took finasteride seven years ago

Member Stories
#1

I’m 32 and took finasteride for about 18 months when I was 25 - 26. The most obvious side-effects I continue to experience and attribute to the drug are:

high anxiety
low/no sex drive
sleep disruption
“brain fog” / memory problems / concentration problems

I did all this without consultation from a doctor; I just ordered Proscar from an online drugstore, split the pills into approximately 4 or 5 pieces and took a piece each morning. The site I ordered from was dru-online.com and if I’m not mistaken the pharmacy that filled the order was based in India.

Looking back, it’s likely that my testosterone levels surged quite high while I was on the drug. I was training very intensely in the gym and became, well, almost freakishly big and somewhat aggressive. Now, over seven years later, I’m in a pretty sad state. My testosterone levels are quite low (4.5 nmol/L ref. [8.4 - 28.7]), my thyroid function seems to be somewhat off, I’m consistently anaemic, I have high blood pressure, my cholesterol is high and my mood is horrible. I’ll soon post my blood results in the “Hormone & Blood Tests” forum.

While, it’s impossible to attribute all these problems solely to finasteride, I strongly feel, for a variety of reasons, that it’s the root cause of my problems. Sorry if I sound over-dramatic, but one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my life is taking this drug. I often imagine what my life would be like had I not taken it. I think I would likely be married, maybe have kids and be much happier. Instead, I’ve lived alone for the past 6 years, lost interest in even interacting with other people, and, to put it bluntly, feel like hell most of the time. Isn’t it ironic that I (we) took the drug to be more appealing to the opposite sex and the end result is that I (we) don’t care about sex anymore?

I don’t think I can adequately describe in words what my mood is like. I have little energy or motivation. I’m in graduate school now, but will soon be dropping out. My anxiety and lack of motivation has finally caught up and I’m unable to continue. I want to fix these problems, but I’m really not able to fight anymore. My family doctor has put me on an anti-depressant (escitalopram) but after four weeks I still feel hopeless and, well, suicidal.

God I wish we had a time machine.

#2

I don’t have time to reply to your entire post at the moment, but I would seriously advise you NOT to take SSRIs. They in of themselves can lead to such moods, and decimate sexual function.

#3

Thanks for the suggestion Mew.

Can anyone describe the motivation for testing prolactin and estradiol? A doctor I’ve been seeing says, “I am not sure if measuring prolactin and estradiol adds to any understanding of the issues or leads to treatment.” He’s very understanding and helpful, but I don’t think he’s convinced that finasteride has caused my (our) problems.

#4

i see your situation and feel for it. i am in a similar situation.
however, we need you here and need your support.
everyone facing what we face needs to contribute here as much as possible.

keep going!

#5

Prolactin - tested because if your are slightly or highly above range it could be a sign of a pituatary adenoma (tumor), which can crash your LH levels and hence testosterone. At least there are standard treatment protocols if this is the case.

Try to get LH/FSH tested as well. The vast majority (perhaps all, have not read every post on this board) that are post fin, and ALSO have low T, exhibit signs of secondary hypogonadism (LH/FSH under 2.5). There are a variety of ways to treat secondary, don’t just jump in to the first treatment a doctor suggests to you - research first.

Read this site, the shear wealth of data Mew and others have amassed here takes awhile.

Before you go on SSRI or supplements or anything PLEASE have your Adiol-G (3a Androstanediol glucorinide) tested, see the relevant two threads under Blood & Hormone testing section. This is starting to appear to be the thing we all have most in common (below normal Adiol-G). If your doctor asks why, explain that this is an enzyme marker for 5 alpha reductase activity (5 AR controls T to DHT conversion) and you are concerned that finasteride may have permanently downregulated your 5 alpha reductase (5AR) activity.

#6

Thank you kazman. …very helpful.

#7

I saw this questionnaire so I thought I would add my information.

  1. Where are you from (country)?

I’m from the east coast of Canada (Nova Scotia).

  1. 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?)

I can’t remember.

  1. What is your current age, height, weight?

I’m 32. I’m about 6’ and 170lb.

  1. Do you exercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise?

I have in the past. I trained for a sport for quite a few years, but have stopped because of mood and other health concerns. The training involved a lot of weight training and cardio in the winter and high intensity work in the summer (a mix of aerobic and anaerobic work).

One of the reasons I stopped training for the sport because it was very difficult to stay motivated. When I feel I’m not getting the results I should be because of low testosterone and other problems it’s difficult to justify the huge commitment.

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

I eat somewhat healthy (e.g. no fast food), but when my mood is really low I can eat poorly (skipping meals then binging on something convenient like cereal).

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

Hair loss.

  1. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?

About 18 months.

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

I started when I was almost 25 in the fall of 2001.

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

I quit twice. First when I was 26 in the spring of 2003, but started again because of the high anxiety I experienced when stopping. I stopped again for good a short time later (a month or a few weeks later, I can’t remember exactly).

  1. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?

See 8), but otherwise cold turkey.

  1. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?

I split generic 5mg tablets into ~ 4 parts and took a part each morning.

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

~ 1/4 of 5mg

  1. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?

It’s hard to say now because the changes were subtle over a short period, but I think almost immediately. The assurances that the side effects would disappear after stopping the drug meant I sort of ignored the problems hoping they would go away. Eventually they got bad enough that I stopped. I also had a friend who convinced me that I should stop because he noticed problems I guess I was denying.

  1. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Depression / Melancholy

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

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

Other problems commonly associated with low testosterone levels such as high blood pressure and higher cholesterol. BP and cholesterol have improved a bit by losing weight (muscle and fat). I also get weird pressure feelings in my head that might be related to the high BP.

My sleep is disturbed. I can fall asleep OK, but I’ll often wake a few hours later, drenched in sweat. This happens more often when I do intense physical activity. Maybe the activity causes some hormone spike?

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?

None. I’ve been taking SSRIs for about 4 weeks for depression and anxiety, but after getting advice from Mew and doing some more background reading, this might be a bad idea. I really don’t want to deal with new side effects, but I guess what little rationale I have left tells me I also want to be around to try and fight this. I’ll have to talk more with my doctor about the SSRIs.

  1. 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)?

I’ve only had basic blood tests so far. In a nutshell my testosterone levels are very low (4.5nmol/L ref. [8.4-28.7], my value in ng/dL is 128.57 ng/dl). This value was tested at 4:40 in the afternoon and so I should be retested in the morning. I’m consistently anemic (in the high 3s in nmol/L where the reference range is 4.5-6.5). My thyroid function is a bit off and there are other routine blood results that are off. I’ll eventually post more blood work in the “Blood Tests” forum.

#8

Thank you for the kind words finsucks and thank you Mew for creating this forum.

I hope to contribute something positive as well.

It sounds cheesy, but it really does help knowing there are others who understand what is going on.

#9

I wish i had a time machine too… this is so sad… doctor told me all of these effects just stop after quitting… but this wasn’t true. :frowning:

why this shit causing all these effects on us? I think this is an hormonal or neurological problem… let us know your updates… thanks…

I would like to throw an atomic bomb into merck factory before i’ll die…

#10

My test results:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3924

Hi just read fin2005’s story and there were a few parts that I really related to. He mentioned how he became much more serious, aggressive and more easily agitated. This happened to me as well. I also had the issues with urination. It just never felt like I was finished and it dribbled a lot after. I’m guessing the drug did what it was originally intended, i.e., shrunk our prostates. I also used to be able to shoot a load several feet. Now a nearly clear liquid needs help trickling out. I have pictures before, during and after taking finasteride and the differences are quite astounding. Before taking the drug I was in descent shape and fairly muscular. While taking the drug I became very motivated in the gym and made ridiculous gains (it’s very obvious to me that my testosterone levels were through the roof, although sex drive was severely diminished). I wish I could post pictures of my face during and after. While taking the drug my jaw stuck way out and I developed a brow ridge. After, my features soften quite dramatically.

I’m still undecided about what to do. Endocrinologist feel no action should be taken and maybe they are correct. I feel high levels of testosterone did a lot of damage and I’m very nervous about bringing them up. High blood pressure has been another problem I’ve had, which I’m fairly confident was in large part caused by the high testosterone and insanity in the gym. I’m likely going to see Dr. Chrisler, but have concerns that others have mentioned here before. Can anyone suggest other options in addition to Dr. Chrisler? If I do end up going to see him I will post my experiences.

#11

Yeah I’ve seen rat studies posted on here that showed that fin killed prostate cells/shrank their prostate or something like that, cant remember because it was a long time ago, but maybe someone can post a link here. I definitely feel like my prostate and that gooch region under my balls has shrank and is way less filled out than it used to be.

#12

What I think happens is that finasteride usauge causes prostate hypoplasia in those like us that are sensitive to the drug. Recall it is used to treat prostate hyperplasia (enlargement).

In hypoplasia one would think the prostate would shrink around the urethra, and thus cause things like frequent urination of small amounts, reduced ejaculate volume etc.

Anyway, it’s one theory. Frequent urination of small amounts is what got me into a urologists office, lucky for me I bugged him to check testosterone . . .

So what are your prolactin, LH and FSH levels? I could not download the .txt you linked to.

#13

JM from Canada
In many ways your situation is very similar to mine, as are your symptoms. I also stopped fin twice which may be a contributing factor to the similarities.

This site has been a lifesaver for me as I have been close to the edge. Overall I feel a bit stronger pyschologically now.

I would say almost all if not absolutely all your symptoms are from fin. I would also make the following suggestions:

  1. Get your Vit D levels tested. I think supplementing with high dosage Vit D3 has been the biggest single benefit for me so far, in terms of mood and general feelings of wellbeing. Coincidentally the pressure feeling in my head/ears lifted fairly soon after I started Vit D supplementing.

  2. Re: the anxiety - pre-fin I used to work out a lot and get a great endorphin rush afterwards - nowadays no great pleasure, just exhaustion. I still try and exercise, as I am putting on a lot of weight despite a very healthy diet. When I push myself though I often wake up in the middle of the night in a kind of panic attack (my sleep is very poor in any event now). Lately I´ve been taking Pharma GABA (made in Canada) after a workout or before bed which seems to help - I kind of think the stress etc is related to dopamine, or lack of. I also take DIM to try an keep Estradiol down and Cognitex to try and maintain concentration, as well as Phosphatidyl Serine. I am far from recovered but I am a lot better

  3. The recent posts on thyroid problems are interesting and ring true with me - I think a lot of my current problems (extremely dry skin, temperature sensitivity etc) may be thyroid related, so will definitiely get tested. Check it out - especially the posts by JN (sufferer2001recovered2009).

  4. Post-fin syndrome is very painful psychologically - I sometimes feel cut off from the world, friends etc who simply can’t understand what this is all about. I´ve come to terms (I think)with the fact that I’m not who I used to be and maybe never will be again but that life goes on, it is what it is. I think by fighting this thing we’re moving towards a solution which will both help us and prevent others from going through the same hell. I do also think the thyroid line of investigation is very promising.

Anyway, just my 2 cents worth! Keep going man, you’re not alone!

#14

I am sorry I disagree. when prostate shrinks, it eases urine flow. you are saying your self " Recall it is used to treat prostate hyperplasia (enlargement)." what happens when prostate enlarges it narrows urethra thus weak and thin stream. I have been through this all. I have had BPH and that was an other reason for my taking of Saw Palmetto. I had very narrow stream.
So what it is causing frequent urination then?
My theory is that low testosterone weakens our all muscles. there two sphincters in our bladder. one muscle is under our control and the other is not. once these sphincters are weak we have to urinate quit often.
Needless to say my stream is now wide and I rinate easily but again just like you guys have to urinate quite often during night.

sps

#15

Testosterone nmol/L [8.4-28.7] (these were collected every month or two since last fall):
4.5 (129.68 ng/dL)
10.47 (301.73 ng/dL)
15.34 (442 ng/dL)
17.5 (504.3 ng/dL) (collected at 09:23)
20.6 (593.66 ng/dL)
18.0 (518.7 ng/dL) (collect at 16:32)

Prolactin (ug/L) [0 – 15]:
6.30
5.2

FSH (IU/L) [1-12]: 3.90

LH (IU/L) [2-12]: 2.10, 4, 4.30

The low testosterone levels last fall were pretty disturbing. I was pretty messed up back then. Some theories I have: I was training (too) intensely for athletic competition, my eating was a bit messed up (eating crap and not eating enough at times, then binge eating), I was severely stressed and not sleeping. I still feel the finasteride is sort of what got the ball rolling on all these problems. The other messed up blood test result is red blood count and related tests. E.G.:

RBC X 10E12/L [4.5-6.5]: 4.29, 4.36, 4.17, 3.97, 3.93, 4.08, 4.36, 4.36, 4.26, 4.22

#16

your first reading was 4.5 and last is 18 or 20. this is great recovery. in how many months did u make this recovery, in 12 months? your current reading is not that bad. looking at this you will be ok in coming future.

good luck

sps

#17

striken - i am sure by now you have learned that this whole post propecia syndrome is not as simple as just testosterone levels.

regardless - jm_ns, are you feeling any better?

#18

Not just but Test is the main part. without T or low T will get nothing. keeping healthy level of T is the first step.

#19

Some guys do recover T levels and their overall functioning physically and mentall improves but not the sexual sides. I think it might be easier for those guys who didn’t have that brief recovery surge then collapse after stopping, maybe for the latter hormonal pathways have been altered.

#20

Compared to last fall, yes I am feeling a bit better. However, I stopped taking finasteride in 2003. Compared to how I felt before taking finasteride, I feel like crap. My sex drive very quickly and dramatically took a nose-dive after starting the drug and it has never recovered. I think my other key problems are hypertension and mood issues (anxiety, depression). …there’s the persistent anemia as well.

As for the problems with urination, it wasn’t a problem with urine flow. The problem was that I couldn’t finish properly. It would just feel like I had to keep going and urine would continue to trickle out and I couldn’t stop it.