boobyinspector
Established Member
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Well then resume taking finasteride, you quit because of this no? Might as well get some of your hair back.
Finasteride causing irreversible impotence!?
- Thread starter Quantum Cat
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Quantum Cat
Senior Member
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well you don't know that for sure, but I understand your frustration. However it's not right to claim finasteride will cause irreversible sides.
if your libido is fine and your erections work well , then it's not a huge deal. My semen is watery but I live with it. I'd rather keep my hair
boobyinspector
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Nobody? Is that why vasectomies are popular? I don't want kids. I rather get a couple of dogs.
When my penis is errect it doesn't point upward like it use too. It just points outward slightly downward. I thought it was because I was having sex too frequently, but after 2 weeks without any stimulation its still points downward when fully errect. Would my errections return to normal if I stopped finasteride after 3 years?
Quantum Cat
Senior Member
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can you upload pics?
WOW
Admin, with all due respect, running the site is different than reading the posts, because there's been various people in this category.
ME being one. Finasteride did me some SERIOUS damage and im still only 80% (at best) at where i was pre-finasteride. I'm off finasteride over 2 years now, and yes i did stop it as soon as it's effects became obvious.
It's not "nonsense". People who get ****ed up by finasteride are perhaps biased but so too are the people who take it and want to pretend it's perfectly sake. The truth, no doubt about it, lies somewhere in the middle.
Any drug that surpresses a vital enzyme in the male body, which crosses the blood/brain barrier, shrinks the prostate etc etc, can definitely do damage to an unlucky man.
There may be alot of fear mongering, but there's also alot of legitimate concern and real stories out there.
.
Quantum Cat
Senior Member
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Mens Rea, can you give more details about what happened to you?
It was well profiled on here, but i got fed up arguing with people about it.
Basically, I took finasteride about 18 months. I was fine until i noticed one occasion where i, shockingly, had erection difficulty. I was very sexually uninhibited and confident before this and honestly had unbelievable libido. I quickly went off finasteride but things just got worse and worse for the months after. Semen turned completely clear, dribbled out and was tiny in volume. My penis just didn't react anymore. Zero libido. Severe prostate pains and after a while PENIS PAINS. My penis shrunk (both erect and flaccid), it didn't even look like the same penis. Honestly, my girth almost halved at one point.
Things have stablised now and i actually consider myself lucky. I can have normal sex, my penis has regained most of its size (definitely not all) and semen has improved (not recovered). For about a year after finasteride things were literally on a awful descent for months and months - my body was all over the place.
My endo checked me out. My estrogen levels were very high but so were my testosterone levels so this should have cancelled that out. Ultimately, we tried various hormone tweaking therapies but decided that there was something much more complex going on and that a natural recovery was my best hope. I did experient with countless different recovery strategies but ultimately i cut down on alcohol (not that i was a big drinker in the first place) and took (take) zinc and magnesium each day. This has helped slowly aid my body into some sort of recovery.
I've met a few similar people to me in real life. I live in Northern Ireland where id be surprised if there was more than a few hundred people taking finasteride, yet i've spoke to atleast 10 guys who have had similar problems. A very worrying ratio. Propeciahelp gets a bad wrap on here but it is also full of unfortunate guys, many of which were perfectly healthy before finasteride.
I do believe most people will tolerate finasteride quite well, and i can't quantify the % risk of bad sides, but it has to be acknowledged.
boobyinspector
Established Member
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Mens rea it gets a bad rep because propeciahelp believes that the MAJORITY have these side effects when in reality they are the minority. I acknowledge they exist in a minority of people. It would make sense since it can manipulate hormones and based on the person it can go bad. My estrogen for example is on the low normal side and I have high testosterone and low normal DHT. This balance can change in people depending on so many factors.
Most of my problems escalated after cessation, yes.
In hindsight, my libido and erections had been affected when i was on the drug, but it took me a while to notice at which stage i realised finasteride was the problem and i stopped. All hell broke loose after that...
Quantum Cat
Senior Member
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that's a scary story Mens Rea, especially as it came on so suddenly. Hope the recovery's going well
when your doctor said there was something more complex going on, do you have any idea what he meant?
when your doctor said there was something more complex going on, do you have any idea what he meant?
Fanjeera
Senior Member
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Visit www.propeciahelp.com and read many more stories of that kind!
Quantum Cat
Senior Member
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yes I have visited there in the past and I have serious doubts as to the validity of the horror stories there. OTOH I don't doubt that finasteride can cause sides, occasionaly serious. the truth is somewhere in the middle
No, not even he knew exactly what it entailed.
We spoke about various possibilities - but ultimately it has to be accepted that it's potentially extremely complex and difficult to pin-point.
Finasteride can cause such an unbelievable cascade of events in the body, that the actual end result for someone with post-finasteride syndrome inherits a completely, almonst unique, set of symptoms. Most PFS sufferers i've seen are somewhat different.
It can put pressure on the adrendals, thyroids, sex hormones whilst also messing around with critical neuro-steroids essential to brain function. The results can be entirely unpredictable. Some people recover immediately upon cessation but others end up with messed up prostates and all sorts of weird and wonderful problems that most doctors put down to mental problems.
All i say is be careful tbh. No scare-stories beyond that. Everyone's body is different, simply be honest with yourself.
Lewis Hamilton
New Member
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It's up to you - risk v reward, but bear in mind what can happen
Firstly let me respond to the Admin before I respond to the question about can Propecia cause irreversible impotence.
Admin quoted:
The people who have the problem (and are screaming the loudest) are the ones who took the drug, *ignored the side effects* out of a fear that they would go bald without Propecia, and *continued* taking it despite these side effects. For days, weeks, months, even years. Those are the people who may have ongoing problems afterwards, and even among them, i would say it is a very small fraction.
In such cases I have very little support for such individuals who are then trying to sue Merck, because I believe what they are doing is unethical and dishonest. Trying to blame someone else for a decision they made. And I can comment like this because I was one of those people. I had side effects, very bad ones - more than most anyone I know ... and I ignored them for nearly 2.5 years because of fear of losing my hair. If I walked away from that situation with permanent changes, the only one I would have to blame is myself. But then again, I think differently than many people.
This is a load of nonsense on so many levels. To start with many people took Propecia in the early 2000's when the warning on the box (well the instructions inside) clearly stated that there could be 'temporary and reversible side effects' to do with impotence and other sexual issues. Since then a lot of people continued on the drug in the ''knowledge'' that if they had a penis that was a bit on the soft side, or a reduction in ejaculate etc that got to the point it was affecting their sex lives they would get off the drug and hey presto they would be back to normal. Yes, Propecia updated the leaflet in 2008/9 but who reads that every month when they open a new box.
I think as an Administrator it is fairly pre-pubescent to say people who have had their lives wrecked - because that's what has happened - shouldnt seek some form of answer. Yes, there will be people on the bandwagon, but there are also people who have been chemically castrated, no longer have sex, are depressed, can't get excited, constanty fatigued etc etc as a result of taking this drug. If a pilot says to me 'good morning ladies and gentleman this is your captain speaking' should I go up to the cockpit and see his pilots licence or do i trust that, as a professional, he can do what he says and the airline has trained him or her adequately?. It is totally logical to trust a drug company that has had FDA approval for the drug, unless of course the FDA looked the other way as they were in receipt of bribes. Don't forget a lot of users rely on their Doctors and Doctors have been saying for years ''let me know if your penis stops working, but don't worry old bean, as soon as you stop taking the drug the old man will be firm once again'.
So in response to the original question. The longer you stay on it, the worse your erections, fatigue, brain fog, depression, lack of seamen etc will get (should you be subject to side effects, and it's probably nearer 10% than 2%). If you stay on the drug more than 4 years and have these symptoms for more than a year then your chances of complete recovery are zero. You will always have residual problems. What you will notice is a massive 'high' as you come off the drug (with monster erections, loads of energy) followed by a huge crash.
Endocrocrinologists have investigated the causes and effects of the drug and this is well documented. In essence the drug should cut off the element that causes male pattern baldness but it actually stops the body being able to receive most of the types of testosterone (if you have blood tests you will see in all likelihood your testosterone levels are at the high end of normal - that's what made you bald in the first place) but the receptors will be blocking it's absorption.
If you want my advice get off the drug as soon as you can. A particularly reputable hair clinic in the UK has suggested you come off the drug totally for 10 days (when you get the massive high) and then start again on a 0.5 dose for 6 months, until you finally taper it off. That is for patients who have been on the stuff for years though.
Use it at your peril. If you have any side effects relating to sexual function (even mild ones) in the long term you are running the real risk of for ever being sexually damaged with irreversible erectile dysfunction and impotence.
Firstly let me respond to the Admin before I respond to the question about can Propecia cause irreversible impotence.
Admin quoted:
The people who have the problem (and are screaming the loudest) are the ones who took the drug, *ignored the side effects* out of a fear that they would go bald without Propecia, and *continued* taking it despite these side effects. For days, weeks, months, even years. Those are the people who may have ongoing problems afterwards, and even among them, i would say it is a very small fraction.
In such cases I have very little support for such individuals who are then trying to sue Merck, because I believe what they are doing is unethical and dishonest. Trying to blame someone else for a decision they made. And I can comment like this because I was one of those people. I had side effects, very bad ones - more than most anyone I know ... and I ignored them for nearly 2.5 years because of fear of losing my hair. If I walked away from that situation with permanent changes, the only one I would have to blame is myself. But then again, I think differently than many people.
This is a load of nonsense on so many levels. To start with many people took Propecia in the early 2000's when the warning on the box (well the instructions inside) clearly stated that there could be 'temporary and reversible side effects' to do with impotence and other sexual issues. Since then a lot of people continued on the drug in the ''knowledge'' that if they had a penis that was a bit on the soft side, or a reduction in ejaculate etc that got to the point it was affecting their sex lives they would get off the drug and hey presto they would be back to normal. Yes, Propecia updated the leaflet in 2008/9 but who reads that every month when they open a new box.
I think as an Administrator it is fairly pre-pubescent to say people who have had their lives wrecked - because that's what has happened - shouldnt seek some form of answer. Yes, there will be people on the bandwagon, but there are also people who have been chemically castrated, no longer have sex, are depressed, can't get excited, constanty fatigued etc etc as a result of taking this drug. If a pilot says to me 'good morning ladies and gentleman this is your captain speaking' should I go up to the cockpit and see his pilots licence or do i trust that, as a professional, he can do what he says and the airline has trained him or her adequately?. It is totally logical to trust a drug company that has had FDA approval for the drug, unless of course the FDA looked the other way as they were in receipt of bribes. Don't forget a lot of users rely on their Doctors and Doctors have been saying for years ''let me know if your penis stops working, but don't worry old bean, as soon as you stop taking the drug the old man will be firm once again'.
So in response to the original question. The longer you stay on it, the worse your erections, fatigue, brain fog, depression, lack of seamen etc will get (should you be subject to side effects, and it's probably nearer 10% than 2%). If you stay on the drug more than 4 years and have these symptoms for more than a year then your chances of complete recovery are zero. You will always have residual problems. What you will notice is a massive 'high' as you come off the drug (with monster erections, loads of energy) followed by a huge crash.
Endocrocrinologists have investigated the causes and effects of the drug and this is well documented. In essence the drug should cut off the element that causes male pattern baldness but it actually stops the body being able to receive most of the types of testosterone (if you have blood tests you will see in all likelihood your testosterone levels are at the high end of normal - that's what made you bald in the first place) but the receptors will be blocking it's absorption.
If you want my advice get off the drug as soon as you can. A particularly reputable hair clinic in the UK has suggested you come off the drug totally for 10 days (when you get the massive high) and then start again on a 0.5 dose for 6 months, until you finally taper it off. That is for patients who have been on the stuff for years though.
Use it at your peril. If you have any side effects relating to sexual function (even mild ones) in the long term you are running the real risk of for ever being sexually damaged with irreversible erectile dysfunction and impotence.