COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING INTO YOUR OWN POST, then answer the questions.
-
Where are you from (country)?
Boston, MA 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?)
Google search
-
What is your current age, height, weight?
28, 5’8 162 (down from 185 pre crash 6 months ago)
-
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
I went to gym 5-6 days a week before crash- now 0-1. I am trying to change that- but yea I’m that sick it made that big of a change. Cannot do any cardio- zero chance.
-
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
Was pretty paleo pre-fin barring binge days on weekends.
-
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss because I was on HRT
-
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
17 days
-
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
28
-
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
28
-
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
cold turkey, but I did stop it for a few days on 11/4 felt returned to normal for 1 day. Then began it again like 1 day after I felt normal.
-
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 EOD- split them into quarters
-
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
I knew the libido drop was coming right away and felt it. I had DHT in the 130 range from my TRT so it didn’t shock me knowing DHT was going down 70% or so. I actually felt more “normal” sexually rather than a sexual robot on TRT where it was almost too much LOL.
-
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Ughhhhh…
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[xxx] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[xxx] Erectile Dysfunction
[x] Complete Impotence
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[xxxxx] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[x] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[x] 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
[xxx] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[xxx] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[xxx] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[x] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[xx] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[x (left)] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[xx] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain-
[] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[xxxxx] Muscle Wastage
[xxxxx] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[xx] Prostate pain
[xxxxxxxxxx] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[xxx] Frequent urination
[xx] Lowered body temperature
[x] Other (please explain)
I shouldn’t be writing this here. I shouldn’t be on this site. I don’t know- I really hope people that care about me don’t find out my username and have to see exactly what I’m going through here. This is truly an embarrassing, despicable story.
But yea- I shouldn’t be here. I had health issues for 3.5 years leading to TRT. Was basically made to believe my problems were all hormone related based on lab testing, doctors, and whomever was helping me- there is just so much more to health than hormones and I didn’t get it. Despicable. Bloodwork just didn’t show anything else off.
A “hormone god” (that’s what I thought of him as) taught me stuff via private message in 2016 helping get down a great Hormone Replacement Therapy with testo cream, t3, and pregnenolone. Felt on top of the world for the most part. Found myself crying with joy while driving to to work quite often.
I freaked out in October about the hair loss after 4 months of TRT cream was thinning me, balding me at a rapid pace. I wasn’t stopping my t-cream, injections didn’t feel right. “DHT is so high, I love my testosterone cream! I NEED to keep my hair.”
The supposed “hormone god” didn’t tell me to take fin, but he didn’t stop me from taking it at all. He essentially believed as long as I kept my cortisol levels in check (as I had been doing), I shouldn’t have a problem with it. Except for possible long term risk. I never cared about anything long term- which will now most likely forever by my kryptonite as I have to live through the consequences.
I then didn’t read on propecia help which I had heard about. I didn’t read any horror stories. I just googled what Dr. Thierry Hertoghe (who I knew was on a similar HRT to me and taught this HRT) thought about fin. Come to find out- he was on it, loved it, thought it was good for him. Full head of hair while on this HRT at that age. I barely did anymore research. I was sold. PATHETIC!!!
Took it the first 17 days in November. Immediately felt lowered libido but I knew that was coming. I mean my libido was sooooo high on TRT, I didn’t mind it. Instead of a hypersexual robot I now felt like a normal person with a good amount of libido. So this was expected.
I felt more energy on fin at first, but then realized anxiety more present. At a party 6 or so beers deep end of night when I usually would feel so relaxed, I found myself so anxious jut wanting to leave the party. Then at another “Friendsgiving” feast a week later, I just wasn’t getting a good social buzz on booze. I LOVED people, chilling with my friends, family, flirting with girls etc. 1 or 2 beers always put me in that mood X10. I wasn’t the biggest people person in the world in terms of strangers, but as far as those very close to me I ALWAYS felt comfortable with them and never had social anxiety around them. This “Friendsgiving”, I just wasn’t the same in this matter.
I stopped fin 10 days later- which several of these days I had recurring symptoms to pre-HRT. Mostly fatigue issues.
Week 1 off- eh not feeling great at all, but just fatigue.
Week 2- same but a little better.
Week 3- I’m feeling say 60% better, HRT working well again. “Thank you so much God. I am so sorry I tried that stuff. I was a terrible person. I’m going to stop drinking now and take care of my health, I love my life so much, that experience was horrible.”- I thought…
Week 4- HRT just wasn’t feeling right. Preg, testo cream etc just didn’t feel the same bringing on anxiety rather than strength and calmness. My systolic blood pressure which I had been following jumped from 120-130 range to the 140-160 range. “Hormone god” tried to help with all his reasoning and surely I believed him.
Week 5- Panic attacks at work, waking up in middle of night with panic attacks, sweating horribly at night. Libido way down. Just an absolute mess for the next month.
6 months later- I had to get off hormones. They just made me so much worse. I had to get on an antidepressant- Cyproheptadine and anti anxiety- ativan… tried a bunch of antidepressants (selegiline, Prozac, abilify, tianeptine). All sucked horribly.
Right now, I’m completely impotent with the symptoms I noted above to the extreme. When I stop Ativan anxiety is so bad and brain hurts so so so bad like a fist is squeezing brain in. Ritanserin really does a decent job, but without Ativan for 4 days its not enough. Without both, I literally feel like I have to die at all times. Its that bad without any form of an AD- like absolute knives being put in and out of brain. 3 weeks ago I was without both in my system for say 2 days- it was so so so so bad.
I’m developing some plans to fix myself. I think I am the absolute worst of the worst and I am not making this up here. I was sick before this. Somewhere in my body, something is sick… It was not “just a hormone problem.” Issues 3.5 years ago, 24, 25 after growing up extremely healthy, athletic, smart, with the energy of a puppy. Something changed.
I have to try to fix that underlying issue in the body- all signs point to detoxification, methylation issues at liver. I really hope its not too late to fix this, whatever in my system is failing me. But yes- this was probably a small system failure leading to an HPA function failure (Hormones), leading to me treating just the hormones, leading to finasteride usage- leading to a problem 100000000% worse.
To put things in %s… I went living at 30% pre HRT to 85% on HRT to -10000% literally. If the SUN was optimum, I felt like I was on Earth- pretty damn close rather than Jupiter off the HRT. Now I’m another galaxy. Scary.
I messed up so bad.
Whether I made the mistake or not of taking it- there truly should never be something approved by the FDA, prescribed by doctors, and created by a “Health” company that could have this drastic of an effect on the human being. Mistake, vanity, riskiness, recklessness, immaturity all displayed on my part or not- the fact that governing agencies in our society allowed this drug to be handed out to young men is just scary. What is wrong with me now is that bad.
I blame myself horribly- literally 99%. But you can’t not blame Merck, the FDA, and doctors for handing this out- just horribly irresponsible and truly unfair for the sufferers and their loved ones. Because- yes it is that bad, I am that crippled by starting then stopping this pill. Sure I had issues before HRT, but now I am CRIPPLED. What the FDA, Merck, doctors missed out on here is just scary. I mean- they’ve caused a now serious disease in so many men just for $$$$ and vanity. This is a disease- not a syndrome. I am sure of that.
I’ve been reading for 5 months now. Learning, understanding HEALTH not just hormones. I’d say its more likely than not that I am stuck here in this state forever until I die. But a piece of me has hope.
I’m going to try. I’ve finally agreed to see the right doctors. I’ve been trying to get out of this myself for 5 months now trying to boss docs around. I think I’m putting myself in the right hands shortly
I will also be having stem cells done on 6/1. Human adipose tissue from my gut- 388 million cells or so. Not a cure by any means, but hope this can control inflammation and help the liver.
I have a plan alongside doc’s help. I think I know to a degree the keys of beating this disease and inflammation is #1. My case doesn’t look promising though based on what I know and how much inflammation it appears I have in my body along with basically zero cortisol production. Which just sucks.
Don’t know if I’m going to be posting here much as I like solvepfs for detailing my journey. I hope to come back here shortly and post some improvement. I’m not even shooting for recovery right now- just improvement day by day. 6 months of regression is just killing me now though.
