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)?
India, Bengaluru
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
What is your current age, height, weight?
24, 174cm, 68kg
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 every other day
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
4 months(40-45 pills)
Date when you started the drug?
Nov, 2020
Date when you quit the drug?
Feb, 2021
Age when you quit?
21
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
3 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] 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
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] 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
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[x] Lowered body temperature
[x] Palpitations
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
VSL#3 - No improvements.
Rifaximin 550mg - Significant improvement in digestion
Multivitamin - Helpful in recovering from vitamin deficiencies(B12 & D)
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)?
Posting my most recent blood work:
USTSH - 6.593 μIU/mL
DHT - 284.48 pg/mL
Free Testosterone - 19.88 pg/mL
Testosterone - 416.38 ng/dL
SHBG - 18.6 nmol/L
Androstenedione - 1.27 ng/mL
HGH - 0.04 ng/mL
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.
This all began in 2020 during the pandemic when I was in my final year of my bachelor’s. I was experiencing severe hair fall, and whenever I put my hand to my head, I would always find hairs falling off. I became insecure, and one day I noticed my hair thinning. With the pandemic providing ample free time, I began searching for ways to resolve this issue. I found a channel on YouTube where two doctors were discussing the positive effects of finasteride on hair. I wasn’t foolish enough to use it without careful consideration and extensively researched its side effects. To be frank, there was a lot of positivity, with many claiming that side effects should subside after discontinuing finasteride. Before starting this medication, I was very sexually active, able to go for 3-4 rounds a day without any issue. I could easily get turned on just by watching women. In India, buying medicine is as easy as buying candy, with no prescription needed. I started finasteride with a plan to discontinue if I faced any side effects.
I observed for a few weeks, and I didn’t notice any side effects, and my hair fall also decreased a bit. I thought I had finally fixed it and was happy about the improvement. However, after three months, I met a girl who was beautiful, and suddenly I realised that I didn’t have the drive that I used to have earlier. I also noticed that I became less interested in porn, and I wasn’t able to get spontaneous erections. And that’s when the nightmare began. I started experiencing all sorts of sexual side effects.
These were definitely the worst days of my life. The initial days were like hell to me. I suddenly felt like a 60-year-old person. I knew that something was wrong with me, and I felt like one of the unluckiest people in the world, suffering from PFS, which has no treatment. I used to get depressed a lot. After a few months into my crash, my digestion deteriorated, making me even more depressed. I was always searching about PFS over the internet and triggering anxiety. I decided to stay away from searching about PFS and started a regimen which included a clean diet, gym, and other healthy habits. I was suffering so much mentally that I completely avoided any kind of pills. All I did was take probiotics, which didn’t help me. And 2.5 years passed by, and my condition is not improving, and I finally decided that this won’t get resolved until I do something. I again started digging deep about PFS, and I found that there is a charity that is doing research about PFS.
After three years, I am still experiencing digestion issues, low libido, irregular nocturnal and morning erections, lack of motivation, and depression. I am able to manage the mental side effects, but my main concerns are still with my sexual symptoms and digestion. I continue to fight hard to eliminate all the other problems in my body and stay fit until a cure is found. I am actively supporting the ongoing studies in the hope that a solution will be discovered. It feels like we are cursed, and to lift this curse, we must wait with patience and maintain a healthy lifestyle.