Very Concerned!! Use Propecia for over 15 years!!

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)? Trinidad

  2. 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?) Searched Propecia after a friend warned about Propecia

  3. What is your current age, height, weight? 37 , 5-10, 190

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? 4 days a week jogging

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? healthy meat eater

  6. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)? Hair Loss

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? over 13-15 years! consistently

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? approx 22 years old

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? I quite the day I found this site.

  10. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? I am gonna quit cold turkey.

  11. What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic? Propecia

  12. What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1mg a day

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? I always knew it had sideeffects but never thought it was permanent. Noticed after 6 months or so. Wow how dumb was i.

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? lowered sex drive.

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive x
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erectionsx
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erectionsx
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections x
[ ] Watery Ejaculate x
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate x
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat x
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness x
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought x
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacencyx
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks x
[ ] Depression / Melancholy x

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage x
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature

[ ] Other (please explain)

I really noticed that emotionally I became very blunt. I cannot begin to tell you how concerned I am because of how much changes I suffered. I just thought I was maturing in some way. I actually spoke to friends about feeling very unemotional towards anyone and actually started praying very heavily. You see I took drugs in 2009 after becoming very depressed. I actually thought the drugs damaged my brain. In 2010 after becoming clean I noticed I couldnt feel much emotions. Please tell me this is all reversible.

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? none

  2. 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)?

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

  4. Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.

Like I said my story is very long. I have noticed that I have become very very emotionally blunt and I have been trying to find a reason to explain it. I thought this was a common thing amongst men but perhaps I was wrong. Please help! I have been taking this drug for over 14 years

#2

Post your full story in detail please, side effects on/off drug etc. It’s difficult to give much advice based on a few sentences, the more info you can provide and timelines, the better.

Regarding the mental side effects, they tend to clear up for many over time (sometimes it can take a few years, for others months).

#3

Ok I will write a full report tomorrow because its very late here. Tonight I had drinks with a friend who warned me about the side effects. Everything just makes sense now. I cant believe I have been so blind. This drug is indeed very very messed up and there is much to tell. Can anyone recommend how I should stop this drugs or what steps I should take while stopping. I am guessing I should see my GP. Thanks.

#4

Emotional bluntness is your biggest worry? Wow I’d litterally kill a person with my bare hands for that to be my only side effect.

#5

Review FAQ
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7

Review this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4338

#6

Update … Today I am not feeling well. stopped propecia about 20 days now. I have been feeling very cloudy and also a little listless. Today I am in bed and I cant get out. Not sure what is wrong. Thinking about going to see a doctor.

#7

Have your hormone profile done. I’d say if you escape physical side effects you are very lucky, as BP indicated. Some of us had extreme penile shrinkage and pain, fat gain, and muscle waste which never resolved even years later.

#8

Little update. Things are very up and down for me right now. As i right this letter I am quite depressed. I went to my doctor yesterday and we spoke about all the issues i was having. He recommended I take a vitamin and do some bloodwork. Can anyone advise me what bloodwork I should be doing?

On a personal issue I started dating a girl i really like . The sad thing is that I tried to get intimate with her last weekend and I couldnt! We got in a terrible fight yesterday and as of today things are really bad. I am quite concerned. I just cannot feel any emotion to her. Yesterday my cloudiness was so bad I rushed to the doctor. The night before I actually felt dizzy…not sure why even?

Honestly I am very scared. My doctor also advised me that I should sign up for the class action lawsuit. He also is wondering if my history of depression is related to this. Is there a Doctors page I can send for my doctor??

Please help, thank you.

#9

Well I noticed about 3 weeks after taking the drug I began getting much much better erections. Morning erections something i havent gotten in YEARS! I noticed my penis also got much larger than when I was on Propecia. But my serious problem is the cloudiness. My doctor says it could be a sign of depression. I get a feeling that I just canot explain. Its like I want to feel emotion but there are none.

#10

propeciahelp.com/testing

#11

Is this the drug or is it just me. What’s going on… God help me… I can’t feel a bloody thing. I just can’t… !!

#12

Hang in my man, we all go through very rough stretches. There will be better days. It sucks holding out for them, but they’ll come. And I can’t speak for all of your medical history, but odds are it is not you. This drug is awful. The ball is rolling with this PFS mess, hang in there. Message if you need anything. I can share anything you want to hear, or talk about anything you want to talk about. I can even talk to you on the phone if you need. PM me if you need it.

#13

you are not writing all the detail. like Mew said give more information to get help.,

#14

I just feel emotionally dead. I remember how I used to feel but I cant actually feel what is happening around me. I can’t seem to be able to connect with anyone. My erections are actually pretty good. I feel sexual etc but emotionally I feel like a zombie. I am wondering if its something with me other than this drug or its this drug. I have been taking Propecia for over 10 years constantly and I just stopped April. Thanks for all the support guys. Really means a lot. How do you guys connect with people?

#15

you don’t have any physical or sexual sides effects, you are very lucky that using fin for ten years and then stopping did not get you into trouble. Just forget every thing and enjoy the life.

what prompted you to stop the drug if you did not have any side effects?

#16

Branching out and networking with this disease, or syndrome, or whatever the hell you want to call it, is very difficult. However, I stay true to myself. I have a lot of friends who know the person I once was, and real friends will always be around for you. It’s through friends that I still manage to find things to do. I have always been a nice guy, and that has not changed. I have gone out of my way to become a much better listener, I am much better at remembering names now (something I was always awful at in the past), and I remember details when people are talking to me. People appreciate these things, obviously. All I really care to do in social situations now is be as genuine and as nice of a person as I know how be. I respect everyone who is respectable, and I try my best to joke around when my limited wit permits me. This position has forced me to be more nurturing too. I guess it can be sort of off-putting to some people, but when I don’t feel like I can take care of myself, I try to do what I can to help others.

To draw on the quote used by TxOptimist, “90% of life is showing up.” It’s pretty damn true. You can still stay in touch with the world at this stage in your life, you’ll just have to be willing to put forth a lot more effort than in the past. And even though things may seem dulled, and you have a harder time enjoying things you once did, if you withdraw from anything and everything social, you’re just left by yourself. And for me, the time I’m left alone with my thoughts, are the worst times that I have.

#17

After a very long time and much prayers and lots of suffering I just wanted to pop in here quickly to tell everyone about my recovery. I have taken Propecia consistently for over 10 years and quit taking it in May 2012 after reading man terrible reports. After stopping I went through many agonizing months of depression and basically all the symptoms described in this forum although I did maintain my erections somewhat but were not very good. Brain fog was terrible and I just felt out of touch with myself.

I only started feeling much better about 2 month ago which is almost 2 years after stopping. I never took any supplements but i did exercise everyday mostly aerobic and just lived a healthy lifestyle. I ate healthy and tried to just live a healthy lifestyle. I did start taking two supplements which recently which could have possibly have helped me quite seriously. I actually only started feeling better not long after taking the supplements so I don’t know if it was the supplements or just time or prayers or whatever.

I took GNC triple strength fish oil and 50 mg of a good zinc everyday and I am still taking it. I also suggest anyone going through this could also try this combination. I also contribute my persistence and also meeting a girl which actually helped me stay positive which I believe made a huge difference. STAY POSITIVE! She also helped me go through the ordeal . Thanks Gabby :slight_smile: Also my erections are as good as ever.

No matter what stay positive and take some good vitamins if you can. Sleep well. Masturbation def makes things worse. Also drinking.

SO I started to notice feeling better when I felt more lively and happier but it could have been meeting this girl also so go out there and keep trying no matter what. Maybe the good feeling from her made me feel better who knows but thats how it happened. I also noticed my hair started thinning out again but this time I will never trade anything for my happiness not even hair.

SO that basically that it. Just wanted to pop into and tell everyone stay positive and pray if you can. Take those vitamins, have patience and live a healthy lifestyle. It will take some time to get back. I am sure I am not 100% yet but I am getting better each day.

Have a great day everyone. :slight_smile: and may God bless!

#18

Thanks for coming back and sharing. It does gives us a lot of hope.