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Where are you from (country)? Canada
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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?)
“finasteride side effects” -
What is your current age, height, weight?
25, 155 lbs, 6’3" -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise?
Moderately, bodyweight exercises and stretching -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Regular, I would say fairly healthy -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
About 1 year, 2 months -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
24, June 2013 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
25, Aug 2014 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
I ran out of my prescription and thereby didn’t take it for about 10 days, then took it for about another month during which time I began experiencing side effects then stopped cold turkey. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Generic. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
I quartered 5mg tablets, so 1.25 mg. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
I took it for a 14 months, was off 10 days, then noticed symptoms in about a week. -
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
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] 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
[ ] 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?
None yet. -
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)?
n/a -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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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.
I took Finasteride for about a year with no negative side effects. My prescription ran out and due to work/travel it was about 10 days before I renewed my prescription and started taking it again.
About a week later I noticed my erections were not as hard as usual, and I ejaculated more quickly. Over the next three weeks it only got worse… I could without a doubt not get fully hard. Initially I didn’t even think of my Finasteride since I had had no problems previously. However, it eventually dawned on me that that could be the culprit as it seemed to be the only thing that could explain it. So I quit taking the pills to see if there would be an effect.
About three days later I woke up with a regular erection, pretty much like I had before. I masturbated that day (twice) and was very relieved when everything seemed to be back to normal.
However, a couple days later, to my horror, I went back to only getting “half erect.” Since then I have also felt some mild pain/soreness (difficult to describe) in my testes/perineum/prostate area (difficult to differentiate) and my penis. Also, I feel like my penis is more “ridgy” (difficult to describe) when semi-hard and the corpus spongiosum (I believe) is enlarged or stands out more. Additionally, when flaccid, my penis is more wrinkled and veiny than before. It is difficult to describe but it seems as if my penis itself has actually changed. Since then I have masturbated twice. I came extremely quickly and my semen was strangely thick and gooey.
It would not be an exaggeration to say I am panicking at this point after reading all the horrible stories on this site and am wondering what the best course of action would be. I haven’t experienced the so called “crash” but am horrified at this possibility and the potential for these side effects being persistent or worsening. Please help!
I will most likely see a doctor tomorrow.