New Finasteride case. 6 Months of use

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 Search

What is your current age, height, weight?
33 5’8, 165lbs

What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride

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

What condition was being treated with the drug?
Hair Loss

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
** Just over 6 months (200 days)**

How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
33

How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
33 Augusts, 31, 2020

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

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
unsure probably early on but though nothing of it but started noticing more recently

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Still early in process, but libido, mood, digestice issues, Etc

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 (Added)
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections (Added)
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[X ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[X ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[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
[X ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[X ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease Added
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X ] Muscle Wastage
[X ] Muscle Weakness
[ X] Joint Pain added
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[X ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets” Added
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[X ] Other (please explain)
I have developed GERD. I had a normal diet previous and now i am on a very strict diet.
Weight loss

What (if any) treatment have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since iscontinuation 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)?
Had a blood test today(9/1/2020), waiting on results

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

Doctors told me the Fin is one of the safest drugs available and people are trying to make money of the pharma companies.
Prior to my HT and Fin i was on Sertraline and Trazadone for Depression from the divorce

Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

I had a hair transplant procedure that was done in January. I told that surgeon that i did not want to go on Fin because of the side effects. I came to realize a few days later that this surgeon did a bad job on my transplant, so i got a second opinion from another clininc.

They mentioned that the only thing currently they could do is put me on finasteride to help induce hair growth. I was told Fin is extremely safe and the % of people that suffer is below 1%. I agreed.

I have been taking Fin since Feb 12 2020, missed a few doses in between and I stopped August 31, 2020. I have been on for 200 days. I feel like i started noticing symptoms probably a month in but thought nothing of it, until earlier this week when i just couldn’t get it fully going. I can still get erect but it is nowhere near what it used to be.

Im 33, recently divorced trying to date again and now I am dealing with this. Mentally i am devistated, I dont take medications as is normally when i go to the doctors unless absolutely necessary, I was just so distraught about my hair loss that I feel like i was taken advantage of and now i am paying the price.

Not only is my mental state terrible, my digestive health is brutal. Ive Developed either GERD or LPR on a diet that is fairly regular, mix of good(fix chicken, fruits veggies) and bad(pizza, burgers beer)

SO not only do i still have receding/balding hair, i cant go out for a beer, eat burger and do the normal dating scene. Super attractive for females. {major eye roll}

I see my doctor again tomorrow and I am going to express my extreme concern about this. I just hope i stopped before its too late and the damage is permanent. It appears I have a long road to recovery.

My question for all of you is, I am trying to understand the crash everyone discusses. As i just stopped yesterday, should i expect a crash to happen soon?
What should i be watching out for?

welcome brother,

yes the crash can come within days after stopping. dont want to scare you but when this occurs you will definately notice. dont freak out, because in about 3 to 6 months it does subside a little…

goodluck

No, you shouldn’t expect it. PFS is presumed to be very rare, based on a number of factors. It’s very possible that you’re experiencing on-drug adverse reactions which will resolve once the drug has been out of your body for some time. On-drug reactions are not necessarily the same thing as post finasteride syndrome (though some men do describe crashing while on the drug). As you’ve only been off the drug for a day, I would try to remain even handed about your current situation. Statistically, you’ll likely be OK. If you’re not and things continue the way they are or even get worse, we’ll be here for you.

1 Like

Thank you Tzinkman. Hopefully I am just experiencing the on drug adverse reactions like you say. I’m hoping a a few weeks this is all behind me.

One of the word symptoms that I can’t explain is shortness of breath/chest discomfort, but that can possibly be linked back to my new digestive issues that have suddenly developed.

Talked to my doctor mentioned my concern with Fin and I told her about PFS which is a concern I currently have. She said she’s never heard of it and noted it down.

Got my blood work And urinalysis back As well. Everything is normal.

Got a lab for testosterone levels. Which I will have done this week.

Two concerning things are I dropped 7 lbs and I am down to 158 lbs from my previous weight 3 weeks ago.

My heart rate was through the roof at 114, and then measured again after some deep breathing went up to 126. This is most likely due to stress they assume we are going to monitor it and see if I need to wear a device for 24 hours to see if I have palpitations

I see a lot of people talking about supplements and what you should shouldn’t take.

Currently I take
Vitamin D3 complex
Vitamin B complex
Men’s Multi
Turmeric

I also drink a high calorie protein shake GNC Bulk 1340 (one scoop in morning, one mid day)l for calories.

It has
Anabolic Amino Maximizer
Leucine
Isoleucine
Valine
Tyrosine
Arginine
Choline
Inositol
PABA

Im still trying to put my timeline together. two months back i ended up in the hospital for an unknown illness. Severe chest pain, issues breathing, mild fever, severe diarrhea/gut issues. severe body/head aches, fatigue. Tested negative for Covid, they chalked it up to GERD. They put me on omeprazol and Pepcid. That’s when i really started noticing my ED issues and having virtually no ejaculate. I never attributed that to Fin.

So for about two-three weeks i took Fin, omeprazol and Pepcid. I think this is when I went severely downhill

So its been roughly 17 days since cessation of any and all drugs.

This is my experiences so far.
Very low libido today, but ive had a random day here and there(or i should say few hours in a day where i feel somewhat like I need it)

I go from having spurts of energy to feeling drained and tired.

My genitals are in a weird state of normal to absolutely sucked up into my body. its all over the place, but 50% of the time they are retract to a concerning size.

My penis has a day or two of looking at least somewhat normal, but often it’s still smaller or it’ll be much narrower than before.

Still dealing with ED issues.

my GERD has decreased but i still feel like its around.

Diet (which is extremely confusing to follow any suggestion on this site since its normally about a 50/50 split on if you should eat it or not)

Gluten Free
Chicken/ Veggie Burgers/fish
Spinach
Almonds/nuts
White Rice
Gluten free Black bean chips
Hummus/ veggies
Asparagus
Apples
Pineapple
Rainsins
Cranberries
Watermelon
Probiotic Yogurt
Kombucha
Juices.
Almond Milk
Rice or Corn cereal.
Eggs Hard boiled or Scrambled.
Honey and Turmeric Tea(aka hot water with Turmeric and honey)

Supplements/Vitamins
omega 3 Acids
Vitamin D supp
Daily Multi vitamin
Magnesium Citrate

I had moments where it felt like i was over salivating which was causing me to slur speech at times. That has seemed to get better

Mental sides, moments of fog, moments of good, then back to moments of fog. Memory seems okay currently.

Physically back pain (possibly due to a herniated disc aggravation from sitting too long)
Neck pain
Pain in ankles and left Knee.

I have all my blood work and Testosterone tests, which came back relatively normal, just trying to get them posted.

2 Likes

No guarantees, but I think you are seeing very good signs in the brief improvements of symptoms this soon after stopping fin.

I can almost guarantee you that your men’s multi contains saw palmetto extract. The substance that many got bad long term sides from, including me. Get off that asap if there is any sp in there.

Hey man,

I have had somewhat similar symptoms to you : persistent fatigue, weakness, weirdly elevated heart rate, breathlessness, feverish but without fever.

I’m wondering if you’ve noticed any loss of appetite at all (food, not sex)? Some days it’s hard for me to eat. Has your physical exhaustion or weakness seen improvements?

Unless I am missing something or there is some weird name for it.

Nutrient:

Biotin
Folic Acid
Vitamin D (as Cholecalciferol)
Lycopene
Chromium (as Chromium Picolinate)
Choline (as Choline Bitartrate)
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid and Sodium Ascorbate)
Vitamin A (as Retinyl Palmitate)
Iodine (as Potassium Iodide)
Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium D-Pantothenate)
Boron (as Boron Citrate)
Molybdenum (as Molybdenum Citrate)
Zinc (as Zinc Chelate)
Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin)
Niacin (as inositol niacinate)
Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine HCl)
Inositol (as Inositol Niacinate)
Vitamin E (as dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate)

There was some when my GERD was just brutal and i was concerned about damaging my esophagus and vocal chords. Overall my appetite has been fairly good. I am constantly snacking on fruits and veggies and gluten free corn chips/crackers/crisps.

I will say i don’t eat as much as i used to. Though that could be just me. I could house food like no ones business before. Could possibly explain my weight loss (less calories and healthier diet no junk/fast food .

I went to take a shower tonight and noticed a completely shriveled and external veiny penis. It was extremely disheartening.

I added several symptoms to the list I’ve noticed or experienced over this last 20+ days. I’m going to wait another week and have my test levels redone since it would be about a month since stopping fin and I’ve read a crash is likely 10-20 days after stopping the drug

I’ve gone from having good bowel movements back to crapping tiny little pellets followed by what feels like a giant brick (sorry for the graphic) when I do have to crap it seems like both my penis and Genitals suck into my body which is weird.

Feel for you brother … I noticed exactly the same in terms of penis size and shape. Veins showing up all along the shaft , wrinkly skin and loss of thickness. Sometimes i put off going for a pee or taking a shower because my heart sinks when i look down and see whats happened… scary as hell but lets hope everything corrects itself at some point. Stay strong pal.

Over the last 2-3 days I’ve noticed this tingling sensation in my cheeks and jaw.

Laying here. 1230 I’m the morning.
Tired but can’t sleep.
Feel like I’m going backwards.
Had what seems like a great last month.
Now my penis feels like rubber
Erections are maybe 50,60% extremely soft.
Orgasms, I’m not even sure if they happen.
Looks like my penis is being sucked into my body.
Neck pain, bouts of heavy head and brain fog are back.
I just feel slower, typing, talking, texting, doing my job, living life. Just slower.
I feel like I’m constantly mad or angry or upset.

I really thought I was getting better. I thought I’m going to best the hell out of this.

What I wouldn’t give up right now just to go back and listen to myself the first time and say no to fin.

Still losing weight. Im down to 152 lbs. I’ve lost nearly 16 lbs already.

I think I’ve lost 2 inches in my waist.

My jeans all fall off now if I’m not clamping a belt on.

This in insane. I’m scared out of my mind. I can’t afford to lose much weight as it is.

Has anyone had any experience being able to stop the weight loss?

I picked up a high calorie weight gainer to hopefully help combat it.

Hey man i had the same issue. After my crash I went from 80 kg with great muscle mass to a 68kg skinny shit. Than after I lost all muscle mass my body weight loss stopped there. I managed to gain back 2 kg of muscles only since 3 months of weight lifting, so I really feel like my androgen receptors or androgen levels have a severe issue here.

Only good news: I can eat what ever and how much ever I want and I never get fat :smiley: