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.
Where are you from (country)?
United States of Michigan
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?)
Found it back in like 2014, when I took fin.
What is your current age, height, weight?
27, 6’2, 200lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
I think I switched between .5-1mg.
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Balding. It wasn’t even that bad and still isn’t.
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
If I remember correctly, it was about 2-3 months.
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
If I remember correctly, around 22-23. So Fall of 2014.
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
22-23. Quit in the Winter of 2014.
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey I believe.
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
I noticed after a couple weeks a loss in libido. Didn’t think much of it and kept on taking it. Got to the point where I didn’t want to take it for the rest of my life, so I quit and maybe a day or two later the “post-finasteride syndrome” kicked in.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Honestly, if memory serves me correctly, then I really felt like I had almost every symptom. I have never been SERIOUSLY suiciadel (spelling sorry). But once PFS kicked in, I really actually thought about killing myself. I remember a distinct thought being, “I can’t live like this, and if it doesn’t stop I’m going to kill myself in two weeks.”
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
[ 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 (don’t remember)
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate (don’t remember)
[x ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x ] Confusion
[x ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x ] Slurring of Speech
[xxx ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ xx] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ xxxxxx] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ xxxxxx] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] 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
[ x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes (possibly but don’t remember)
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x ] 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
[x ] Other (please explain) Since this was a few years ago, I’m looking at a lot of these symptoms and trying to remember if I had them. I’m sure I missed a few, but marked the ones I’m certain of.
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
I had a serious regimen once PFS kicked in. Ate healthy, exercised, stopped drinking caffeine, and stopped masturbating.
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)? N/A
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Yes, I really recommend exercise, as it seemed to work for me. Once I really started to consider suicide, I realized I needed to get out and at least give life one more shot. I tried going back to the gym. I remember specifically doing heavy deadlifts, and I felt a little better after that. I’m sure the last thing you want to do is go out in public and maybe you don’t even have a gym to go to. But at least try with some push ups, sit ups, or bodyweight squats. Just try to break a sweat. ANYTHING to keep your mind off of suicidal thoughts.
Secondly, my PFS symptoms were aggravated after masturbation. Stopped jerking off. Most of you probably don’t even have a desire to, so this should come pretty naturally. But seriously, even if you “feel” like you’re getting better, don’t jerk off. Eventually, for me, I did get to a point where I could cum and not feel PFS settling back in. Seriously though, take a long break from it.
Thirdly, I was in college when all this happened. I stopped going to classes for like a week and just focused on getting better. I stopped thinking about what I had to get done and just focused on my health. Any stress felt 10x more stressful when going through PFS. Avoid stress, and take a break from everything.
I don’t recall what my relationship to alcohol was, but I think I stopped drinking during this period as well. AND now that I’m thinking about it, the hangovers brought on intense PFS. Like I would have 2-3 beers and would be insanely hungover and PFS. I remember researching liver issues after taking Fin so ya, actually alcohol was pretty bad for me during this recovery.
Again, this was all about 6 years ago but I felt compelled to share my story with you all. Theres probably some things I’m forgetting, but I will NEVER forget the symptoms of PFS and how scary it was. For about a year after quitting fin, I remember having panic attacks after highly stressful periods. Like if I had a big project due and I got too stressed, PFS came back. Really be careful about stressing yourself during your recovery.
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Took fin for about 3 months. Took .5-1 mg. Started loosing libido and thought it wasn’t worth my sex drive to keep my hair. After all, would I rather keep my hair and not want sex or lose my hair and have sex? Or maybe life isn’t all about sex…but I digress… Anyway, I stop taking fin. PFS kicks in. I’m petrified of the thought of leaving my dorm room to go class. I try jerking off to be less stressed. I jerk off. I become even more stressed. I stop eating. I stop having any desire to do anything. I’m literally terrified. I became the feeling of fear. Fear became me. I’m thinking , “I’m going to have to move-in with my parents because I can no longer care for myself because I’m so depressed and suicidal.” Might as well move me into a nursing home.
Anyway, decided to give life one last shot and tried to get back into the rhythm I once had. Then I did the things described in the above question and that’s my story!
At this point in my life I’m also a born again Christian and do believe God was helping me through this. I wasn’t a Christian when all this PFS was setting in, but I would try calling on the name of Jesus if you’re going through suicidal thoughts or any severe fear or depression. If you’ve tried everything else that I’ve mentioned, then give this a try too, He wants to help.
Lastly, I’m not a doctor and everything I stated was my own personal experience. Please reach out to me and I’ll try my best to respond timely. I really do feel as though I’ve made a full recovery and life is normal again. But like I said, even after this happened to me 6 years ago, it was traumatic enough to bring me back to this forum to recant my story. Seriously, 6 years later and I STILL can’t believe how seriously I ACTUALLY considered killing myself. Never have I had thoughts like that. But PFS is no joke.
and im fuc*ing 21.