-
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?)
Through other forums and a general Google search. -
What is your current age, height, weight?
23 years old, 142 lbs, and 5’9" -
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Not really- I walk a lot. That’s about it. -
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Meat eater. I eat just about anything really. -
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
I took it for hair loss. Make pattern baldness. -
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
About 1.5 weeks total. -
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
23 years old. Began taking 1.25 mg on February 24th for three days and got breast pains, testicular ache and so I stopped after those three days. I waited a week and then began taking .625 mg a day for about 4-5 days hoping to taper up to see if I still got side effects. -
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
23 years old. March 10th was my last dosage. -
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey. -
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Proscar -
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1.25 mg for the first three days. Waited a week and then cut quarters in half to take .625 for about 4-5 days. -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
Side effects like testicular pain and breast pains happened immediately. Mental and anxiety and fatigue happened a week after I quit. -
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
[ ] 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
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x ] Confusion
[x ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x ] Slurring of Speech
[ x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ x] 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)
-
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Rest, lots of sleep, vitamin supplements. -
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)?
Haven’t had blood tests done yet. -
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
-
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I had been noticing my receding hairline for some time now and I had done a lot of online research on finasteride and the potential side effects. I’ve always had long hair and so a norwood 2-3 began being a scary though for me. I had multiple visits to my doctor to discuss this and she was hesitant to prescribe me finasteride. Eventually she decided to go for it because my hairloss was something upsetting me and I made it clear I was aware of the potential side effects and that they were temporary and really only happened in a small percent of people.
I began taking 1.25 mg daily on the 24th of February and immediately (4 hours after) began getting testicular pains. I had read a lot on forums where people said this would go away and so I continued taking this dosage for an additional two days. Second and third day I got the same issue and on top of that breast pains. I got scared of gyno and stopped the drug and waited a week. My plan was to try an 8th dosage .625 mg and see if I still got side effects and wean up to the 1.25mg as most had suggested on hairloss forums. I continued this for about 4-5 days with minor testicular pains and breast pains. On the last day- the 10th of March I got very bad breast pains. I stopped altogether and figured finasteride was not for me.
In the few days after I stopped cold turkey I felt fine aside from fluctuating underarm pains. About two to three days of pains in the underarm scared me and I went to my doctor to get an exam to check for gyno or any tissue growth or anything like that. Doctor said I was fine and to take it easy. Two days after this I began getting confused easier and brainfog has settled in. My mood is flat and I am devoid of emotion- when just a week ago I was happy and able to laugh. I am constantly fatigued and wake up at 5:00am daily after intense dreaming. I feel exhausted when I wake up and can barely function at work. Everyone has noticed and commented on this and my work performance had deteriorated. All the while my penis was fine until the last two days where I feel decreased sensitivity and it’s harder to orgasm and achieve an erection. I had to leave work today and check myself into the emergency room because I could not function at work or concentrate on anything and I don’t get enjoyment out of the things I normally love.
I don’t even think I took more than 2 pills total (this was 5 mg finasteride) and I can’t believe what it’s done to me. I am feeling the post finasteride crash and I’m very worried I won’t recover. I have lost my appetite as well and eat maybe once per day at most since quitting. I can’t even sleep now. For the past few days the vivid dreams have been very strange as I normally do not remember my dreams. The quality of sleep feels terrible and now I cannot even go to sleep.
Underarm pains have mostly subsided- very minimal today. Today is 12 days off of the drug and it is also the worst I have felt since quitting. Each day seems to get worse.
What are other short term users’ experiences with crashing and recovering? I feel like I’ll never be normal again. I’m very scared. I appreciate everyone’s advice and responses and after reading many posts on this forum I am very sorry we have to deal with this hell and I’m hoping there’s some sort of recovery down the line.
I will never take this drug again and will never recommend it due to how severe this post finasteride syndrome is. Today I feel like I don’t want to live anymore. I regret taking it so much!
I would love some feedback and advice- thank you all for your time and please excuse any brevity as I wrote this whole post on my phone due to not being able to sleep.