stopping cold turkey (best advice?)

Member Stories
#1

firstly thanks to this website for give us a place to talk about this stuff, ok heres my story

im 22 years old been taking propecia for 7-8 months and everything was going fine till the last month or so, i was generally happy with the drug as i did notice i was loosing far less hair down the drain and even had some regrowth in my thinning crown,

but about a month or so ago i started having trouble getting and maintaining an erection, at first i would have maybe lost my hard on half way through sex/masterbation but would recover for the big finish,

now though even getting started is a problem and its not as rock stady as it should be, where in the past porn was enough to get me going and keep it hard i now need to really work on it and if i stop touching it ill loose it, reaching orgasm is also taking absolouty ages and its not as pleasurable as it should be.

i stopped taking the drug 2 days ago and found this website iv read quite alot of the stories and will contribute to the site with my own experiences

I want to ask what advice can you give what you would do now if you where in my position just stopping cold turkey and wanting to recover the damge done , iv seen some posts talking about diet and methods they used that i will try almonds, cauliflower, celery etc

if in a week or so i dont see even a slight improvement im off to the doctors for advice, i refuse to belive this is a permanant chemical castration and im hopeing i stopped taking the drug in time to cause no lasting damage.

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

  1. How did you find this forum?
    google

  2. What is your current age, height, weight?
    22 5ft7 140lbs

  3. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    3-4 times at gym , cardio mostly running

  4. What type of diet do you eat
    slightly better than normal i say though fall into the same traps we all do fast food and junk

  5. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    started loosing hair at 18 at 22 decidedd to do smt about it

  6. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    7 to 8 months cant remeber exactly

  7. How old were you when you started Finasteride?

  8. How old were you when you quit?
    22

  9. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    cold turkey 2 days ago 12/12/09

  10. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    propecia

  11. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
    1 mg daily

  12. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    7 months maybe abit sooner but in denial

  13. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    erectile disfunction

Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive no i still want sex and feel horney
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction yes
[ ] Complete Impotence if i give up trying then yes
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections not really but get fewer
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections yes
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections not sure
[ ] Watery Ejaculate yes
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate yes
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm yes
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility not sure

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat no
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating no
[ ] Confusion no
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness no
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought no
[ ] Slurring of Speech no
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency no
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks no
[ ] Depression / Melancholy yes abit

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled) no
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis no
[ ] Testicular Pain no
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness yes
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease yes
[ ] Weight Gain no
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts) no
[ ] Muscle Wastage no
[ ] Muscle Weakness no
[ ] Joint Pain no
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes no

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain no
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion no
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems no
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets” no
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness no
[ ] Increased hair loss not yet
[ ] Frequent urination no
[ ] Lowered body temperature no

#2

this might be an over reaction considering i only quit a few days ago but im noticing new side effects , some visual blurryness now and again if im focusing on something usually small font text, i dont wear glasses , and some slight pins and needles in the tips of my fingers as if i have bad circulation anyone else get this a few days after quitting?

#3

I experienced these while still on the drug.

#4

i tried masterbateing today with some success, where on sunday i found it near impossible to get and maintain a hard on , i got wood today alot easier it wasnt rockhard and it was taking soo long to orgasm that i eventually gave up cuz of time but still progress only after a few days.

was wondering if anyone here has tried takeing any herbal daily vigara such as horney goat weed or prelox etc or anything else with some success, the goat weed seems to have alot of praise on most sites iv read but im not jumping into anything without looking this time .

would appriechate thoughts .

#5

I find Horny Goat Weed helps with bloodflow to the region and with maintaining rigidity. I wrote my experience in last post here:

propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=875

#6

thx for that mew completly missed that section from the main menu soz.

i found a site selling 365 tabs of HGW for £12 might give it ago report back .

on a side note about the symptoms i mentioned eairler the pins and needles in my fingers havent returned at all but the blurryness may have gotten slightly worse today, its still nothing major yet just a mild inconvience when reading something. just thought worth a mention .

#7

hey guys might be able to move this post now to the recoveries section, where only a few weeks ago i found it near impossible to get a hard on even while watching the most hard core-est of porns im now springing woodies like every normal healthy 22 yo

couldnt help but get one earlier in the gym today when i i saw some fitties running infront of me :open_mouth: would have been embaressing if i wasnt so happy about it lol :laughing:

i know some ppl recover fast then experience some relappesses but im staying possitive hopeing this is perminant id say im about 90% recovered and the 10% is the after thought or worry about it

i should also say that i only experiened the ED and non of the mental side effects such as lost of libido i was alwasy horney just couldnt get it up for a few months.

im wondering if anyone has tried any other hair loss soloutions its my only worry now though much much less than b4 this started? i for half a second thought about maybe taking propecia at a lower dosage :smiling_imp: but i never want to go through that worry or anxiety agin, does the minoxidil 5% gels work ?

#8

Congrats on your recovery thus far.

Go to hairloss sites for answers to those questions. This is not a hairloss site, and we do NOT recommend you take Finasteride again.

#9

Imagine not being able to get it up for a few years. Go pound sand with your other hair loss solutions.