I took finsasteride for about three years before I decided to do some research. What prompted me to do this was I was behaving erratically at times, experiencing wild mood swings, anxiety and depression. So in April of '08, I ceased using finasteride, believing, as many of you did, that the side-effects would subside. They did, for about a month, and then they got worse–way worse. I was experiencing violent muscle spasms, brain fog (I could barely articulate a sentence, which probably lost me my job in sales at the time) insomnia, extreme fatigue, weight loss and even slight wrinkles on my face around my nose–along with really dry skin and enlarged pores. I was very distressed and looked for answers everywhere.
Now I realize that we all bring something different to the plate the way our body chemistry is concerned, but what worked for me more than anything else are two things: Maca Root but even more so, QiGong along with Tai Chi and meditation.
I do not have the time right now to give you a scientific explanation about why this worked (I will propose theories later), but I do know that my body was out of wack and had a lot of blockages along its meridians. I believe that my levels of allopregnanalone were diminished so much, that my body and mind could not handle even the most minute amounts of stress. However, since starting Qigong in October of '09, I have gradually become more balanced and my mind no longer feels chaotic. I still have bad days, but since taking QiGong and Tai Chi classes here is what has happened to me.
First off I am a male: 32 years old; 6 foot 1; ecto-mesomorphic body frame (small to medium build)
- I gained my muscle back and got back to a healthy weight. I do work out with weights, but was not making any significant gains. I was 170 lbs.in Oct.(I even got to as low as 150 lbs back in the summer of '08)
Right now I am 185 lbs and fit as a fiddle.
2.I sleep like a baby. Not only do I sleep better, when I wake up, there are no more chaotic thoughts and I feel more grounded and energetic - I have more confidence. I actually talk to women without worrying about looking or acting like a spaz.
4.My anxiety has lessened considerably and when I do get depressed, it is only for a day or so and not weeks or even months. - My mental acuity has increased significantly. Practicing QiGong,Tai Chi and meditating forces you to think with the whole brain and not just primarily with the cerebral cortex. Your brain becomes unified if you will, optimizing its performance.
- My endocrine system is almost back to normal and I sweat again, have morning erections, have normal (if not exceptional) sex stamina, and my T-Levels seem to be back to normal as well.
7.My skin is as smooth as a baby’s butt and the wrinkles from the dry skin went away, the poors shrank back to normal.
I tried a myriad of things, but nothing has come close to these internal martial arts. It has taken a great deal of work thus far to get where I am, but it has been well worth the effort. I was very angry about what happened to me. I was even suicidal. But I have taken a negative and turned it into a positive: QiGong has taken me back to the old me, and in some aspects, made me an even better person than I was before all this insanity with finasteride happened.
Hair loss sucks. I still have most of my hair, just a little thinning on the crown and temples. However, I would rather be bald as a cue ball than have to suffer the way I did. We live in a very vain society where baldness is equated to unattractiveness. But this is simply not true. You have to make the most of what you have. If you are balding, go bald gracefully and don’t try to hide it in silly/unnatural ways. I think of it this way: If my favorite acctress/model babe was bald, would I still find her attractive. The answer is almost always a resounding YES! If Kate Beckinsale was bald, I’d still be attracted to her. Beauty radiates from within and again is making the most of what you got.
As a side note: There has been some stem-cell research in rats where hair follicles have been regenerated. It seems safe and would not alter the body’s hormones. But until this hits the market (and maybe even after), I will keep my hair shorter and a big smile on my face, since I have found inner peace am resilient to the shallowness that often pervades American society.
Let me know if you have any questions. I live in Seattle where I study under Dr. Guan-Cheng Sun’s student, Brendan Thorson. There are many different styles of QiGong and Tai Chi and my advice is to find one that really concentrates on cultivating Qi (Chi) energy and meditation, rather than fighting styles.
I wish you all the best of luck and look forward to participating more in this online community.