You wont believe how long ive been on Proscar for!!! My Story

Member Stories
#1

My Story will be after the template :slight_smile:

  1. How did you find this forum?
    Ive been here a few times, now i finally am serious about it. Obviously concerned about something probablly googled “side affects”.

  2. What is your current age, height, weight? 25, 5’8, 88 kilos

  3. Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise? Not really i must admit i dont.

  4. What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
    Not very healthy - fast food + home cooked dinners a few nights a week

  5. Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
    Hair Loss

  6. For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
    Here is the kicker… Ive been on this drug since i was 15 years of age. Yes that is right ive been on it for 10 years.

  7. How old were you when you started Finasteride?
    15

  8. How old were you when you quit?
    I still haven’t :frowning:

  9. How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
    Cold turkey im thinking

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

Proscar Quartered Daily

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

Whatever that equals out to be

  1. How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?

You know i honestly have no idea… Could have been weeks i just dont know…

  1. What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[X] Erectile Dysfunction (Only mildly)
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections

Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[X] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[X ] Depression / Melancholy (Only as a result i know im not depressed).

Physical
[X] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[X] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[X] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness

[X] Other (please explain)
Feeling of actual tingling in extremities

  1. 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 but they weren’t proper and found nothing

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

Hi guys!! Here is my story. This could turn out to be long. I could probablly write a 10,000 word essay on this to be honest. Ok well i started receeding rapidly when i was 15 years of age. Parents and i looked into it. I had 2 hair operations one at about 15, one at 17 (if i recall). I then started taking propecia. It did arrest my hair loss and i have a full head of hair (more or less to this day).

Before all this happened i was a wonderful person (i think lol). I had lots of friends was friendly to everyone, was very happy go lucky. Around the time of my hairloss and propecia i developed an anxiety disorder. I felt shaky and fearful when talking to people some / a lot of the time. This continued on and off for years and years (it still does to this day). I have been told apparently by my mother that i dont handle stress well. Anyway i attributed this all to the trauma of loosing my hair at a young age.

Amazingly a few years back i did have blood tests. I just noticed how cloudy and odd i felt. I just felt in my heart that something was wrong. They came up all clear as far as i recall. I just continued with the day to day.

Im not a bad looking guy, in fact in year 7 I kissed a few girls and felt very confident that this would be an area i will be ok in. I still have lots of friends but god ive had some anxiety over the years. Sometimes my brain just fills up with thoughts i cant stop it its awful. Anyway im 25 years old and haven’t slept with many girls at all. I just assumed because of my anxiety and innability to remain calm and relax they didn’t like me (which im sure was partially true). Ive watched my friends who are no better or worse than me get far more girls. In fact my social ability is higher than most of theirs (or it should be). With my girls i have always been able to maintain an erection but its never spontaneous and i worry its not as hard as perhaps it could have been.

Anyway to cut an already long story a little shorter i recently went to my surgeon for a transplant scar revision (so i can shave my head). He said to me that at my age i should have a boner ever morning. Then it dawned on me. I haven’t had a boner in the morning for 10 years (or at least as far as i can remember). I started considering that perhaps i have a low libido and i looked up this site. Then i found the mental side affects aswell. Holy shit its floored me and hit me like a steel bar. I have felt strange / flat for a long long long time.

I will be totally honest and say that i felt that you guys were crackpots. I thought that you were blaming everything on propecia almost hypocondriac like (and i do believe theres a small amount of this). I cannot deny though that ive looked up Fibromalagia and fibro fog before, and it seems FUCKING COINCIDENTAL that you guys are complaining about it with propecia.

So my exams are in 20 days and im a train wreck. I feel crazy, all this is just making me feel weird as shit. My plan is this. Doctor on monday to tell him about this, ask for an endocronologist appointment. My parents are fucken hard asses and want me to do this before i do anything rash. I also dont want to quit before my exams, i just couldn’t have my hair fall out / any disruptions. I think ive gone past the point of no return though. Im going to quit very soon and my hair is going to decintegrate but maybe, just maybe i will feel better that i have in a long time??? (It actually brings tears to my eyes right now to think about all of this).

I feel dumb as hell for not realising this earlier if it is true (10 years :frowning:) I suppose i had it at such a young age (15) i just didn’t realise what normal was for me. If anyone reads my story i would be amazed. I know its long. Im gonna keep you guys updated. I will be bluntly honest to talk about my recovery over the next few months.

Some Recovery
#2

Welcome.

So you started taking Finasteride at age 15 or 17? Either way, that’s way too young and any doctor who prescribed you the drug at that age should have their licence revoked.

As for your anxiety/stress/mental issues, many can relate as they went through the same thing. Read the sticky posts at top of the Mental Side Effects section for more insights into why (short answer – Fin interferes with neurosteroid (Allopregnanolone) production in the brain, thus interfering with GABA-A receptor function):

propeciahelp.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=24

What did you have tested? If you can request copies of this bloodwork and post it (with ranges), that’d be great. “Normal” is not necessarily “normal for you”.

Yes, many men report loss of morning erections due to Finasteride and Merck even notes it as a statistically significant event in their clinical trials for the FDA.

Loss of morning erections often correlate with lowered Free Testosterone, as well as elevated Estradiol (Estrogens).

Be prepared to be told all symptoms are in your head, unless you bring in scientific materials to argue your case (check Finasteride Studies section).

Before you quit I’d also recommend you get bloodwork per the list here so you can see what effect Fin was havign on your hormones:

propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=92

After the health mess we’ve been left with thanks to this drug, nobody here cares about hair anymore. Taking this drug was a steep price to pay for vanity.

If you are still concerned about your hairloss I recommend you visit other hairloss sites for alternative treatment discussion, as this site is for men that quit the drug and continue to have side effects long after discontinuing. I recommend you read the FAQ at top of site for more info.

Either way, should/when you quit, most likely everything will go back to normal as we (people with ongoing issues) are in the minority. Good luck.

#3

Taking it since 15 or 16 (My memory is shitty lol). No im no longer worried about hair loss. Fuck it!!!

Thanks for having a read Mew. Yea i know this site is for people who continue to have problems after the drug. Of course i really hope im not in that boat, but i have been taking it for a friggen long time so maybe i will never recover :unamused:. This is one of the only forums i have found that actually talks about the mental side effects so its very useful.

I will certiannly try get my old blood test results.

Yeah im well aware he will think im a crack pot if i go on about the mental side affects. Im not happy with the sexual ones either tho so thats good enough reason to quit.

Thanks again Mew we shall see what happens

#4

Mew, is there not a way to test for finasteride or dihydrofinasteride? There has got to be, considering we can test for so many other things…

#5

I’m sure it’s possible, considering we can detect small protein markers such as CR35 on cells. But I don’t think you’ll find it readily available at any doc’s office considering finasteride is not a controlled substance or an accepted dangerous drug in the medical community.

Talk to a hematologist, lab technician or even any biochemist, they’d be able to give you some better information.

#6

Hey Guys… Well i took the plunge. After 10 years on the shit ive quit it cold turkey. This is my second day off it. I went to the doc and he said its basically up to me. He offered to do blood tests but i decided not to persue them (I just dont have time at the moment and i believe they are often hard to interpret). He was a really nice doc but as expected was skeptical about the side effects being mental.

Almost immediately i started to feel better, its almost as if i have taken ritalin to speed up my brain. I feel more focused and have more energy, calmer. When i look at myself in the mirror, the eyes that im looking at seem less fearful somehow. Although, i actually think that a lot of it is probablly in my head (literally). I mean i felt really calm yesterday (unusual for me) and the finesteride was probably still in my system. I have had weeks were things go right where i pull it together before too. I am well aware that i could be in a period where my body doesnt’ know what its doing, so my anxiety etc could one day return.

Not suprisingly i have started to think about hair loss again. This time im just going to let it happen. I get strength from this website

baldrus.com/ - Its a message board for people embracing being bald. Its really empowering in my opinion.

Anyway, i am aware this is the incorrect forum for me because i only just quit. Should i continue to post what happens, are you guys interested? If not i will leave and come back if shit hits the fan :unamused:

#7

I hope you will be happy wth your decision. Most likely you should be back to your old self in the coming weeks. If you wish to post updates about your status, by all means.

I would have opted for bloodwork prior to quitting, but that is your choice. Good luck and hopefully you will not have any use for this site in the future! :wink:

#8

Just for the record mate i honestly feel like a totally new man. I have have felt calmer every single day. I recon a lot of people would believe that in this short period its all in my head. Its definately not. The panic and negative thoughts just aren’t popping into my head like a giant rush anymore. Everything just seems to effortless for me at the moment. I actually have a clearer vision its unbelievable. I used to wake up sometimes with blurry vision, but since i quit its been rock solid.

What hasn’t been rock solid has been my equipment though. Actually its working better than normal but still no morning erections / spontaneous ones. I also dont feel much hornier than usual, except for maybe a little bit. I do need to give it time though.

Im gonna keep you updated if anything changes. Will also update you with when my hair starts falling out just incase you’re interested. Im kind of in shock / struggling hard with the fact that i could have felt like this for the last 10 years. I really have missed so much. I suppose that is life i should be thankful as worse things happen to others, perhaps including some of those on this forum. If i didn’t feel calm now i recon i would feel like kicking the shit out of whoever was responsible :confused:

#9

Just want to let you know, not to fly in the face of all you guys struggling, that i am still feeling better. I cant believe it, you guys were dead right, this drug was an awful mistake.

I can just go out socially day in and day out now. Still no hair loss but its only been 3 months so i might begin soon (3 month cycle). People have noticed that im different. I really really really have some catching up of life to do so i better get to it.

I just want anyone who is reading this to know, that i give permission for an admin or mew to distribute my email address for anyone who needs support or to verify what i have said.

#10

Its good that you are feeling good. I just quit a few weeks and i started to get anxiety and lightheadedness. I dont feel good and I am hoping that this feeling goes away quick. Its nice that you feel great and you are mentally strong.

#11

I would also like to pass on some news about how im going.

I’m doing my honors in uni, and my stress levels are through the roof. I actually cry sometimes i get so agitated about having to do uni. I have a mountain of work to do its awful. The stress i go through is a combination of a) hating uni and my course b) low motivation and c) propecia effects. I cant handle stress at the moment, and im sure its because of propecia to some extent. I feel like my thyroid is being affected. Im fatigued, have heart tachycardias occasionally, im getting a few grey hairs, diahorrea, feeling confused etc. I feel an apathy that is often all encompassing, i wonder if i should be alive anymore. I also have been binge eating like crazy, and not putting on any weight.

Recently, in the last 3 or so months my sexual sides have been getting better. Mainly in the area of feeling downstairs. I feel like there is a pressure down there, like an ache, and it actually makes me horny to an extent. Also, ive had a few orgasms that were through the roof and felt wonderful, masturbation feels better now.

Strangely though as contradictory as it sounds, i now have this small amount of hope. I actually don’t think i will ever be quite the same, but i have this odd feeling my sexual sides are going to sort themselves out. Things are slowly getting better, and i’m almost at the stage i recon i could put myself back in the game again. Having a nice feeling when you are masturbating seems to create a feedback loop to your arousal system that gets it going.

My nice feeling downstairs started when i masturbated softly. Its kind of embarrassing to say, but i did it with my thumb and pointing finger, almost like a baby? It would take me like 30-40 mins to arrive at orgasm this way, but my god, it felt amazing like a full penis orgasm?? Then, ever since doing that things have been improving.

The only thing i wonder is if the extreme stress i’m going through hasn’t elevated my hormones enough to give me some relief from sexual sides. I will only know after November if things are really improving when uni is all over. My hunch though is i’m on the mend. I was on propecia for 11 years so if i can get some relief there is hope for us all.

#12

I certainly can sympathize with you. I understand how this takes away your ability to work at the level you were used to prior.

I see you note penile shrinkage. Did that improve at all over time? I have this side as well.

As Mew said, its just amazing/sad any doctor would put a teenage boy on an anti androgen medication. Best of luck to you and glad you are improving in some areas.

#13

Sennex, you never had the post finasteride crash?

How the hell can a guy be on this drug for 10 years from 15 years old and be way better off than half of us.

#14

Are you saying that you milked the prostate?

Have you still not had any tests done? Just been trucking a long these past 2.5 years slowly recovering?

#15

Hey all,

I thought i would give a quick update. I know i haven’t been on here for a long time. The reason for this is i found this site destroyed me. Reading the posts of people suffering and the science day in and day out just didn’t do me any favours. I wanted to keep in the know, but being on the site certainly made my depression 2x worse. Not to downplay the site, without this site i may still be taking propecia and probablly would have topped myself years ago.

I didn’t actually update this thread with my crash symptoms. Around 3-4 months off quitting propecia, things did get worse. Much worse… I did post about it if your interested, somewhere.

I just read my last post re-uni. My god, worse year of my life. Ive never had feelings like that before. Stress, severe anxiety and depression all mixed together. Literally i would cry at least once a week, often to my mother over the phone. They asked me to quit but I managed to pass (75%) however (somehow). I moved interstate and found another job. A year later im pleased to say that cognitively, i think i feel better than I have in a long time. I feel calm, confident and can banter and smile with people again. When people talk to me, often i’ll respond without thinking (which is what normal people do). The brain fog with Propecia meant that in the past every word spoken to me had to be filtered through the fog and it was a real struggle to keep up with people.

Sexually, I don’t think im 100%, nor do i think im anywhere near my worst. I still feel that constant ache in my genitals (like a sensitivity) which while probably not normal is far better than the numb feeling that I felt for years. Ive had some great erections, great sensitivity and even some true surges of libido (last 6 months) which ive never felt since being on propecia. Ive had a couple of sexual encounters and both were positive. Im still holding back with women though and generally i have sex about once a year on average… Sad but fortunately i have some good friends.

I haven’t seen any doctors apart from a few at the beginning. Became apparent to me that it was unlikely any doc (endo or not could really help me). I personally hate the idea of taking drugs to correct the problem. I think im stubborn, and i’d probablly suffer for ever without taking drugs unless i had a very high degree of confidence it would help long term. I’ve lost about 11 kilos and im starting to get into really good shape. Been doing some callisthenics for fitness and my body probably looks better than it ever has (aged 30 now). Lost weight purely by cutting the carbs and eating healthier (1600 calories per day).

So thats it, still have my shit days that’s for sure. Still get down and upset about Propecia. Tonight I have been reminiscent about my life and the things ive lost due to this drug. Generally i’m able to deal and I still have this ray of hope that things will continue to improve if I eat right and take care of myself. I’m more realistic now, and thinking that 1-3 more years and at this rate i could be 95% better. I certainly dont agree that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Not for everyone, but i’ve learnt a lot about life the hard way, and its made me less complacent than others. Im not going to return for a while (unless i see some mega improvements) but i’ll check in at some point. Gotta keep that hope alive…

Nah it was just masturbating with two fingers with a semi erect penis. Don’t do that anymore but it felt amazing, like the orgasms id have! wow

Still no tests mate.

1 Like
#16

I can certainly relate to your story. I too did not know the side effects were from the drug. I remember looking up the side effects multiple times and not seeing my problems on the side effects list. That stress in the few months after quitting was also unbearable. So glad many of the sides at least have calmed down a bit over the years.

I had hair surgery also. Did you get the scar revision surgery? My scar is too noticeable if I get my hair cut too short. Did the surgery help? Cost?

Glad some things are getting better for you! Im optimistic also. I think time might take care of this.

#17

It makes me pleased (though I know things aren’t 100% for you) to read your post. I had just started a thread the other day wondering about what had happened to older users. Good to know you are just able to get on with your life. The longer I stay away from this forum, the more I am able to get back to my life as well. Proud of you my friend!

#18

Hey guys,

I just wanted to give you guys a really quick update on my situation, although i dont have long before i’ll be kicked off the computer. Ive moved to the UK, working in care quite a lot. Things for the last few months have been going quite well. About 2 months ago i started thinking clearer. I just felt more intelligent, which was a great feeling as i was so used to thinking through a bit of a fog (although the mental side effects had somewhat dissipated a few years ago).

My mood has been fairly good, and in general i have felt quite calm and unflappable. I have my anxious and down moments, but in general that area of my life is no longer a problem. Ive managed to have a few sexual encounters aswell, and at first i suffered from premature ejaculation. That was the opposite of my original problem, where i had a lot of difficulty reaching orgasm. Ive had some fairly successful sexual encounters since, and its getting better. If i could only find a stable woman who i liked, i think i would continue to improve. Morning erections and spontaneous erections aren’t every day, but they are fairly regular which is great.

So in general, ive really improved lately, to the point where i am fairly happy. I would put my general recovery at around 70-85%. I even have a few bursts of libido. My libido is not raging by any means, but its pretty much adequate (although ive never really had the opportunity to know what a decent libido is).

I know that this is not a recovery yet, i still do feel fragile and i do also worry that i will revert (that would probably crush me). But my condition does feel quite stable at present…

Ok so what have i done? Nothing special really that others haven’t.

I haven’t eaten that well
Ive smoked
I have avoided drinking wherever possible (often going months without a drink) - but i do not beat myself up if i have a few occasionally.
Took vitamin b tablets (b12, b3, niacin (non flushing) but i only took this a month or so and its very irregular.
I was going to the gym for about 3 months with a friend but haven’t been back for a while.
My sleep has had its disruptions but ive tried to get a fair amount.
Abstaining from masturbation to some degree, although do it occasionally

I think one of the biggest changes for me is that Ive lost a bucket load of weight. I was around 95 kilograms (im only about 5’7) and now im down to about 76-77 kilos. I lost it primarly by doing intermittent fasting. Eating no breakfast, eating often between 12-8pm, having fasting days of only 600 calories. Ive been fasting for probablly around 5 months now, and i do think its helped my mood, clarity of thought and sexual symptoms. Plus i look better, so i feel better aswell. If i were to guess what helped the most i would say the weight loss. I still eat a whole lot of crap, but i am determined to keep the weight off. The only other factor is time, although i was on propecia for so long and had such serious symptoms, i never thought i would notice much of an improvement.

Ok ive got to go, hope this helps somewhat. I will keep you updated by try to stay off the forums as much as a i can. Good luck all!, i truly hope i stay this way and / or continue to improve. I can live like this!

1 Like
#19

Thank you for the update and happy you are normalizing. Playing with hormones especially during puberty is dangerous business! I was on Propecia a long time as well and am still suffering badly a couple of years after stopping cold turkey; a few weeks after coming off I had the first morning erections and surge in libido in years but sadly crashed shortly thereafter. How long officially have you been off Propecia? After the “crash”, when did you start noticing true improvement?

#20

Hey Guys,

Didn’t really want to post tonight but oh why not. I apologise for being so sporadic re my posts. Ok so where am i at?

On the positive, my mental clarity has continued to improve. Every now and then im a bit slow witted and my memory is poor, which i think is to do with propecia. Nevertheless, my anxiety has practically gone and ive been able to maintain a job as a carer very successfully while in the UK.

Erections are actually acceptable. Normally probably around 80-85% of a super erection, every now and then i get some really great ones, and occasionally quite a weak one. Im not particularly that worried about this.

My sleep hasn’t been the best lately, just been waking up around 6:00am in the morning, and struggling to get back to bed.

Fatigue, still feel a bit more than i think is normal to be honest but its quite manageable.

Orgasms / Sensitivity - hmm i think sensitivity is a little low as are orgasms. Every now and then i get a really great one though.

Libido… Well of course, its the old propecia story all over again… On the positive its not Zero. Its just not raging sadly. So let me tell a story.

At a work party the other night a girl i knew was leaving. I knew there was the possibility she liked me, and as the people whittled down i was pretty sure we would end up at her place (which we did). So we chilled out (we had been drinking and smoking a bit of weed aswell), we chatted for ages and i engaged in some light stroking of her legs / bum etc. Let me say that this girl was hot, really really hot. Anyway, as the night went on I hadn’t engaged but she lay on the floor. I headed down and we started making out. Things going well, lot of thoughts going through my head. I went for her breast/was pushed away then she put my hand on it. This is unfortunately when things went pear shaped. I didn’t really get more excited, although i was a little cheery. This is the moment when fear kicks in for me, I realize that i should be like “holy crap hand on boob”, but i didn’t. We got back onto the couch, back to rubbing her a bit but nothing else. She ended up going up to bed and i slept there with her in her bed.

Anyway, to end a long story, Next morning, more just chilling out. Let me say that we get on very very well. Shes extremely sexual though, gets guys easy and loves sex. I knew that leaving her place the chance of getting this opportunity again would be low, unless id sealed the deal. So over the last few days my texts have been reciprocated slowly, ive managed to possibly open another window for myself next week (only a chance) as she said she wants to meet again.

Ive been boyed and also dismayed by this experience. Shes freaking amazing, and to be honest i would be too if i hadn’t taken this crap. Ive been working out, eating right, not playing games and doing as much right as i could since that night. Ive felt hopeful that i can beat this and i need to take another serious run at it. Im also fucken petrified that if i get to see her, im just not going to be able to escalate to sex. I just don’t feel that passion to really ravage her and im telling you shes really great. Im also petrified that if i get the opportunity i will just sabotage it before we meet so i don’t have to go through the pain.

Its possible that i can do it. That if the stars align and she wants to meet and im in the right zone, ill make it happen. Its possible still that this could be trans formative for me, the moment i need. I need you brothers, any advice you have… please… Could it be a lot of anxiety / fear at this point? I just cannot give up, i cannot see myself as irreparably damaged. I will try beat this till my dying breath i know that.

I know that was a heavy post… Don’t read into me being totally needy / infatuated btw. If it doesn’t work with this girl, well its not going to kill me. There are other possibilities, but ive gotta keep trying.