New Member. Please, any advice??

Member Stories
#1

) Where are you from (country)?
Canada

  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?)
    Web Search

  2. What is your current age, height, weight?
    32, 6’2, 190lbs

  3. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Aerobic exercise, weight lifting

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

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

  6. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    Approx 5 years

  7. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    I cant remember. 26 maybe

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

  1. Quit March 1, 2014
  1. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
  1. I was going to taper off because I noticed I was anxious and I had one panic attack so I quit cold turkey
  1. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
  1. Proscar
  1. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
  1. 1mg a day
  1. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
  1. I didnt notice the symptoms of decreased libido right away.
  1. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    Most of the more serious side effects have only started since I quit. Severe anxiety, panic attacks, depression, decresed libido, ED

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
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] 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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] 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
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x ] 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? I was prescribed Lorazepam to help with the anxiety and insomnia

  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)?

  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
    At first, I didnt realize I was losing morning erections but that was the first thing that happened. Throughtout my past relationships with women, I had a very low sex drive and just thought it was a lack of attraction or my partners. I always thought I was just an anxious person because I had heard many people suffer from the same. I had one severe panic attack before I quit taking Finasteride. It didn’t make any sense…I was outdoors on a walk. I wasnt under any stress. I don’t do drugs, smoke or drink often. I eat well and exercise all the time. This panic attack was because of Proscar and the most frustrating part is that my Dr was so quick to dismiss my opinions. Anyway, he said if I really thought it was from the drug that I could just quit. So I did. And since then I’ve been to EMERG three times from panic attacks. I’m scared and now I’m on Lorazepam. I would rather approach this the natural way and take fish oils, Magnesium, Valerian Root tea and meditate but the side effects were so powerful. I need help. Please

Weightlifting -how much is too much?
#2

Welcome to the forum, sounds like you have been hit hard by side effects. I notice you used for 5 years like me. I have been off since July 2013, and even though I’m still anywhere from recovered, I’m miles better than I was. Basically I’m saying you should start to feel a little better after six months.

Send me an email if you want to know what I’ve done to try and recover.

#3

I just wanted to share something.
It took me about a year to finally feel better after my initial fin crash. I started exercising more often, giving up caffeine, alcohol, all processed foods, taking supplements such as magnesium,zinc,B complex, fish oil,ginkgo biloba…and complete abstinence. I was finally making improvements. However, last week while I was at the gym, I was struggling with a weight and although I successfully completed the movement, it ignited a very odd sensation. I immediately felt severe pain in my neck just above my throat then got dizzy and felt a panic attack. I had difficulty breathing, swallowing etc. it subsided after about two minutes but since then, My ED, testicular pain, extreme anxiety has returned. What happened??