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)?
- United States
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?)
What is your current age, height, weight?
- 23; 5’11 and 172 lb.
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
- Topical finasteride 0.05% (primary suspicion)
- Topical minoxidil 6%
- Nizoral shampoo (1% Ketoconazole)
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
- Used 1 mL (0.5 mg) on scalp for 4 consecutive days then used 3 additional times every other day.
What condition was being treated with the drug?
- Androgen alopecia
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
- 7 days total
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
- 23; March 5, 2021
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
- 23; March 14, 2021
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
- I guess I tapered off to some degree, but I’d say cold turkey since I didn’t reduce dosage over time.
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
- After one application. I felt sore in my perineum area and had watery semen. Side effects stopped once I reduced it to every other day application.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
- None of my side effects I had initially are present, but after crashing a week later, I had major symptoms.
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
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] 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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
[x] Other (please explain)
- Fluctuating libido and orgasm quality
- Hard flaccid
- Soft glans when fully erect but fluctuates
- Lack of urgent urination
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
- None yet.
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)?
- Haven’t taken any blood tests other than for testosterone. I will post that soon once I get the results.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
- My doctor has been reassuring of my problems and although he told me he hasn’t seen any of his patients experience these side effects, he has been open minded. My burning sensation was caused by urethritis according to the doctor, which makes sense since it only hurts when I haven’t drank enough water.
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
- Before I took Propecia, I knew about this forum for a while. I’ve read many of the discussion posts and convinced myself I would be on the lucky spectrum if I used topical finasteride instead of it in pill form. According to research, 0.05% topical formulation only inhibited DHT by less than 15%, so I wanted to give it a try. After a few doses, I felt a little strange and had symptoms that most would describe as common and would go away as I continue on the medication. However, after lowering my dose to every other day, my symptoms did go away, but I felt the need to stop because I was afraid that those minor symptoms may get worse in the future. For a couple of days after stopping, PFS was in the back of my mind constantly. I was so afraid because I knew for a few days I may feel fine but in a week or so I may end up in hell. I was praying and hoping this day would never come, but unfortunately it has. My first major symptom was a burning sensation at the tip of the penis. The day after, I began suffering genital numbness at the base of the penis. I initially thought it may have been due to something else, but it definitely felt off. My libido was still high and I could still obtain erections, morning wood, etc. Coming to the doctor’s three days after experiencing those scary symptoms, he performed 4 tests to test my urine (for an infection), genital sensitivity, prostate, and testosterone (which I requested). To be honest, after he spent more than an hour and half (appointment was supposed to be 30 min.) with me to discuss the issues, he reassured me that the burning sensation should subside if I continue drinking enough water. He wasn’t completely sure about the numbness but he said it may be Propecia or inflammation of my urethra, but it should go away in time (he also told me if it doesn’t appear so in a month, he can send me to a urologist). I came home a lot more relaxed about my predicament and was able to eat a full meal since many days ago. The following day I was planning to visit my GF for her birthday, but I noticed that my numbness has increased (now my lateral area was more numb). I was still able to obtain an erection and actually had morning wood that morning. I was a little concerned but convinced myself it was just all in my head. While at my GF’s place, I still could get hard after kissing her, which made me feel a little more relaxed, but the numbness became more apparent the next day (yesterday from this post date). To be fair, the constant worrying has eaten my mental health for days, so I started to become less emotional and stale. I couldn’t sleep for couple days, further contributing to my mental decline. My numbness has increased further, where my glands that were only a couple days ago still pretty sensitive have become as numb as the skin on your elbow. While driving home, I was an emotional zombie. I was both physically and mentally tired, the only thing I wanted at that time was to sleep once I got home. After coming home, I forced myself to eat dinner because I knew not eating wasn’t going to improve my situation. My mom gave me some saffron herbs to mix with my water and that has helped me feel a bit relaxed. I tried to check if I could still receive an erection, but I couldn’t, which scared me shitless. I was able to ejaculate but my dick was about half its original length and barely erected, if at all. I tried to contribute that to lack of sleep and constant anxiety from the symptoms, but I knew deep down it’s probably PFS. I tried to relax as much as possible and slept a full night. Now, I’m here typing this out, not knowing where my future lies and how bad I have damaged my brain function. I feel emotionless and every emotion I try to induce causes this weird emotional relapse that I can’t seem to explain, it’s like my brain doesn’t want me to feel. I believe may be due to a combination of PFS, depression, and anxiety. I’m utterly afraid but can’t feel afraid. I’m losing hope right now and I don’t know how much longer I can take it.
Testosterone Blood Test (3/22/2021):
I know others have MUCH worse symptoms than I have so I’m not complaining or putting myself down harshly for fooling with Propecia. I’m praying that I do recover and that another crash won’t appear down the road.