Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)? 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
What is your current age, height, weight? 33, 70in, 200lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Finasteride from Keeps
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1mg daily
What condition was being treated with the drug? Hair Loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Two Days
Date when you started the drug? Aug 11 2022
Date when you quit the drug? Aug 12 2022
Age when you quit? 32
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? The next day
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? ED
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
[Recovered] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[Recovered] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[Recovered] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[Recovered] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[Recovered] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[X] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[Recovered] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[Recovered] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[Recovered] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[X] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain) Vertigo. Started a few months after discontinuation. Muscle twitches. Insomnia (recovered, but have some bad days)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
-Time, exercise, diet, and staying away from ALL supplements. Didn’t drink alcohol or caffeine for the three months.
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)?
-My testosterone was 629 ng/dL and free testosterone 19.7 pm/mL post-fin
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.
Took the customer survey on Keeps and qualified for Fin. Read the “warnings” on their website and basically said that 1% of people experience side-effects. The lie detector determined… That was a lie. I took my first dose the night of the 11th of August and went to bed. Took the next dose the morning of the 12th of August. That afternoon my testicles and penis felt like “pins and needles” and this sort of strange sort of staticky feeling. Cannot describe it, but it felt like pop rocks or the television on a static channel. Just weirded me out and that’s when I said this is not for me. Stopped cold turkey. Couldn’t get an erection that Friday or half of Saturday. Got one Saturday night. Thought I was in the clear.
That Sunday I spent the entire week with my girlfriend at the time. We would have sex twice a night. But that Sunday night, she noticed I was soft the second time. I knew something wasn’t right. Felt normal the rest of the week. After that first week, I experienced the dreadful crash. I absolutely couldn’t get an erection for the life of me. My life came crashing down. Depression, suicidal ideations, prostrate pain, and muscle twitches. It was a downhill ride for a while. I noticed the hourglass shape on my penis. It would make these weird shapes, long/skinny, short/fat. I wold try masturbating with my knob and I would get these hot flashes. Nothing like I had experienced before. I was lucky my gf lived in another city and I had time to hopefully heal. I developed insomnia after a few weeks post-fin. Absolute hell. I would go to bed at 9pm and would wake up at 1am, 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I would try and sleep and I would feel like I was getting jolted back awake. So strange.
The end of September I went to visit and I was able to get my first erection after a while with her. It was the same size and had the same feeling like before. I felt normal with her. Once we broke up, that didn’t help me with my healing. I was thankful though, because I felt sadness. Which I’ve heard most people lose emotions. Insomnia subsided in November. I can sleep 6-7hrs which is my normal. I get erections only at night. Not the normal size and fullness, but an erection nonetheless. Still no random or morning erections. Vertigo has improved, less episodes. Muscle twitches have subsided. My main concern is my ED and penile changes. I still have the hourglass shape and it still morphs from long/skinny to all these weird shapes.
I’m staying positive, it is hard, but a positive mindset creates healing. I live a healthy lifestyle, I exercise 5 days a week and eat nutritional foods. I stayed away from alcohol the first three months. I drink a few 1-3 because I want a normal life. I don’t want to be scared. I need normalcy. I put myself in this situation over vanity which haunts me, but I will fight for recovery. I know time is a healer of all wounds. The human body is amazing. It fights for equilibrium. But your mindset is key. It is hard at times, but you really have to believe.