- Where are you from (country)?
US
- 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?)
- What is your current age, height, weight?
38, 6 foot 1 inches
- Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes, weight lifting
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
no diet, eat what I like
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hairloss
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
9 years
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
29
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
38
- How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
- What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia
- What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg/day
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
9 years
- 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
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] 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
[X] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
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
[X] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[X] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
Tintinus, dry skin, red flushing face and skin, decrease in pleasure from orgasms
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
No treatment but taking Fish Oil, Zinc, 4000 Vitamin D, 3000 Vitamin C
-
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)?
-
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
-
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Hi everyone. First of all let me say thanks to everyone that has ever posted or replied to a post with their treatment/symptomology. It has been extremely helpful to me as I have spent countless hours researching and comparing symptoms and treatments of hundreds of members. I have a very plausible working theory that I would like to share. I took propecia for almost 9 years symptom free until I decided to stop taking it. Once I stop taking it all of the symptoms we talk about happened to me, dry red face, chest, and arms, legs and forearms got thinner (also stated previously as muscle wasting, but as I share my theory I dont beleive it is muscle wasting at all), lost 25 pounds in 3 weeks, digestive problems, liver pain, lowered body temp, brain fog, etc and of course ALL of the sexual dysfunction side effects. This was roughly 5 months ago. I have an incredible working theory on all this which I believe encompasses and adequately explains all the symptomalogy we are exeperiencing. I can’t post it tonight because it is very long, but I will post it tomorrow night and the real science guys can use it as a frame work. I also believe I know why we are all in the same boat, what in particular unites our specific subset group. After reading countless posts, we all share a very unqiue personailty trait which is reflective of a specific body chemistry. Answer this, how many of you were outgoing, extremely energetic, talkative, passionate, goal oriented, politician like, before all of this happened? I am also willing to go out on a limb and suggest that those most adversley affected by finasteride (like myself) still have their hair, or mildy diffused thinning. Also, have you experienced (now and in the past) a phenomenon known as telogen effluvium or a diffuse form of hair thinning. Did anyone see massive thinning after a stressful change such as college stress or a bad breakup? Did you see yourself thinning (and understandably so) and others tell you that you were crazy for taking this or that you hair was fine? It had been mentioned before on this sight that this drug was tested on men with male pattern baldness, but not men with a natural receding hairline or perhaps a difuse hair thinning pattern. I have so much more to post and I will do so tomorrow, try to explain the pattern or cycle we are all caught up in. These side effects are horrible, I know first hand. It is devastating and transforms our personality types, but there is hope comming I truly beleive. I am located with NY city and I have a ton of doctors working on this such as Jacobs and Mulhall, as well as other endocronologists in the city.