New member diagnosed with extreme anxiety disorder - will symptoms subside?

Member Stories
#1

Hello,

after close to two weeks on a topically applied finpecia dosage of 0,33mg/day, I started to experience extreme anxiety and hour-long panic attacks, mostly associated with the fear my heart would stop beating from one moment to the next. Given the fact I had always been a little hyperchondrial and some other shit recenty went down in my life (including a death in the family stemming from cardiac arrest, stress in grad school and the separation of my parents) I did not even consider the possibility finasteride may be responsible for this. After being diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder just yesterday, my doctor told me to pursue a psychological therapy and engage in more stress alleviating activities such as autogenic training. After I left the doctor’s office I finally remembered I was taking finasteride and since I had read a lot about it’s possible sexual side effects (none of which occurred), I figured why not check out whether finasteride could be responsible for this. I was very surprised to see that finasteride indeed has these sorts of side effects and by writing here, I’d like to know whether this is indeed a possibility given the small dosage and the very short time period I took it (I quit it, cold turkey, yesterday). If so, do you think these side effects will subside? And how quickly? I’ve really gone through hell the last couple of days - at one point, I was totally convinced I would die until the weekend and all I wanted was to make sure I said good-bye to everyone. This just to illustrate how fucked up I am right now (I have no history whatsoever of mental illnesses and am not a drug user aside from the occasional marihuana). I would greatly appreciate if you could give me some hints! Thanks.

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    Germany

  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 search: finasteride anxiety

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    I’m 26, 6 feet tall and weigh about 170

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Running, biking, playing soccer

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

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

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

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    26

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    26

  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?
    Finpecia

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    I used it topically, dosage of 0,33mg per day

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

  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
[ ] 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
[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
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

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
[ ] 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?
    non yet

  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)?
    no bloodtests

  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.

#2

Yes, Finasteride can cause depression and anxiety due to its inhibition of neurosteroids in the brain (loss of Allopregnanolone = depression, loss of THDOC = anxiety):

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38
download/file.php?id=145

You just quit the drug a day ago. Give yourself a few weeks, it is likely you will find your cognitive issues improve over time, so no need to panic at this stage.

#3

Merck has listed depression as a possible side effect. However there is no 5a-reductase type 2 in the brain that can be inhbited by finasteride.

#4

start paying attention to the food/drinks you are ingesting and pay attention to the trends of your panic attacks based on what you put in your body.

#5

my anxiety attacks were absolutely brutal for the first two months off the drug. i thought i was dying. for me - all of the mental sides improved greatly after that. no more anxiety attacks. the mental sides aren’t GONE but they are significantly better. hang in there - trust me.

#6

My anxiety, insomnia and depression all improved over the course of 10 months but off it took the longest for the depression. The anxiety was bad when I first came off to I didn’t know what to do I admitted myself to a emergency room. Which was pointless.

#7

My anxiety attacks are off the chart bad. I hate waking up each morning because the panic is so severe.

#8

thanks guys, for all of these answers…so you think it is highly likely my anxiety was triggered by finasteride? that somehow comforts me because it provides an explanation for why I feel so terrible. the panic attacks indeed are brutal and it’s very hard to get over them. yesterday, it was a little better than the days and this morning, I almost felt fine, but I feel the panic creeping up on me right now. What a crazy drug. Is there any correlation between time period of consumption/dosage and persistence of the mental sides? I understand even the smallest amount can alter the brain’s chemistry but maybe my body can bounce back faster because I was not subjected to finasteride for a very long time?

so, what do you guys do to contain your anxiety? my doctor has prescribed a soft anti-depressant for me but I am reluctant to take it. in the last few days, I found it helpful to just get out of the house, taking walks and such. and one other question: I read somewhere in this forum to quit all other hair-growth drugs other than finasteride as well. I also take Minoxidil, for which I never experienced any sides. Should I still quit it? If so, what’s the mechanism making that necessary?

again, thanks

#9

There is no way to know that, but it would be reasonable to think the longer you surpress 5AR2/DHT/neurosteroids etc, the more potential damage you will do to your body. Considering your short usage (2 weeks), hopefully you will find your issues improve more rapidly vs. someone who took it for 10 years.

I would advise against taking other pharmaceuticals such as anti-depressants at this stage. You would be introducing another variable as your body is coming off Finasteride and trying to regain its hormonal balance and homeostasis. Give yourself time to heal. Fish oils (omega 3) have been shown in studies to improve depression and assist with cognitive function, I would start on those if you haven’t already.

Also, stay away from stimulants in your diet (caffeine, sugar etc).

That is a different product with different mechansims compared to Finasteride, so its unlikely to have bearing here. However, it can cause changes in blood pressure, dizziness, water retention etc so monitor yourself for known Minox side effects if you plan to continue it.

#10

thanks! even before reading up on the impact of different types of food, I had noticed coffee really made me feel worse. in terms of the panic attacks, today is the best day yet. I only had two or three brief spurts of anxiety but I was able to contain them. however, I have also developed hour-long brainfogs which really does not come in handy when you’re at university. I’m also exhausted all of the time but I have not experienced any problems sleeping.

as treatment, I have eliminated alcohol, caffeine & sugar from my diet - I also quit smoking weed. I’m focusing on (raw) vegetables but since I am vegetarian, I have trouble eliminating dairy products. is eating cheese okay?

next week, I will try to talk my doctor into sending me to an endocrinologist so I can post my bloodwork here.

I remain hopeful my situation will improve but reading about some of you guy’s hellish experiences, I’m both scared and really mad at Merck. I just can’t believe this drug has been approved and sides are not listed accurately. It’s maddening. Anyways, I’m very grateful for your support.

#11

absolutely man. i stopped drinking coffee when i first came off because it was like i could feel the anxiety coming on with every sip i took. i recommend as raw as is possible. and yes - when i was having my anxiety attacks… i just had to try and get OUT of whatever situation i was in. around 7pm every day it seemed it would start to come on and i would just throw on shoes and go for a long walk outside - the whole time feeling like i was going to keel over. within the hour - everything was gone. no more panic or anything. and yea - im about six months off and all the mental things are significantly better. i feel like through healthy eating they’ve all SLOWLY gotten better (though i still drink and smoke - HAVE to stop doing that)… good luck and hang in there!

#12

There is one more important question I have. Given the fact I developed a rather extreme reaction to a short-term exposure to finasteride, how likely is it I will get full fledged FPS? I don’t want to get my hopes up when my symptons subside only to have them crushed when my endocrine system crashes in a couple of weeks? is there ANY probabilistic truth to Merck’s claim symptons will subside after discontinuation of the drug - especially since my reaction to it was so adverse? if not, is there anything I can do to prevent the crash of my endocrine system?

#13

Some of the worst sufferers on this forum only took finasteride for a short period of time. We have a few guys that took less than 10 pills and they have been suffering for years.

#14

Well, that’s exactly why I’m panicking. I can’t have taken more than 6mg and it was applied topically because I thought that would cause less systemic damage. What I wanna know is: how likely is such a scenario in my case (extreme mental sides and today I have also noticed penile shrinkage)? This is driving me crazy

#15

first of all, calm down because your panicking will only get you worse. i’d say it’s pretty likely that what your side effects are right now or however you were at your worst, is probably the most that will happen. people generally get worse and worse when they start doing random things like taking hormones and random supplements and all that. just dont overdo any kind of sexual activity and clean up your diet ASAP. do a bunch of stuff for healthy digestion like probiotics and digestive enzymes, things like that. i would stay away from all random hormones or supplements designed to increase sex drive or do other random stuff… if it was that easy we all wouldn’t be on this forum right now.

#16

Not panicking is easier said than done, especially when it seems like everyone writing here with comparable sides & dosage has experienced a crash a few weeks after discontinuing the drug. Because of that, I will try to avoid this forum best as I can during the next couple of weeks or so. However, since this forum has been extremely helpful in figuring out what is wrong with me I would like to ask a couple of questions so that I do not make any mistakes in trying to recover from this.

Today, I am doing okay thus far. I had 8 hours worth of sleep (including a dream) and woke up with some anxiety and a little brain fog - both of which subsided after heaving breakfast. I am not 100% how severe the penile shrinkage is, today my penis looks closer to his usual form than yesterday (when I was in a state of panic and might have overreactet just a bit). Because I was worried my sexuality is going down the river as well I tried to get it up last night, and I was succesful to a degree. It was as big as it usually is but noticeably softer (which of course may have been due to the panic as well) and I could have had an orgasm, but I decided against it because of recurring advice in this forum. I also had (good quality) sex on Monday and another orgasm on Wednesday. As for other side effects, I have started to notice a little abdominal pain and mild (but noticeable) pressure on my testicles. If it wasn’t for the finasteride, I would not think twice about these symptoms, though.

So much for my state, here come the questions:

First of all, is it possible that my side effects were triggered because of a heavy drinking session? I first noticed panic attacks on Sunday morning, right after I had lots of drinks the night before. It’s just weird to me because the symptoms basically occurred from one moment to the other.

Secondly, how this regimen look to you:
Foods I will eat:

  1. Raw Vegetables (carrots, broccoli, green beans, cucumber, peppers, avocado, tomatoes)
  2. Fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, grapes)
  3. Dark Bread (something like pumpernickel - maybe 2-3 slices a day)
  4. Fruit Teas
  5. Lots of water
  6. Hard-Boiled Eggs (is there a better way for vegetarians to get their protein since soy is not advisable?)
  7. Nuts (peanuts & walnuts, mostly)

Foods I will avoid at all costs:

  1. Alcohol
  2. White Bread, short-chained carbohydrates in general
  3. Sugar
  4. Caffeine

Does that look okay to you? Any way to improve it? I have a daily supplement I have infrequently taken these last few months. In contains, among other things, Zinc (11mg per capsule), Iodine (from kelp - 150mcg) and Vitamin D2 (400 UI). Is there any vitamin, mineral or such that I should stay away from? I will also buy some fish oil today. In terms of exercise, I plan to run moderately (20-30 minutes 5 days of the week) and do a few pushups, dips and crunches every day in the evening. I will also limit my orgasms to once a week.
Is there ANYTHING you feel I can do better in terms of nutrition and exercise? Should I not have sex at all?

Thirdly, is there anybody within this forum who comes from/lives in Germany? In case I do crash, I don’t want to waste any time looking for good doctors, so if anybody has found some, please do tell.

I would greatly appreciate if you would help me out with this! Thanks in advance

P.S. Since I had dissolved the finasteride in my minoxidil and I had some left in the bottle, I was able to extrapolate how much I actually applied to my scalp. It comes out to be between 3 and 3,5 mg - crazy shit.

#17

Use the SEARCH function at top right.

search.php?keywords=Germany&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

Also these 4 members list Germany as their location on profile:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=629
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2446
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=194
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1830

#18

Sorry, Mew, should have figured this one out for myself. Anyways, I have developed new symptons including loss of erections, persistent fatigue & prostate pain? I feel my prospects for a full recovery are getting worse by the minute

#19

Google paleo diet.

#20

Are you by any chance a finnish person in Germany?

Keep watching your symptons but don’t panic. The goal here really is to just supervise/observe your condition while you keep on living your daily life. Once you are sure that you are definitely having PFS (and this means that more symptons appear and others (especially sexual) persist) THEN come back here and become uh “one of us”, as in accept your new life and start looking for answers.

There’s just zero point in stressing over “am i PFS or not” or “does my penis shrink or not” - this condition is fairly persistent and your penis doesn’t get badly mutilated by this (since some people recover from this after years and still keeps the function). Like ofc we fluctuate or get worse or whatever but that’s THEN, not now.

It’s all about HOW to take the fall and how you accept your new life or new personality as depression and hopelessness gets you nowhere. Sorry if this seems useless/patronizing but i’m trying to spare you from unnecessary time-wasting depression since that’ll only distract you from the reality of things and of what you can do in your position.

also, DEFINITELY drop alcohol cold turkey. Can you describe your “prostratic pains” or symptons too?