I quit cold turkey about 5/6 months ago and besides the first 4 or 5 weeks (which I had ups and downs, sometimes no erections, others weak erections) I’m basically doing fine in regards to sexual activity.
I had significant cognitive effects when I went off Propecia after 17 years. I originally quit cold turkey, but had a migraine on day 3 and very clouded thinking, anxiety, etc. I went back on Propecia and the side effects went away in a few days. I then tried skipping days, but also had significant side effects. I then tried going to 1/2 a pill on the days I wanted to skip. I finally received the recommendation to follow the recommendations for quitting an SSRI, which is to reduce the size of the pill by approximately 10% each week, but take the same dose each day. So, take 0.9 of a pill (1/2 pill+1/4 pill + 1/8 pill) for a week, then 0.8 of a pill, which I approximated with 3/4 of a pill. This reduced my side effects to a manageable level. The doctor I consulted said that there was no way to avoid the side effects since the body will go through what he described as a “mini menopause”. I was thankful to know that the side effects should be expected, and the main goal is to minimize them by weaning. People say that weaning doesn’t work due to the flat impact profile of Propecia, but this wasn’t my experience. I felt every reduction in the dose. The quitting process made me glad I was quitting. It’s hard for me to imagine anything that could be this hard to quit is good for your body and brain. Good luck getting through the side effects.
I’m going to try weening. If 5AR is inhibited for about a week (7 days), and benefits (i.e. increased DHT levels) can be seen for 5-7 days shortly after, I will try taking one pills shortly after I experience these benefits. I mean, it can’t be much different than the actual first time I took propecia. And back then I didn’t have any side-effects. Besides, 5-7 days of DHT is better than none. I’m getting more tests done this week. After I meet with my doctor, I’ll make a final decision. I’d be happy to check back in if anyone would like.
I really would like to THANK EVERYONE for these posts. Ya, it’s scary. And some of this is not the most positive news, but hearing from everyone is SO helpful. Without research, our personal anecdotal observations are all me have. So thanks again!
Hello
I’m a new member. I don’t qualify the terms of the forum, because i’m still using the drug, but i just didn’t see any other option of posting my question.
Would it make sense to move from fincar to propecia due to better weening off??
I have red the 5th point in the Finasteride Side Effects FAQ explaining how to quit from Proscar and Propecia, but for me seems logical to switch from 1,25mg that is quarter of Proscar, Fincar, etc., to a 1mg that is whole Propecia and can be further reduced to half/quarter/etc.
Does this make sense? If yes, for how long should i reduce te dosage and finnaly quit at the end??
Thank you very much
This response curve makes extremely difficult to wean off finasteride. The most challenging is from 0.2mg to 0, where the curve is the steepest. A few days ago my endo told me that one of his colleagues/collaborators who still takes finasteride is extremely scared of its potency and he began to wean off over an expected period two years, especially from 0.1mg to 0, and he has precision instruments to do so and to constantly monitor the rate of DHT inhibition.
Since the majority of guys who still take Fin don’t have lab instruments, how about this: dissolving a 1mg pill in a measured amount of liquid e.g. 4oz and progressively reduce the amount. At first they will drink decreasing amount of liquid, and then in the final stages they will count the drops