PROPECIAHELP: Persistent Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & discussion forum

0) Where are you from
-USA

1) How did you find this forum (Google search -- if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website -- if so, what page? Other?)
-Internet Search

2) What is your current age, height, weight?
-31

3) Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
-1-2 x per Week. Moderate

4) What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)
-Nothing specific. I am eating healthier now. More fruits/veggies

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

6) For how long did you take Finasteride (weeks/months/years)?
-7 Months

7) How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start Finasteride?
-Started at Age 30. Started on September of 2010

8) How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
-Quit at Age 31. Quite on April 2011

9) How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
-Cold Turkey

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

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

12) How long into your use of Finasteride did you notice the onset of side effects?
-4 Months... not really sure though. I probably noticed a little bit of ED prior to that but the mental Side effects came at 6 months

13) What side effects did you experience while on the drug that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
-ED & Mental Clarity problems

Put an X beside all that apply:

Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[x] Complete Impotence (rarely)
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[x] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility

Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfullness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Depression / Melancholy

Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[x] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes

Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / "Poo Pellets"
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[x] Lowered body temperature

[x] Other (please explain)
-Severe insomnia at Month 5 in addition Ejaculate is now actually thicker on not as "White".

14) What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
-None at this point. Only ED drugs (Cialis). I also am starting to take fish oil to see if it helps with my brain function

15) 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)?
-Yes ive had the following done by a urologist 5 months after quitting.

Testosterone - 3.75 ng/ml (Range 2.49 - 8.36)
%FTI (Free Testosterone index?) - 73% (Range 34-106%)
Prolactin - 8.28 ng/ml (Range 4.0-15.2)
FSH - 7.28 mIU/mL (Range 1.27-19.26)
LH - 4.6 mIU/mL (Range 1.2-8.6)

16) Anything not listed in the above questions you'd like to share about your experience with Finasteride?

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

I took Propecia for 7 months and when i couldnt get a hard erection i stopped. I dont really know when i crashed by my symptoms by Month are as follows:

---1 month off
Difficulty sleeping, Mental fog, Erectile Dysfunction(Inability to maintain erection). I still had morning erections and could still get pretty hard.

---2 to 4 Months off
Mental fog, Erectile Dysfunction. I did experience some days of extremely high libido... and could still get really hard erections but could not maintain.

---4 to 5 months off
Severe exhaustion at 3pm in the afternoon, Constant Headaches (I think this is due to Low T), Severe insomnia for approximately 4 weeks, Morning erections are diminishing but still present, Erectile Dysfuntion seems same (Still cannot maintain), Brain function seems slower.

---6 Months off (Current)
SMorning erections are VERY weak if existent at all except when on on Cialis they are a little better. I am currently at a point where i cannot get erect at ALL by erotic material or manual stimulation...In addition my ejaculate now seems less "white" and more solid, wheras before it seemed more normal. None of this above is promising and it appears i am going in the wrong direction... HOWEVER i am now sleeping ok, not good but ok, again... and my Exhaustion is less severe, but brain function seems to remain the same old slower than usual...this seems to vary week by week so who knows what next month will bring.

My Medical / Sexual History is as follows:
-ADD
-Depression- I dont think my Seratonin levels have ever been where they are supposed to be and i have always struggled with PE.

I am thinking about getting more blood tests since things have changed after 6 months.

Welcome to the forum. I suggest you read through the main site (propeciahelp.com) thoroughly before beginning on this forum if you haven't already. A full list and a "short" list of recommended blood tests and ranges can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=92

Some things that help members here with cognitive symptoms are paleo diet, a raw food diet or fasting (which could be done before moving to a paleo diet), very moderate exercise and getting enough sleep, eliminating caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and any foods you might be allergic to. You might gain your mental energy back but it could take time (sometimes up to 1.5 years or longer).

Once you've taken these steps and gotten your blood work, it's then a good time to consider other medical treatments, however standard medical treatments (such as HRT) have had varied results. Regardless of your preferences for treatment ask lots of questions and remember that you are doing EVERYTHING at your own risk and this condition in not well understood by medical science.

You will find very varied opinions on this site and a problem we have is that some people are very sensitive to things while others don't even respond to them. We also have a problem of developing tolerances to things like PDE5 inhibitors, so be careful about what you put in your body and try to cycle supplements. Take it slow, try not to stress yourself, and take it easy with sexual activity, it's often reported here that over-masturbation has proceeded crashes.

It's also possible that you may have taken other medications which could have triggered some of your persistent problems. Be sure to rule out any other medications too.