Hi everyone, I’m Gilberto 
Where are you from (country)? Switzerland
How did you find this forum? I read in an Italian newspaper article on this forum.
What is your current age, height, weight? age: 20, height: 176cm, weight: 59kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Topical finasteride (first 0.25% then 0.005%, 2ml every day) and saw palmetto (first as a supplement and still topical)
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? see previous question
What condition was being treated with the drug? andorogentic alcopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 4 weeks at 0.25%, then after a break another 3 weeks at 0.005%
Date when you started the drug? beginning of April 2024
Date when you quit the drug? end of April 2024, then restart at the end of May with 0.005%. I stopped permanently in the middle of June 2024
Age when you quit? 20
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? With 0.25% finasteride a few days, as early as the first week. with 0.005% finasteride instead 2 weeks
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Very felt fatigue and lack of energy (during use the situation was worse but still not resolved)
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
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] 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
[ x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] 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
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] Muscle Wastage
[x] 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? nothing
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)? no blood test
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.
after two years of doing nothing i started topical finasteride, convinced that being topical i would have no side effects. right away i was very tired but at first i didn’t relate it back to the finaseride. then i thought it was because i was taking too much so i decreased from 2/3 ml first to 1 then to 0.5ml a day. all the side effects remained after discontinuation, although diminished. some days I feel like they have all gone away, other days I feel like I feel them a lot, in particular I feel a lot of drowsiness (although I slept 10 or more hours, I used to be energetic even if I slept 6 hours) and lack of energy. do you have any advice for me?