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)?
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?)
Google
What is your current age, height, weight?
30, 5 ft 10 in, 170 lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride, saw palmetto shampoo
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg/day finasteride
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Male pattern baldness
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
Took 15 fin tablets over 22 days, 1 topical dose 12 days later. Used saw palmetto shampoo 17 times over 36 days.
Date when you started the drug?
July 31st, 2023
Date when you quit the drug?
September 3rd, 2023
Age when you quit?
29
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
First day
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
[ x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[x ] Other (please explain)
-Sleep quality has lessened
-Hand tremors
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
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)?
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.
Hello Everyone,
I discovered this forum about a year ago, essentially a full month after my PFS symptoms began to show. You can read my original post and story in the link below;
KeepsRuiningLives' Story: New member, concerned but ready to fight, and looking for support.
It’s been about a year since that post, and I wanted to come back and share my life experience since that time. As a brief summary, prior to using Finasteride, I was a normal, happy, healthy guy. I had a great life, a large social circle, ambitions and goals. I was a really lucky guy who didn’t know how good he had it. And yet, in the summer of 2023, I made the decision to try finasteride for my thinning hair. And it nearly cost me my life. Over the next few months, I was living in a nightmare. I had crippling anxiety, developed ED, lost all spontaneous and nocturnal erections, had hand tremors. I was unable to sleep, lost all motivation, and became so depressed that I began to contemplate suicide, starting to think of the least painful way to do it, and how to properly say goodbye to my friends and family. To be clear; I NEVER struggled with any of the above on any kind of level prior to this, other than some occasional mild anxiety. Every day felt like Groundhog Day, and I truly believed that this would end up killing me. And yet, I’m sitting here today to tell you that I’m now in a place where I feel mostly like myself, and have no doubt that life is absolutely worth living.
To clarify; I’m not here to declare myself cured. I want to stress; I’m not downplaying the long term effects of finasteride. I regret everyday that I put that crap in my body. I believe it should be illegal and the FDA should be ashamed. It is NOT worth it to save your freaking hair. I still have no nocturnal or spontaneous erections. I still have tremors, and occasionally brain fog. I’m not here to pretend I have any formula that will improve symptoms. And I’m not here to downplay the long term suffering of any of the people on here who have been struggling for years with no improvement. I’m simply here to share my story, and perhaps provide hope to newcomers who are scared, maybe preventing them from hurting themselves or giving up.
The first six months (Sep 2023-Mar 2024) were hell. I honestly thought I would never get better. Id have 2-3 days of feeling better, just to have a week of falling back into feeling like shit. During this time, I had to force myself to live. I’ve always been someone who works out. I made myself go, even on days where I just wanted to crawl into bed. I forced myself to attend social events, even knowing I was out of it the whole time. I made myself keep working, even though some days I could barely think of a simple email response. I even went on dates, even knowing I wasnt myself, especially sexually. Sometimes, these things helped me feel better. Other times, they just allowed me to think about something other than PFS. I didn’t take any special vitamins or supplements because I was too afraid to put anything else in my body. Something that I believe did help? I stayed away from forums like this. There is no amount of stories, good or bad, that can help you. There’s no concrete formula. Sights like these, understandably, are full of negativity. And when you’re teetering like I was, you don’t need it. My advice, educate yourself to an extent, share your story, donate if you can, and then stay away.
In April, something started to happen. I can’t explain it. The crippling mental sides; the anxiety, the brain fog, the suicidal thoughts; they slowly started to fade. It wasn’t linear, here and there they’d pop back up. But it was less straining and less frequent. I had a couple of sexual encounters after this and was able to perform! I started to feel hopeful again. I started to look forward to things, be present in special moments, and actually enjoy life. In May it got better. And even better in June, and July. And I’m sitting here today in October telling I’m feeling the best I’ve felt since I put that first dose of finasteride in my body. Again, I’m not here saying I’m cured or that it’s like this for everyone. What I’m saying is; the best thing I did for myself was hold on and continue to try to live. And I hope if you’re a new user reading this, you’ll do the same. Some of the things I did that helped me;
-Workout 4 days a week (weights and some cardio)
-See a therapist bi-weekly
-Talk about it to friends and family I trusted, and spend time around them
-Spend time in social situations with people who didn’t know, so they didn’t treat me differently
-Maintain/pick up hobbies (golf, video games, basketball)
-Let myself occasionally get drunk with friends haha. I know this sounds counterproductive, but it was great some nights to cut loose, lose some inhibitions, and forget I was sick.
-Take Cialis 5mg 2-3 times a week. Helps with blood flow, but also confidence in my opinion.
-Go on dates. I had to remind myself that I have something to offer and am still capable of having a meaningful relationship.
-Avoid research, and give myself Grace. There were no real answers no matter where I looked. And realizing that just because I feel like crap today, doesn’t mean I’m gonna feel like crap for the rest of my life.
I sincerely wish all of you the best, and again, donate to research if you can! If you’re a new guy on here, scared to death like I was, please don’t lose hope. I can tell you that living life at 85-90% of yourself is a lot better than being 6 feet under. I can’t tell you when it’ll happen, or how to make it happen. But please hold on. Your life is different, but it’s still worth living. Thank you for taking the time to read this.