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Where are you from (country)?
U.S., Puerto Rico. -
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 searched “propecia erectile dysfunction” and one of the first links lead to a member’s post on this forum. -
What is your current age, height, weight?
21 years old, 5’10’’, 155lbs -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Jogging a few times a week. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
A lot of fish, some chicken meat, organic eggs, vegetables and fruits, yogurts, cheeses, red and white wine, sprouts, and tea. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Freaked out after my androgenic alopecia (which started when I was 19) got worse this past summer 2014, and my dermatologist told me it would work better than minoxidil, so I took it after trusting him that these side effects (if they happened to me) would go a few weeks after stopping the medication. If anybody would’ve told me that I ran the risk of suffering these permanently, I would have never had taken it. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Two weeks, precisely 14 days. -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
21 years old, August 15, 2014. -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
21 years old, August 28, 2014. -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia. -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg/day. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
5 days. -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Fatigue, emotional blunting, spontaneous erections, and lowered libido.
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] 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
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain)
I experience the lowered body temperature only in my two legs, starting from the knew down to my feet.
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
I haven’t taken any treatments because I will be seeing a urologist and endocrinologist in the following week. -
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)?
Did not take any blood tests before starting the drug. -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
Well, I would just like to say that all of the symptoms I marked increase and decrease in waves, depending on the day or week, and few such as the joint pain, hasn’t returned. Additionally, the only symptom that seems to worsen by the week is the fatigue/exhaustion, even after I sleep 9 or 10 hours, I wake up really tired. It’s the one symptom (besides the sexual ones) that is really starting to scare me. -
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
My dermatologist prescribed the pill, assuring me that if i experienced any of the side effects, they would dissipate a few weeks after taking the drug. Additionally, I have two friends who have been on Propecia for two+ years, and know some friends of friends and relatives of relatives who have been on it for even longer, so I went into it with a completely relaxed state of mind. However, after five days of being on it, I noticed that my libido was pretty much gone, and this realization happened while I was hanging out with friends. That same night I also noticed that my energy levels and interest in socialization were a bit blunted. I ignored this considering the fact that I was having a lot of fun, was on the last few days of vacation before returning to college here in the states, and considering my doctor’s remarks regarding that some side-effects go a way after a few days if you get them initially. After ten days, I contracted a fever, a cough, and a really sore throat, still don’t know if it was a virus or a bacteria (the strep throat culture tests came out negative). After the 14th pill/day of Propecia, deep into this cold or whatever the heck I contracted, as the semi-hypochondriac that I am, threw away the bottle and remaining 16 pills in the trash after masturbating and cumming with a (to my terror) barely erect penis. I was scared and emotionally and physically weak at his point, and that night after getting rid of the Propecia I went online and found this forum, along with depressing stories of guys who stay with these side-effects for months, and to my panic, years. Any depressive and anxious/panic attack feelings and episodes since then have been fueled by all I’ve read online, specifically the few stories of guys that seem to suffer from these side-effects permanently, combined with the fact that some of my symptoms have not receded and the fact that every week I get and lose a symptom or two. The idea of living like this for the rest of my 20s and 30s is sublimely emotionally debilitating. Now that five weeks have passed since stopping the drugs, I’ll be seeing doctors very soon. I will post my blood test results as soon as I get them.