Need help ASAP

Member Stories
#1

BEFORE POSTING IN THE MEMBERS STORY SECTION, PLEASE COPY/PASTE THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS/PROFILE TEMPLATE INTO YOUR POST.

This is so that we can more easily track our symptoms and hopefully find patterns in our syndrome. This will also help others understand your background, and help us try to determine what are the most commonly experienced side effects after discontinuation of Finasteride.

COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING INTO YOUR OWN POST, then answer the questions.

  1. Where are you from (country)? Canada

  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?) Google

  3. What is your current age, height, weight? 32,5’8,70kg

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? No

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

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? Hair loss

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 1.5 weeks

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 29 yr, Aug 2010

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 29 yr, aug 2010

  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? Propecia

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

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

  14. 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
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X ] 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
[ X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] 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
[ ] 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)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Pycogenol,l-arganine

  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)? Post propecia- Reduction in B12 levels (142,<146 is deficiency)in a recent test, TSH- 2.64 (.35-5) (no other tests pre-propecia)

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride? No

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    I took finasteride (0.5 mg) for 8-10 days in Aug 2010. Due to a number of sexual sides- No erection, penile shrinkage, No interest in sex I decided to quit this drug. I started recovering 1 month after quitting (with ups and downs) it but after one year I started having pain in back and 70% sexual drive recovery. After taking pyco+l-arg last year, my erection got better (~85-90%) but within two days (after 2 years stopping propecia) I got a severe anxiety attack which slowely went away in 3-4 weeks. But, for last 4 months, I am having more bloating/gas, low anxiety after eating, weakness and stiffness in neck. My cardio tests(doppler, ecg) were fine but my blood test shows low B12 (~142). Doctor told me to start B12 and 6 hours after I took my second dosage tomorrow (liquid), I got severe nausea and anxiety. I was not able to eat anything. On the positive side, I feel that my mind is more focussed and has more energy after B12 dosage. I am not sure if all this (anxiety, bloating, nausea) is related to PFS or it is just gastric problem causing anxiety. Please provide your thoughts…

Btw, I still have days when I don’t feel energy/keep erection which was not there before propecia. Morning erections are less frequent but when I took pycogenol last year, I was able to get morning erections and solid erections during sex. All these +ve effects lasted for 3-4 months but thn I got fever/cold. After that, I saw that solid erections have reduced a bit.

#2

My experience is similar to yours - I’ve had good results with L-Arganine (1000mg) and Pycnogenol (50mg) in the sense that it helped regain some fullness and helped somewhat with the ED issues. I’ve found this regimen to be much more reliable than the 10 mg dose of Cialis that the Urologist prescribed for me.
As far as B-12 is concerned, it helped improve alertness and focus, but has not helped me with anything else.

#3

you wrote “Need help ASAP” what kind of help you need? I came to help you but you are doing good, not in any emergency.

#4

Thanks for the response.

Re:Pycogenol+arginine- I have to discontinue it because I had panic attack after 2nd day of usage though I am not sure if it was due to this med or due to rogaine.

I need help on the severe anxiety symptoms which are shivering, causing nausea, heaviness in chest and pressure on my head. Also, I am still not able to find connection with my brain and penis (erection) after thinking of something erotic…has anyone recovered from this? How?

#5

Thanks dude!
Have you experienced anxiety issues after pyco or b12? Also, are you now seeing connection with brain and erection after taking this combo? I mean arousal by thinking something erotic etc.

Are you also taking zinc?

#6

Have seen no benefits from Zinc - other than throat dryness. B-12 generally keeps me alert and improves focus, but the results are not permanent. I take the sub-lingual variety on days I really need to be attentive and it helps on a temporary basis. I have not seen anxiety or other side effects - kinda think that the dosage might have something to do with it.

Over the last few years, I’ve become a believer in the L-Arganine+Pycnogenol protocol for ED. It has helped restore the fullness and the benefits stay even if I’m off for a week or two. I’ve also have experienced some lasting benefits from a regimen of Alpha Lipoic Acid (300mg), Acetyl L Carnatine (500mg) and Benfotiamine (150mg) - this regimen helps with sensitivity and removes some of the numbness caused by Finasteride. I don’t have any reliable option for libido or drive. Some of the options others have found success with (Tribulus, Maca, DIM, Brocolli, etc.) have not really helped me and in fact has led to worsening of my symptoms.

#7

Update-
I wanted to give an update on my progress. In my previous posts, I mentioned about my anxiety problem and increasing heart rate (and even BP). To resolve these problems, I decided to take a different route and looked into homeopathy & vegetables. After initial due diligence and a quick chat with homeopathy practitioner (in April), I started kali-phos (vithoulkas.com/en/component/ … /3309.html) and within 30min of first dosage, I felt a strong feeling of calmness. After 3 dosages, I started feeling very sleepy and so stopped it. So far I have not experience similar anxiety but a very mild shivering with bloating/indigestion only. Also, I am taking beet juice which is keeping my heart rate and bp in normal range.
I have finally managed to get a doc to order for free T, LH and prolactin tests and waiting for results. I have got results for neurotransmitters/hormone tests-

Aldosterone: 185 (60-780 pmol/l)
Epinepherine: 26( <100 nmol/d)
Norepinephrine: 240 (<500 nmol/d)
Dopamine: 1882 (<2600 nmol/d)
Normetanephrine: 1.0 (<3.3 umol/d)
Metanephrine: 0.4 (>1.7 umol/d)
TSH: 1.65 (0.35-5 mlU/L)
T4 Free: 14 (12-22 pmol/L)
Free T3: 6.1 (2.6-5.7 pmol/L)
Cortisol AM: 494 (170-540 nmol/L)
Cortisol 1600-2000h: 256 (65-340 nmol/L)
hsCRP: 3.1 (High risk: above 3.0 mg/L)
Renin: 0.14

My doctor said that results are normal even though hsCRP and Free T3 are not in normal range.
I was further diagnosed by neurologist and internist - both said there are no neurological issues. Internist recognized that fin can cause sides but told me that 2 weeks of fin usage will not cause those persistant sides…

As a next step, I got another thyroid test done a few days after this one and FT3 was below range though T4 and FSH were normal. When I asked doctor, he said- FT3 is non expressive and what matters is FSH.
I just got my free T, LH and prolactin test results-
Free T- 33.7 (31.0-94 pmol/L)
LH- 3 (2-9 IU/L)
Prolactin- 8 (<18 ug/L)
The doctor who gave me these results said everything is normal but my question is -isn’t Free T and LH quite low?

For last couple of days-
I have been doing weight training & cardio exercises and added fenugreek,brocolli,beet,celery to my regimen. I am seeing improvement in my stamina, energy levels and mood so far. I will continue this for next few weeks…but I still feel fluctuations in my energy level and my mental calmness…Also, last night I felt pain on my lower left back and some swelling there as well as bloating …anyone with similar experience? How was that resolved?

#8

An update-
I started brocolli treatment and it resulted in a reduction in pain and inflammation along with better erections. But after having sex, I felt tired with low energy even the next day.Let me know if anyone has a solution.

#9

your Metanephrine is low

#10

Hi
Are you still using Alpha Lipoic Acid (300mg), Acetyl L Carnatine (500mg) and L-Arganine etc.The reason is they are helping you , maybe repairing Mitochondrea in cells. Coud you give an update?

#11

In 2010,after leaving fin (tried it for 10-12 days), I took saw palmetto for approx 25-30 days. This resulted in indigestion issues+bloating and no benefit to hair loss and so I decided to stop it. I started having lower back pain in 2011 (mid) and got resolved with l-arginine in 2012. I again have similar pain which started with a bad acid reflux…and also have bloating issues. So far, I never focussed on S.P(Saw Pal…) but few days back when I saw a discussion thread on this site, I started looking into this. It seems that Choline has helped a lot in mental focus, resolving ulcer, bloating etc…
Here are my test results (from April 2013):
Free T- 33.7 (31.0-94 pmol/L)
LH- 3 (2-9 IU/L)
Prolactin- 8 (<18 ug/L)

Aldosterone: 185 (60-780 pmol/l)
Epinepherine: 26( <100 nmol/d)
Norepinephrine: 240 (<500 nmol/d)
Dopamine: 1882 (<2600 nmol/d)
Normetanephrine: 1.0 (<3.3 umol/d)
Metanephrine: 0.4 (<1.7 umol/d)
TSH: 1.65 (0.35-5 mlU/L)
T4 Free: 14 (12-22 pmol/L)
Free T3: 6.1 (2.6-5.7 pmol/L)
Cortisol AM: 494 (170-540 nmol/L)
Cortisol 1600-2000h: 256 (65-340 nmol/L)
hsCRP: 3.1 (High risk: above 3.0 mg/L)
Renin: 0.14

CRP is high!

Current state: I have pain in/around Gluteus medius and maximus and Left side below kidney area…feels like nerves on my lefy side are a bit stretched…
I am also seeing increase in frequency of urination and weak urine stream…
Urologist did rectal exam and said everything is ok…its a muscular pain…

Had anyone else also suffered from pain on lower back and/or random muscular pain?

Reply asap!

1 Like
#12

i did suffer from lower back pains and muscle pains extreme at 3 month off Fin.
This feeling lasted about 2 weeks with ups and downs. Bad days I stayed in Bed from am to pm.
Started of with Vitamin Complex and Fish Oil 3x day.
Think it helped a lot.

For Questions, ask away.

#13

In my most recent post, I had mentioned about the lower back pain. That pain comes and goes and now started hurting groin area. I saw my doctor and internist last month and they have asked for a few tests. Here are the results:
a) Blood Test

  1. Free T : 37.3 (31-94 pmol/L)
    2 Estrodiol: 166 (<157 pmol/L)
    3.Free T3: 5.9 (2.6-5.7 pmol/L)
    4.Free T4: 16 (12-22 pmol/L)
    5.TSH: 1.99 (.35-5.0 pmol/L)
  2. LH: 3 (2-9 IU/L)
    7. Vitamin D: 66 (25-75 nmol/L = INSUFFICIENCY)

b) Ultrasound (abdominal)
Overall normal but detected fatty liver

I went to internist to get these results and during conversation and again mentioned that all the issues including back pain and tightness in scrotum started when I took propecia (~1 week)+SP(3 week). To my surprise, he agreed that propecia can screw hormones
and asked me to get FSH, igt, liver function test and Estradiol (again).
He also gave me requisition for groin and scrotum ultrasound for the back pain which goes till scrotum at times…

Note: With pelvic floor exercise, I get immediate relief from back pain- started this exercise last week.

I’m planning to start Zinc Picolinate to reduce Estradiol levels and more exercises.

What other supplements do you suggest?

#14

Did you read A Headache in the Pelvis yet?

Looks like you need to up your vitamin D.

#15

I’ve been struggling with anxiety since I quit and I can tell you I cant even come close to touching b12. About 5 months ago I thought it might help with brain fog and I took some. My anxiety spiked so much I could barely force myself to go to work. Along side with coffee I’m scared to take it again.

#16

These days I am reading about Symplex M. It is used for men, and males dogs. Yes people on many dog forums claim that when they used it for their male dogs they became fertile and were able to have puppies. My point here is it increase fertility and testerone for all males. I have not used it so can not give my personal experience.

#17

Yes. I’m reading that book.

#18

Ok! Any supplement which can reduce Estrogen and how to get DHT (5-AR enzymic activity) back? My skin is always dry now