COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING INTO YOUR OWN POST, then answer the questions.
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Where are you from (country)? USA
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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 Search
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What is your current age, height, weight? 6’2" - 205
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? Yes, weights, some running, some swimming
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? Somehealthy, some fast food, some meat
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? Vanity when younger.
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? On and off for 4-6 years
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 30
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? Around 2004
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? I was on very low dose for a long time. And stopped when trying to have kids, before last was born.
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? At first one a day then 1/4 then 1/4 every other.
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? Had bad, bad prostatitis flare up at 4 months in. Don’t feel like my prostate ever fully recovered.
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? After flare up, really intense night time erections that wake me up. This only resolves by sitting much less. Much worse prostatitis frequency and severity.
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
[x] 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
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts) Possibly some enlargement.
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[X] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain)
In general bad prostate issues, and the worst symptom was development of intense night time erections that only subside on waking and standing. Can wake me up completely with pain/discomfort. This happened after taking Propecia. It doesn’t sound bad but prolonged deprivation of quality sleep has caused me a lot of mental focus and memory issues as well as overall fatigue and moodiness.
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Ibuprofen, but I can’t handle that for long, too hard on stomach, I sit much less. Pretty much had to stop all work as I know it because not sitting is the only thing that seems to resolve the strength of nocturnal erections that cause pain and deprive sleep.
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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)?
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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.
Less than 4 months in I had the most incredibly painful flare up of prostatitis I had ever experienced. I thought the stuff was “good” for the prostate since it was something that supposedly prevented BPH. All reading said that DHT was “non-essential”. I think Propecia really damaged my prostate and I may have permanent nerve or vascular issues now that are somehow contributing to these night time spasms/erections I have. At their worst they are very painful. I can sort of control it only through cessation of sitting in an office chair. This problem has wreaked havoc with my career and marriage. Sex has become more painful and increases symptoms. It’s like something got changed when I took it and I have never fully recovered.