http://christienpaul.com/body/the-side-effects-of-drugs/
The Side Effects of Drugs
Many of us will eventually lose some hair. Some of us can sport it better than others but all in all, it’s something we’d all like to control. I’m writing this post to thwart others from trying to control it. If you or a friend use Propecia, read this post;
On the night of my last tournament, I came to realize that I lost my drive… I was feeling pretty careless, low on strength, it’s like I couldn’t ramp up to full tilt (that’s what I say when i mean pump up some adrenaline).
I mentioned this to my mother whom is a physiatrist and she suggested i get some blood work done to see if Propecia (a pill that stops hair loss) had done any damage to my hormones. She then asked if my doctor had gotten blood work from me before starting the prescription… ugh, no.
“So, you’re telling me that your doctor put you on something that suppresses your testosterone and he didn’t even get a sample count of testosterone to serve as a reference for future comparison? How is he suppose to assure everything is safe? Get a new doctor!”
So here I was wondering if perhaps she was onto something… time for Google; propecia side effects, propecia withdrawal, propecia symptoms, etc. I found this great text interview to assess myself on this messageboard that has canvased thousands of men who have sadly been permanently affected after prolonged use; viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2588
It had already been filled out by a guy my age just a little bit taller and heavier. When I filled out this interview sheet I came up with all the same answers as another guy my age who was on it for more than 5 years (since age 22).
- How did you find this forum?
Searching Internet for propecia problems.
- What is your current age, height, weight?
27/176cm/160lbs
- Do you exercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise?
Martial Arts – 2 to 3 times per week
- What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
A bit of everything
- Why did you take Finasteride (hair loss, BPH, other)?
Hair loss
- For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
2 months
- How old were you when you started Finasteride?
27
- How old were you when you quit?
27
- How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold Turkey
- What type of Finasteride did you use – Propecia, Proscar, Fincar or other generic?
Propecia
- What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
1 mg/day
- How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
4 weeks
- What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
ED and very slight gynecomastia
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[ ] 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
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x] Depression / Melancholy
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] 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)
- What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
No treatments… I’m feeling like myself more and more 
I was on it for 8 weeks and have currently been off it for nearly 2 weeks.
- 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)?
NEVER GOT BLOOD WORK!!!
- Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience with Finasteride?
Doctors should be ordered to get blood work before being able to write a prescription for it.
- Tell us your story, in your own words, about your Finasteride usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I’ve only taken it for 2 months and didn’t really clue into its side-effects until the eighth week. Looking back on it, my family says they noticed behavioural changes but thought that may be the result of having quit smoking cigarettes. I really put my hormones through the ringer by quitting an addiction and starting propecia. I actually felt like propecia was helping with the cravings and stress levels… but really it was just sedating me… I didn’t have the balls to truly get a grip on anything. I lost my drive… i lost my motivation. I’d rather be bald with balls than fabio without them.
