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Where are you from (country)? South Africa
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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?) Stumbled upon it while researching causes of depression
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What is your current age, height, weight? 45, 1.7 m, 102k
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? Aerobic exercises + some weightlifting at local gym. Swimming in summer. Not very regular.
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? Mainly fish (including sushi), vegetables and cereals. I don’t eat meat, as I have irritable bowel syndrome (have had it for ages: nothing to do with Propecia) and meat aggravates it.
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? Hair loss.
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? About 9 years.
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 35. Started 10 October 2002
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 44. 30 September 2011
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 mg/day
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? I didn’t really have any serious side effects until shortly after I stopped taking it. (Low libido — which is why I eventually stopped — but for most of the time that didn’t worry me much. I thought it would resolve when I quit, but it hasn’t, and in fact it’s got much worse).
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? See 12 above. My real problems only started after I discontinued.
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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[X] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[?] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] Testicular Pain
[X] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] 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”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? No treatments yet. Trying to increase my exercise (aerobics + weights at local gym)
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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 blood tests
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug. My biggest problem is very serious mental depression, almost all the time (but I can still laugh at a good joke) and mental (not so much physical) fatigue. This started within a couple of weeks or so after I came off. I also have virtually no sexual desire (or ability) at all since coming off.