I’ve answered the questions required to join this forum, but it was hard for me to do because I’m flipping out and the questions seem painful to consider. I also feel as though I’m not a good subject yet because I don’t know what will happen and haven’t got enough perspective on the experience. But I’ve determined from looking at the forums that that level of experience isn’t unusual for members and I’m dying for help with this.
- Where are you from (country)?:
The United States.
- 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?)
I found this page through a link in this article posted elsewhere by a friend:
alternet.org/personal-health … 1#bookmark
- What is your current age, height, weight?
44, 5’7", 140.
- Do you ex[del]c[/del]ercise regularly? If so, what type of ex[del]c[/del]ercise?
I walk extensively every day (several miles) but haven’t been working out.
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
I’ve been a lacto-pescetarian until recently but have since minimized dairy products due to their becoming more difficult to digest.
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss.
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Ten years.
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
34; June 2004.
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
July 2014.
- How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
I’m in the process of quitting and was going cold turkey for one day before reading this forum; it’s probably not too late to taper off, since the drug isn’t out of my system yet. I’ve been reading this forum but haven’t seen clear answers on how to do it.
- What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
The label simply said finasteride; it was a generic. I still have it.
- What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Half of a 5mg pill; the dosage varied depending on the accuracy of the halving.
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
The problem is that I’m aging and thought that a decline in sex drive was part of the aging process. The things that I now see as symptoms seemed too crazy to consider.
- What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[X] Relative 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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[X] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] 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
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[X] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
None so far. I’m trying to be cautious.
- 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 haven’t had such blood tests yet.
- Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
I find it incredible that my doctor has said nothing about side effects for all these years.
- Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I’m one of the unlucky people whose doc. prescribed 5mg to be cut in half because “it’s cheaper.” My pharma-bribed physician said the drug would actually be good for my prostate and that Rogaine “doesn’t work.” On other occasions, he tried to get me to take cholesterol medicine that turned out to be deadly, but I’d read about the side effects beforehand and refused. He never told me that finasteride was a new or hormonal drug and I stupidly didn’t research the issue.
I took it for several years but could still function, and only noticed drastic changes recently. As I said, I’m aging and thought initially that the changes were due to that. Ditto frequency of urination, though I’d scheduled a blood test next week to check my prostate.
I moved in with my girlfriend very recently and am terrified as to what this could mean for us. Also, I work at night and already have difficulty sleeping. One of your members mentioned that the primary symptom of a crash is severe insomnia and I’m worried that loss of sleep could affect my job performance severely. I wish I knew the percentage of finasteride users who crashed after stopping: Whether it’s everyone who has experienced symptoms or only some, and whether the possibility increases dramatically if you’ve taken the drug as long as I have.