0) Where are you from (country)?
United States
1) 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?)
Can’t remember. Probably over at acne.org
2) What is your current age, height, weight?
21, 6’2, 160lbs
3) Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
I increasingly find it harder and harder to excercise. Once a week weights. Once a week running.
4) What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Varies
5) Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Took accutane for acne
6) For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
2 years
7) How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
17 when I started accutane
8) How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
19. I am over a year post tane now.
9) How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey
10) What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Accuane, isotretinoin
11) What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
10mg daily
12) How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Hard to say, confounding variables, sides were minimal while on accutane (I don’t think I noticed them).
13) What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Dry skin. Derealization/Depersonalization. Maybe others
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[X] Complete Impotence
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X] Watery Ejaculate
[X] Reduced Ejaculate
[X] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[X] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[X] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] Testicular Pain
[X] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[X] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[X] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain)
Facial changes (thin skin, wrinkles, fat redistribution?, looser face tissue?. To put it simply, i’ve been told I look like i’m deteriorating like a meth addict.
Severe insomnia. Since the sickness hit, I have found it almost impossible to sleep without a sleep drug (seroquel works well). Even after days of no sleep I find I am sometimes still unable to sleep even a wink.
14) What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Diet, excersise. Have seen great mood improvement using glycine. Took it under the theory that glycine increase allopreg through upregulateing 5ar. Want to investigate this further as very little else helps alleviate mental sides. Gabapentin also helps greatly with sleep and mental and physical sides (even at 100mg dose).
15) 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)?
Have done test but need to get access to my results.
16) Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
Yeah, 5ari’s fucking suck.
17) Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Well, I don’t want to tell all that big a story. I took accutane, first off. I want to pause here to say that I hope I am still allowed to be part of this community even because of that, I know in the past that has not always been this case. But given the parallels in side effect profiles and such of these drugs, well I hope by now it is the case where it is understood that post accutane syndrome, post finasteride syndrome, post saw p, etc., are extremely related. Anyway, took accutane. Had some sides on it (nothing I really had much reason to attribute to tane at the time), felt great even. Finished course, quit. Month goes by. Then BAM. Post accutane syndrome. First side was severe chronic insomnia and just not feeling at all myself. Have just been getting worse and collecting more sides since then. They come and go. Over a year since I quit and life has never been the same. Not even close. The bright beautiful world I once knew has become a cold heartless place. But thats just me venting.
Anyway, i’m hear to discuss treatments and await research study results, maybe spur discussion and discover a few new bandaids. Or even full on treatments kinda thing for that matter.