NOT having fun right now...

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?)
    Google

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    26, 5’10", 155

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Yes - Cardio - intermediate/heavy; Free weights - light

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Normal crappy American diet.

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

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

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    25 years old. Approx - November 20, 2010.

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    25 years old. Approx - November 30, 2010.

  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?
    Generic

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    2 days.

  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
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[?] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[X] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] 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
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

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

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X] 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?
    None

  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)?

http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5780

  1. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

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

Right now I think the mental sides are hitting me the hardest. I have extreme anxiety constantly for no apparent reason. This makes it very difficult to fall asleep and to relax. I cannot stay focused on anything for very long. Reading comprehension is compromised, which makes reading a real joy. Communication is difficult, both in conveying my thoughts and interprering others. I slur my speech now; there is 0 self confidence behind the words that come out of my mouth - it’s almost like I am constantly second guessing what I am about to say. This makes for an interesting workplace environment to say the least. I used to feel that I had no emotion, but recently I got “sadness” back. Yay! Seriously, I just broke down on the phone with my father - pretty sad stuff for a 26 year old man to be going through…

Libido is nonexistant. I can get erections w/ porn if I try, but this usually takes 2-10 minutes, where as before it was automatic and instant. If I were to guess, these erections are about 80% what they used to be interms of size and hardness, however I think they are still suitable for penetration. Random erections are a rare occurance. When they do occur they are still very complieant / not hard. Morning erections occur approximately 2 times per week. I am PETRIFIED now to pursue a relationship due to the potential embarasment and emotional damage it may cause. NOTE: Uro prescribed Levitra and it seems to give me erections that are akin to pre-fin days, if not a little better even. This is a good sign.

Physically, I get these bad headaches that feel like my skull is pulling vacuum. These are constant and they are driving me insane! I recently developed eyefloaters (thank you Levitra?) and my left eye is bretty much beseiged by these clear microbial-look strands and circles that always get in the way of text while I am typing and reading. At least I can start a floater collection now. Fun stuff! Also, testicular pain! this seems to be getting a little better with time, but it’s still there as a friendly reminder that I’m all messed.

My face looks different: Thinner lighter eyebrows, fatty tissue build up around the lips, puffy face, dark sunken eye circles. Basically, I look like Tara Reid. …Ok maybe not that bad yet, but definitely getting there. I have issues sleeping, wake up constantly, trouble falling asleep, etc…

Doctor visits have been fruitless so far. Uro said I Fin was fine, and prescribed me Levitra. Endo thought I was crazy and didn’t even give me the time of day. GP seems to be on board and very receptive to what I have to say.

Right now I’m honestly at a new low. I woke up this morning ready to call out sick, because I felt messed up in the head. Battled through it though. I really need some guidance on treatment options, and things that might alleviate some of my persistant sides.

I just have to keep on battling!

#2

Facial swelling is a listed side effect of propecia. Has this improved at all for you?

Take care of the easy things first that may help you be healthier:

eat a paleo diet - google it if you’re not familiar
eliminate sugars, caffeine, alcohol, and grain or grain-based foods such as bread and pasta
get enough rest
do not overdo sexual activity or masturbation especially if you’re in a fragile recovery period - maybe once every three days
moderate exercise

Your blood tests aren’t very revealing, SHBG is at the top of the range similar to scaredtodeath. Test results are towards the top too. Do you have any more results to post?

#3

If you drink coffee, you might consider giving it up. I dont know about others, but coffee gave me an all day headache

Id say sleep was one of the most important things early on. I took Remeron for the first year. It REALLY helped me get through the terrible insomnia for the worst of it. But It may make your sexual sides temp worse, it didnt seem to change mine, but I gained a lot of weight

#4

I am going to get some bloodwork done tomorrow morning, actually. The results should be back by early next week. I will be sure to post them up. I’m getting pretty much everything that is recommended in the short list: Adiol-G, DHT, T, E2, E3, FT3, FT4, RT3, LH, FSH, TSH, PRL. I think that will give me a more clear snapshot of what’s going on hormonally.

Thanks for the advice! I am going to give the paleo diet a try. It seems fairly tolerable / straight forward. I have been cutting down on climaxing since I’ve began feeling really bad. Probably going to try to masturbate w/o climaxing for practice, if that makes any sense.

Haha, yeah - I drink tons of coffee. It definitely doesn’t have the same effect on me as it did prefin. My GP recommended cutting out the caffeine when I cried to him about sleep problems, so I cut the caffeine for 2 weeks and still had headaches and sleep problems (no change) so I went back to my normal, ridiculously high caffeine intake. Maybe I’ll try to give it up again for a few weeks to see if the headaches go away? They have been getting worse.

I’ve found that both Nyquil and melatonin are pretty effective at both calming me down (reducing anxiety) and making me tired, so I have been using those when I have been unable to get to bed.

Thanks for the advice.

I will keep you posted.

#5

Yea, coffee is good. I really miss it. I try a cup here and there. If I have a rare good night of sleep, I can tolerate a little coffee. But most days, I have very strong black tea. Black tea seems to not give the headaches like coffee does.

I havent had my cortisol tested yet, but I suspect high cortisol. Coffee raises cortisol, black tea may lower it.

#6

My headache and sleep has gotten better since my last posting, but the headache always feels present to some extent. I’ve continued to drink coffee throughout this timeframe. The magnitude of my various sides seems cyclic.

Just got my lab results back today and they paint a much different picture than my previous tests…

Latest blood test results (2/3/2012):

[b]
Testosterone, Free 10.3 [9.3-26.5] pg/mL
Testosterone, Total 623 [348-1197] pg/dL
DHT 62 [30-85] ng/dL

3-Adiol-G 244[190-900] ng/dL

LH 3.1 [1.7-8.6] mIU/mL
FSH 2 [1.5-12.4] mIU/mL

Estradiol 13.6 [7.6-42.6] pg/ml
Estrogens, total 81 [40-115] pg/mL
Prolactin 6.5 [4.0-15.2] ng/ml

TSH 1.120 [.45-4.5] uIU/ml
T4, Free 2.2 [2-4.4] pg/ml
T3, Free 1.38 [.82-1.77] ng/dL
RT3 26 [13.5-34.2] ng/dL[/b]

NOTE: Venipuncture was @ 7:30AM.
The blood was drawn when I was getting over a cold (still sick) and towards the end of a cycle of feeling absolutely terrible side effect-wise.

I still feel pretty bad, but definitely better than last week when the blood was drawn. Abstaining for 4-5 days seemed to help libido. But overall, I have the typical low motivation, low libido, feeling high and/or drunk all the time. Lovely.

My current plan is to exercise more, cut alcohol consumption, eat healthier and wait. I will try to make an appt. with a doctor that is familiar with this condition sometime next week.

#7

Well I just had a follow up with my GP earlier this week to discuss my most recent blood tests and how I have been feeling lately. He really doesn’t seem to put much stock in blood tests. He said that these tests are simple snapshots at on point in time of a very complicated system that is constantly changing. Unless the tests showed something dramatically off (i.e. orders of magnitude) there is usually nothing to be concerned about.

Since my results were all within range, he seemed to think that my HPTA is “intact” and functioning.

After telling him that I felt high all the time, and had constant anxiety / uneasiness, he was quick to offer up prescriptions for a SSRI and a benzo - I believe Paxil and Xanax, respectively. He did mention the possiblity of adverse physical and sexual sides with admin. of the SSRI. I basically said no thanks to both. He understood my decision and aprehension about putting other pharmaceuticals into my body, but he said that if I changed my mind, he can get me a script via phone any time… which was good.

He also cautioned me about doctors promising cures or effective treatments, as these can many times be money traps. I can easily see the treatment tab racking up very very fast, so I think that any treatment plan should focus on nutrition, exercise, and time. Maybe throw in some therapy for good measure…

Overall I think that he’s a pretty good GP and I will continue to use his services. Also, I’m seeing a psychiatrist nest week to talk about my “problems”. This should be fun. :smiley:

I don’t really think that I have improved yet in any area, unfortunately. Will chime in periodically.

Man does this shit ever suck!

Also, any thoughts/experiences on Xanax? Shoud I give it a try?

#8

New lab test results (also posted in blood tests section):

Latest blood test results (9/12/12) ~ 7:30 am:

Testosterone, Free 17.0 [9.3-26.5] pg/mL (increased)
Testosterone, Total 876 [348-1197] ng/dL (increased)
Androstenedione 134 [44-186] ng/dL (…)
3-Adiol-G 359[190-900] ng/dL (increased)
PSA 1.5 [0-4.0] ng/mL (…)

LH 3.6 [1.7-8.6] mIU/mL (increased)
FSH 1.9 [1.5-12.4] mIU/mL (decreased)

SHBG 57.3 [16.5-55.9] nmol/L (…)
Estradiol 34.7 [7.6-42.6] pg/ml ( increased)
Estrone 87 [12-72] pg/ml (…)
Estrogens, Total 152 [40-115] pg/ml (increased)

Cortisol (AM Serum) 18.6 [8.3-19.4] ug/dL (…)
ACTH 28.3 [7.2-63.3] pg/mL (…)

Vitamin D 47.9 [30.0-100.0] ng/mL (…)
Creatine Kinase 137 [24-204] U/L (…)

There have been no major changes in my condition since having my bloodwork done.

Areas of improvement:

My quality of sleep has improved. Waking up in the middle of the night is now a rare occurance. It used to happen at least 2 times per week. I feel like it is also a little easier to fall asleep.

Testicular pain has decreased in both frequency and magnitude. I still get pains a few times a day, but they are nowhere near as annoying as they used to be. I have not really noticed a change in testicular fullness. They still typically hang way too low and appear to range from 60-80% of their normal size and fullness. They do retract to a more normal position after cardio exercise, and just before I take a dump.

I think that erections are improving SLIGHTLY. I feel like I can typically achieve and maintain 85% hardness within 3 minutes of watching porn and stimulation. If I masturbate more several times during the day, I notice that the erection quality and response gets significantly better. A few times recently I think that I nearly maxed out hardness since I actually felt mild discomfort. Overall, it still takes much more effort to get and maintain an erection. Erections used to occur randomly throughout the day. Now, random erections are coming back, but they are-semi hard and very rare.

Libido is now at 10% of what it used to be, but it is no longer 0. If I start looking @ porn, usually I will feel desire to follow through. For the most part, I’m a zombie when it comes to anything, so yeah - not better than 10% of being normal on the libido front.

Physical condition has gotten better overall over the course of the past month. My back pain has subsided, and I now go to the gym 4-5 times a week to run. I was freaking out for awhile because my back would always crack and feel painful under compression (sometimes even walking) but that does not seem to bother me very much. Running seems to help get my mind off the condition. I can usually sustain about 2 miles of running @ 8.5mph on the treadmill before i need to rest. Muscle weakness is still prevelent in my upper body. It’s embarassing at the gym when women are military pressing more than you.

Areas of regression:

Perhaps the scariest part of my story so far is that some of the neurological symptoms seem to be getting worse - specifically the vertigo, motor contol, muscle spasms and headaches.

Mornings are the absolute worst. Forcing myself out of bed, into the shower, and into cloths is a monumental challenge… every effing morning. On my way to my car, I feel drunk / high. When I drive to work, I feel drunk / out of it. At work, I seem to be getting more clumsly. I almost fell over simply turning right walking in the hallway because my brain had temporay equipoise lapse.

Typing has gotten more difficult. I seem to make many more typos, and I have trouble putting coherrent sentences together in writing (much the same verbally). It seems to take me FOREVER to get my points across in email. More active things like throwing and catching a football seem to have gotten more difficult. I simply don’t have thes same fine motor control and dynamic response as I used to possess.

One thing that I noticed about 1 month after quitting was muscle spasms as I was going to bed. These seemed to go away by the second month off, but as of 4 months ago, they have returned. I had one experience where my left tricep was twitching uncontrollably for about an hour. I had my friend feel it and he agreed that something was really off. Currenlty I get them throughout the day; typically in my quads, hamstring, groun and butt. These twitches are typically just a few pulses, then they subside.

I always have some degree of a headache now and it is killing me. Some days are worse than others, but for the most part the headaches are a continuous seige on my wellbeing. I fear that headaches, slurred speech, constant anxiety, dizziness, and muscle spasms are indicative of neurological damage. Due to the persistance and direct impact of all of these symptoms on my quality of life, I am constantly sad.

Overall, things are still pretty bad, but my improvements in some areas are enough to give me some hope. Things have gotten slightly better with time, and I only hope that some of these cognative symptoms begin to recede.

Sorry for the depressing rant, but I felt obligated to chime in since it had been some time since my last update.

#9

Hey man. I am 3 months off and used for 9 days. I am having terrible sides, alot of what u mentioned. I am glad to see u are improving in some areas though, like sleep. Mental sides are the most alarming for me right now. What in the **** has happened to us?!

#10

Dude, I know. I wish I could provide an answer, but I have no idea. None of us really know what the hell this crap did to us.

All we can do is try to stay as healthy, happy, and sane as possible. Hopefully with time, the sides will fade for all of us.