Experienced users. Convince me my finasteride sides are just placebo.

[CM24]

After reading this thread on a Bodybuilding forum I was convinced to start taking finasteride. I had delayed for many years because the side effects sounded so scary. After looking at many of the studies I assured myself only 2-5% of people actually get the sexual side effects and even then, they could be just placebo.

Also, since I work as a Personal Trainer and have a really healthy diet and exercise regularly, I thought my testosterone levels should be sky high and could never imagine having impotence issues. I started taking 1mg a day about two weeks ago. I have felt an annoying, bulging sensation in my testicles on and off. I hear this is common so I try to ignore it as it should only last a few weeks. For the first few days I was still waking up with morning wood. Which I was happy about. Throughout the day though, I find I'm getting less sexual thoughts and when I'm watching tv or whatever and a sex scene comes on I never get an erection anymore. My housemates even hired a stripper on day 6, and even when she grinded on me I still didn't get much of a sensation down there!

Now. While this is worrying. I'm trying to convince myself that it's more a mental block. I've spent so much time on forums recently that maybe I'm just freaking out and that's what's killing my erections. I know anxiety is often the cause of erectile dysfunction. I would love to be able to spend a month away from the forums and make my own evaluation of the drug. Problem is, I'v a broken leg and I'm unemployed right now. So I have nothing else to do!

I don't want to come off the drug as I've seen what hair loss has done to my older brothers. I'm just wondering has anyone come to realise that the initial side effects were merely placebo and went on to live a happy, hairy, sexually fulfilling life?

 

[Diffuser44]

After reading this thread on a Bodybuilding forum I was convinced to start taking finasteride. I had delayed for many years because the side effects sounded so scary. After looking at many of the studies I assured myself only 2-5% of people actually get the sexual side effects and even then, they could be just placebo.

Also, since I work as a Personal Trainer and have a really healthy diet and exercise regularly, I thought my testosterone levels should be sky high and could never imagine having impotence issues. I started taking 1mg a day about two weeks ago. I have felt an annoying, bulging sensation in my testicles on and off. I hear this is common so I try to ignore it as it should only last a few weeks. For the first few days I was still waking up with morning wood. Which I was happy about. Throughout the day though, I find I'm getting less sexual thoughts and when I'm watching tv or whatever and a sex scene comes on I never get an erection anymore. My housemates even hired a stripper on day 6, and even when she grinded on me I still didn't get much of a sensation down there!

Now. While this is worrying. I'm trying to convince myself that it's more a mental block. I've spent so much time on forums recently that maybe I'm just freaking out and that's what's killing my erections. I know anxiety is often the cause of erectile dysfunction. I would love to be able to spend a month away from the forums and make my own evaluation of the drug. Problem is, I'v a broken leg and I'm unemployed right now. So I have nothing else to do!

I don't want to come off the drug as I've seen what hair loss has done to my older brothers. I'm just wondering has anyone come to realise that the initial side effects were merely placebo and went on to live a happy, hairy, sexually fulfilling life?

Have you been paranoia masturbating? That will have an effect on your dinghy. Also, I never really got erections when strippers grinded on me. In fact only times I ever did while was taking finasteride, but I was younger. When there are a bunch of dudes watching my dick acts more like a turtle and hides away.

 

[CM24]

Ha. Yes, I have actually. I've fapped three times since I started the finasteride 2 weeks ago. Literally just to check if it was still working ok, not because I got the urge to. The faps went fine. Semen was a little more watery, as expected. However, my erection didn't feel as solid and it felt like it wouldn't have stayed long if I didn't keep ''encouraging'' it with my hand. I've lowered my dose to .5mg a day now. The good news is the ache in my testicles is gone. My libido still feels low though. It's been about 17 days since I started taking it now. Is it possible my body just needs time to adjust to the drug and then my libido will come back?

 

[Diffuser44]

Ha. Yes, I have actually. I've fapped three times since I started the finasteride 2 weeks ago. Literally just to check if it was still working ok, not because I got the urge to. The faps went fine. Semen was a little more watery, as expected. However, my erection didn't feel as solid and it felt like it wouldn't have stayed long if I didn't keep ''encouraging'' it with my hand. I've lowered my dose to .5mg a day now. The good news is the ache in my testicles is gone. My libido still feels low though. It's been about 17 days since I started taking it now. Is it possible my body just needs time to adjust to the drug and then my libido will come back?

your body is adjusting to the new hormones. It will either adjust allowing you to get erections with continued use or in rare cases get worse. Keep us updated.

 

[drgs]

Yes, it gets better after 1 month.

2,5 month finasteride user here.

 

[CM24]

Yes, it gets better after 1 month.

2,5 month finasteride user here.

This makes me feel so much better! I'll keep you guys updated. At the moment I've such a weird feeling toward the drug. On one hand, I'm delighted that I no longer have to worry about my hair receding any further. It feels like a weight off my shoulders. On the other hand, I constantly have it in the back of my my mind that I'm sort of ''cheating'' the system and there has to be repercussions of some sort. I can foresee myself blaming the drug for everything that goes wrong for me in future, especially with regards females. I'm gonna do my best to just forget I'm even taking anything.

 

[Agahi]

you are very wise

 

[CM24]

Well. After having basically no libido the past few weeks, I decided to do NoFap for a week to see if it would bring it back. So last night was day 7 and I woke up with a raging erection and I had had a wet dream! WTF! Obviously it's still working properly down there so!

 

[Diffuser44]

Well. After having basically no libido the past few weeks, I decided to do NoFap for a week to see if it would bring it back. So last night was day 7 and I woke up with a raging erection and I had had a wet dream! WTF! Obviously it's still working properly down there so!

This may have well convinced me to go back on finasteride. My one and only wet dream in my entire life was about 1 month after starting finasteride. Notice any shedding yet?

 

[CM24]

I started taking finasteride and Regaine at the same time. I've noticed a small increase in shedding where I'm applying the Regaine. When I wake up and look in the mirror and my hairline is all messy it looks slightly worse than before. My hairline has been really slowly receding from the temples and above for the past 6 years or so, but I've never noticed hairs falling out in the shower or on my pillow or anything and I'm still not now. I've been using Nizoral for years and think I had a small shed when I started using that as well. . My hair has always been really think everywhere except around the temples.

I'm determined to find a way to make finasteride work for me with no side effects. I'v heard of people's initial sides going away after the first month or so. Certainly the ball-ache is gone for me. I did some research and ordered a few natural libido boosting supplements which arrived today. I made a post about it HERE. There's one more I must have missed, raging I didn't order it now. It's called Eurycoma Longifolia Jack and is meant to be taken 300mg twice a day. I'll probably order that one as well! I'm just going to take the highest recommended doses of them all for a little while to see if they work. After that I'll switch to the lowest doses and maybe bump it back up at the weekends or something!

If the supplements don't work or the finasteride sides don't pass within a month. I might try a protocol I saw on another site which has worked for some people. Google Spex Finasteride Transition theory and it should be on the Bald Truth Talk forum.


Have you ever tried NoFap? (Looking at p**rn or fapping without orgasm isn't allowed either) When you make it past 8 days or so generally you start getting ridiculously high libido and you get a wet dream occasionally. Most I've made it is 23 days or so. Definitely worth giving it a go. It changes your interactions with females. Makes you notice them way more and I become a lot more flirty and forward than usual.

 

[Diffuser44]

For wet dreams purposes it's worth a shot. However I'm not sure it would happen due to my gf

 

[kpat]

This thread has been helpful for me. I'm considering finasteride (and have been for a while), but the side effects really scare me. Keep us updated :]

 

[CM24]

My libido has completely been back for quite a while now. Hair is starting to look better now too! I think the reason my libido initially went down was because of three things.
My body just getting used to the drug
placebo
the fact I was dieting and exercising too hard. I'm quite in to bodybuilding and fitness but if you train too hard on too low calories, your bodies hormones start going haywire and your sex drive just disappears. It's a well known phenomenon in the bodybuilding world. I added a lot more high carb days into my diet and stopped doing so much cardio and my libido came back.

 

[swingline747]

My libido has completely been back for quite a while now. Hair is starting to look better now too! I think the reason my libido initially went down was because of three things.
My body just getting used to the drug
placebo
the fact I was dieting and exercising too hard. I'm quite in to bodybuilding and fitness but if you train too hard on too low calories, your bodies hormones start going haywire and your sex drive just disappears. It's a well known phenomenon in the bodybuilding world. I added a lot more high carb days into my diet and stopped doing so much cardio and my libido came back.

Okay when I was on finasteride I was of course working out a lot to.
I was using oxy elites to burn some fat. Honestly it was into that when my MAJOR sides hit.
But just out of curiosity did you get any atrophy "um down there" with working out on finasteride?
That and the immense pain in my balls was what made me stop.... oh and the not being able to have boners....... that to

 

[CM24]

Using fat burners like that can actually make things worse, especially when your already at a low body fat. They'll increase cortisol, which kick starts a chain reaction of negative hormonal effects, which will reduce your libido. I can't say I've had any atrophy. I had a slight dull pain in my balls the first month but that's common and it went away. Boners are back as good as ever now. I also reduced my dose from 1mg a day to .625mg.