New to board, fellow victim

Member Stories
#1
  1. Where are you from (country)?
    USA
  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?)
    Via ADHD forum for Men
  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    46yrs, 6’1", 170lbs.
  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Not any more.
  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Meat and Veg, Organic, Supplements daily
  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    Hair loss
  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    About 4 years. I’m in the process of obtaining medical records.
  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    41 (March of 2006, not verified yet)
  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    45 (November of 2010 I think)
  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    cold turkey
  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    Propecia AND Proscar
  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1mg daily
  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    3 months. But I just thought it was me or my environment or stress as the cause.
  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    Sex drive which used to be so strong that I struggled with remaining faithful to my wife. Porn saved me.
    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
[X ] 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
[ ] 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)
[X] Muscle Wastage
[X ] Muscle Weakness
[X ] Joint Pain
[X ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[X ] 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?
    None yet. I’m searching for someone who knows about this propecia issue in SanDiego.

  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)?
    I have blood tests while taking propecia and new tests scheduled next week to compare.

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
    Severity of Anxiety level or Depression level. If it was a 1-10 scale, both of mine would be 10.
    Close to loosing my wife of 21 years over this. Crashed two BMW’s as a result of dizzyness, loss of conciousness. Difficulty with breathing regular rhythm and have to remind myself to take deep breaths.

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    I’ve seen 8 doctors since the hair transplant as a result of trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I went to one of the top 5 docs in Southern CA. He recommended I write a book due to all the notes, diaries of my thoughts and input from my wife about how I behave(misbehave).

Sex life went downhill since the hair transplant but I just thought I was getting old, or just not attracted anymore so I tried to accept the sexual dysfunction as a ‘part of life’. I still love my wife and still attracted. But my behavior keep putting such a horrible wall between us.
None of the antidepressants could resolve my depair, the alprazolam helped with Anxiety but it didn’t tell me WHY I had anxiety for the first time in my life and became a daily struggle. I’m very close to ruining a marriage of 21 years and being separated from my two wonderful kids who I adore. I don’t do drugs and I also quit drinking completely 5 months ago so I could be sure there were no external influences in the way of a diagnosis. I have Attention Deficit Disorder already so the cognitive functions are much worst. I was fired from a senior level position making well over 6 figures due to performance. My life has been completely trashed. And now I feel so bad about the collateral damage done to friends, family and other relationships. Much of which cannot be undone. I’m not the kind of person to sue anyone over wrongs and I can easily forgive when asked. I’m basically a mess now and typing words on a screen is the only way I can communicate well. I’m unable to get my words out in an organized fashion so someone can understand the story or point. I was never like this before.

#2

i feel for you…please read the recovery threads.dont give up!! theres a good chance you can get a lot better!!

#3

Thanks brazildude. There’s not a lot of support or encouragement from family or friends because of my behavior. And I’m likely to experience further negativity as a result of “Blaming something else or someone” for my decisions and behavior. As if I take no responsibility for what I’ve done or said.

The only ‘good’ that I’ve found… That God is so merciful, gracious, kind, loving and forgiving. The soul is the one thing that drugs or therapy cannot touch. He has literally and figuratively saved my life.

#4

Your not alone buddy, I feel the same way you do and fear loosing my wife and 2 great kids.
I have been acting very recklessly lately almost in hopes that it puts me out of my misery. I approached a 2 young punks who were causing problems parked on my culdesac at home and damn near killed them when they challenged me. I simply do not care about anything anymore and I just cant shake it.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk.

#5

At least you have Dr. in SD that has some knowledge. I cant find any help up here so Im ready to try steroids to see if it kick starts me…WTF…I have nothing to loose at this point since I am at Rock Bottom.

BTW…I love SD and have a condo there. I used to hang out by the pool and check out the women…I do not even enjoy that anymore.

#6

Why not try a men’s health clinic in San Jose? meridianmenshealth.com/

#7

I called Meridian Medical Group this morning and they have no knowledge or treatment plans for Post Finasteride problems.

They are in business to sell erection drugs, I have that, I just lost everything else that goes with it.

#8

Help me please… Propecia 1 year and Proscar 3 years. Admin, please post or cross-post to the best location. Thx

It’s been almost 3 years since I quit taking Propecia and I continue to struggle with major depression, ADHD symptoms, brain fog and emotionally flat. Nothing makes me happy or excited anymore. Even smiling is forced in social situations to pretend like I’m normal. Words cannot express how much damage has been done to my marriage and my relationships with both of my kids. Since Propecia, I’ve become an angry, bitter, mean and nasty old man with nothing positive to say.

Are there any success stories from those who use Selegiline or Progesterone or Allopregnanolone?

I’ve seen the foremost expert on sex medicine in San Diego and have 2 sets of lab results. This doc is only interested in the sex side of things, and my psych doc knows very little about PFS or how to treat the mental side, depression, anxiety, mood swings. Should I see an endocrinologist next or would anyone be able to direct me in the way of finding the right doctor as it relates specifically to finasteride damage?

I’ve searched propeciahelp forum and wrote down all the vitamins, supplements, medications and therapies mentioned here. Below is my current treatment regimen and I’m still having a rough time with depression and still unable to work after 3 years.
Please let me know if there are any other meds, vitamins or supplements I should add to the list.

Prescribed Meds:
.25ml of Testosterone (intramuscular)
Clomid 3 times a week
Mirtazapine 45mg (depression)
Adderall 40mg (ADHD symptoms - brain fog)
Alprazolam (zanax) for Anxiety

Vitamins/Supplements:
Taurine
L-Theanine
L-Carnitine
Omega3 DHA/EPA 720
Curcumin
Green Tea (EGCG)
CoQ10
Niacinamide
Creatine (powder in drink)
5HTP
GABA
L-Tyrosine
Ashwegandha
L-Lysine
Vitamin D3
Calcium with D3(400iu)
Super B-Complex (C-150mg, Thiamin-100mg, Riboflavin-20mg, Niacin-25mg, B6-2mg, Folic Acid-400mcg, B12-15mcg, Biotin-30mcg, Panthothenic Acid-5.5mg)
Vitamin E

#9

I feel so much for you, buddy. I was pretty much in the exact same situation when I quit (and crashed). You seem a long time sufferer with no improvements at all, am I right?

There’s only one consistent approach (protocol) to fight the symptoms nowadays: regular exercise combined with a healthy diet. Doctors will most likely tell you it’s all in your head - and even when they don’t, there’s nothing they can really do about your condition.

The Foundation is here to help us. Please consider donating when you can (I know you lost your job).

#10

Towm8er,

Hry brother. I am very sorrt to hear about your situation, it sounds extremely similar to what I’m going through and have gone through. I too lost a 6 figure job due to this crap. My girlfriend left me a few weeks before I lost the job making everything worse.

Have you tried this antidepressant “remeron”? Its the only one I’ve heard people have decent sucess with. Besides that time is the only thing that has lessen my side effects and only the mental ones.

#11

Will try remeron next. Thx.
It’s too bad that smoking weed has so many other side effects, and stigma. That’s the only thing I found to work on depression, but couldn’t sustain using it for obvious reasons. I makes the mental fog worse, along with memory.

I sure hope there are men at Merck, the FDA and Politicians who are taking Finasteride…

Why has it been 7 years and not even a single case has been tried in front of a jury?
Is there ANYTHING that has not been proven yet?
It’s taking more years to prosecute Merck for selling poison than it did for the drug approval process through the FDA.
How is this possible?

#12

Remeron is the same as Mirtazapine.

It is in your current treatment

Regards

#13

Ah yes your alreadt taking it…

#14

Got it. Remeron = Mirtazapine. Anyone recommend a suggested dose? I’m on 45mg for many weeks now and take it before going to bed.
I read the materials from the Torino Italy event last night, it was like getting hit by a truck all over again…
The syndrome can persist indefinitely, has no known cure and few, if any, effective treatments.
Reported persistent symptoms include loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s
Disease, penile atrophy, gynecomastia, muscle atrophy and weakness, cognitive
impairment, depression, sleep disorders, severe anxiety, severely dry skin, skeletal and
joint pain, metabolic and digestive disorders. The condition often has a life-altering impact
on the relationships and careers of affected patients, and a number of suicides have been
reported.

With all the studies, documents, reported cases with identical symptoms and many doctors up in arms about Propecia, it makes absolutely no sense that the FDA wouldn’t pull it off the market. Why so many years and no lawsuits have been tried yet? I’m so angry about this I could explode into a manic rage!

#15

There are lawsuits. Filed the first one in the USA two years ago. Should have been one sooner. “Life altering” more like life destroying.

#16

Towm8er,
It’s all true. No known cure or effective treatments so far. However, we do have some knowledge about our condition to say that regular exercise and a healthy diet make difference.

Besides, I’ve got to remind you that there ARE some known recovery cases. With that said, we know that there’s a way out, we just don’t know where it is.

Please stay calm and pull yourself together as you’re going to need all your energy to fight this disease. It’s not simple nor easy, but it’s possible.

#17

I’m sorry to be the bearer of even further bad news but guess who makes Remeron = Mirtazapine.

Yes that’s right… Merck

#18

These bastards at Merck are going to pay for the lives they have destroyed. Our only hope is in the ongoing studies to determine the root cause. I HONESTLY believe that we will have an answer reasonably soon (1-2 years). I just hope that it is something readily treatable. Oh my god… if I recover from this, I will enjoy every moment of the rest of my life…

#19

molybedneu- have you been improving at least? I have my libido back pretty much all the time now. In fact I feel like I am improving with the sexual sides faster than the physical ones.

#20

Fina

What physical sides are you still left with?

Did you suffer and shrinkage or narrowing?