pills)-45 minutes before a meal on empty stomach
-I then went to 5 pills (one in morning) and 5 at bedtime. 45 minutes before a meal on empty stomach.
-I still take it every day and will probably never stop because I don’t want to EVER go back to that horrible nightmare.
-You can buy Wobenzym online or at vitamin shop. Buy the 800 pill bottle and do not pay more than $100 per bottle.
Summary-
I feel I am recovered. I would place it at 95% because I feel that Propecia does grievous damage to the point know one knows the full extent yet. I believe that the key for me was prayer to God and the tool he used to heal me was Wobenzym. I do not know of this will help you or not. I am not a Dr. and have no idea why an enzyme like this would help, I just wanted to share my story and if it helps one just one of you get out of this prison it would bring me joy. I truly pray it does. My heart goes out to all of you who are SUFFERING tremendously and I pray you recover. This is my story since 1/2010.