PLEASE HELP! Only took FIN for a week!

Member Stories
#1

Hey gang,

I just need some serious advice.

Basically, I received a sample pack of Propecia to try (14 pills) from my dermotologist. Started taking them. 1mg per day as prescribed. At the beginning, everything was fine. Around day 5, after my 5th pill, I began to notice some mild testicular pain. I took a day off at this point. After that, took a .5mg dose, two days, in a row, then one night I noticed some ED. This is where I quit. Out of the 14 orginal pills I received, I only have five left.

Clearly, I have not taken this drug for very long. Sexual function returned. However, testicle pain has not subsided. It has now been 4 days since my last dose. I experienced some SEVERE testicle/abdominal pains last night and I almost took myself to the hospital!

What is the advice to ensure that recover properly from this drug?? I will do whatever it takes! Let me know if you need more info! Thanks!

#2

Your body will determine how things go. Most likely you should be fine in coming weeks.

#3

I do have a few quesitons tho…

  1. Should I still try to take like a .25mg dose to kind of “ween” of this? I have not taken any for 5 days…

  2. What other steps should I take? Should I refrain from sex or masturbation?

  3. What steps/choices can I make to make sure I do not end up “crashing”? Thanks!

#4

It’s basically impossible to ween due to near flat dose response of drug, and it can take more than 7-10 days for DHT to start coming back online. Taking the drug again at this point will re-inhibit 5AR2 all over again. It’s your choice, and nobody knows if attempting to ween makes any difference.

Get bloodwork, review section 5:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7

Flat-dose response:
physics.upenn.edu/facultyinfo/frankel/papers/propeciafda2/

Other graphs and info on 5AR2/DHT inhibition:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1170

Won’t make any difference but probably a good idea just in case, try not to stress out and just relax, give your body a break.

There is no answer for this since we do not know why some experience this problem in the first place after quitting.

However, we are in the minority of users who experience this issue. The majority do not. Therefore odds are probably on your side you will recover as per Merck’s claims after quitting.

#5

The best advice I can give you is “get Plenty of sunlight”

and refrain from Mastrubation …

good luck…not everybody suffers …most of them recovers

#6

Hey gang.

Wanted to share a quick update and get some more feedback.

I have been off for 3 weeks. Sex is good, good orgasms, good erections. All good there.

However, I just still have lingering “discomfort” that comes and goes. It is not in my testicles either, it’s kind of in my groin, pelvic area. It comes and goes.

I feel like it has been getting better, but is this something I should get checked out or just let my body continue to heal? Is this common for even 3 weeks after quiting?

Thanks for your help!

#7

Oh wow, congratulations! You’re doing fine. It sounds like finasteride affected your pelvic area but it doesn’t sound like SERIOUS BUSINESS at all. And believe me, we know everything about how much/differently finasteride can affect your uh pelvic area. In many ways.

Wait for another week or two and see if symptons go away.

If i were you, i’d just keep going on and see if it subsides in the following months. Avoid alcohol during that time/take as little as you can! I’d say a two month timeline. Don’t overdo sex either, like uh reduce the amount of masturbation you do per week. Sex with girls/girlfriend is fine otherwise, i think. These are just precautions but better cautious than you know, being one of us.

Come again at some point (maybe after a month or when the side-effects go away/change and seem to stay like that for a week?) and give us an update.
My best advice is that never touch finasteride again. No propecia, Saw Palmetto, durasteride or that spirulina-thing.

#8

Hey gang.

Just a quick update on my progress.

I has now been 4 weeks since I have taken Propecia. Mentally, I feel great. I honestly feel like the week I was on that poison was a blur. What a mess…

However, physically I kind of just feel like something is not right. I have not had morning wood for these entire 4 weeks. The funny thing is I don’t ever remember having morning wood alot pre-fin (isn’t it odd we never thought about these things until after this experience?). I can sexually perform when with my g/f, and I will get random erections when sexting or something like that.

My testicles seem to be constantly changing sizes? Not the sac, but the the testicles themselves. Is this normal? What does this mean?

Also, I have been having a lot of sex, etc. I know I really shouldn’t be due to my situation but I cant help it. But at the same time, I feel like I may be doing the wrong thing?

Also, should I go get bloodwork? Do you think this is something I should get done?

Thanks!

#9

:::NEW UPDATE:::

I think I may have crashed?? I am desperately looking for some feedback/advice here.

It has now been 6 weeks since I have last taken FIN. I fear that my nightmares may be staring right back at me in the mirror…

I have noticed significant ED (no more spontaneous erections, difficulty maintaining one during masterbation, loss of libido). I have still been able to have sex but it seems that it is the touch of/with a woman is what is doing it. This is completely unlike my old self because I used to be able to get hard fairly easy by looking at porn, etc. All of my pain/discomfort is about 95% gone. However, I do get very dull pains in my penis now about 1-3 times a day. Nothing major I believe. Also, I have noticed the development of a small vein on the top of my penis. Could this be due to possible tissue wastage? Again, I only took this drug for about a week.

I have a Urologist appointment set for the 15th. What should I request from him? Ultrasound, bloodwork, anything else?

Finally, am I still being premature with my worried state or do I have some real concerns here?

Thanks and God bless.

#10

Sorry man, but your story is very similar to mine, with cycles of ups and downs after taking only few pills. If your cycles are getting better, that’s a good sign. If, as in my case, they get worse, well then it’s a bad sign.

#11

IMO get bloods dont immediately. If estrogen presents itself as high start arimidex treatment immediately.

IMO some of us could have stopped the rot hit the negative feedback loop our body gets into very early on.

#12

Sorry to hear!

Can’t say I have any great advice, but the monk-ish lifestyle I’ve been leading so far, with a diet of fresh fruit/raw vegetables and daily aerobic exercise, a lot of sleep, no coffee/alcohol/drugs at least hasn’t made me worse.

Our cases look similar, btw.

#13

::This is a response to a PM I received about a month ago. I figured I would share it for the well-being of the group. Please feel free to comment, or PM if you have any questions!::

UK20,

Hello. I will be more than happy to share my experience over the last 6 months. Also, please feel free to share this with the community as well under my original thread.

You already know my story so I won’t get into all that. But it has now been 6 months since I have taken this pill. I feel that I have recovered about 80%. I have done everything naturally. I have been to the doc recently and I going to get some bloods done in about 2 weeks. Honestly, I feel like I was shot by the propecia bullet, but it wasnt a fatal hit. I may be scarred a bit (not a 100% recovery) but only time will tell. I haven’t regressed at all during my recovery so I feel that is a good thing.

A word of advice. Take long breaks away from this site. This is a great place to learn about our condition and to interact with others who may also suffer, but reading too much into this every day can really take a toll on you. Some of us may have recovered more than we thought, but our MINDS are holding us back because we view this site on a daily basis and it gets us thinking…“have I truly been getting better?” Your mind then sets you back a bit.

Just try not to think about it. It will definately help in your recovery. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree and have been busy with other things. Sex life is good too. My GF was recently here over the holiday weekend and we had sex 10 times in 4 days! Just telling yourself, “fuck it, I made a mistake, I’m getting on with my life” really helps.

I usually “take care of business” about three times a week now. I used to be an everyday guy but I am cool with where I am at now. I currently do not have any MAJOR sides. No ED, no brain fog, no penile/prostate pain, etc. I feel that my only lingering side may be a decrease in libido, which comes and goes but I feel is returning slowly every few weeks.

Again, feel free to share with the community. And to everyone out there, TIME is your only friend here. Not hormones, HGH, or any of that bullshit. Natural is the way to go. God Bless!

P.S. Please feel free to PM me with questions or just to talk. I am not going to bolt from this site like a lot of others!