Hello everyone here, this is my story for your assessment,
It was 1997 when my hair has started falling out. I hadn’t done anything till 2003 then have heard of ROGAINE and begun using the %5 formen topical. I’ve got good results within two months and continue using it till August 2006. In the booklet it was said that %6 side effects possibly can occur which were irritation on the scalp, dandruff etc. It was a surprise for me to be in that %6 minority because nearly I suffered all the side effects that had been listed.
In 2006, irritation and itchiness became unbearable and I decided to try the ‘so called’ PROPECIA. I was sceptical and scary at the beginning because it was in the form of a pill. I always used to have stayed away from any kind of pills and chemicals. Even from aspirin, painkillers and antibiotics. So taking a pill for the rest of my life seemed to be a very weird situation. I’ve heard of its sexual side effects once or twice but never had an opinion to be the cause of miserable things that are written in this site. Now, I want to EXPRESS that I have never had a psychological tendency to sexual sides when getting on the medication. I always do some kind of sports, particularly body building and fittness. I had a girlfriend which we didn’t have any kind of sexual life at that time. I had been performing penile exercises and kegels regularly every morning. So I had been very much aware of my erectile related situation. I used to be a healty and caring men. 2-3 cigarettes/day and alcolohol very rarely. And at that time I was 31 years old.
In December 2006 I swallowed the first pill. The second day in the morning when I got prepared to perform my daily penile exercises OOOPPPSS. There was something NEW, something WRONG with my erectile performance. It had been the morning, I was alone and there was an explicit material on my computers screen and I could’t manage to get an erection. That was a totaly new and weird situation I have never ever lived before. I didn’t panic and thought that how powerful a chemical is this to make me side effected immidiately!! And again I was in the %2 minority that is likely to be effected the way listed in the propecia booklet!! How could this happen!? Anyway I continued taking it for eight days more. I continued because I was not familiar with the medical market and logically side effects should go away when anyone leaves the medication. That’s the way it should be!. That’s what MERCK commited for propecia!
At the end of ninth day I left off the medication. I was scared and worried with this improbable situation. I waited and expected to return to normal in the next week but following 3 months passed exactly with the same symptoms. I was very confused and anxious about what possibly is going on! Then I decided to make an exploration on the web about the matter and found askapatient.com and propeciahelp.com. Reading thorough the lists of men suffering these nasty side effects was of course wracking.
In that 3 months;
I’ve learned what libido is and its absence
Sex or sex related material couldn’t make me aroused anymore.
My erections got softer, some days totaly impotent.
I became emotion and enthisuasm free
I did not want to do anything that used to excite me
I turned into a man like 70 years old
The forth month my libido and my erections almost came back. I was %90 what I used to be
This healed situation continued three months. Then the SYMPTOMS CAME BACK AGAIN!
Again lowered libido, poor erections. Noticed aggressiveness due to this unsolved state. Conflictions had begun with my girlfriend. Because of lowered libido, my romantic manner, my attention and caring had begun to fade. I was turning into a man that is completely out of me!
After two months I was back again. But this healed period was a little worser than the former one. (8 months total)
Then syptoms back…Two or three months more…
I did not conduct to any doctor because I was stil expecting to be permanently return to normal. And I was sure that if I go to a doctor I will be cured totally.
Then we married. Very frustrating and hard weeks. Lack of libido is the main problem. Softer and unreliable erections accompany it. Very flat moods that it was impossible to express love and romantism…Sex turned to be a stressful and scareful thing to me.
And so on…
We saw an urologist three months after; (14.02.2008)
Physics exam: Normal
Fasting Blood Sugar : 89 ref 70-105 mg/dl
Prolactin ng/ml: 8.63 ref 1.6 – 20.0
Free Testosteron ng/dl : 9.64 ref 2.6 – 16.6
Full Urine Analysis:
pH: 6.0 ref 4.5 – 7.5
Colour : Normal Yellow
Density : 1015 ref 1002 – 1030
Aseton : Negative
Apperarance : Clear
Odor : Special
Protein : Negative
Bilirubin : Negative
Volume : 100ml
Sugar : Negative
Nitrite : Negative
Urobilinogen : Normal (0.2 – 1.0 mg/dl)
Lokosit : Some regions 0-2
Erythrosyte : Negative
Epithelium : Negative
Crystal : Negative
Bacterial : Negative
He stated us that everything was normal and for further study we should see a sex therapist… We did what he said. We went to a sex therapist as a couple for four months. At those days we sometimes have intercourse. My libido never reaches the point where it was before all but somedays or nights I can have an erection which is hard enough to make sex. But thats all too blurry and fluctuating.
We gave up that sex therapist after four months. We were definitely aware that there was something wrong other than psychosomatic. Months passed sexually nearly inactive, with depression and aggression, waiting my body to recover itself. Me and my wife had come to the edge of divorce many times. Both of us still confused about what was wrong with me.
We moved to another house. I began walking one hours everyday. That cured me a little unexpectedly and our sex life. I attended to a sportsclub so it takes the recovery process even further. This healed period continued about four months. Four months later with no reason ALL SYMPTOMS CAME BACK and they were worse that time.
I became totaly impotent, depressed, zero libido, shrunken penis and tecticles. My marriage became terrific. Passion gone. Even kissing each other turned out to be very hard sometimes.
I went to another urologist. But they all shows inclinations of believing the symptoms derived from marriage psyhocology. All say the same thing that “propecia can not do such things to your system”. “It can not effect your system this long”…They all prescribed VIAGRA…
We went to a well-known endocrinologist. I told him my story. He listened me carefully and he asked for some bloodtests. He then physically examined me. He also made a “pharmacopenile color doppler sonographic examination” to check if bloodflow to the arteries was enough for erectile response. Total testosterone level, SHBG, Albumin levels were tested.
He told me that everything was normal except total testosterone level. Total testosterone was 2.8 ng/ml ( ref 2.8 - 8.7 ng/ml ) at the low end of reference rates. The doctor stated that all symptoms were derived from lacking of testosterone in my body. He was also in the opinion that nine pills of propecia or any kind of pill cannot do such sexual issues like I suffer. These problems might be resulted from long-term usage of rogaine (I resumed to rogaine after the side effects of propecia). According to him it should have done some sort of hormone imbalance or suppression etc. He was not sure and was reluctant for further exploration and prescribed me injection form of TRT (nebido 1000mg ampule). Assured me that this TRT will dipsel all my symptoms and give me a well-being for three or four months.
I got this TRT in a hospital. And in about four or five days it started to work. I got rid of all issues including erectile disfunction and low libido in ten days. I felt much better mentally and physically as if I was eight years younger. Our relationship and sex life also improved.
At the 6th week of TRT, I begin to sense some deterioration in my situation. And in a couple of days (two or three) FULL SYMPTOMS RETURNED! In the worst way.
Unfortunately TRT crashed 45 days before it should last. My doctor also was surprised with this unexpected result and wanted some more bloodtests. I’ve also got shrinkage and softness in my testicals during this TRT.
Luitinizing hormone, total testosterone, liver enzimes AST(SGOT)-ALT(SGPT) and sperm count and structure were checked.
I was devastated to become INFERTILE!
1ml sperm count 6.4 million (>20 million), Total sperm count 25.6 million (>40 million), Licefaction time 15 min, normal appearance 70, abnormal appearance 30, vol 4 (ref >2), pH 8 (ref 7.2 – 7.8)
Total Testosterone 3.6 ng/ml (ref 2.8 – 8.7) , Luitinizing Hormone 1 mIU/ml (ref 1.7-8.6), AST(SGOT) 25 U/L (ref 13 – 31), ALT(SGPT) 22 U/L (ref 10 – 40).
My doctor showed me the reason of abnormal rate of LH (1 mIU/ml) as TRT. “Testosterone circulating in your body feedbacks the pituitary not to secrete LH that there is enough T in the system. So LH rate resulted under normal ranges”. That’s what he told.
My wife showed my bloodtests and told my story to various doctors and they all told her the same baloney that it is impossible. She sometimes have difficulties in believing that my lack of romantism and passion is resulting from my unsolved situation. I’ve also tried Viagra two times. My first attempt was with 25mg, nothing happened, no hot flashes, no erections nothing. I’ve tried 50mg in the second time. Again nothing happened, I went to the toilet and tried to arouse myself but I could get a semi-erect state only…hours and hours later I’ve noticed prolonged morning erections instead. My doctor said hidden depression can cause this by suppression.
Anyways all these propecia story have stolen nearly 3 years of my life and ruined my marriage. The biggest problem of all is lack of libido. It really is a very complex and intriguing feeling that nobody can really conceive unless he or she experience it personally. I am not pessimistic but I do not know what to do exactly. I haven’t participated in a treatment program but planning to see Dr. Shippen or Dr. Crisler soon.
Any advice or recommendation will be greatly appreciated
Thank you all for your patience.
