Finasteride Sex Drive Issues (ed/libido)

[Timpson12]

Stopped finasteride due to sides. Off for 2 weeks and massive increase in libido, mood etc.
I rather go bald than take finasteride again.

Taking pumpkin seed oil, nizoral and minoxidil now. Lets see if i can maintain.

 

[INT]

DHT isn't that important in men after reaching full sexual maturity, regular testosterone and free T do most of the lifting in adult men's libido. The increased regular T more than makes up for the lost DHT, the key is to control the increase in estrogens.

Lack of 5AR is what is most likely the problem. Remember: finasteride does not reduce DHT directly but via the inhibition of the 5AR enzyme. 5AR is very important, especially on a neurological level.

 

[INT]

Still having ED- goes up easily sometimes and morning woods etc ... but most the time ... nothing.

Have starting a 3 month course of Cialis 5mg ED - have a libido so it should help mask ED problems whilst I give my body time to adjust to finasteride. Definitely an improvement from having 0 libido and ED a few months ago.

Will increase finasteride dosage to 0.25mg MWF. Might help making the dose more constant in my body.

Hair is slowly but surely improving.

You are toying with your sexual and neurological health... If you get these side effects, it is your body telling you that it is a bad idea... I was in the same position as you 2 years ago. Trying to just ride out the side effects. It turned out to be the worst decision I ever made. I envy the guys that can take the drug without side effects and would probably recommend people to at least give it a shot if nothing else works, but I fear for the consequences they might encounter later in life. Just google for 'finasteride neurosteroids' or '5ar neurological'.

Try to not listen to the guys that say that finasteride is just a sugar pill and that sides are just in your head. Also do not listen to the ones that say that finasteride is the same as a chemical castration. If you do your own research you will find out that the truth is somewhere in the middle.


Edit: Saw you already quit, I think you did the right thing. I am currently maintaining just fine with a nizoral topical and microneedling.

 

[Timpson12]

You are toying with your sexual and neurological health... If you get these side effects, it is your body telling you that it is a bad idea... I was in the same position as you 2 years ago. Trying to just ride out the side effects. It turned out to be the worst decision I ever made. I envy the guys that can take the drug without side effects and would probably recommend people to at least give it a shot if nothing else works, but I fear for the consequences they might encounter later in life. Just google for 'finasteride neurosteroids' or '5ar neurological'.

Try to not listen to the guys that say that finasteride is just a sugar pill and that sides are just in your head. Also do not listen to the ones that say that finasteride is the same as a chemical castration. If you do your own research you will find out that the truth is somewhere in the middle.


Edit: Saw you already quit, I think you did the right thing. I am currently maintaining just fine with a nizoral topical and microneedling.

Does microneedling actually help? And which size?

Finasteride may as well have been chemical castration ... I am feeling so much better every day since I’ve stopped it. Mood, energy and libido all up. I didn’t realise at the time it was even having these effects on me. You are literally a zombie on finasteride ... no amount of hair is worth that. If I go bald... I’ll just grow a beard and take steroids.

 

[INT]

Does microneedling actually help? And which size?

Finasteride may as well have been chemical castration ... I am feeling so much better every day since I’ve stopped it. Mood, energy and libido all up. I didn’t realise at the time it was even having these effects on me. You are literally a zombie on finasteride ... no amount of hair is worth that. If I go bald... I’ll just grow a beard and take steroids.

So you quit finasteride due to health reasons, but they you want to start with steroids?

 

[abcdefg]

Aint no way propecia addresses the root of the problem. The root of the problem is local DHT not the DHT in your entire body. Even this is discounting the fact that its not DHT that really even causes male pattern baldness in the first place. We still dont know yet, but its not DHT

1. The drug is probably the best available to treat androgenetic alopecia and the only one to address the root of the problem.

 

[countjulian]

Stopped finasteride due to sides. Off for 2 weeks and massive increase in libido, mood etc.
I rather go bald than take finasteride again.

Taking pumpkin seed oil, nizoral and minoxidil now. Lets see if i can maintain.

Nizoral Cream or shampoo? If you're not taking fina you should do the cream.

 

[countjulian]

Aint no way propecia addresses the root of the problem. The root of the problem is local DHT not the DHT in your entire body. Even this is discounting the fact that its not DHT that really even causes male pattern baldness in the first place. We still dont know yet, but its not DHT

1. The drug is probably the best available to treat androgenetic alopecia and the only one to address the root of the problem.

There's a thread on here discussing a special topical fina preparation that uses a special vehicle which stays "anchored" in the scalp and has very minimal systemic absorption, might be interested.

 

[abcdefg]

There's a thread on here discussing a special topical fina preparation that uses a special vehicle which stays "anchored" in the scalp and has very minimal systemic absorption, might be interested.

Yeah topical is the way, but im not interested in the underground movement of playing chemist in my basement. If a legit topical finasteride finishes trials I would use that instead, but cost also matters. If oral is much much cheaper im using oral even if its more dangerous.
A lot of topical finasterides are very expensive compared to oral. Lowering systemic DHT though is just stupid always has been. Its DHT local to hair not systemic levels.

 

[Cue Bald]

not sure where this neurosteroid thing came from as it is dutasteride that lowers 5ar (type 1 or 2, i forget) in the brain, not finasteride.
even then they both have negligable sides

 

[INT]

not sure where this neurosteroid thing came from as it is dutasteride that lowers 5ar (type 1 or 2, i forget) in the brain, not finasteride.
even then they both have negligable sides

This post is literally drained in ignorence

 

[abcdefg]

Does microneedling actually help? And which size?

Finasteride may as well have been chemical castration ... I am feeling so much better every day since I’ve stopped it. Mood, energy and libido all up. I didn’t realise at the time it was even having these effects on me. You are literally a zombie on finasteride ... no amount of hair is worth that. If I go bald... I’ll just grow a beard and take steroids.

Its funny when people mention all these mental effects of finasteride that I feel I have everyday my entire life. I wonder if I tried finasteride if it would change anything because I feel like a zombie most days already. Or people mention brain fog like they cant think or put together thoughts. I have that problem constantly already. Maybe I have neurosteroid deficiency?

 

[abcdefg]

People on finasteride could have some long term issue, but there are already people out there at 20-25 years. Probably a good amount of them that guy that runs bald truth show must be at 15 or 20 so I think we have pretty good long term data already.
The 10 year study also. Its not to say neurosteroid inhibition is a good thing long term, but we dont know how bad it is or what it effects if anything
Again though balding is completely external. Why are we not stopping DHT locally and topically? It makes no sense, and 30 years after oral finasteride we dont have 1 real alternative topical? Its pretty ridiculous and hard to not be pessimistic. Some companies are trialing topical finasteride now, but what happened the previous 30 years why do it now? We should have had one approved and done 10 years ago its just reformulating oral finasteride for topical delivery.

 

[Beatle Gregor]

Topical finasteride does the same as normal finasteride. It kills the 5alfa-reductase enzyme. It shouldn't really matter if it gets killed on your scalp or somewhere else in your body. Someone would have to invent a locally active androgen receptor blocker or something.

 

[Timpson12]

So you quit finasteride due to health reasons, but they you want to start with steroids?

Because steroids give me very little side effects apart from hair loss. So if hair loss isn't in the equation, then they are an attractive offering for my personal goals.
Finasteride is awful on my body.

 

[Timpson12]

Its funny when people mention all these mental effects of finasteride that I feel I have everyday my entire life. I wonder if I tried finasteride if it would change anything because I feel like a zombie most days already. Or people mention brain fog like they cant think or put together thoughts. I have that problem constantly already. Maybe I have neurosteroid deficiency?

Go to a doctor and get a blood test. Fix up your diet, hit the gym and re-evaluate what gives you happiness. Also look at if you're taking any other meds like anti-depressants?

 

[Retinoid]

@Timpson12 you should do what you feel is right but I am unsure if Finasteride was the whole issue if you were doing T cycles along with it which definitely causes sexual fluctuations. It makes pinpointing Finasteride difficult.

 

[Timpson12]

Ok - so since my last posting, I tried 1/8th of a tablet twice a week (Monday and Thursday) but got side effects within a week - stopped after 2 weeks. All side effects (listed below) were gone in 2 weeks of stopping.

My hair is looking kinda shitty so I decided to give it another shot for probably the 5th/6th time. I will try to take 0.25ED for a minimum of 3 weeks and hopefully that's long enough for sides to settle. I can't bear the side effects any longer than that. I've also switched up to Propecia from generic to see if that makes a change.

I'm 4 days in (started Monday) and side effects are here in full force:
- Watery seman
- Useless erections which disappear in seconds (even with Cialis)
- Low Libido
- Depression
- Dick feels like it's shrunk both erect and non-erect
- I feel like a balloon is stuck in my *** which I can only imagine is something to do with my prostate

Will check in at the end of another 2 weeks to see where I stand. I really do hope side-effects go away this time but we shall see...

 

[Vinc2097]

Ok - so since my last posting, I tried 1/8th of a tablet twice a week (Monday and Thursday) but got side effects within a week - stopped after 2 weeks. All side effects (listed below) were gone in 2 weeks of stopping.

My hair is looking kinda shitty so I decided to give it another shot for probably the 5th/6th time. I will try to take 0.25ED for a minimum of 3 weeks and hopefully that's long enough for sides to settle. I can't bear the side effects any longer than that. I've also switched up to Propecia from generic to see if that makes a change.

I'm 4 days in (started Monday) and side effects are here in full force:
- Watery seman
- Useless erections which disappear in seconds (even with Cialis)
- Low Libido
- Depression
- Dick feels like it's shrunk both erect and non-erect
- I feel like a balloon is stuck in my *** which I can only imagine is something to do with my prostate

Will check in at the end of another 2 weeks to see where I stand. I really do hope side-effects go away this time but we shall see...

from what i read, for some people it can settle after couple weeks or months but come back years after like a train

 

[mooreu]

Ok - so since my last posting, I tried 1/8th of a tablet twice a week (Monday and Thursday) but got side effects within a week - stopped after 2 weeks. All side effects (listed below) were gone in 2 weeks of stopping.

My hair is looking kinda shitty so I decided to give it another shot for probably the 5th/6th time. I will try to take 0.25ED for a minimum of 3 weeks and hopefully that's long enough for sides to settle. I can't bear the side effects any longer than that. I've also switched up to Propecia from generic to see if that makes a change.

Will check in at the end of another 2 weeks to see where I stand. I really do hope side-effects go away this time but we shall see...

You might want to consider using spironolactone cream topically in lieu of using finasteride. Some people, myself included, are hyper-sensitive to 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. So the dosage you take won't matter.