Recent PFS symptoms

COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING INTO YOUR OWN POST, then answer the questions.

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    USA

  2. 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

  1. What is your current age, height, weight?

Age: 23 Height: 5’11" Weight: 160lbs

  1. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?

Yes, regular weight training and cardio.

  1. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?

Fairly healthy, omnivore, usually organic, whole grains

  1. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?

hair loss

  1. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?

2 days

  1. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?

Age: 23 March 3, 2013

  1. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?

Age:23 March 5, 2013

  1. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?

Cold turkey

  1. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?

Propecia

  1. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?

1 mg/day

  1. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?

Immediately

  1. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

Insomnia

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ X] 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
[X ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[X ] Suicidal Thoughts

Physical
[X ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ X] Testicular Pain
[X ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X ] 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)

Motion sickness/nausea, sensitivity to stimulants

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?

none

  1. 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)?

  2. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

  3. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

After taking 1 mg of Propecia, I experienced severe insomnia and a dull aching in my testicles. I took the drug the following day and then due to continued insomnia, began to research into possible side effects of propecia. After reading, I immediately stopped taking the drug and have not taken it since then. My insomnia and testicular pain continued for three or four days until it subsided. Over the next three weeks, I noticed increased libido and a general elevated mood. After those three to four weeks of heightened mood and libido, my insomnia abruptly returned, as did the testicular pain. About a week later, I noticed that my penis exhibited slight “hard flaccid” characteristics and my ejaculate took on a watery quality. Shortly after that, my libido totally disappeared and my penis took on a deadened quality, with low-hanging testicles and little dynamic feeling. As well, my testicles have shrunken to about a 1/3 to 1/2 their normal size. My symptoms have continued for approximately two weeks with no abatement. My mood is fairly volatile, especially when stimulated with sugar (I have not tried any other stimulants, such as caffeine), characterized by very strong ups and downs after sugar consumption. These ups and downs include mood changes as well as penile changes, with my testicles exhibiting more dynamic action immediately after consumption of sugar (testicles hang much closer to body, reduced “deadened” feeling). Overall, I feel somewhat despondent or “flat” with little emotional response to any type of daily activity and have had depressive and anxious symptoms, but am unsure if these have been brought on by the loss of sexual function or if they are a direct result of coming off of this drug. I also have experienced motion sickness from time to time since taking the drug, which has gotten worse since the onset of sexual symptoms, leading to periodic nausea. I also experienced muscle aches/numbness, especially in legs, during the onset of sexual symptoms. I have the ability to get an erection of about the same quality as prior to symptom onset, but can only do so with manual/visual stimulation. I have ejaculated once since the onset of sexual symptoms, with a fairly normal response except for slightly discolored ejaculate. Testicles increased in size slightly during and directly after ejaculation.

First thing to do would be to get some blood tests. If you have had any testicular shrinkage, signs would point to secondary hypogonadism, can’t say for certain without labs though.

Test for the following:

LH
FSH
Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
Estradiol
SHBG
DHT
TSH
Total Cortisol