- Where are you from (country)?
From the UK but living in Thailand
- 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 searched propecia side effects and this site caught my eye.
- What is your current age, height, weight?
39 years, 178cm, 75kg
- Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes, 3 times aweek, elliptical trainer 20mins followed by 30mins of weights
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Gluten free, dairy free due to intolerances (present before using propecia) lots of rice, meat and veggies…not so much fruit.
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Diffuse hairloss
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
2 weeks
- How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
39 years, 18th May 2012
- How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
39 Years, 1st June 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?
Thai generic propecia 1mg tabs
- What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
0.5mg every day
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Start of the second week
- What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Had a lot on this list, but only a few persistently after discontinuation
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
[ ] 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
[X ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[X ] Prostate pain
[ ] 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?
Clomid, Tribulius, DHEA supplement, proviron, Vit B complex and magnesium
- 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)?
Only have post finasteride results so have nothing to compare.
-
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.
Tried it on a whim since it is readily available OTC in Thailand in original and generic form (I tried a cheap Thai version). A friend had tried it with some success a few years ago and he never mentioned any sides, I wasn’t aware how serious they could be, so I gave it a go. 0.5mg every day since I read that it was as effective as 1mg. In the second week I noticed a huge drop in energy levels and my libido was nonexistent (my hair thickness had improved though and no scalp itch). I couldn’t get it up for my GF despite trying a lot. I honestly thought I had a virus, coupled with some hot weather fatigue.
Naturally I looked deeper into side effects and saw some worrying reports from people. I’m a strong believer in the power of the mind, so I’m sure I didn’t help myself by reading so much negative press, however the initial response to Propecia wasn’t psychosomatic in any way. My lack of energy got better quite quickly once stopping, and I feel I have a clear mind again. My libido however has remained poor. I can now achieve a 70% erection if I try, but it fades away quickly even with stimulation. The anatomy of my penis and balls hasn’t changed I think. I feel so sorry for those people who have lost size and shape, but I don’t think that has happened to me. I do have a slightly numb penis tip though, but there is still some pleasure from touching it.
I got some post fin blood checks done, and everything looks relatively normal apart from too high SHBG and Albumin, which means my free Test is low. DHT is low normal I’d say. The endo said I should stop stressing and things would be ok.
Since everything is OTC here I decided after 2 more weeks of poor libido to try clomid. I saw online that it could boost LH FSH and result in a Test boost. I took 12.5mg (quarter tab) every other day. Within a week I started to feel so much more motivated and positive (if a little aggressive at times). I started getting so much stuff done that had been on the back burner. I wanted to exercise more, and thankfully I started to get morning erections again, but only about 70% full, and this hasn’t changed since. I didn’t become more emotionally engaged with people though, and I’m still slightly anti social (which I wasn’t before taking propecia). I realise it was potentially dumb to solve my problems with a different drug, but I felt a kick start might be all that’s required.
Having taken clomid for 2 months my libido was up slightly. I could achieve an 70% erection every few days, and I could climax quite easily. The semen thickened up to what it was before but with less volume. However I frequently lost interest in the masturbation/sex I was performing, and I couldn’t achieve a satisfying strong climax, just a weak dribble. This has remained the same since. I’m getting some prostate pain, mild, and no different to what I had experienced pre fin, so it hasn’t concerned me (my prostate seemed to flare up once a year for many years now…PSA is fine though, and no evidence of infection).
I got a second blood panel done to see what changes had happened due to clomid. My Total Test was very high (slightly above range), E2 surprisingly had barely changed. SHBG and Albumin virtually the same as before clomid and still too high, so bioavailable and free Test hadn’t really changed. The boost of total Test certainly helped my libido somewhat, but I’m nowhere near to what I was before propecia. I still don’t think about sex much and it never occurs to me to masturbate. Pre fin I would spontaneously decide to knock one out at least twice a week, and always had a fabulous time doing it. The second test didn’t involve a DHT check unfortunately (doc didn’t see the point) but it did show a DHEAs result of 139 ug/dl which is very low normal. Doc wasn’t concerned by this at all. My cortisol had gone up a lot from 9.9 to 23 ug/dl, but again the doc didn’t even talk about it.
I slowly stopped clomid, tapering down to 12.5mg per week. I didn’t crash, but my motivation went down a bit. Generally I feel normal apart from the loss of libido and sexual urges. I imagine there will be plenty of people telling me I’m fine and should go away and stop stressing, but I am concerned about my high SHBG and lack of free test.
I have also tried proviron briefly. I took a 25mg tab once a day for 4 days to see if my DHT got a boost and helped improve my libido. The opposite happened, my libido got worse and my semen went thin and liquidy again…so I stopped. I feel ok again now (well back to the initial post fin state). I did feel that tribulus gave me a boost for about one day and I had the urge to masturbate, climaxing very quickly, but again with only 70% wood. That feeling went away the next day, so I stopped taking those also. I’ve also tried DHEA supps and I really can’t say if it’s made any difference…maybe my mood improved slightly…but I can’t be sure.
My reasonable morning erections give me hope (although they disappear instantly)…and one time when I was jet lagged from a 12hr flight I dozed on my sofa, waking to find an 110% erection that was a bit painful and wouldn’t go away for 20 mins (was still on clomid once a week). I was elated to say the least…but that’s never happened since.
The last time I tried to have sex was 6 weeks ago. I used 25mg viagra, and was initially interested and fully erect, but this disappeared after a few minutes and I gave up trying. It’s like the nerve endings on my penis were numb. I was well rested at that time, and I definitely think that helps a lot. The more quality sleep I get the better my morning erections and libido.
Is it really possible to have long lasting sides after only 2 weeks of use? I know I’m in a better position than some here, but I still feel desperate to get back to how I was pre fin. Last May I had several great shagging session with my GF… they feel like a distant memory. 4 months on and I still have issues.