Stopping Propecia

General Discussion
#1

Hi All,

I have taken propecia for 13 years, and just got off of propecia, and I have been quite tired all the time with a slight headache.

I had a couple of questions.

  1. Should I start taking smaller dosages of propecia to kind of ween myself off of this drug?

  2. Has anyone on the forum been on the drug as long as I have? If so, did you experience serious side effects? How long have you been off of the drug for? Did the side effects eventually go away?

  3. Do side effects go away if you go back on the drug? If you go back on the drug, and then stop again, are the side effects twice as bad, or pretty much the same experience.

I never had any issues w/propecia all 13 years that I used it. Although I never stopped taking it before. This is the first time I’ve stopped after that long stretch of time. I’ve been off of it for about a month, and it seems to steadily worsen. Is there a time frame, maybe 3 months, where you kind of level off, or maybe even begin to improve after some time period? I’m trying to weigh my options now, about whether I should go back on, or stay off.

All effects are in my head. I guess I have what people call “brain fog”. I never experienced this until I stopped taking the drug. I’m also wondering if maybe it’s just a placebo type of reaction.

I was thinking that it would be nice if some of you “long-termers” could put together a pamphlet entitled “What to expect when you stop taking propecia”. Kind of a compiled source of information that kind of gives people a heads up concerning what to expect emotionally, physiologically, blood work-wise, how to weigh your options, doctors who can help, and links to scientific articles. I understand that this is a relatively “new” problem. But it’s actually not really all that new. People have been taking it for a decade and a half now, so I think it’s about time to start compiling more research and getting answers.

Thanks,
Hk

#2

Review these threads:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4338
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=656

Also nobody will recommend you take Finasteride. If you plan to continue the drug, post on hair loss forums.

#3

Hi Guys,

Just to report back. Some good news for this forum, which is a refreshing change of pace. After about 1 month of having the “brain fog” feeling, I am actually feeling normal again. I started to notice that the brain fog was going away about a week and a half ago, and then every day has been a steady improvement. This entire week I actually felt great.

So for me I’d say that there’s about a 1 month crash (of course, this is coming from someone who took the drug for 13 years… not 6 months like most on the forum). After a period of 1 month, I was back to normal. If I have any relapses I will be sure to post them, or if I have any other long term side effects I’ll make note of it here.

I spoke with my doctor and he said that all of my blood test work looked normal. PSA level was normal. Although I had the blood work done about 2 weeks after I stopped taking Propecia. My blood levels were probably in flux at that point. I will take another blood test in 6 months to compare. I also went to a urologist and they checked for testicular cancer and prostate cancer, and they said I was clear of both.

I must say I’m glad to be rid of the brain fog. That wasn’t fun. I hope others have the same recovery. Let me know if you’ve had a similiar experience. A one month type of crash similiar to mine. It would be interesting to compile the data here on this site. The more we know, the better!

Thanks!