New story- 21 year old

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    Canada

  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?)
    Google

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    21, 5’10", 170

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Yes. Consistent 4-5 day per week heavy weight training with regular deload/rest weeks.

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Non organic but healthy food. I RARELY eat fast food or consume soda. I have eliminated refined carbs, sugars and caffeine. I follow the healthy food guide fairly closely but limit my dairy and Carbs a bit. Overall though I eat very healthy. Also I drink ALOT of water.

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

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    4-5 months.

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    19, June 1st 2011.

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    19, October 2011.

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    I was only taking a 4th of a tab for the last couple months. I quit for a week then took another 4th, then two weeks then another 4th. Then quit for good.

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

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    Quartered tab. (.25mg) every day.

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    3 Months? Hard to tell, they crept up slowly it seemed.

  14. 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
[ 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] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ x] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[ x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] 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
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ x] 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?
    Nothing, Just lost of sleep (8 hours plus), very healthy diet, lots of water, regular workout.

  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.

I took the drug for about 4 months. The last couple months I was only taking a .25mg. (started at half, then 1/3, then 1/4) I started feeling weird around the 4 months mark. I wasn’t myself and I was experiencing sexual sides so I decided to quit. After I quit I had the typical brief recovery then crashed hard. The first 6 months after my crash were terrible. I couldn’t sleep, had trouble passing urine, was depressed and suffered from all the sexual sides. It was so bad at one point that I actually researched what .22mag round would be best to kill myself with while making as little mess as possible. I have a suicide note written to my parents on my laptop waiting to be used if things don’t get better. Its been 19 months since quitting now. I can sleep better and have fewer anxiety attacks. My depression still persists as well as my lack of libido and erectile dysfunction. I was a healthy, athletic male prior to taking this drug. I cycled competitively, raced dirt bikes, and could have fun doing just about anything. Now the constant fatigue prevents me from doing such things. I have suffered from muscular wastage (especially in my forearms) and cannot even complete 1 lap at my local motocross track at full intensity anymore. Before I could go all day. This drug has destroyed my life. It continues to prevent me from doing the things I love to do. Staying positive is nearly impossible but I hope my good diet and consistent workout routine will help speed the healing process.

#2

I think many of us can relate to the despair and even thoughts that life is not worth living at times, but you have to hang in there for Spring to come. This is a terrible predicament and many will tell you that PFS dented there zest for life. However, this will not be the only function loss you will experience in life. The trick is to fight until recovery and not let it take everything in your life. We have a lot of blessings that we don’t see when we are suffering. There are recovery stories here for people who had PFS for years. You are quite young and that is a blessing in that you have potential time for recovery and a long remaining sexual life. Stay strong, focus on a healthy lifestyle, go to the gym, enjoy your friends and family, school/work/career, and force yourself to do the things you used to do that brought you happiness. Happiness I believe will help you heal more effectively. And whatever you do, no self harm! Permanent solution to a potentially temporary problem.

#3

Hey man. I know how you feel. I am a former collegiate athlete who could bang the chicks until the sun came up.

Then I started taking propecia, and it ruined my life. My testicles started hurting and my semen turned watery after 2 years of no issues. I started getting fatigued and sleepy. I quit cold turkey and recovered for 2 weeks. It was great. Then I crashed. Real bad.

My testicles are literally going away. They are the size of small grapes now. I am sleepy 24/7 and have no energy or zest for life. My eyes don’t focus properly anymore. My body now twitches. My memory is noticeably worse. I can barely get an erection but soon it will be impossible. I am producing almost no ejaculate now. I am literally becoming a eunuch. There is no sexual feeling in my testicles anymore.

I’m tired of the questions from friends and family asking why I don’t have a girlfriend . How can I tell anyone how badly f###ed I am? It would break my mom and dads heart to hear their son can’t get an erection and produces no almost no sperm anymore. To tell them I can barely make it through the day. Would they support me? Of course. But why put them through that?

I have been to 4 different doctors and none have any idea what is going on. I have come to terms with my fate. What else can a man do?

I have thought about suicide. But it isn’t worth it. We only have one life. Find the joy in it. So my life won’t turn out like I thought. I won’t have kids or get married unfortunately. Probably will never have a girlfriend again unless I find someone else at rock bottom that is ok with a guy who can’t get it up and has no testicles. But there are still things you can enjoy with life. Watching some good TV shows. Traveling. I’d like to become a private pilot. I still box but need to fight the severe fatigue. I have goals that will still make life enjoyable.

Try to find the positive in your life and get some goals. Even with severe issues, life has too much to offer to end it yourself. Good luck and stay strong bro.