Symptoms even after 3+ years

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)?
    USA

  2. 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 for “Propecia side effects”

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    41, 5’11, 170lbs

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    Yes – mix of Cardio and Strength Training

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Healthy

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    Prescribed for Hair Loss.

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    Six Months Approx.

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    38 Years, September 2009.

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    Quit in March 2010

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

  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
    Propecia (Merck)

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    3 months…kept getting worse

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

Put an X beside all that apply:

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

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

Physical
[X ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] 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
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[X ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] 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?
    Cialis 10mg for ED for a while.

  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)?
    Have to look, but blood tests are still normal. Total Testosterone dropped from about 780 ng/dL to about 525 ng/dL and has stayed in the 500-550 ng/dL range.

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
    Have always been very fit with body fat under 10% consistently for the last 10-12 years. Have had a very hard time dropping weight (cutting down to 160 lbs has become almost impossible) since I quit Propecia.
    Post fin symptoms have included severe acne (never had acne as a teenager) and loss of deep sleep (never had sleep issues pre-fin)

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
    Started experiencing symptoms about 3-4 months after I started Propecia and it went from mild to severe before I quit. Cialis had helped with ED issues, but is definitely not a cure. Symptoms generally go away for about 3-4 days after I take a 10mg pill.
    Have tried a ton of things including Fasting (water only) for a week, and the only things that have helped lessen the symptoms include:

  5. A regimen of Alpha Lipoic Acid 300mg + Acetyl L Carnatine 500mg + Benfotiamine 250mg daily to improve sensitivity.

  6. A Combination of L-Arganine 1000mg + Pycnogenol 50mg daily to help with fullness.
    Using the above combination, I’ve weaned myself off Cialis, but still dealing with the symptoms, although they’re less severe than before.

#2

My biggest issues are ED, shrinkage, loss of libido. The other issues include lack of good sleep, severe acne, and weight gain. Before Finasteride, I could easily drop 10 pounds from 170-something to 160 - I have not been able to do that in the last 3 years. I’ve tried workouts where I run a 10K in 55 minutes, skip dinner completely and just shower and sleep, and I still stay at 170 lbs.

Complete water fast for one week did not really do anything for me other than maybe improving focus and alertness. I saw a urologist and did complete blood work a few times, but everything (Free Test, total Test, Estrogen, Prolactin) came back in ‘normal’ range. The docs I’ve seen so far have failed to even accept that there is a problem quoting FDA documents. All the Urologist did was put me on Cialis 10 mg which helped for a few days and then the symptoms returned.

After many attempts, the only thing that has helped with the ED symptoms is the regimen I outlined above. Does anyone else have similar symptoms?

I’m considering Stem Cells and Progestrone as two options going forward. Does anyone have similar symptoms (acne?) and advise on what they consider the best course of action?

#3

How bad is your sleep now and has it gotten any better during the 3+ years you describe above? Also, during this 3+ year period, did you ever have days, weeks or months where your symptoms subsided and you felt good or at least close to normal?

I can say for my 9 months into my post-crash life, my sleep gets better and I have days, even weeks where I feel close to normal, with some libido and can perform ok. But each time, just when I start to feel my best, my sleep goes to shit, I get varying levels of anxiety and the whole thing starts over again.

#4

I had a phase about a month after I quit where I felt “normal”, but that lasted just for a week. I still have my ups and downs, but overall I’m better off from my worst situation. The last time I had good sleep was a few months back when I had completely exhausted myself. I went to the gym for a team sport, and while waiting I decided to do cardio and weights. I did that for an hour before the rest of the team showed up and then I played for another hour and a half. After the game we decided to hit the pool for a swim…and by the time that was done, I’d been in the Gym for over three and a half hours. I was so exhausted that I went home to rest and ended up sleeping for about 10 hours. I rarely sleep like that anymore - in fact, most nights I hardly get any deep sleep at all unless I take Valerian or go to the Gym and take a hot shower after.

#5

Have you tested your B12 levels? A low level might be the cause for lack of concentration etc
Are you taking zinc? Zinc can help in balancing hormonal ratios…

#6

Sub-lingual B-12 helps, but only when its taken. I’ve gone through supplements like Huperzine -A, PhosphatidylCholine, Phosphatidylserine, B-12, etc. and everything helps as long as I keep taking it. Once I skip a dose or two, I’m right back to where I was. So, I’m basically at a point where I can manage my symptoms without being on prescription medication, but I’m not cured. I’ve taken Zinc on and off - again I’v not noticed much difference except more dryness. I tried boosting my Testosterone levels with Tribulus and that was a big mistake. I experienced a crash and needed a couple of weeks before I could get back to where I was.

#7

Lab Reports - Blood Work (Hormones)

Post-fin

Serum Testosterone 664 ng/dl (range 249-836)
Test % Free+weakly bound 28.5% (range 9-46)
Test F+Weakly bound 189 ng/dl (range 40-250)
Thyroxine (T4) Free 1.13 (range 0.89-1.76 ng/dl)
TSH Ultra Sensitive 1.921 (range 0.550-4.78 uIU/ml)
LH 5.58 (range 1.5-9.3 mIU/ml)
FSH 6.01 (range 1.4-18.1 mIU/ml)

Post-fin (more recent)

Serum Testosterone 579 ng/dl (range 249-836)
Test % Free+weakly bound 31.8% (range 9-46)
Test F+Weakly bound 184 ng/dl (range 40-250)
Thyroxine (T4) Free 1.27 (range 0.89-1.76 ng/dl)
TSH Ultra Sensitive 2.00 (range 0.550-4.78 uIU/ml)
LH 4.36 (range 1.5-9.3 mIU/ml)
FSH 5.14 (range 1.4-18.1 mIU/ml)