My Symptoms Are Getting Worse. I Need Input.

I need advice on what test I should ask my doctor for. Please help.

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    The United States

  2. 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?)
    I searched “Finasteride joint pain” in Google Search.

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    I’m 18 years old, 5’9”, and 124 lbs.

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    I do not exercise regularly.

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    I’m a meat eater.

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    I was prescribed Finasteride to stop body hair growth.

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    1.2 Months

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    18, I started on February 23, 2015

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    18, I quit on April 1, 2015

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    Cold Turkey

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

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    I had ear ringing early on, but it wasn’t so often. I noticed bad symptoms two days before I stopped taking the pill.

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    I had joint pain, which has stopped now, but other symptoms have started since discontinuing the medication.

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] 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
[X] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] 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
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

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

[X] Other (please explain)
Joint popping, eye floaters, lower back pain, stiff finger movement, dry eyes, oversleeping, drowsiness

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    I’ve started taking multivitamin supplements, Zinc supplements, and drinking more milk and water.

  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)?

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    I am transgender undergoing hormone replacement therapy. I have been taking Estrogen injections of 0.5 Mg biweekly. I was prescribed Finasteride to help stop body hair growth, 1 Mg daily. I was only on the medication for a month, but it started giving me joint pain, so I stopped the medication cold turkey two days after. The two days before I stopped the medication, the joint pain was first in my right hand and forearm, then in my left forearm, then I felt an odd sensation in my right leg. After I stopped the drug, day after day, the symptoms only became more. Joint popping all over, back pain, dry eyes, oversleeping and daily drowsiness, waking headaches, eyefloaters. It’s my seventh day since stopping the medication and my joint pain has stopped except for some in my hands. If I move my fingers in a slow motion, there is like a stiffness in the motion.