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Where are you from (country)? GERMANY
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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
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What is your current age, height, weight? 41 years, 180cm, 72kg
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Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? Yes, mountain biking and gym
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What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? no fast food, everything else
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Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? hair loss
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For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? >12 years
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How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? ca. 27 years
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How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 39 years
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How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
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What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia and other generic
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What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 0.5 to 1.0 mg
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How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? after stopping side effects came up
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What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? see below
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
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[?] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] 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)
[x ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[x] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[x] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Cialis prescribed by urologist - no effects.
Several vitamins and amino acids - no effects.
- 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)?
Unfortunately no pre-fin blood tests.
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Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
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Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I took finasteride 0.5 to 1,0mg per day for more than 12 years without any problems (age now 41 years). About 20 months ago I stopped taking fina because of a slipped disk and a strong medical treatment, e.g. by ibuprofen (duration ca. 4 weeks). During the following months I observed the appearance of an erectile dysfunction and lowered libido. Further symptoms appeared over the last several months:
- libido very low (sometimes zero)
- significant reduction of muscle power and muscle mass beside gym and biking
- bloatings
- fraud
- freezing
- dry skin (and eyes)
- problems to concentrate
- raspy voice
- love sugars and chocolate
I was initially by an urologist but he only decided to prescribe Cialis. This had no effect. In May 2015 I visited an endocrinological instiute, where they did the blood testing below. Result: My problems have psychological causes and I should wait several months.
Blood test May 2015
Glucose 83 mg/dL [60-100]
HbA1c 5.3% [0,0-6,2]
Uric acid 6,3 mg/dL [3,4–7,0]
GPT/ALT 46 U/L [0-50]
GOT /AST 40 U/L [0-50]
gamma-GT 32 U/L [0-60]
Alkal. Phosphat. 57 U/L [40-129]
Creatinin 1,0 mg/dL [0,0-1,2]
Sodium 139 mM [133-150]
Calcium 2,5 mM [2,0-2,6]
Phosphate 0,97 mM [0,80-1,60]
Cholesterine 215 mg/dL [150-240]
Triglyceride 85 mg/dL [50-170]
HDL-Chol. 79 mg/dL [35-60]
LDL-Chol. 140 mg/dL [0-160]
25OH Vit D 68 nM [50-150]
free T3 5,4 pg/mL [2,9-7,9]
free T4 18,1 pg/mL [11,6-21,9]
TSH basal 2,45 mU/L [0,20-4,20]
TPO-Ab 7,0 U/mL [0,0-60,0]
TSH-receptor Ab <0,3 U/L [0,00-1,75]
PTH intact 3,82 pmol/L [1,70-6,89]
FSH 4,1 U/L [1,5-12,4]
Testosterone 8,7 ng/mL [2,8-8,8]
Bioavailable testosterone 3,3 µg/L [1,4-4,3]
SHBG 57 nmol/L [10-40]
ACTH 17,9 ng/dL [7,2-63,3]
Leukocytes 7,60 G/L [4,23-9,07]
Erythrocytes 5,2 T/L [4,3-5,9]
Hb 15,9 g/dL [14,0-18,0]
hematocrit 44,9 Vol% [40-50]
MCV 86.8 fl [80-96]
MCH (HbE) 30.8 pg [28-32]
Thrombocytes 213 G/L [150-400]
PSA 0,7 µg/L [0,0-4,0]
There are only two parameters out of range: HDL and SHBG. Vit D is quite low, but within range. Very good testosterone level. Unfortunately I have no data for E2 and progesterone, but I will do this in the next weeks.
Future
Things are getting worse over the months. So I have now ca. 30% reduction of muscle mass and still very low libido. I tried Vit D supplementation and some other vitamins and amino acids but without any significant effects.
I decided to start a low-carb fasting 4 days ago (mostly green leaves and meat). Bloatings are gone but now feel much weeker than before. I will stop this strategy tomorrow if I don´t feel any improvements.
Any ideas from your site are highly welcome. How to proceed? Do you see something to look closer in my blood testing?
Many thanks in advance,
Tom