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?
48, 5’10, 175 lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg daily
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Fighting baldness
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
6 months
Date when you started the drug?
August 1998
Date when you quit the drug?
end of Feb 1999
Age when you quit?
25
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Tapered off for a few days (took one every other day for the last few pills)
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
First few days
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Reduced semen, reduced spontaneous erections, reduced morning erections, less powerful orgasms, less sensation during sex,
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
[x ] Loss of Morning Erections
[x ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ x] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Have tried many supplements over the years.
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)?
Testosterone and DHT are normal, though sometimes on the lower end. Depends on what time of day you take the blood test.
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 noticed a decrease/change in semen right away. Orgasms felt less intense. Lack of morning erections when waking up.
Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY
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Name of the therapy/substance:
Glycine (Solgar brand, 500 mg, 1 pill)
Vitamin B1 (Now Foods 100 mg, 1 pill)
Taurine (500 mg Now Foods)
Sorghum Seeds (Organic Grains Organic Sorghum Grain - 3 Lbs. (48 Oz.) - Resealable (Green and white package) (Instructions: Bring to boil with water, then reduce to minimal heat to simmer cook for at least 15 minutes, drain and eat. Lid is on the pot entire time. You put the seeds in when you add water, no need to wait and add them after the water boils. You can also eat them raw but is a bit difficult on the teeth. I pour in a few large spoonfuls. It’s a lot like couscous.)- Dosage:
- How often you took it: 1 pill each in the evening, a few spoons of sorghum
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Status
- Still using [x ]
- Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
- Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
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Duration of use: Days [18] Months [ ] Years [ ]
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Response when you started:
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [x ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
- Greatly improved [x ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
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Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
N/A - still using and only 3 weeks in.
- Greatly improved [ ]
* Slightly improved [ ]
* Stayed the same [ ]
* Slightly worsened [ ]
* Greatly worsened [ ]