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)? Italy
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?) Reddit discussion
What is your current age, height, weight? 39, 175cm, 63kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Minoxidil Biorga 5%
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 2mg each day
What condition was being treated with the drug? Hair loss
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 15 months
Date when you started the drug? november 2020
Date when you quit the drug? january 2022
Age when you quit? 39
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? it started from the may 2021, after 7 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? erectile disfunction, depression, loss in muscle tone, ankle pain
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
[X] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[X] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[X] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[X] Muscle Weakness
[X] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[X] 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
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
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)?
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 started taking Minoxidil in november 2020 and for 6 months everything was just fine, my hair was stronger and thickest, loss hair stopped. Then in may, after having sex with my gf i felt a pain ejaculating. Since then everything in sexual function just go worse. The doctor (to whom i mentioned minoxidil but he ignore it) said it was prostatitis and i started a cure for it. Some slight improvement, then again everything get bad. In january my mind clicked and i searched for info about minoxidil sides and here i am. It’s a month since i stopped, initially i experience some natural improvmeente (no more prostate infiammation), now again everything is getting worst, new sides arise (ankle pain, deep depression). I’m planning a hormone test in the next week, let’s see the result. I fell like crap right now and hopeless.
the less we can do is to rise awarenss for other guys out there who may live the same experience.