Penis Size--Just In My Head? (No pun intended)

Symptoms Sexual
#1

Hi, I’ve been on Propecia for three months now, and while I have noticed a nice amount of hair re-growth on my crown, I have also been concerned about penis size lately.

My erections are totally fine, as is the consistency and amount of my semen/ejaculations. My libido is exactly the same as it’s always been. All seemed fine, until…

…just recently, oh I’d say about a week ago, I was masturbating and just felt that I couldn’t get as well a hold of my penis as I used to. I have measured the length of my penis several times throughout the years before taking Propecia, and it’s length has always been 7 and a half inches. I was completely shocked when I measured it last week and it only came up to just shy of 5 inches!!

I have since measured it several more times and I get the same result. I always wait until I’m fully erect, but still, it seems to have gotten smaller since I started taking Propecia.

I got all paranoid and began reasoning that maybe I had not measured it properly, but surely, I couldn’t be so dumb to misread multiple measurements before! And I have always gotten comments from girls on how ‘big’ and ‘thick’ it is. I honestly did not notice it had possibly gotten smaller until I measured it recently.

How many of you have experienced this? Remember, I have no problems with erections at all and I still ejaculate a lot of thick semen, as is ‘normal’ for me. But this concern about size is something that has just now sprung up, and no, I had not been reading about side effects prior to this. So I doubt it’s “in my head,” but I don’t know. I will stop taking the stuff for about a month and see what happens.

It’s almost as if there is no more room for blood to flow in and expand it. Girth is slightly but not dramatically affected. I really, really hope this is reversible.

#2

OK, a little update…

Guys, we all know that to us, the very thought of ‘losing our dicks,’ so to speak, is extremely frightening. It’s VERY easy, almost impossible not to nearly hyperventilate when you read forums such as this, especially when you can relate to some of the symptoms mentioned here. While I am not retracting my concerns, I do think I went a little crazy there with the whole penis size thing–it was definitely in my head. More on this later.

However, there is also no doubt at all in my mind that I have been experiencing unusual symptoms lately (literally just during the past week, and have gotten worse since discovering this forum). My symptoms are as follows…

  • Mild burning of the urethra (especially the tip)
  • A mild fullness in my pelvic region
  • Unusual ‘tightness’ of the anal area
  • Unable to get 100% fully erect (I can get hard, but definitely not as much as I used to)

The worst of these is the burning of the urethra–something I never, ever experienced before. The fullness is also quite unusual, but I have felt something similar to it before taking Propecia. The anal tightness is the second worse thing, as it almost feels like I’m constipated, which I’m not. The third worse is the inability to get fully erect. This brings me back to my recent size scare…

Is it really possible that a pill can ‘eat-up’ one’s penis? I’m skeptical. What you have, is what you have, unless you contract some nasty form of flesh eating bacteria or have it chopped off. I did some research and haven’t read anything about penises literally magically shrinking in size. If anything, I think ‘shrinkage’ and ‘E.D.’ tend to be used interchangeably around here. Of course one’s dick is going to look ‘more wrinkly’ if you can’t get it up, especially if you lack the necessary sexual desire. However, I doubt that the penis tissue is actually being somehow ‘eaten up.’ I apologize in advance if I’m wrong. I admit that I have not researched this as much as most of you have. But in the end, I guess what I want to say is that it is not the case with me, at least.

I’m just now certain that after reading this site, I hyped myself up into such a big, unnecessary scare regarding my penis size, it almost makes me laugh in hindsight. Turns out I had been putting so much pressure to measure up to my usual 7 and a half, that that very pressure caused my dick to not reach its full potential, in turn making me think it was smaller. Basically, I was wrong–it’s all there.

I suggest anyone reading this site to take a deep breath and take an OBJECTIVE inventory of all their symptoms. DO NOT start taking everyone’s word as an undeniable fact. This will only make you go crazy. Don’t start trying to ‘feel’ and look out for the symptoms others experience. Stop. Think. And ask yourself, “now, did I really feel that before I read about it, or is it just now manifesting?”

Obviously, I still have major concerns due to my other symptoms. So I’ve decided to quit the Propecia for awhile and see what happens.

#3

We aren’t listing “shrinkage” as one of the symptoms for no reason. Propecia does seem to have this effect through its mechanisms. Personally I think its just how sexual dysfunction manifests itself, and reversing that would fix the shrinkage problem. There’s a post here about how a lack of androgens can change the penis tissue, and how by restoring them the penis tissue repairs itself. I also feel it might be related to a dopamine deficiency, but that’s only a guess. I’m no expert on the matter but I do want to let you know that yeah, this does seem to happen, but I believe its relative to your “libido”.

#4

Great, good to know your problems are psychological. Now you can move on and get on with your life.

I can tell you for a fact that penile shrinkage, fibrosis and Peyronie’s Disease are in fact possible as a result of Finasteride use due to depleted androgens (T/DHT), reduced bloodflow, and imparied Nitric Oxide production in the penile tissues via Fin’s inhibition of 5AR2/DHT. Dr Goldstein has also corroborated this.

Not to be a hard-ass but if your goal is to try and “convince” people here their problems are psychological (as in this thread and the other one about a member’s anxiety/mental state), you will fail miserably. People here aren’t interesting in arguing with “disbelievers”, as for us the proof is all too real and a daily reminder of what the drug did to us.

Since you were STILL ON THE DRUG until just recently and this forum is for men that QUIT THE DRUG WHO CONTINUE TO HAVE SIDE EFFECTS long after doing so, hopefully you will not experience such issues.

Many members were normal until discontinuing the medication, or their side effects were tolerable while on it… it wasn’t until coming off that their endocrine systems crashed. Still, we are in the small minority of Fin users worldwide that experience these ongoing issues after quitting, so most likely you should be fine.

I suggest you read the FAQ at top of site for more info. Good luck.

#5

My problems are not totally psychological, as I’ve clearly indicated in my previous posts. However, the penis size thing was.

I am definitely having symptoms that I feel are related to Propecia. I have been off of it for 2 days and here’s what’s happening…

-I know it seems really soon, but even I’m shocked to say that my erections are incredible. They are full and strong. I’d rather have a bald head than take anymore of that shit again.

-I no longer have the burning in my urethra.

-The anal tightness is gone. Completely.

-My scalp is INCREDIBLY ITCHY. Is this normal??? I’m talking BURNING itch here.

-My ejaculate is even more thick than it was before.

This is all objective, btw. And at just 2 days after quitting it, I’m having a hard time believing one could recover so quickly. I’ve read that sometimes guys recover quickly, only to go back to what they used to feel. I certainly hope that doesn’t happen with me. Keeping my fingers crossed

#6

hate to tell you but the head itching is probably hair that will fall out soon

#7

What’s the pun?

I don’t get it.

#8

You don’t get it?

How old are you?

#9

I used propecia for 3 years. I didn’t know what the drug was doing to me. It happened so gradually. My libido decreased and my penis and testicles got smaller. I was too embarrased to go to the doctor because I started out with a 4 inch when hard penis. The shrinkage of my penis and testicles became obvious. I also had a harder time achieving orgasm. I have been off propecia for 2 months now. I hope that I will regain some of what I have lost.