Hi guys
I’ve been swithering whether to post or not as I’m trying to best manage my mood/expectations since noticing a week past tuesday that my penis, like many others on the site, now appears to have gone through some physical changes.
Prior to this my concerns had been around skin damage/aging; much reduced ejaculate; slightly impaired libido; and concerns about changes to testicle size etc. I appreciate that I am one of the luckier posters on this site, if there is such a category, in that I’ve not experienced ED, complete loss of libido, fatigue etc. although I do have a history of depression/anxiety that may well have been compounded by this drug.
I stopped taking propecia cold turkey 6 months ago and my anti-depressant paroxetine in the New Year, so I’m really not sure if paroxetine withdrawal symptoms are also playing a part. I suspect that the combination of the two meds wasn’t a good one anyway and it was difficult to disentangle the various sides. I do appreciate however that propecia is the big bad in all this.
Anyway, my penis is now shorter when erect (I’d say at least an inch and a half shorter), taking it from being pretty average in size to small. When erect now there is still quite a bit of loose skin, and the foreskin remains over the head, rather than peeling back. As others have reported, it has also lost girth in places, and the skin can appear lifeless/dull/patchy in terms of colouration(?). Again, as others have reported, it appears to have lost some of its elasticity and rather than shrink up as it used to, it hangs lower and longer when flaccid. Because of the weight loss to the shaft, the head of the penis appears more prominent under the foreskin.
All of this has got me really upset and has provoked further anxiety/depression, and even suicidal thoughts, especially if the damage is irreversible. I saw my G.P. today to discuss my concerns, who has advised that I visit the genito-urinary clinic. She said that they could test my testosterone levels there etc. I appreciate that I am only at the beginning of my own journey in trying to rectify damage that has been done. I have read through the forum quite a bit on and off and I’ve not come across any member’s stories whereby they have been able to reverse these changes to the penis.
Is there any hope for this particular side effect?
(Apologies if this should have been posted elsewhere. I appreciate that this has been covered by many other members. I just felt that it was useful for me to tell my own story.)