Severe symptoms after taking one pill (was on steroids)

Member Stories
#1

BEFORE POSTING IN THE MEMBERS STORY SECTION, PLEASE COPY/PASTE THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS/PROFILE TEMPLATE INTO YOUR POST.

This is so that we can more easily track our symptoms and hopefully find patterns in our syndrome. This will also help others understand your background, and help us try to determine what are the most commonly experienced side effects after discontinuation of Finasteride.

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

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    Brazil
  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 search
  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    25, 187 cm, 97 kg (decreasing fast)
  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Yes, weightlift, but pretty sure wont be able to continue.
  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Normal, maybe a little healthier than most.
  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    Hair loss.
  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    One pill cutted in half and taken in two days.
  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    25
  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    25 (two days later)
  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    cold turkey
  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    generic
  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    0.5 mg each day
  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    On the second day already, getting worst since.
  14. 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] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[x] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[x] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] 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
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[x] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[x] Other (please explain)
Articulations stiffness

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    Still didn’t try any, but I’m going to see a doctor soon.

  2. 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 will post them soon.

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

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

I was into a steroid cycle (testosterone propionate, stanozolol and letrozol) when I decided to stop because my estradiol levels where too high, beggining to cause gyno. Soon after that I noticed that my hair was fallin, I figured out that this may be due to the excess of dht during the steroids use. When I took the first half pill I felt great, had great sex and was confident that my hair would stop falling and I wouldn’t have to worry again. The next morning I took the other half, and in the same afternoon things began to feel really weird. The first thing I felt was pain in the testicles, but I thought it could be relatad to the steroids (felt that before). But, when the night fell I started to feel things that I’ve never felt before. Could sleep, extreme anxiety, my penis feels like its going to dry and fall, I have absolutely no sex desire, can’t remember simple things like my postal code without doing effort to, feel tired but yet can not sleep, sensitivity on my nipples and so on. I’m really scared, because after a brief search on google I found that all theses symptons are related to the same thing, and they are often permanente. I’m desperated by how one single pill pretty much ended my life. I still have some hope that this might be reversible, but reading the stories the prognostic isn’t so good. Has anyone else ever heard something like this? Is there anything I can do now? English is not my main language, so forgive me if I made any mistakes.

#2

I spent the whole last day very thirsty. I had to drink a lot of water, but was pissing even more. Started to feel realy dehidrated and thought I was going to die. Went to a doctor and he gave something to calm me down, but told me to look for a endocrinologist for further examination. Today I woke feeling better, my dick seems to be alive again e the pain in the testicles is still there, but much less noticeable. I was able to eat again today and the support of my family is being critical in all this. Confusion, brain fog and memory problems are still there, but also weaker. I experienced a improvement in general and I’m feeling optimistic. These side effects are increbly alike the ones I had after stopping with the steroids, so might be something to be studied there. Perhaps the very little dose I took was enough to give an acute syndrom, since my body was already fragilized for the steroids. I’ll keep you guys updated when I get my blood tests back. For now, being around those I love, taking an optimistic aproach of life and eating as healthy as possible is all I’m doing, but is also working. I wonder how I would feel if I decided to do this before taking this damn medicine, but there is the lesson to be learned right here.

#3

Well, this syndrom really seems to be something that can tottally destroy someones life. I had something like two weeks after crashing were I really tought I was going to get well in no time. Especially at night, my symptons just went away. Felt good, hungry, horny and my muscle where all pumped and good looking. Unfortunatly, soon after that I started noticing that I wasnt feeling better at night anymore. I ended up how I was the first day I crashed, expect that now I knew what to expect. Things are going pretty bad right now. My family insists on taking me to psychiatrist, since they believe it’s impossible for someone to be like this after taking two half pills of something for two days. Anyway, I’ll use this to keep on telling my history. Gonna post my blood tests soon. For now, I have a pain in my prostate that seems to be due to estrogen imbalance.

It all happened to fast, it’s hard to face the fact that I was a happy, smart, beutiful young man one month ago and now I’m just laying here, almost invalid, unable to do anything I used to love. Can’t watch movies, listen music, go out, have sex. It feels like I took a time traveling pill, that me wake up being 90 years old.

Gonna try some treatments, see how it goes. Probably gonna end up commiting suicide if nothing changes, or change for worst. We all are going to die someday and I must say I lived some real good 25 years.

#4

I have a similar history to yours, I crashed multiple times during October-November of 2013.

Currently I am doing much better, but healing has been slow.

I noticed that I can prevent myself from crashing by:

  • avoiding fast carbohydrates, and eating too much at one time
  • avoiding excessive sports, especially aerobic excercise
  • avoiding sex and any sexual stimulation

During the crash, not eating anything, doing moderate exercise (squats and lifting small weights) and drinking green tea have helped me to alleviate the symptoms.

I hope you get better and please keep us updated.

I also recommend follow the instructions given by member “gefinauser” earlier:

#5

1 pill is all it takes. Your not alone.

youtube.com/watch?v=g3oTKY3T1DY

#6

Nothing too scientific here, but the testicle pain seems to be a precursor for those of us who got hit by the initial dose.

#7

It’s funny, I watched this video partially a couple os days before taking fin, but didn’t pay attention. I only cancelled a order for saw palmetto. Does anyone know how this guy is doing now?

Anyway, my currently symptoms are:

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence (I can have sex, but need to stimulate more)
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections (Have some, just not as strong)
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm (Orgams feels the same as pre fin)
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks (stopped having those, maybe I’m accepting this more)
[x] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts (not gonna do that, I need to get well)

Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain (Subsided)
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease (got much better)
[ ] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] Muscle Wastage (this is tricky, I did lost a lot of muscle, but it slowed)
[x] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain (not anymore)
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain (this was very strong for two days, but it’s now gone)
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems (Just when I thought this could get worse)
[x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets” (Just when I thought this could get worse)
[x] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[x] Frequent urination
[X] Lowered body temperature

[x] Other (please explain) Insomnia

#8

Jacobs has him on clomid. Supposedly it helped him a little. I believe he has pretty much resigned himself to it being rather permanent. Aside from that he has tried all the usual stuff. (including trib. and it didn’t help).

#9

That’s bad, man. I wish I paid more attention to this. I have several friends who took fin and we’re just fine. I’m hating myself now.

#10

So I got my latest blood tests and things aren’t looking good. Testosterone, cortisol, progesterone, dhea and estradiol are too high, all above range. This is typical pfs and surely shows adrenal stress. High cortisol and progesterone might be further inhibiting aromatase, creating the very well known infinite cycle. Another problem is that dhea and progesterone antagonizes the glucocorticoid receptor, making most o cortisol useless. This was confirmed from another saliva cortisol test I made, showing free cortisol leves three times over the range. Is no wonder that with all theses changes I’m having insomnia and test is not being able to do its job. It also makes me wonder how much of the genital blood flow is being held by pelvic floor tension. I need to find a way to lower this cortisol soon, or else it will start to affect mucosas, which is a worry specially in the gut. I don’t have enough knowledge to know which is the obvious next step. Perhaps a medication called mifepristone could help, but I don’t know for sure. It’s more than proved that this condition can be reversed, but surely it isn’t as simple as putting more testosterone in the body. I need to find a doctor willing to work with me. I believe a endo and a psychiatrist are necessary to give the needed support for overcoming these imbalances. A gaba agonist would be nice, but most of them create resistance. Ssri and antipsychotic are counter producent since both raise cortisol further. I’m using melatonin to sleep with some success, but need to be careful since it lowers dopamine too. It’s a hard puzzle, but not impossible to solve.

#11

to suppress cortisol value your, you are taking high doses of ascorbic acid = vitamin c. first 1/2 teaspoon with water and then are depending on well increase.

#12

and be carful on to your liver, not too much drugs,(medicines)
You’ve also noticed surely, your body reacts differently to the drugs …

#13

My liver exams are fine, but I’m watching the drugs I’m taking. It’s clear to me that the problem is not testosterone, so I won’t keep taking clomid. I might start taking rhodiola and ashwaganda to see how the cortisol behaves. The problem is that with high progesterone and dhea the body might get deprived of cortisol, because they fight for the same receptors. I don’t know what to do, I’ll look for a good sport doctor. I need to put hormones in the optimal ranges before believing the problem lies somewhere else like genes or something. I believe that nobody would be able to recover if this was the case, specially temporary recoveries.

#14

My anxiety is destroying me. I’m completely unable to take naps. Even if I close my eyes during day I get a rush of terrible thoughts. I know this because there is a problem with allopregnanolone and deoxycorticosterone. My latest labs confirmed this by showing high levels of progesterone and cortisol that can not be Created. I Dont know how much more I can hold.

#15

try to stay calm. I had the same problem, and I’m here. Have you tried Nolvadex? how du you sleep? You’re wasting too much Energy in order to find something out what can not all scientists anticipated, understood and cure …

kidney, then testo, then cortisol then progestrone etc … let go of everything … do not think much, do not work much, simply drag just back and relax …This thought circles, destroys you …

We all, I mean everyone here were ever at this point … try to understand that there is nothing you can do except be still strong, be patient …
see that day, which you will run
Antonio be strong, be strong …
[Size=4]Visualize your luck … all passes … your health comes back …
virility comes back … your joy, strength, humor comes everything again …
Be Strong. be persistent. be patient[/size]

#16

Everything dumbass said (his username is ironic apparently). The beginnings are horrific. For me, after a few months, the anxiety was greatly reduced. I am approaching four years in and each year gets better and better. Hold on. You will see what I’m talking about.

#17

Thanks, guys! I don’t have the will to kill myself, but this is no life either. I hope it gets better with time. I’m remaining strong for family and grilfriend. Can’t believe such a small dose could cause so much. I’ll keep you guys posted if I see any changes

#18

So today I started doing yoga classes in order to get rid of my crippling anxiety. It didn’t go well, I had head aches and my joints kept popping out.

Anyway, the curious thing is that my master actually has post finasteride syndrom. Crazy coincidence, isn’t it? The worst thing is that he doesn’t even know about it. The guy is on T injections because he had fatigue, but has become celibatary. I wonder how many men are out there suffering without knowing why. I also met a guy here with the same history and I live in a pretty small city.

Perhaps this guy’s way of living could be a answer for me if I don’t recover.

#19

hi there, if I could share a bit of my experience:

I took about 1/4 of a proscar 5mg pill and had horrible problems for about a month.
I recovered and warned everyone who was balding around me, yet my friend still took propecia.

He was the same as me and was completely impotent from the first pill (coincidence?),
anyway I recommended the same protocol I did, which was focused on reducing adrenal fatigue and it really seemed to help him, like it did me.

Small detour:
The reason I focused on adrenal fatigue was that someone a long time ago once told me you could check your adrenal levels by standing in a completely dark room with a mirror and shining a light into your eyes. If your pupils would decrease to a pinpoint and stay that way for about a minute, your levels were ok.
When I tested mine my pupils would bounce back and forth between normal and tiny about every few seconds.

What I recommended was to stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol, stop drinking coffee (and caffeinated tea) and stop drinking soda.
I took the following supplements:
Ashwagandha (this one is VERY important, it reduces your stress levels tremendously, I don’t know why this is a legal supplement because it acts like valium for me), Magnesium (also to reduce stress and suppress the nervous system), Vitamin C (to support the adrenal glands) and Vitamin D (you tend to lack this with adrenal fatigue).

I can’t tell you which one was the most important, but I do know it helped both my friend and myself. I still take magnesium and ashwagandha daily, it has been 7 months know since I took my first and last pill and feel the same as I did before.

My friend still feels bad after 2 months but he told me he does not have any sexual issues anymore since starting my protocol about 2 weeks ago. From what I can tell his mental side effects are still pretty bad (brain fog mostly). I never had any mental side effects so I couldn’t compare.

Hope this helps you because it really did help me and my friend.

1 Like
#20

The main thing is to back the studies that are going on and donate to research. You can do this by donating money to the PFS Foundation.