Hi everyone,
I too was using Fin for approximately 18 months before it hit. As part of a treatment recommended to me by a hair loss clinic, I was taking 1 mg Propecia pill and applying a Minoxidil solution (12.5 % with Azelaic Acid, a topical 5-AR inhibitor) daily. The treatment did wonders for my hair, but like everyone else I got the side effects. I was aware of what I was getting myself into from what the doctors and the leaflet told me (though I only discovered this forum after starting treatment).
Thankfully I was lucky. I only experienced ED, no other symptoms (couldn’t hold an erection for more than 30 seconds over an extended period of time). When I realized that this was likely due by Finasteride, I stopped the treatment altogether and things returned to normal. It’s been 7 months since I quit and ED hasn’t invaded my life again.
I’m not posting to gloat and I am aware that this is somewhat off-topic, but I was wondering if anyone has experienced side effects on a topical 5-AR inhibitor such as Azelaic Acid alone? Wouldn’t it be safer than serum DHT inhibition? My gut feeling would be to stay well away from anything that will interfere with my endochrine system but I would still like to hear your experiences. Best of luck to all of you.