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)?
USA
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
What is your current age, height, weight?
5 ft. 9 inches
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Propecia
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
0.25
What condition was being treated with the drug?
MPB
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
7.5 months
Date when you started the drug?
Auhust 2021
Date when you quit the drug?
April 2022
Age when you quit?
28
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
7.5 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
skinny penis, loss of libido, ed.
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
[ x] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] 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
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ x] 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
[ ] 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?
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)?
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.
I was 27, went to the dermatologist because I was concerned about my hair. Was informed that there is a risk of reduced libido, but that it gets better after quitting. Well, for 7 months, I took 0.25 mg daily. I have been getting mediocre results, so I figured I’d up the dose to 0.5 mg. Did this for a day, thought I had dizziness as a result, so skipped a day and went back to 0.25. The next week (last week), tried again. Had the diziness tthe next day, but still took 0.5mg again. Then, I had some aching in my balls, so I stopped altogether. That next day, I noticed my penis was lighter, though the aching got better. I don’t think length changed, but it got skinner. I haven’t had an unforced erection since. I also feel some sort of “rumblings” in the genital/anus area- not sure if that had been happening though.
What are the chances that I would improve in the near future? I haven’t gotten any better since last week. Quite frankly, I’ve been anxious, depressed, and suicidal this past week. I do suffer from OCD and anxiety and have take Zoloft for years, but tapered off several months ago. Thanks.