Story from Canada

Where are you from (country) ? Canada

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 search of symptoms

What is your current age, height, weight? 29, 177cm, 82kg

What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? =Hydrocortisone topical steroid

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

What condition was being treated with the drug? Fungal rash that really was Psoriasis

For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 5 years

Date when you started the drug? 2007

Date when you quit the drug? 2015

Age when you quit? 21

How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? took me 3-4 months after to realize what was going on, I was in a big FOG.

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Numb genitals, dry eyes, leaking urine, cold genitals, burning feeling in the legs/thigs. Bloating, alternating between diahrrea, and hard loose stools, sometimes even in the same bowel movement. Restless legs, thinner hair, bloated face, shortness of breath, loss of libido.

Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.

Sexual
[y ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[y] Erectile Dysfunction
[n] Complete Impotence
[y] Loss of Morning Erections
[y] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[y] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[n] Watery Ejaculate
[y] Reduced Ejaculate
[n] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[y] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[y] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[y] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[y] Confusion
[y] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[n] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[n] Slurring of Speech
[y] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[n] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[n] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[n] Suicidal Thoughts

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

Misc
[n] Prostate pain
[n] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[y] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[y] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[n] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[n] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[n] Hearing loss
[n] Increased hair loss
[y] Frequent urination
[y] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Selenium, Zinc ,Licorice root, berberine, ashwaganda, quercetin, omega 3, creatine, NAC, choline, inositol, magnesium,

If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?

Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?

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

Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY

  1. Name of the therapy/substance:
    • Dosage:
    • How often you took it:
  2. Status
    • Still using [ ]
    • Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
    • Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
  3. Duration of use: Days [ ] Months [ ] Years [ ]
  4. Response when you started:
    • Greatly improved [ ]
    • Slightly improved [ ]
    • Stayed the same [ ]
    • Slightly worsened [ ]
    • Greatly worsened [ ]
  5. Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
    • Greatly improved [ ]
    • Slightly improved [ ]
    • Stayed the same [ ]
    • Slightly worsened [ ]
    • Greatly worsened [ ]
  6. Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
    • Greatly improved [ ]
    • Slightly improved [ ]
    • Stayed the same [ ]
    • Slightly worsened [ ]
    • Greatly worsened [ ]
2 Likes

Sorry to hear that you’ve been suffering for so many years from topical steroid usage. It’s absurd how topical steroids can cause so many issues. I’ve talked to some people suffering with topical steroid withdrawal and it’s no joke. I hope this can get more awareness as it seems to be hidden really well.

I actually had to use topical steroid cream a few months ago for some eczema and it gave me some blurred vision for a couple days. It’s weird because I used these creams as a kid with no adverse effects.