Propecia or Lyme or autoimmune?

Member Stories
#1

Current age 31
Took propecia for 2 years from 23-25
Stopped because had high liver enzymes
Took again from 27-29
Developed severe brain fog and stopped.

History of tick bites when younger, starting around 10 years old.

History of anxiety beginning age 17.
Noticed neurological issues such as slight left side weakness in early to mid 20s (don’t remember if before or after property, unfortunately)

Age 29, hormones tested, testosterone in the 100s.
No sex drive
Massive brain fog
Left side weakness and tremors
Difficulty with word recall

Age 30, prescribed levaquin for sinus infection.
After 2 days, severe anxiety and joint pain.
After 4 weeks, severe muscle twitching, brain fog, poor balance and coordination, left sided weakness
After a runaround, MRIs and all neuro exams normal.
3 positive bands on Lyme Western Blot
Cd57 bottom pits = 44
Very low cholesterol
Low vitamin D
Testosterone = 330

Now, MS like symptoms + depression + low libido

Dr House, anyone?

#2

Lyme disease could definitely be a contributing factor to neurological issues. Have you gotten that sorted out yet, undergone treatment?

Finasteride’s effects on neurosteroids have also been implicated in depression/anxiety/memory related issues, which could further compound the condition.

Levaquin is a powerful antibiotic from the fluoroquinolones drug class, which also have their own potential side effects, some of which may be neurological and/or physical (ie muscle/tendon neuropathies).

I’d suggest (after Lyme disease treatment) giving your body a break from any drugs and give it a chance to hopefully heal over time. Your lowish Testosterone levels may be a result of Finasteride and can be addressed via various treatments.

#3

I realize a lot of people have brain problems from propecia, notably brain fog.

But, how about neurological problems similar to MS and Lyme (left side weakness, bells palsy, poor coordination and balance, twitching, blurry vision in left eye, difficulty with vocabulary and speaking, nausea, etc)?

Amongst members on this forum, how many have experienced symptoms similar to mine?

I haven’t yet started treatment for Lyme as I want to rule out, as best as possible, whether these symptoms are from propecia. Tough to do, I know, but it doesnt seem as though my symptom-set is all that common amongst users here. The problem is that many of the symptoms from PFS and levaquin toxicity and Lyme overlap, thus making for a difficult differential diagnosis. Also, all 3 conditions are notoriously difficult to treat.