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Where are you from (country)?
USA -
How did you find this forum (Google search)
Was actually searching to find out if a generic Propecia was in the works, because this stuff is so darn expensive. Found this forum and all the updated warnings. -
What is your current age, height, weight?
41 years old, 5’10, 180lbs -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Mostly cardio - treadmill, biking if the weather is nice, some strength (but very little gain). 3-4 times a week doing something. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Balanced diet, no junk food, organic when I can, -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair thinning -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Over 10 years -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
About 27 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
Starting lowering the dosage around 40, quit now, at 41. July 1st, 2011 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Tapered off, then quit. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia, 1 mg/day, tapered to 1 mg/ every other day, sometimes missed a few days. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
In hindsight, within a year, possibly sooner (see my story) -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive (cycles)
[x ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections (cycles)
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[x]Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Physical
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[X] Weight Gain
[X] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[X] Muscle Wastage
- Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Always had hair like a mop through teen years and early 20s, always felt horny, had no trouble getting erections.
In mid to late 20s, noticed hair was thinning, talked to doctor, he put me on Propecia. I figured I was 27, unmarried, wanted to look good for dating, etc.
Propecia appeared to halt the thinning, but difficult to say if it reversed it. Of course, I don’t know if the thinning would have naturally stopped at that point or a different one without the propecia.
When dating and in relationships in late 20s and early 30s, started experiencing ED. Definitely (looking back now) had a huge decrease in sensitivity (I’m uncut) and sex drive (wanted it mentally, but didn’t seem to want it physically, if that makes sense).
Was casually meeting people in early-30s, so no real attempts at sex, and frankly, wasn’t that interested in having sex.
Decided to date friend of mine at age 35. We got married when I was 37. Sex life has been very minimal - she is very understanding - of everything I’m trying, including:
counseling - doctor thought it might be psychological/confidence issue
urologist - didn’t seem to believe I had little sensitivity in penis
semen analysis - low count, low motility, low volume, pretty much low everything,
blood tests - no actual numbers, but doctor said “normal”
I acknowledge I have a tight foreskin and am trying to stretch it - there was pain when the foreskin pulled back over the head.
I acknowledge also that some of the above symptoms could be from getting older. I mean, I’m 41…some weight gain, muscle loss, “moobs” can be expected, so I’m hesitant to blame everything on propecia.
doctor tried me on viagra and cialis. Cialis didn’t do anything, but viagra allows me to get and keep an erection, but have a lot of difficulty ejaculating - not enough stimulation
I do go through cycles where I have morning erections for about a week, then very few/if any.
I rarely get erections during the day, and I’m sure there have been weeks when I didn’t get a spontaneous erection at all.
I did try quitting Propecia for 3 months a couple years ago to see if that improved sensitivity or ED, but it did not, so I went back on it again.
I started tapering it simply because of cost and my age. If I’m in my 40s and losing hair, that seems better/more natural than in my 20s losing hair. Plus, my FSA stopped covering Propecia, and the price seems to be going up all the time.
Finding this forum, discovering the new warnings, and thinking about all my issues, I can’t help thinking they could be connected.
So I quit Propecia July 1st, 2011. If I go bald, so be it. I told my wife about this forum and about quitting. She cried for me (!) and said she fully supports what I’m doing and hopes that I can get better and we can have a better sex life. She loves me so much.
I’ve heard about taking ZMA and Tribulus (Sp?) and not sure if these are a good idea or not. Currently take a multivitamin, Omega oil every other day, and CoQ10 every other day.