Sides after 6 months off fin

Symptoms Neurological
#1

Hi all

Initially, I had been on Proscar (1.25mg every 2 days) for a couple of years. But I began feeling a bit fatigued, so I stopped for 3 months.

I felt better (so I thought) during those 3 months, but I noticed my hair deteriorate and began stressing so I went back on it.

About 7 months later, I thought I’d cut the dosage by switching to Propecia (0.25mg/day) which effectively was half of before. Shortly after I noticed a bit of brain fog, and a month later I decided to go back to my normal dose to see if the brain fog went away. After a month back on the normal dose, it still was there, so I quit.

Over the 5 months after quitting, the brain fog seems to have increased and I had a large shed and a patch is somewhat noticeable, particularly after using minoxidil as minox makes the hair appear thinner. I also feel more tense in the shoulders, and my erections are not as hard. It’s almost 6 months now.

Has it happened to anyone, that brain fog started after cutting the dose or quitting? That’s what I’m thinking… although, the first time I quit, I actually felt better. Why might this be the case?

#2

Neurological side effects generally clear up slowly over time for many.

In general, depression and anxiety tend to abate within a few weeks of quitting as 5AR enzyme should be functioning again, allowing neurosteroids to function.

Memory impairment, slurring of speech, blanking out, clouded thinking etc often take much longer. For me it took 1-2 years before improvements in this area started to take place.

In your case, experiencing mental side effects 6 months after quitting could be unrelated. Get bloodwork to see how your Testosterone and other hormones are doing.

#3

Just noticed your post on hairlosshelp.com:

hairlosshelp.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=95414&enterthread=y

If that’s the case, you certainly do not belong on this forum.

No, it won’t. It will only make things worse since you’ll be inhibiting 5AR-derived neurosteroid metabolism once again.

Your motives are clear. Unless you can provide a compelling reason you should be on this site since you are planning to get back on Finasteride, your account will be removed.

#4

If after reading all the testamonials, and experiencing some of the side effects, then you quit and the side effects get worse AND you lose a significant amount of hair in the process, would it not be unreasonable for it to cross someones mind about what if they had not gotten off the drug? Or what if they resumed it again?

As I mentioned, getting back on it is not something I want. I am still off it.

#5

Sure, many of us have had those thoughts, however truth is it is better to be off then on, since you are no longer inhibiting 5AR.

Expect your side effects to resume, since you are inhibiting 5AR again.

You state that here, yet on hairlosshelp.com state you want to continue taking it. Can you explain this?

#6

I felt complete recovery for a week after quitting. Then, I experienced some mental sides within a month of quitting. Then, I started experiencing them worse and worse and worse around 3-4 months off. Then, I was put on clomid and the anxiety and brain fog had become extreme. With hindsight, I had run out of pregnenolone on clomid (my pregnenolone was being stolen by the T-production line), but I didn’t know anything about hormones back then and lived a miserable life for several months without treating my lack of pregnenolone.

Anyway, yes, all sides (and mental sides too) can get worse as time goes by. Many people improve with time, some do not, some get worse. If you are losing hair and having mental sides, then this indicates that you have:

  • at least decent free T,
  • low pregnenolone,
  • low progesterone,
  • (probably) low cortisol
  • If your libido is dead, then you have high E2 too.