Stogie Story

Member Stories
#1

  1. How did you find this forum?
    I am having side affects from taking Fin, reasearched internet and found.

  2. What is your current age, height, weight?
    I am 31 years old, 5’6, 135-140 pounds

  3. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    I do not exercise currently

  4. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    I eat pretty healthy I think, I stay away from fast food, eat fruit every now and then, veggies.

  5. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    I took Finasteride to prevent future hair loss and keep the hair I have

  6. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    I took fin starting September 11th 2011 - quit cold turkey 10/16/12 = 13 months

  7. How old were you when you started Finasteride?
    30 years old when I started

  8. How old were you when you quit?
    31 years old when I quit

  9. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    Cold Turkey

  10. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    other generic brand from Shapiro Medical

  11. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    I took 1/4 or .25mg a day

  12. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    I noticed side effects with brain fog, loss of sex drive, fatigue, mood swings after about 8 months of use. The came loss of libido, morning erections, penile shrikage, etc.

  13. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    Penile shrinkage, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, reduced and watery ejaculate, emotionally flat, difficulty focusing, confused, lack of motivation.

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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[x] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[x] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

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

[ ] Other (please explain)

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
    None

  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)?
    Nothing at this time

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

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

During the year of 2011 I began to notice my hair loss. I became obssessed with male celeberties who were going bald suddenly reappearing on television with new hairlines. I wanted a full head of hair like them and began to research hair loss and procedures available. In September of 2011, I met with a man named Matt from Shapiro medical and discussed about a potential hair transplant. After further consideration I decided not to do a hair transplant. I decided it wasnt worth the money. However I did buy into Finasteride. Matt sold me on the pills, told me he has been on it for ten years, no side effects, it works and will allow me to keep the hair I have. I became satisfied with this option and started taking a generic version of Finasteride on September 11th 2011. From there, the first side effects I noticed was feeling heavy or like I gained weight. I never researched the effects as I was determined to keep my hair. My sexual side effects did not start until sometime in June - August of 2012 timeframe. My girfriend pointed out my sex drive as diminishing. I disregarded her comments at first but then realized there was a serious problem. That was not until October of 2012 when I realized my penis shrunk and I could not get an erection while having sex. I immediatly quit taking the drug and flushed them down the toilet thinking everything would go back to normal in a couple of weeks. Since quitting I had the usual signs of things returning to normal a couple weeks after quitting, erections came back, morning woods were there, but once I hit the 3-4 week range, everything reverted back to where I started, no sex drive, penile shrinkage, loss of motivation, dark circles under the eyes, I pratically cannot even get an erection at this point. I am very afraid. I am afraid I am going to lose everything, my girlfriend, my job, everything. I am lost without my manhood and I do not know what to do. As of today, I have only been off FIN for a month, how long to I have to wait before I know if these side effects will be presistant/permanent or not. I have been driving myself crazy. Is there any good news? Any hope? Should I just give it time? Do any men recover after a year of taking this poison? Someone, please tell me there is hope.

Thanks for reading my story,
Stogie

#2

Thanks for posting your story. You seem a bit stressed.
Maybe you need to take some time out for a couple of days.

Please go see your doctor and report your symptoms.
Also get some basic blood tests to check if any of your key hormones are out of range.

In the meantime, pay close attention to your diet - google paleo diet.
Avoid alcohol. Moderate excercise every other day. Keep us updated on how you are doing.

Once you have your basic blood results, please post them here:
viewforum.php?f=4

Recommended “short” list:
Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
Bioavailable Testosterone
Androstenedione
DHT
3alpha-diol G (Androstenediol glucuronide – (“Adiol-G” for short): metabolite of DHT, measures 5AR-II activity
Estradiol (E2)
LH
FSH
SHBG
Prolactin
TSH
Vitamin D

#3

Are you using Cialis or viagra to help with erections?

#4

Thanks noniman, I will take your advice and take a couple days off.
Currently, I am not taking Viagra or Cialis to help with the erections.

I am scheduling some time to visit with my doctor, I will give him the short list.
If there is anything else I should tell my doctor or get tested for, please let me know.

Thanks,
Stogie

#5

Depends on how much cash you have. The full set of recommended tests can be found here:
propeciahelp.com/testing

This will include the basic tests along with a full thyroid panel, cortisol test, liver function test etc.
If you have lots of spare cash and can afford all of these tests with no difficulty then great , go for it.
If it was me, I would start off with the basic tests then go from there.

You should explain to your doctor about erection problems and how it is causing difficulties in your relationship.
Ask for a Cialis prescription. You can always get an online prescription if you need to.

#6

Guys,

I notice a lot of people have read my post but I only have one person who has replied. Is this because I am in the early stages? I am going to the doctor on 12/05/12 to get some test run. I would really like someone to talk to, I have stayed off the site for a couple days but always return because my life does not feel the same. Does anyone really recover from this?

#7

Stogie, no one really knows for sure. There have been people who claim they havent had an erection or a sexual thought in their head in 10 years since they took the pill. Others say they have made a near complete to complete recovery after many months.

I took finasteride for 9 years with no side effects until i stopped. When I stopped I had the complete hormonal crash. Testosterone dropped well below the 200-1200 range, digestive issues, cold intolerance, sexual issues ranging from erectlie dysfunction to inability to have any sexual thoughts in my head. This has been 7 months since I stopped.

I can say, that in the last months, my body temp has warmed back up and I no longer have cold intolerance. My digestive issues have gotten much much better. my palpitations and waking up like I was shot out of a cannon at night have ceased. Brain fog has pretty much ceased, I can think much much more clearly which has also correlated to better sexual function. In the last month I have had nocturnal and morning erections most nights, my libido has shot up, and my ability to feel an erection has increased. Objectively I would have to say these are at least positive signs for now. Again, I still have collageen/muscle wasting, dry skin, curved penis etc. So for me, It appears that my body is struggling to balance itself out. Other than some vitamins such as D I havent done anything special. I even eat tons of junk food so who really knows. Try to relax and stay calm, let your body try to work for you.

#8

Stogie,

You definitely need to give yourself more than a month’s time before admitting yourself as a PFS sufferer. Merck’s literature would have you believe that the recovery period should be relatively brief, but even for those unfortunate enough to experience the side effects - but fortunate enough to recover to pre-fin state - find that it takes time to get back to feeling 100%. There are guys who have taken months to make a full recovery and while there doesn’t seem to be a general consensus on an average, you should probably give yourself three months with zero progress before suspecting that recovery is not imminent.

Echoing the advice of others; get a Cialis prescription from your doctor and order a full hormone profile. Statistically speaking, you’re likely to make a recovery but voicing your concerns helps out the rest of this community and continues to raise public awareness.

#9

Hi guys,
I am approaching 7 months off Fin with no real improvements, my main issue revolves around no libido, loss of nocturnal/spontaneous erections, and a lower quality of life. Since my last post I avoided getting on the site as I found it depressing reading about our situations. I have visited the doctor several times and got my T levels tested. My results showed my T level at 428, I don’t know which one my free T level is but I assume they are both low compared to what the normal level is. I have tried going to the gym, lifting weights, and stared eating more veggies with no progress. My doctor has no answer and gave me a free month trial of Cialis. I discontinued that after a week because I suffered from severe back and leg pain. At this point I am considering testosterone replacement therapy, I wanted to know if anyone has had success in doing this and if it’s a good idea, I just want feel like I did pre fin, please let me know your thoughts guys, I thank you in advance for your replies.

#10

It seems we quit on almost the same day. I feel your pain, man. It’s been a rough 7 months. I hope we get better.

As for TRT, from what I’ve read it works great for a short period then either does nothing or makes things worse. I wouldn’t waste time on it, but that’s just my opinion.

#11

Stogie,

I am in month 10, post-crash, and while my situation is not exactly like yours, there are some similarities. I too considered TRT, but like Cap said, there’s few, if any “recoveries” on this board tied to going on it. If you do pursue it, make sure you study the side effects. The big one for me is that it shuts your own T production down which could result in a permanent dependency on the stuff. I know it’s hard to be patient with this condition, but I would give it time and try to make the most of your current state.