-
Where are you from (country)? Bulgaria
-
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?) www.hairlosstalk.com/interact
-
What is your current age, height, weight? 27, 1.75cm, 82 kg.
-
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? I would say that I am a sporty person. Soccer once a week, Skiing 2-3 times a week during winter, Gym 2-3 times a week, tennis 1-2 times week in spring summer and autumn.
-
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? Not specific. Balanced diet.
-
Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? MPB
-
For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 1 year 10 months
-
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 26
-
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 27 22.02.2009
-
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? I am not very good at idioms? I just stopped.
-
What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Proscar cut in 1/4 - 1.25mg of fin per day
-
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1.25mg per day -
How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
The gyno kicked in around the 12 month. The other physical and mental sides appeared a few months ago. -
What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[X] Weight Gain
[X] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[X] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[X] Other (please explain)
Feminization:
My voice become much softer
My hips widened
My shoulder become smaller
-
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? None
-
If you have pre or post-Finasteride bloodtests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (pls post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)? N/A
-
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
-
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Hi everybody,
I started with the “big 3” about 1 year and 10 months ago as my goal was to postpone the balding progress until something better (as a treatment) came out.
The first negative side effects appeared on the 12 month when I have developed pretty aggressive gyno. Initially I could tolerate this side effect, because I guess my hair was more important than my breasts, so I kept on with the Proscar. Later on month 18 of my treatment my parents told me that I have transformed dramatically (they see me every other month) and I am undergoing a feminization process. They noted that I had gained weight in a way, which is typical for girls, also according to them my voice was becoming softer, my shoulders, hips and of course the gyno. Until that moment I was not really paying attention to myself, because I was obsessed with my hair. This was the only physical feature that I was looking, when looking at the mirror. The drugs were doing a good job and the hair was one of the most important things in my life. I must have been addicted to fin, because even at that point I have not considered quitting the drug. Other sides that I was experiencing at that point, which I could not connect with the fin until I found this site, were exhaustion, terrible constipation problem, panic attacks and extreme paranoia (especially when high). Another side which I was experiencing was that I could not handle with the stress as I used to.
On the 10.02.2009 I had one of the most stressful days in my career. After work I decided to ski (the best thing about Sofia is that the ski tracks are 30 min. away 
), so I can relax. This usually is my No. 1 stress relief but this time did not help. That night I could not sleep for more than 1-2 hours. Anyway everything started on the next day!! I went to work with a blurred mind. I was feeling my hands and legs somehow disconnected from my body. I could also feel that my muscles were tingling and trembling.
It is very hard to explain that feeling even in my native language but I would say that this is what stands for brain fog. It is like when you are high and you are looking at the surroundings from a different angle. You are feeling your head heavier with a very slight pain, especially when you turning it abruptly to a different direction. The feeling resembles the dizziness when you change your altitude very quickly. The feeling is like you have some problems with the vestibular system.
Anyway, this day at work was an absolute disastrous I could not concentrate the, brain fog was accelerating when I was trying to concentrate, then I could experience the slurring of speech and stumbling over words side effects. I freaked out and took the rest of the week off. Initially I thought is due to the super stressful job I have but on the next day nothing changed. All the mental sides were there!! I thought of something terrible and the same day did scan my head. Fortunately, there were no problems!!
After some research I ended up here and, when I read some of your stories guys I was flabbergasted. I never thought that the fin can cause such a damage mental wise.
Yesterday I have stopped the proscar.
This is my story and I would like to ask you some questions.
-
Is the feeling that I am experiencing is what a brain fog is? I am asking this because my problem is more like I have this vertigo and dizziness, which could be connected with problems with the vestibular system. Please take a look at this : vestibular.org/vestibular-di … mptoms.php
-
Shall I stop the fin just like I did or is better to initially decrease the dosage and gradually stop it?
-
When shall I expect any improvement?
-
I am also curious to know whether you have completely forgotten about the hairloss after experiencig the sides and stopping with the fin?