What do you think about my symptoms?

Symptoms
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#1

Hello there. I would like to know what you would recommend me to do, in order to speak with the doctors. I don’t have PFS for the moment, and I hope everything goes okay, but I would like to get in touch.

I was taking finasteride 1 mg three times a week (been for 3,5 years) and I developed a really special insomnia with some dizzinness and a strange pressure in my head. It was about waking up after 4 to 6 hours of sleep every night and don’t get back, with some exceptions. After 5 months it got a little worse, by then I started to think finasteride could be the cause, and I still didn’t know about all these. I stopped taking it for 17 days and then restarted. A week after I restarted I got to the point where I couldn’t get to sleep at all, with a strong pressure in my head. The next day, neither I could get any sleep. It was horrifying. I am now four weeks off finasteride. Everything was ok in the analysis the doctors asked for, which were very typical including testosterone and other hormones. They prescribed me trazodone 100mg to treat the issue while I recover. They doubted it was induced by finasteride though they support that I quit the drug and told me to do it from the beggining.

It is likely trazodone is helping me to stabilize, and it looks like I am getting to sleep better without any benzodiazepine. Let me explain: as I have to attend online lessons everyday, when I am totally blocked and can’t sleep at all I take lorazepam 1mg. But I am trying to avoid it. Anyway, I still have to see if having stopped finasteride is being enough to be recovering, so I am curious about how my body would react without any drug.

What do you think about my syntoms? At this point, trazodone seems to make the head pressure go as well, but it comes back without it.

I have to mention that I hadn’t had any other evident side effect from finasteride apart from a little of gynecomastia that disappeared after short time.

Thanks so much for sharing experiences.

What are my chances?
#2

There are few members here who got post ssri’s sexual dysfunction after using tradozone. It’s one of the worst things you can take if you suspect having post drug syndrome.

Your symptoms as now are quite mild and as I interpret, liveable. If you can, tapper tradozone very slowly, like, very, and avoid taking anything at all. No vitamins, or other drugs.

I would recommend trying lowcarb/ketogenic diet as many suffereres here reported they have success to some extent managing insomnia with this diet.

You are not injured yet, but messing with drugs can definitely make you a whole lot worse. As far as you are struggling right now, belive me, tradozone can induce a whole new bunch of symptoms and make life a living hell.

Good luck.

#3

Thank you!

#4

Thank you! I started tapering off trazodone, like, cuting doses to the limit.

#5

Ditch trazadone mate. Dvir’s suggested approach is bang on

#6

Yes, I think Dvir’s response sounds really like the best to do. (Bang on means correct I guess? [i’m not a native speaker]). Also on the way to quit trazodone, like, slowly. I like the complete advice.

I have to say, that I have been in the situation of not being able to get to sleep even one second, that happened shortly before quiting finasteride completely. (Also mention that some days later I had hypersomnia, really curious… it has happened to me twice while on the sleep issue.)

I think I should take it easy above all, but if I get to the same point of sleeplessness after quiting trazodone I think it would be difficult not to try lorazepam some day, I have to attend lessons… well, let’s see. And thank you.

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#7

Your understanding is correct, sorry for not using the queen’s English. Your sleep will improve naturally but at times it will feel like an eternity. Hypersomnia isn’t that rare with this condition either. The best thing you can do is to wait it out. Approach the guys on here for support if and when you hit a tough time. Regardless the worst moments always fall back

#8

Understood! And, by the way, do you think I should say anything particular to doctors? And, as I am aware, it is a matter of neurosteroids, allopregnanolone… should I go to the neurologist, maybe, at least to leave this on record…?

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#9

We all need to inform our doctors. Neuro steroids are definitely part of the problem

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#10

Hello! Well, like, I am adding this to the topic: as I told @LazarusRy when te doctors prescribed trazodone my symptoms were not as mild as it could be interpeted, as I got to be totally blocked and didn’t get to sleep at all :((( With really strong pressure in head.

It was the day of my last take of finasteride when the insomnia became that bad. Now I am 25 days off.

And, at the direction of the doctor, I am tapering trazodone. But the thing is that this last night has been really similar to the worst ones I had weeks ago, when I started taking it. With normal doses of trazodone it was being really acceptable, but I am afraid I could get to the same point. I trust my own body, of course, and I am waiting to get better, but, you know.

So, I have a question. I like the advice of trying to avoid drugs. But, now that you know my situation can get to that point, do you know about something I could ask the doctors about, so maybe they can prescribe me…? Any alternative?

About trazodone, I would tell them about the situation and that I know the risks of going off a treatment just to get into another one…

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#11

Try to hold off mate mindfulness and distractions may help in bed. Count back from 3000 in your head dropping by 7 it helps. IE 2993, 2986 and so on. Repeat it. Picture yourself in a beautiful garden and walk around it looking at and smelling the flowers. Bring in happy thoughts

#12

Okay. I am good at it, I do similar things. Anyway, what do you think about things like zinc, calcium or magnesium supplements (or melatonine, which I have used)?

#13

Okay. I am good at it, I do similar things. Anyway, what do you think about things like zinc, calcium or magnesium supplements (or melatonine, which I have used)?

#14

Calcium and magnesium are generally well tolerated. Introduce in small doses probably the same with zinc. Melatonin has badly effected some guys me included. It’s mad but caution is the watch word

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