Where are you from (country)?
Ireland
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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 -
What is your current age, height, weight?
25, 5’11, 185lbs -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Lift weights 3/4 times a week and cardio 3/4 times per week. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Mostly meat, veg and fruit. Generally have a take-out once a week. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
For hair-loss -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
14 days exactly -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
24 and started 18/07/2012 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
24 02/07/2012 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Generic Propecia -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1mg per day -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
13 days -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Reduced ejaculate and erectile dysfunction
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[X] Watery Ejaculate
[X] 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
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] 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”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
Had periods of eye twitching
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What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Only herbal treatments so far. Take a multi-vitamin specifically for fertility which includes Maca and l-arginine. I also take 50mg of Zinc, 600mg of ginseng and 250iu of vit D daily. -
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)?
I’ve yet to get a blood test but hope to next week (beginning July) -
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.
So in the summer of 2012 I took generic propecia for 14 days which was prescribed to me by a specialized hair-loss clinic in Ireland. Even though I did a decent amount of research on the associated risks, which included coming across this site, I decided to go ahead with the drug. My approach was that If I encounter any sides I’ll come off immediately so that the drug couldn’t have done any irreparable damage (how naive I was). I consciously tried to raise my awareness of how my sexual drive was and on day 13 I noticed a slight drop in libido and watery semen after ejaculating. That was my red flag and I stopped immediately at the start of August 2012. However, I did continue with topical 5% minoxidil.
This is where my story gets slightly confusing! After I stopped I had the spike in sex drive and then the subsequent crash that everyone else seems to go through. My crash involved extreme pain and swelling in my testicles, abdominal pain and pain in my perenium/prostate, however, I don’t recall any crash in my libido or sexual functioning. My doctor gave me an anti-inflammatory and the following week the pain subsided and my life went on seemingly without a hitch. So from late August 2012 to early March 2013 I was 100% in all areas. Then in early March I noticed my libido and sexual health took a massive hit. Erections became much more difficult to maintain and my semen went watery again with little pressure! WTF!!! I was out of the woods for 6 whole months and then BAM I get hit again! The symptoms were moderate at the beginning and I was able to achieve an erection after stimulation and maintain it but this is no longer the case most days. It’s now 4 months on and I’ve noticed no consistent improvements. In fact the symptoms have worsened the past two months. I have almost no lust for women even though I’m a stress-free happy dude who used to be highly sexually driven. I still get morning erections and this seems to be the only time i can keep it up without stimulation. With these symptoms I now have less of a desire to socialize and more of a desire to be isolated. I don’t seem to get the same level of joy from things that I used to. I never get excited about clubbing or drinking with friends any more. It almost feels I’m missing a part of my sole or something.
I’m totally baffled by what’s happened here. It doesn’t seem to make sense how my sexual functions have crashed so long after quitting. One interesting thing to note though is that my crash somehow coincided with me stopping the use of minoxidil. I can’t recall exactly how long after the crash occurred but maybe 2 or 3 weeks after stopping minox. I know this isn’t a site about minox but I need to figure out if it’s played a part. Has anyone has experienced problems with minox? The main question I’d like to ask though is this, has anyone experienced a delay in there post fin crash? I haven’t found one case like mine so I am seriously confused and worried.
As a footnote I’d like to thank the creators of this site and people like Cap and Chi to name but a few who have helped me keep my mental health in tact.