Thought i was improved for good

Member Stories
#1

COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING INTO YOUR OWN POST, then answer the questions.

  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

  3. What is your current age, height, weight?
    44 6-2 250

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
    used to a lot

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

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    hair loss

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    appx 6 yrs

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
    36

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
    42

  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?
    proscar…1.25mg cut into 4ths

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
    general decline in libido…crashed after stopping use

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
    low libido
    Put an X beside all that apply:

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

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

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

Misc
[x ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

First off I didnt think I would ever be a member here, but here I am. My story is this. I started taking 1.25mg of proscar.I cut the 5mg tablets into 4ths to save a lot of money,still finasteride just a little higher dose than the 1mg propecia.Thought this made financial sense and still achieved the same goal. Starting in 2004 sometime.Hairloss stopped worked great for that.I lifted weights a lot during that time and I was strong and confident like never before(due to increased testosterone Im sure).

I noticed a decrease in noctural erections at first so I started taking viagra when needed.Things were fine for a while.Then one day even the viagra stopped working.I mean just stopped cold,no effect at all.It was then I started to panic.A few days later I started researching the internet about finasteride.I came across this site and after reading a lot of posts i decided to quit taking finasteride that day in 2010.Cold turkey.

That is when things got bad.A few days after quitting I started having intense perenium pain along with testicular pain.Then a gradual decrease in libido,the erectile problems,numbness in penis too…Went to my urologist and he said prostatitus and in no way is it finasteride related. This nightmare went on for about 6 to 7 weeks.Then like a switch things improved greatly.I was 85 to 90 percent back to normal.

About 5 months later I had a small relapse.Only lasted like 2 weeks then bang…right back to normal.I was feeling fine for about 15 months.Then in March of 2011 I crashed.Its been downhill from then to this date.Ive seen 3 urologists.They all say its prostatitus and I even started to believe it.But now I truly believe that its related to finasteride.Ive never really felt like i did before I started taking this poison.I thought I was over it but now its back.At this point I have zero libido, numbness in penis, no blood flow to penis,no sex drive at all,and almost total impotence.I dont know what to think at this point.Im married and have 2 children.I am so depressed over this, I just go through the motions of life. Im mostly mad at myself for being so stupid in deciding to take this garbage to save a few hairs. I even think about ending it but then I look at my children and wife and cant bring myself to do it.Oh yeah…I had a hormone test done and the endo said everything looked normal(tested about 8 different things that could trigger e.d)

If i were single Im sure I would have just ended it all already but I have a family that needs me…Im truly in hell right now.I have tried to keep this post short.I could have gave a lot more details but I dont want to ramble. I want MERCK TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS.That is another reason I dont want to give up.

#2

By all means, go ahead and give the details, this is your post after all.

I think a large number of us have thought we were out of the woods only to crash and never feel right again. 15 months is an amazingly long recovery time though. Do you think there was anything in particular that triggered your final crash?

Please hang in there. I have recently had a discussion about suicide and about getting back at drug companies with another member. If you want payback it’s best to stick around and join one of the lawsuits against Merck while waiting for a cure. Hopefully it will make you feel a little better when you guys win the case.

Welcome to the forum.

#3

I know 15 months is a long time.Yes I had numbness the first time too. I really believe that the problem is prostate related.I think people are to focused on the hormonal route and are overlooking the prostate issue.There are a lot of nerves and blood vessels in that area that i think are being effected some how.I think that extreme stress and lack of sleep triggered latest round.I think the central nervous system is involved also.

#4

Did you take any herb or med during this period? it looks odd, though not impossible giving poisnious nature of 5 AR inhibitors.

#5

if your doctors said it was prostatitis, then you’d better find a comfy seat and read this thread pronto:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5076&start=0

#6

Welcome to the forum ghost214,

I’m just curious, Did you mention anything to the doctor’s suggesting that it could be prostatitis or did they tell you this on their own accord?

Prostatitis has become the one of the latest theories on this website as a possible cause to our condition. Prior to your post, I had never heard of any US doctors suggesting this to be the cause of our problem. Can you offer any other details as to why they feel confident that it is prostatitis? Was a it a couple of the symptoms you mentioned to them?

#7

Doctors dont want to even hear about finasteride problems.Every one I have seen rolls their eyes and says there is no relation to finasteride and sexual function. Prostatitus is a waste basket term for doctors.

What it means is they really dont know much about prostate related problems and how to treat it.All they want to do is give a person antibiotics and show them the door.Most doctors even say there is no relation between the prostate and any e.d. or sexual function.Id like to hear them say that one day when they develop prostate issues.Im sure they will change their mind.

I think that finasteride some how messes with our prostates in a way that we dont yet understand.

#8

Show them this: propeciahelp.com/latest-news

#9

When I said I felt fine for 15 months I just meant that I was improved, not back to normal. I really have not felt the same since before I started taking finasteride. At this point I am confident that the problem that we suffer from is related to the prostate. I wish people would not focus so much on the hormonal angle. Is it possible that the problem is hormonal…yes. Is it likely…no. I had my hormomal levels checked that are related to sexual function and they were all normal.What else can explain why I and others have one or more days of recovery then a crash. I believe that the prostate is some how interfering with the nerves and or the blood supply that controls proper sexual function and libido. I am lucky enough to have excellent health coverage so I’m going to try to look at every possible avenue for some answers. The hardest part is getting urologists to believe what we are telling them. They all assume that its in our heads and they recommend a shrink. The reality is that they do not want to admit, and probably never will that finasteride is dangerous. They perscribe this stuff all the time. Do you really think they are going to leave themselves open to liability…no way!..They are in bed with the drug companies. Anyway, I rarely get on this site due to the fact that its so dam negative and depressing…I’m trying to stay possitive, but it hard to when reading all these posts, so good luck to all of you.

#10

There seems to be an increasing number of men that are having rather long periods of recovery and crashing again. It’s scary because it shows were never quite out of the woods with this :frowning:

#11

Considering that you have prostate issues and think this is a huge cause, you should focus on getting that fixed then. I am sure that you realize that it is very difficult to treat…so you should look into the Tuscon Prostatitis Center.

#12

I’ve seen two urologists now and both seemed like exceedingly mediocre doctors. Maybe the cream of the crop does not go into urology. As soon as I mentioned ED, they fell into their cookie cutter routine:

  1. Order a PSA test
  2. Order a Testosterone test (yes only one hormone. I argued with the first urologist as to why only test for one hormone. He told me testostore is the main hormone and if it’s ok, everything else has to be ok).
  3. Prostate exam by putting his finger up my ass. I’m extremely sceptical that simple sticking your finger up someones ass can tell you much, unless you can actually feel a tumor, in which case if it’s that big your probably toast anyways.
#13

Before you had your crash again, can you tell us the amount of masturbating or sex you had while you felt like you were back to normal?