I’ve been taking propecia half tablets for 2 years and 4 months. I have been feeling the brain fog effect for quiet some time now and also a lack of libido. Erection is still there. My main concern is, will my penis go limp if I stop taking propecia right away? I plan on tapering down little by little then stop. Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you.
Get the blood tests if possible in the next few days before/while quitting so you have a baseline in case of persistent side effects.
You can read through the main site for an idea of what to watch for. If you’re quitting treat it like a major shock to your body, get plenty of rest, moderate exercise, eat well, no alcohol, no caffeine, no bread, low stress. If you’re not already on one, a paleo diet seems to be the best choice for PFS sufferers.
Unfortunately you’re asking a question to which no one has an answer, however given you have brain fog finasteride has been noticeably inhibiting neursteroids in your brain already. Stopping sooner rather than later is going to leave you with less damage than stopping later rather than sooner.
Although there’s mixed discussion on this board, there’s no evidence it’s possible to taper off of finasteride because it has a flat-dose response rate. The amounts you would need to taper off of 0.5 mg would probably need to come directly from a manufacturer or be achieved by dissolving the chemical in an alcohol solution with lab equipment to be able to limit your intake to the required amounts.
physics.upenn.edu/facultyinfo/frankel/papers/propeciafda2/
Good luck and try to keep a journal of your experience while quitting with side effects.
I personally wish that I hadn’t gone cold turkey as since coming off I have experienced the loss of subcutaneous fat to my face (irregularly at that, with the left side of my face taking the greatest hit). I became aware of this about 6 months after stopping when the damage had already been inflicted. This correlates with a similar time frame with regards to shrinkage. I believe that my body had adjusted to lower DHT levels whilst on propecia and with stopping suddenly the increased levels of DHT impacted negatively on my adipose tissue (there are scientific studies to back this up). I have definitely lost weight since coming off propecia with no great change in lifestyle or diet, but unfortunately some of that weight loss affected my face and penis and will prove extremely difficult to reverse (particularly face), without some kind of cosmetic intervention. Anyways, my own experience would in retrospect have had me taper off the drug as hopefully I wouldn’t have been exposing my system to such a sudden increase in DHT levels, although it is all speculation and fucking hindsight. A urologist I saw said that propecia stays in your system for 6 months after stopping, although didn’t elaborate. Take care, whatever you decide. With this drug it seems that we are damned if we do, damned if we don’t.
My a.dvice don’t stop cold turky. Keeping the same frequence just reduce dose slowly over 4-6 weeks. Please keep posting to let us know.
Thank you guys for the replies. It’s funny how I didn’t feel depressed while on the drug but now the thought of quitting and its consequences is making me depressed. Funny how that works out. But I am trying to keep a positive state of mind and try to not let it bother me. I am planning on tapering off and only doing 1-1.5 gram per week and keep decreasing it. I will keep you posted on any changes I’m experiencing. I do also plan on getting a baseline of my blood test. It sucks so bad, the decreased in libido and any possible ED…also the brain fog which I do realize that I stumble on words and can’t really focus correctly…I thought I was like that before I went on the drug but now everyone is also experiencing that, I do believe it’s not just me. I’m going back to school and I just hope this brain fog clears out for me to study. sigh…Anyone thinking of doing hair transplant and stop taking this drug forever?
Nobody here is still taking the drug, hair loss is the least of our concerns. If that is your main concern, post on hair loss forums.
I understand where you’re coming from when along with your concerns about what propecia is doing to you, you are still worried about hair loss. All of us got ourselves into this mess because of our concerns about hair loss and I believe that for some there may be a transitory period where the concerns about what propecia is doing way outweighs the cosmetic. My own advice would be to get off propecia, because taking it for cosmetic reasons is just wrong because of the myriad interconnected roles that DHT plays in our bodies and the long term impacts of lowering DHT in young men. It’s just not worth it. You have to assess whether you can live with your current symptoms if you decided to stay on the drug and the unknown other damage it could be doing, or whether to best manage withdrawal. With regards to hairloss, it is so much more insignificant than all the sides that this drug has caused for so many, although if you are still concerned about hairloss then you could still look for alternatives that aren’t androgen inhibiting, and take some solice from the fact that a hair transplant down the line is always an option (which doesn’t involve compromising your body chemistry) whilst you focus on resolving your other concerns just now.