-
Where are you from (country)?
UK -
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: ‘Saw Palmetto recovery’ -
What is your current age, height, weight?
26, 5"9, 71kg, was 78kg not long ago -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Weight lifting, aerobic -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Meat eater - healthy -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Prostate -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
Saw Palmetto for 1 month -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
26 -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
26 -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
N/A -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1800mg, as suggested on the bottle from Holland and Barrett -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
3-4 weeks -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Mental fog
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
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] 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)
[x] 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
[ ] Other (please explain)
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
L-Arginine, Horny Goat weed, Ginseng, vitamin pills
-
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)?
-
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
-
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
So basically, at the end of May I was having prostate pains and issues pissing. I don’t like my doctor as he never believes me when I have a problem so I went online and found that Saw Palmetto helps your prostate. I ordered if from a ‘trustworthy’ health company in the UK and ordered 450mg capsules. I had no idea that this stuff messes with your hormones etc. and there were no warnings on the website. So for one month, I took the recommended 1800mg a day, I was stressed with work at this point and had a panic attack; which was out of character. The doc gave me Citalopram and I took these for 3 days and stopped cos I hated them and they kill your dick. So I figured all my dick issues were from the Citalopram and I figured it would return in no time. This was about mid-June and I was planning to meet a girl I met online in mid-July. Anyway, my dick was failing and I still had no idea it was the SP. I was freaking out as I had to meet this girl and I was constantly masturbating to try and reassure myself that my dick is working; even though I knew something was up. Erections were weak and really hard to maintain, morning erections were gone and my libido was dead. I usually have a really high sex-drive and the feeling of nothingness really began to scare me.
So I met this girl and, thanks God, my dick worked fine and I fucked her all week long. But it still didn’t feel at it’s best, I figured it just needed rest and this would sort itself. 8 days at home, no wanking or anything and my dick was really shrivelled. Doc told me it’s all in my head etc. even my therapist told me this. I thought it might be but something still wasn’t right. Then I done some research and pretty much everyone’s story about fin, SP etc. follows my exact experiences and symptoms. My emotional distress has led me to wanting to kill myself sometimes and I REALLY don’t want to do that. I have had breakdowns and I don’t know why, for me, it’s clearly the hormones fucked in my body.
BUT, I am determined to get better and although the road is long; I will get there. Some advice and support here would be great. I think it’s more important I get my depression fixed before my dick is fixed.