My story too. How many more?

Member Stories
#1

History regarding health and Propecia use for the treatment of male pattern baldness.
0) Where are you from (country)? United States of America

  1. 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 Search

  2. What is your current age, height, weight? 57 years old, 5’10”, 185lbs

  3. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? No, I used to but can’t now.

  4. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    I eat a balanced, regular American diet. Mostly ceareals and 2% fat Milk and Juices and Yogurts are my favorites.

  5. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    To reduce hair loss secondary to male pattern baldness.

  6. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    Approximately 13 years.

  7. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?

I began daily Propecia 1mg/day in approximately 1994 at the age of 38.

  1. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?

Quit April 2007 at age 50.

  1. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?

Cold Turkey after losing employment and health insurance

  1. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?

Propecia, Manufactued by Merke

  1. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?

1mg/ day

  1. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    6 months.

  2. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

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
[x ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x ] Confusion
[x ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] 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
[x ] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[x ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[x ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x ] Muscle Weakness
[x ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[x ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[x ] Other (please explain)
Severe painful peripheral neuropathy. Hospitalized several times for suicide ideations and attempt.

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    A huge number of anti depressants, anti anxiety agents, psychotherapy

  2. 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)? Hypo Testosterone, Hypogonadism

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride? I was HIV positive and had depression early on which was treated and I went back to school for my graduate degree in Nursing. But after taking the drug Propecia, my life, every aspect of it, began to unravel. I lost my 16 year relationship. I went from a high performer, high achiever, top of my fieild of employment and was successful financially…to at age 50 I deteriorated to a poor performer at work, the depression returned after I finished graduate school and had no motivation. I had to leave my job as a Critical Care Nurse because I called in ill often, from depression and severe anxiety, forgetfulness and mental fog.

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

Because I was a long term survivor of HIV, and the trauma of taking care of co workers and the large dying population of men in San Francisco and fearing I would die at any time…I felt the return of my depression and physical deterioration and mental fog was all related to being this and being HIV positive. But, I couldn’t understand why, as other male nurses, HIV+ were able to return to normal lives and I wasn’t.
I never had immune problems, yet persistent depression/anxiety and eventual loss of my job, my belongings, my San Francisco home, then I was confused and homeless for a year. I didn’t remember I could apply for disability until very later. I just wanted to die. Because my California disability ran out after a year I attempted to return to work at a hospital in the city that I was born in.

The orientation to my last critical staff nursing care job was a disaster. I could not remember things of policy, procedure or tasks that I had routine experience with for the past 28 years. The last hospital terminated me just before the 6 month deadline that is required to receive disability benefits in California, so I was again destitute and homeless for another year until I was approved for long term disability.

It is only recently that I’ve become aware of the propecia problem. All of it fits exactly as my symptoms played out over the years.

The drug Propecia, devastated my life, and has continued to destroy any happiness or stability I try to find. I have constant nearly uncontrollable pain in both feet secondary to peripheral neuropathy. It is so severe, it too, I believe is at such an abnormal level of nerve degeneration secondary to propecia Soon, because of no dental insurance and the stress of my life I will have to have all of my teeth removed. This is so upsetting because both my parents kept most of their teeth until they died in their 80’s. I feel terrible that I must lose my teeth because I always took good care of them until I became unable. Dear God, please let others know do not take this drug, Propecia.

#2

This constant stream of victims has to stop. Mens lives who have been blighted by this evil. A common trait of all these stories is suicidal thoughts. Fuck you have been hit with all the sexual and mental sides! In the 13 years you used did you notice any of these problems? Ie ED? After a year of being clean you will feel better. At least you have stopped this poison and can hopefully recover.

#3

I’m not quite sure what your question is because all the symptoms of course I did notice over the 13 years (I did take it for 13 not the lesser amount I wrote in my profile). ED was one of the first ones I noticed but because Viagra had just become available I started taking it. Viagra was effective in those early years but eventually lost effectiveness.

You mentioned I’ll feel better after I’m “clean for a year”. I’ve not taken the drug since I lost my health insurance 7 years ago. Nothing, and I mean nothing has improved since I stopped taking this drug Propecia. If anything I’m older and my symptoms are intensifying. As I said, all those years of symptoms, I just had no clue why my life and mind were deteriorating other than thinking it was because of being HIV+. But truly HIV has done nothing to me because I am a long term survivor without a trace of the virus in my blood for over 25 years now. My immune health is normal and I’ve never had any HIV symptoms. To think I was spared all that, only to be secretly and quietly(because risks were hidden) taking a poison (propecia).

However, only the last few months the reason for my long years of mental and physical health problems has become so clear. I contacted an attorney regarding the ED. IAt that time I did not know that mental health problems of depression, and anxiety were a part of this malady too. But, it was written by my attorney and as I read it, I realized that this was the truth of what happened to me. It’s the only explanation because of the timing and how other men have been damaged.

From what I know of human physiology (and I know a lot), and now some of the pathophysiology of this poisonous drug, there is no hope to regain normalcy. But, there is one thing we all can do and that is to speak up about this and hopefully further studies will confirm this, so the broader public, men, will be spared in the future.