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Where are you from (country)?
USA live in Japan -
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 -
What is your current age, height, weight?
26, 5’ 9 1/2" 170lbs -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes. Jogging and weights. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Typically very healthy. Veggies, rice, chicken fish. Not a lot of fast food or snacks. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Around 2 years. -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
24 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
26 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cole turkey -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Generic -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
originally a 5mg pill split into fours to save money, but then i was upped to 2.5 a day. Then I lost my pill cutter so for a little while I was taking a full 5 mg a day for a few months. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
None while on. -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Testicular pain started.
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
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
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
None. -
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)?
Blood tests were fine. -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
When I was 24 I started taking finasteride. I would take 1/4 of a 5mg pill to save money as they were cheaper than the 1mg pills. I noticed my hair was still thinning so my doctor said I could take 2.5 a day. However, I forgot to cut the pills after awhile and for a few months I would take the full 5mg pill as I lost my pill cutter. When I went to visit the states recently I stopped taking finasteride because I was waiting for my new script. I started to get extreme testicular pain that has since kind of calmed down to an occasional throbbing. I’ve been to two urologists, one diagnosed me with hpv, and said that the pain was probably epimyditis and gave my doxycycline. However, the pain came back after a few days. I also started to take 1/4 of the finasteride again, however, for about a week. I have no trouble ejaculating and have a high sex drive. But the pain has left me bewildered. Should I continue to take the medicine? Is less than a full two years long enough to have permanent effects? The doctor also gave me an ultrasound of my prostate and did not find anything unusual, but put me on meds for a possible inflamation/infection. I’m a little worried because he doesn’t speak English, and while my japanese is fluent, I’m not sure I can fully express what is going on. I also recently took blood tests for life insurance and everything came back healthy. If I continue to quit finasteride will my chances of prostate cancer go away? Am I too young for that to be a huge worry? I’m very scared and alone here so any feedback would be appreciated.