welp...here I am

Member Stories
#1

  1. Where are you from (country)? us

  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?)
    info search

  3. What is your current age, height, weight? 49, 5’8" 178lb

  4. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? not so much, but not overweight/in good health for the most part

  5. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)? Varies. Typical decent food, not an overeater

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

  7. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)? 2 1/2 yeas

  8. How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride? 46

  9. How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 49

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

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

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

  13. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects? hard to say…20 months ago maybe

  14. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? mild pyronies, strange feelings while climazing at first, then significantly lower/uncomfortable penila sensation, orgasm-less climax, low smn volume,

Put an X beside all that apply:

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

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

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

  1. What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Nothing yet–went to doctor and he was generally unresponsive to the info on this site, recommend a urologist

  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)? I have not had any done yet–don’t know where to start, am very confused/discouraged by all the different/conflicting ideas, approaches and (lack of) results I have read on here.

  3. Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride? One thing I have noticed that I have not read here yet is that previously, I had very sensitive testicles…just the slightest squeeze could hurt them. Well I can squeeze fairly hard now and feel NOTHING.

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

I can’t really add much to what I have indicated above. I cannot believe this has happened/is happening. if I can help I will.

#2

Edword,

welcome to the forum. I’m sorry you had to join us.

I don’t see the actual date when you quit, but if it was fairly recently you should move quickly to see a good doctor. Shippen & Chrisler are two doctors that recognize our condition as legitmate and have seen many men like us.

They don’t know everything about and can’t seem to cure all sides, but they have been able to help some. You are fairly close to them location wise. I would get an apt asap. It seems the faster you do a HPTA restart protocol coming off of this med the better the chances are of recovery.

Don’t waste a lot of time trying to find a good doctor or one that believes propecia caused your problem. I and many others have done that already. I would recommend using one of the ones that are recognized as good doctors on this site.

Lastly, if you are still suffering over time please stay active and post here. If you recover please let everyone know how you did it. Many of us believe this condition effects a much a higher percentage of men than this site indicates. We really need to the medical community to know this is a very serious world wide problem. To many guys come on here and never come back let people know if they recovered or how they did it, if they did.

#3

Welcome Edword.

As bostonusa said, consult one of the PFS docs please. They will recommend bloodwork to be done. Then you can go from there. Some people do improve so all isnt hopeless.

gl

#4

Thank you kind Bostonians! I will follow your advice. I certainly want to contribute what I can so others may benefit. I hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays and find improvement with your conditions as well.

#5

Well…no drugs or bloodwork I simply cannot afford it. However, have been dieting and getting more exercise, also eating nuts and other testosterone-building foods. Thrilled to say that I seem to be recovering…hope it continues!! Will update soon.