Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)? Germany
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?) Alopezie.de
What is your current age, height, weight? 32 , 175cm , 75kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Finasteride Oral and Topical
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? Oral: 0,2mg e3d , topical 1ml 1% from Farmacia Parati (Italy)
What condition was being treated with the drug? Hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Oral 3 years with pauses, topical 2 months
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 27
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 32
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? At the Age of 31 after 12 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? ED, difficulties to get an orgasm, Lost Libido, Tinnitus, Depression
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[X] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] 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
[X] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? None
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
All Male Hormones such Testosterone and DHT are now on the lowest Levels possible
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Hey There!
I am glad that I found this Forum. If I had not find it I would be on FIN probably again, so thanks to everyone describing their experience!
I used FIN in very low doses orally for a couple of years without big side effects but I had usally had short breaks. The sides cames slowly by time and started with lower Libido and difficulties to get an orgasm in 2018 therefore in May 2018 I quit the oral version cold turkey.
After 5 months off oral FIN my Libido increased a little bit but at the same time I got mentally very sensitive and a little depressed. I tried to get on Finasteride again in low doses, but after taking one small dosage of 0.125 mg I had a complete ED for weeks! So I did not touch the oral FIN any more.
At the end of October 2018 I realized that my hair started falling out again so I visited a Hair Transplant Surgeon who prescribed me topical finasterid 1% produced by Farmacia Parati and said I should try it soo if I get sides (and I was so stupid to follow his recommendation to test it).
I used it until Christmas 2018 daily and realized slowly that I have difficulties again of getting an erection, that my Libido is now completely gone and that I got a bit depressed again.
So I am now 3 weeks off and still have 0 Libido and problems getting an erection. My depressive mood got better in the last days which gives me hope. Also I developed a quite loud Tinnitus since I am off the topical version which is very annoying but somehow I slowly get used to it.
I did a blood test for all male hormones 7 days ago and was shocked because all male hormones are all on the bottom of the norm as if I was a 70 year old.
Since I am done with Finasteride my question is now if I should still continue the cold turkey approach or taper it off slowly by using the topical maybe only twice or once a week? I am asking it because I read that Cold Turkey will probably lead to a bigger crash than tapering off slowly
Thanks for reading and your Input!