New member story.

  1. Where are you from (country)? SOUTH AFRICA

  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?) I SEARCHED UNDER PROPECIA SYMPTOMS ON GOOGLE

  3. What is your current age, height, weight? 37 TEARS, 6ft2, 206lbs

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? YES, FREE WEIGHTS

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? ALL ROUND EATER…MEAT, VEG, HEALTHY n JUNK ON OCCASION>

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?HEREDITARY HAIR LOSS PROBLEM

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 11 YEARS

  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? CUTTING DOSE NOW TO 0.25mg

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? N), TAPERING OFF

  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? GENERIC PROPECIA

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? FIRST I NOTICED EFFECTS SEXUAL SIDES FROM PROPECIA, I STOPPED FOR A WHILE THEN TRIED THE GENERIC. I HAD FOG FROM THE EARLY DAYS BUT ASSUMED IT WAS PAYBACK TIME AS I USED PARTY DRUGS IN COLLEGE.

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? BRAIN FOG

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[X ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X ] Watery Ejaculate
[ X] 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
[X ] Slurring of Speech
[X ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[X ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X ] Testicular Pain
[X ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[X ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X ] Muscle Wastage
[X ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[X ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[X ] 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? TRIBULIS HAS INCREASED MY SEX DRIVE SLIGHTLY, DMAE AND PHOSHOTIDLYSERINE HAVE HELPED REDUCE BRAIN FOG

  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)? ACCIDENTLY MAKDE MY WIFE PREGNANT WHILE ON FIN, I HAVE A DAUGHTER AND SHE SEEMS INTELLIGENT BUT HAS A SHORT TEMPER…(NOT SURE IF ITS RELATED)

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride? MY HAIR LOSS HAS BEEN KEPT UNDER CONTROL

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

My late dad was bald and I knew since a child that I too would become another bald statitstic. I made the decision take Propecia in my early twenties but noticed sexual sides fromt the start and so I discontinued using the drug. It wasnt long before I had my first hair transplant with great realistic looking results…A year or two passed and I heard about the generic Finpecia which was obviously cheaper and after spending on the transplant I felt it was time to maintain my hair. I dont think the sexual sides were as prominent on the generic, but then again I was in a long term relationship and sex wasnt happening as often as in my early twenties…so I told myself all was well.
The brain fog is something that has affected me badly. At no time did I suspect Fin was the reason as I was a party animal in my early twenties and used “dance scene drugs” on weekends…for a few years. As my memory became more unreliable I accepted my fate as I felt that I had done this to myself through my irresponsible behaviour. Funny thing was my friends never complained of feeling slow or fogged up. My dad also suffered from depression a bit so I assumed my depression was hereditary and not affecting me for any other reason.
I went to see a neuro and he checked me out and didnt diagonose me with any particular disorder…Many years past and I never took any vitamins/drugs to fix my bad short term memory and feeling of confusion (especially under stressful situations).
I then read up on Nootropics and have improved my mind by using daily doses of DMAE, omegas, b-vitamins, magnesium/calcium plus occasional Vinpocetine, huperzine and phosphotidylserine. If your memory is fading…the abovementioned vitamins will get your brain very close to where it was in its prime.
In the past week I have cut my dose of 1mg down to 0.25 mg. I also have take 500mg Tribulis twice a day and can happily say that my sex drive is back and my motivation has imporoved. Depression has also improved by 50%…Brain fog has come and gone and still bothers me especially as I need to be able to think quickly on my feet in my job and very often under stressful situations. Three days ago I started taking 100mg of Phos three times a day. Day one I experienced an amazing brain boost…good focus and jovial mood, the next day was ok, day three (yesterday) I felt bad brain fog/confusion which I think could have bordered on a dementia state, yet I could still talk normally, drive etc I just felt a little dizzy and thought processes were slower than usual. I thought this was strange as I was now on phos which should have improved my brain slightly(I did also take 100mcg of Huperzine that morning)…Was I experiencing side effects because I was cutting down from 1mg to 0.25mg ? Was the extra fog a form of withdrawal ? No family member has ever suffered from dementia/alzheimers.
Today my head feels relatively clear…
The most embarassing physical symptom that accompanys my brain fog is my eyes seem to go big as if Im tripping on some halucinogenic of sort and I can see people looking at me funny, either thinking Im on narcotics or am a form of retard…not cool. Does anyone else also find their eyes staring blankly in a way very similar to Parkinsons sufferers do ?
Tip of the day to those suffering with brain fog…Go buy some DMAE, B-vits and omegas for starters…then ad Phosphatidlyserine for a boost. There are stronger drugs but for now im trying to stick with over-the-counter vitamins. I am hoping that I can get away with 0.25mg of Fin a day…but will have to wait and see else I will stop as well and keep saving for another transplant.
All the best to you all.

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The reason for the cognitive issues from Finasteride stems from its inhibition of 5AR-reduced neurosteroids, THDOC and Allopregnanolone:

Read 2nd article on homepage: propeciahelp.com/ (“AN OLD PROBLEM WITH A NEW CAUSE - 5 ALPHA REDUCTASE INHBITORS AND PERSISTENT SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION”)
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1387
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=668

FYI this forum is for men suffering from longterm health problems from Finasteride use.

Given the information you have been provided as the likely reason for your cognitive issues (5AR neurosteroid inhibition), if you are still concerned about hair loss and plan to continue taking Finasteride, please post on hair loss sites. As you are still taking the drug, you currently do not fit the demographics of this forum.

However, if you decide to quit and should you experience persistent issues for months afterwards (hopefully not), then this forum will be of better use to you. Thanks.

Hi Mew
Thanks for the link. I apologize for not being confident to stop “cold turkey”. Maintaining a youthful appearance is obviously something that has been on all of our minds and I thought it best to speak to those with similar side-effects who can offer an opinion.
The reason I posted on this forum was because I was told that Fin does not cause brain fog and that it is all psychosomatic and that I “shouldnt let supposed Fin symptoms bother me…”
I understand than Fin use has affected us all in different ways, I just need to see if this is all placebo effect or not as there are many ‘agents’ on other health sites encouraging use of Fin.

Right, well if your plan is to continue use of Finasteride, please do not bother posting on this forum. If you discontinue and your side effects resolve in a few weeks/months (which should be the case), then you will have no need for this forum. If not, or things get worse after quitting, then give us an update at that time. But please do not continue to post about your side effects if you are unwilling to give up the drug in the name of vanity, it will only inflame things around here for those members who are suffering from persistent issues, myself included.

I don’t mean to be an ass but this forum caters to a specific demographic of men who have longterm issues DESPITE quitting. If you are willing to continue the drug in face of all the evidence on this site to the contrary, and the fact you are currently suffering from cognitive issues linked to the drug, then you will likely find little sympathy for your choice.

The choice is yours, and everyone here would advise you to come off the drug sooner rather than later. Let us know what you decide to do.

How exactly are you going to determine if inhibiting 3 hormonal and important neurosteroid pathways causes a placebo effect by remaining on the drug? I realize you have reduced the dose but finasteride has something of a flat-dose response rate. You are not taking a placebo, you are taking the potent enzyme inhibitor finasteride which has altered your physiology since you began taking it. Unfortunately it sounds like you’ve been damaging your brain with other drugs too so it’s difficult to determine the root cause.

Why don’t you simply drop fin for a couple of months and document your condition? 2 months of hair loss is a small price to pay to verify if it’s causing damage to your cognitive function, right?

Btw, mew is absolutely right. Youre not going to have many friends here while you are still taking finasteride and suffering side effects. Hair is just not worth the risk…

Hi
Yes, unfortunately I did use party drugs from around 94-2000. My friends who partied on the same level as me have not had any cognitive issues. The main probelm is that I am living healthily yet have been taking Fin…
I will skip fin for a few weeks and see how it goes. I didnt stop altogether as I wasnt sure if stopping cold turkey would bring on negative hormal changes/extra sides…therefore I dropped from 1mg to 0.25mg. I will assume that by the negative responses to my postings that stopping at once shouldnt be a problem.
I have quite a bit of experience experimenting with over-the counter vitamins and have consulted with a top homeopath so I am posting to inform those with fog of the many options that will improve their cognition.