Where are you from (country)? Australia
How did you find this forum? Google search of my symptoms.
What is your current age, height, weight? 29, 173cm, 54kg
What specific drug did you use? Topical azelaic acid
What dose did you take? I don’t know. I applied the cream twice a day.
What condition was being treated with the drug? Acne
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Two weeks
Date when you started the drug? 2020
Date when you quit the drug? 2020
Age when you quit? 26
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? A week
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
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
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ x Loss of Morning Erections
[ x Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ x Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ x Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ x Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] 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)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] 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
[ ] Lowered body temperature
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Various vitamins and supplements.
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)? Low testosterone, high estrogen, low vitamin d
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.
I believe I have PFS, although my circumstances are very muddy and complicated. I’ve experienced very varied symptoms over the last three years, and some of it is owing to problems I experienced from antibiotic use in 2020. The problems that are consistent with PFS started close to when I briefly used topical azelaic acid - a dht inhibitor. To this day I have low libido, poor erections, shrinkage and pelvic pain. However, it’s so complicated. I don’t know how to make sense of it. Let me give you an example. I have chronic fatigue syndrome, and when that is flaring up and my energy is extremely poor, these PFS symptoms are subdued - my erections are stronger, my pelvic pain is gone, and there’s no shrinkage, there’s no emotional numbness. Conversely, when my fatigue is not bad, the PFS symptoms are terrible. For instance, taking vitamin b2 or zinc or quercetin all help me tremendously with energy , but I cannot bear how much they make the rest of my symptoms worse. Why is it as though I’m in a see saw? Why do I read a lot of anecdotes of people feeling bad across the board whereas with me it’s always as though when I’m at my most functional the sexual symptoms are at their worst?