- Where are you from (country)?
U.S.
- 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?)
Turned up on google search when searching for information
- What is your current age, height, weight?
38 years old. 6’2; 250 lbs
- Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
On and off - mostly cardio. In the past was into weightlifting regularly
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Meat eater
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
10-11 years
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
28
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
37; quit late July 2011
- 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.)?
1 mg/day
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
A few years; while taking it only side I noticed was lower quality erections during sex but not too bad
- 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
[ ] 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
[X] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] 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
[ ] 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)
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Was put on clomid at 25 mg/day for low testosterone
- 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)?
My total testosterone crashed to 287 (range 260 - 1100). Posted blood test results in proper section and will include link.
-
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.
I’m incredibly terrified and depressed, along with many similar emotions that members have expressed. I began taking propecia years ago to prevent hair loss which I began to notice. My father had hair loss and since I took after a lot of his qualities, I assumed I would as well.
It worked for me and I went on for years without giving much thought to it, since I had thought I found a secret cure in propecia. I started taking it long ago, and do not even recall seeing warnings regarding side effects. I simply refilled my prescription online every couple months and kept taking it. I noticed lower quality of erections when having sex but that was about the full extent that I noticed. I would periodically pop a viagra for insurance when having sex. My libido was always there, I always maintained a high libido, masturbated regularly, had normal erections, etc. In retrospect, I probably had more difficulty losing weight while on propecia, though for periods of my life I was very physically active with weightlifting and fitness.
My nightmare began while trying to conceive my first child with my new wife early this year. She got pregnant but then had a miscarriage in July of this year. After the miscarriage was when I began to freak out that maybe the propecia had caused it, since my entire family never had anything like that happen.
I quit cold turkey in late July. About 3 weeks after was my crash (or first crash), as I know now. I began having pain in my rectum, which I thought was a hemmerhoid (having never had one before). It was the most painful few days I can ever remember, and when I went in to finally see a specialist it turned out it was a perianal abscess, basically an infection that needed to be drained. (now i realize that the fact that this health issue appeared on my rear end - near region of the prostate and all associated glands - had to be a result of coming off of finasteride).
After that, I did not notice many symptoms except for the fact that we still did not get pregnant for the next few months. Concerned, I got a semen analysis that showed higher than normal ‘abnormal’ sperm counts. The doctor ordered blood tests. It was then that the results came back with incredibly low total testosterone of 287 < range 260-1100 > (they said the other results - LH, FSH, prolactin, E2 were in normal range and I will post them). I still hadn’t noticed any other sides and was having normal sex, normal erections, libido, etc. I got a second semen analysis at a different doctor to confirm, and they ordered similar blood tests - showing the same bottom level testosterone.
It was then I really began to panic; since my wife is an angel - born to be a mother and I began realizing something was very wrong and I begain to fear what if I completely fail her. I wasn’t as much concerned with my own health at that point just the fact that our plans to have a child and her dreams of being a mother might be impacted by my actions.
The doctor prescribed clomid at that point - 25 mg/day with the intent to raise my testosterone. I began taking the clomid on Monday Nov 21, and had up to that point even days earlier been having normal sex, no problems with erections, or libido.
By the 3rd or 4th day of taking clomid was when the numbness set in on my penis, as well as ED. I couldn’t get an erection, and started to really freak out. If I concentrated enough and manually stimulated, I could get half mast but maintaining it was impossible. I quit taking the clomid after 4 days, and the symptoms have continued since with no signs of abating. It was then that I found this site and have been pouring over it ever since, seeing my symptoms reflected in countless posts. I dont know if it was just the trigger of additional testosterone that triggerred the chain reaction and kicked in all of the symptoms that had been just waiting to appear or what…but now that I have read the stories on this site I am certain it is what I’m dealing with. The numbness and ED symptoms especially are exactly what is going on.
I am a shell of my former self ever since, the only thing on my mind 24/7 is the sheer panic of what I may have done to myself and to the future of myself and my wife - and am almost overcome with regret and guilt and fear. I don’t know how I am going to get through this, never mind the fact that now I am noticing the fatigue and other factors associated with low T. The only thing I keep thinking of was how could I do this and why did I ever touch propecia. I may have very well destroyed my own and my wife’s future and all of our plans and dreams.
I could write more but that is about all I have in me for now - just sitting here wondering what I am going to do.