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
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
What is your current age, height, weight? 44yo, 5’6", 99Lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Finasteride 1mg
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1mg/day for 4m or so, then half dose for remaining 2m or so
What condition was being treated with the drug? hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 6 months
Date when you started the drug? Jan 2004
Date when you quit the drug? June 2004
Age when you quit? 24yo
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Probably 3 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Wide range of typical PFS symptoms, from sexual to cognitive to physical to digestive, see boxes checked below
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
[x] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[x] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] 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
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] 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
[x] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain)
Anxiety can pop up at random times of the day (but not extreme as in above box)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Various supplements/herbs. Tomorrow I will be starting Clomid and Armour Thyroid -i.e. hard medicines- for the first time, which is one reason I wanted to start posting here.
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 some recent blood tests; will consider posting some after starting the treatment mentioned above.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Dear everyone, I took Finasteride 1mg for 6 months when I was still 24 with a bright outlook into both personal life and professional career, other than not having a ton of self-assurance and being anxious about a receding hair line - the reason why I took the drug. Now 44, 3 divorces behind me, no romantic life for the past 6 years, and struggling with social and communication aspects; alongside having to deal with most of the PFS health impacts reported by others. However I do feel lucky to be alive now, which is kind of a miracle considering several opportunities I had to “move on” along the way. With time and reflection, I don’t feel overly depressed anymore nor wanting to die, and I focus every ounce of energy and motivation I can find into achieving the things I love or aspire to while keeping a healthy lifestyle. After much consideration and the advice from two doctors knowledgeable about PFS, tomorrow I will be starting a treatment with Clomid (12.5mg/d) and Armour Thyroid (30mg/d). None of the supplements/herbs/lifestyle changes taken on my own so far produced a breakthrough improvement - hence the calculated risk of stepping into hard medicine. Will keep you all posted!