The Taw Testimonial Thread

Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation. Thanks for making me feel welcome.

Where are you from (country)? USA

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?) Don’t recall

What is your current age, height, weight? 29 years old, 6 feet and 1 inch tall, 180 pounds.

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

What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 333mg+

What condition was being treated with the drug? None applicable

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

Date when you started the drug? 2/8/2020

Date when you quit the drug? 2/8/2020

Age when you quit? 26

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

How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Immediately

What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

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 (These all have since improved, but not 100%)
[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 (Resolved)
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate (Resolved)
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm (Resolved)
[?] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility (Never tested)

Mental (Had basically every symptom in this category at some point except suicidal thoughts - all since resolved)
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts

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

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

[ ] Other (please explain)

What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Prefer not to answer for obvious reasons.

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)? I have none.

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

I had lurked since my crash but never registered until recently. I originally planned to take the survey and leave. I did not expect to get so caught up in the community, but I’m glad I did. I regret not reaching out sooner. I am passionate about a healthy lifestyle, and I feel disappointed that it did not protect me. I found my hobbies and interests were a good distraction. I’m not sure what else to say at the moment, so ask if you have any questions.

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

I had a bad reaction and after 2 weeks/15 days of that, all symptoms reversed, even with me feeling better than before, thinking I “dodged a bullet”. The reprieve lasted 3-4 days then it all came back worse than ever. I am through the worst of it today over 2 years or so later.

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 [ ][quote=“Taw, post:1, topic:53068”]
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It is really great to see the progress you seem to have made in the past two years. It sounds like you are in a much better place than you were at your crash. I hope improvements continue for you.

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