The swollen face effect. Please help.

Symptoms Physical
#1

Hello all.

I very much appreciate the presence of this site. Thank you to its creators.

I started taking proscar/finasteride around 11 months ago and noticed some of the usual side effects early on (decreased ejaculate, dry skin, brain fog, tiredness) but soon got used to them. Now, despite having exercised a lot more, and bettered my diet throughout 2009, I’ve noticed my face has been looking particularly podgey. I’ve only recently made the connection that it’s the finasteride doing it. This was when i realised my face was starting swell up and look very similar to one of the creepy consultants at the hair loss clinic I went to.

I stopped taking the drug yesterday.

I’d love to hear from any others on here that noticed the same (less common) ‘podgey face’ side effect.

Did it go away when you stopped?

If so, how long after?

Thanks very much.

#2

If you are referring to weight gain in the face, that’s likely a result of elevated estrogen levels from the drug. Once you quit, over time the weight should come off.

#3

prosconned,

Testosterone levels effect a whole bunch of things in our bodies, many of which have to do what make you look like a man vs a woman. I have been looking at pictures of myself 5 years ago.

I actually lost weight in my face. My face was fuller and healthy looking. Now it looks withdrawn and my skin doesn’t look as good. Bottom line stay off this crap, exercise and eat right. I personally believe that time will heal the damage this drug caused. The question is how long do we have to wait.

#4

That just goes to show you that even though most of us share similiar sides, there are things that effect each guy different as well.

I just came across some pictures of me when I was at the height of my fin usage. I couldn’t believe how fat my face looked. Back then I remember thinking that something about me didn’t look right, but I could never put my finger on it. That was definitely it. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it then.

#5

Ditto. I started not being able to look myself in the mirror at height of Fin usage. I have a few pics of when I was at my worst and the face was swollen and doughy. It’s gotten better now but seems to have lost muscle tone and is smaller, rounder, and more feminine.

#6

Really appreciate the replies people, thanks.

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to realize. I’ve known something hasn’t been right with my face for around the past 7 months, but i never made the connection.

“I’m fitter than I’ve ever been…eating well, working out everyday…I’m even starting to get a six pack, but my face looks podgier, older and more tired. Oh well, maybe my face is just naturally podgey and I need to be even more strict with what I eat”.

Then a few days ago it clicked, and I pictured the face of the guy at the hair loss clinic, then flashed back to my mate who’s a nurse telling me about the fat face look lots of people get when on certain meds, and it all kinda fell in to place.

I’m going to go see my doctor this sunday. I’m taking as much info on finasteride as I can because herself and one other doctor I’ve spoken to in the past really have known very little about the potentially drastic side effects.

My sister is a young scientist doing malaria research at Australia’s best lab and she generally seems to know what she’s talking about. She was telling me how it was that they discovered this drug…something to do with gender ‘muddled’ kids in south america yeah? Anyway, she warned me off the crap when I first started taking it. Should have listened.

#7

I know it’s a bit trivial, as there are people on here with more serious issues as a result of finasteride usage, but I’m interested in how long it will take for my face to return to normal now that I’ve stopped.

Obviously there are no fixed answers, and everyone is different…but how long did it take you face to change back you think? and when you say ‘at the height of your fin usage’, what do you mean by at the height of it?

#8

prosconned,

I doubt anyone really knows the answer to that. It’s not trivial if it’s important to you and this horrible drug changed your face. I believe that as your testosterone increases over time, you should begin to see your face begin to look the way it once did.

Have you ever seen a woman body builder or one that uses steriods? Their faces begin to look more and more like a mans as their bodies testosterone levels increase. I was at the endo dr’s office on Monday, while I was sitting in the waiting area there was a woman directly accross from me that had that look of hard male features on her face. I couldn’t help thinking that she was here to lower her T level, while I’m desperate to raise mine.

I feel the same way you do about it. I grew to hate having my picture taken. I used to be fine with pictures. I guess, I know my face didn’t look the same and I knew something wasn’t right.

#9

Yep a study of a bunch of genetic freaks with 5-AR deficiency and no hair loss in the Dominican Republic by Julianne Imperato McGinley, Merck sees $$$$ and 30 years later here we are with limp dicks forever.

#10

Height of Fin Usage means the last month I was on it before the lightbulb went off and I figured everything out. I don’t think my face has returned but it has improved. Keep in mind I don’t drink, smoke, eat sugar, caffeine etc and I take cod liver oil and use expensive face and eye creams and work out 5 days a week.

It totally returned to normal during a surge after sickness about 3 months off the drug. But then it went back again. I think it took a full year to begin to look decent again but I’m still not there yet.

#11

That’s a really strict diet. I don’t think I’d cope without my daily coffee and a sugar hit every now and again.

My doctor is generally quite frank with me. She said she’d never had anyone complain about finasteride side effects before, and she also believe that the 2% was in fact greater than the amount of people who suffer significant side effects. However, she didn’t doubt my story, and nor did she doubt that there are many people out there who have been permanently effected.

She gave me the number for the/a manufacturer and thinks the scientists there are generally more than happy to speak to people as they are stuck in labs all day, working with rats and (generally speaking) enjoy conversing.

#12

Prosconned if you get through to scientists I’ll eat my hat. Merck has an entrenched front line of customer service reps who know nothing more than the current batch of propaganda being put out by Merck. They keep the scientists locked away. Remember what happened to the scientist who tried to break away from Phillips Morris & Co? Same thing.

The diet and overall health improve as you continue to do them.