Finasteride User For 3 Years, Quit 3 Weeks Ago

[markitouuu]

Hello, first I'm gonna tell you a bit of backstory.
Went to the dermatologist because of my hair in july 2016, she gave me a prescription for finasteride, and warned me it had possible sides, but they were supposed to go away once stopping the treatment. At that moment I didn't even care, not at least in a serious way. I trusted my doctors and also the internet saying that finasteride was the BEST solution for Androgenetic Alopecia and that sides only presented in 3% of users. (I live in another country and here the prospect doesn't mention anything about depression or persistent effects like in the US).

Anyway I started taking it 1mg every day for 3 years straight.

It did wonders for my hair, I'm not complaining about that. Although the last months it was not working as well, my crown was starting to become visible again.
Regarding sides, I noticed NONE the whole 3 years, except for watery semen which I did not mind.

However, something happened that made me open my eyes and make me worry.

3 or so months ago, I was masturbating and when I came, NOTHING came out (retrograde ejaculation). It never happened before so I started freaking out. The first thing that came to mind was that it could be the finasteride, so I went to the internet to find out if it was possible. That day I stumble upon the dreaded propeciahelp forums, and I read through some stories and I became scared shitless. I also found some other forums like this one that calmed me a bit with some recovery stories and gave me some hope.

After reading through that, I started thinking and realized I may have developed some sides which I never noticed because they creeped on my progressively. And it was hard comparing to who I was or felt 3 years ago, I had no reference whatsoever. But I knew some things for facts:

BEFORE:
White semen
Low libido (masturbated every day, some days I felt urges, chatted up girls, had sex sparsely)
Strong and longer erections
I had normal levels of precum
Not so sure I had morning woods, I sincerely don't remember
Sensitive glans (if I stroke it directly my feet would tremble)
"normal" life, I studied, dated girls, loved my family, etc


AFTER 3 years:
Watery semen (I don't mind this but I liked white better)
ZERO libido (masturbated everyday until Retrograde, then I realized I just did it out of habit becasue I felt no need or urges, I don't even talk to girls anymore on tinder or stuff like that)
Erections still somewhat strong ( I can masturbate, but they feel a bit weaker and softer) also noticed to my horror that glans sometimes doesn't fill up and stays small and soft, this make me scared of even masturbating)
0 precum, completely dry.
No morningwood (although I only started looking for it after I got scared)
Numbed glans, I still feel of course otherwise I wouldn't be able to c*m, but my feet don't tremble anymore.
I became depressed (this may have nothing to do with finasteride), I finished my studies but have no job, I had my fist ever panic attack and started therapy, the last time I had sex was on November 2017, stoped going out to party, I feel indiferent towards my family and friends, don't even speak to them anymore.

Now I'll tell you a bit about my life during the treatment, with my new perspective from this year after realising I may have had sides without noticing.
Dated a girl from July to December of 2016 (I started taking the pill on september). No problems whatsoever besides the watery semen, didn't notice anything.
After december, I may have started losing libido, dated girls sparcely and only had sex once in november 2017, everything was alright except after ejaculation and going for the second round I lost my erection (never happened before). But I paid no mind to it, waited a little bit and had sex again.
March 2018, this is the last time I remember oozing precum, while edging because I wanted to last longer with a girl I was about to go out with.
July 2018, started seeing a therapist because I was feeling low and sort of depressed. (at the time I dind't even know finasteride could cause depression so didn't think about it) Also last time I dated a girl.
August 2018, had my first ever panic attack (and only one for now).
All this years I masturbated daily until April 2019 when I had the retrograde ejaculation, now I masturbate once a week and only because I wanna test how everything is working, not because I need to.
The retrograde was the ONLY I noticed, as I masturbated like a robot, quick and to the point and never paid attention to my penis (if the head was small for example).


Now, changes I've noticed 3 weeks off the treatment:
-semen is white again, also I c*m a bit more than before, not really sure if this is 100% fixed but it's good as it is
-started shedding a lot of hair (seriously this worries me less than having permanent mental and sexual issues, so I don't care)
-2 or 3 days ago morning woods appeared for 2 days straight, and one of them I had a wet dream (only in name, dick still dry). Even so I don't know if they were "normal" morning woods or the type to hold back urinee during sleep. But I think on the treatment I didn't even have those.
-also masturbated for the first time because I felt too (I wanted to relieve some stress, but I wasn't horny).
But it made me scared again because head was still small and soft, and erection was "weak" (hard on the inside but soft on the outside, if it makes sense.

So, anyway, I read that some users start seeing positive results after 1 month off the treatment, and I'm on week 3 with little results, so I'm starting to worry again. Any guys with a similar story and sides, preferably with a 3 year or so durarion as well?

Sorry for the long *** post. And thanks to anyone that reads.

 

[markitouuu]

Ok this is the third day in a row that I had morning wood, on fina they were non existent. However they are pretty weak (what you would call a semi) and there's no way I could have sex with these. Is morning wood supposed to be rock hard solid like normal wood? I seriously don't remember.
When I masturbate like I already said, it's stronger than that although is only rigid on the inside, on the outside is still somewhat soft and sometimes the head remains small. I haven't masturbated for 2 days and still scared too try, I'm gonna give it some more time. Libido is still shot.

Took fina 2 years and had all the side effects you're speaking of. Now post 2+ years of quitting fina, I still have side effects, not as bad but still prevelant enough.

Go to the gym and lift hard, eat healthy, go on fasts, maybe take tribulus or other supps to recover more quickly.

The feeling of indifference towards people and becoming less intuned to my emotions/less motivated is something I can relate to very hard. Also had brainfog too.

But it seems you're recovering though. Some people aren't that lucky.

I think I never had brainfog, still don't really know what's that supposed to really mean, I mean, I graduated and everything, took a lot of exams, etc. The only moment I think I had something like that was after the panic attack where I could barely think and speak, and had despersonalization. And yes being an emotionless husk is sh*t, I never was the most caring person. But it seems fina is exacerbating every bad trait I had.

I'm a very sedentary person, I haven't been to a gym since 7 years ago, but I eat healthy. I need to try lifting and supplements.

could be purely placebo and most likely is. i have gone through periods of depression and low or non existent libido as well. its incredible how muh the mind an play a role into this

I'm not saying all of this was caused by the finasteride. I sincerely don't know and that's what's making me crazy, the uncertainty. If I never had taken it at least I could rule it out, but now I'm not sure and I regret ever taking it. And yes libido could just be a momentary thing, but it's taking its sweet time to come back, the LAST time I had a horny thought about a girl was on new years eve. Then nothing. And the rest of the symptoms like the watery semen is 100% the finasteride because it returned to normal after I quit. Sadly that's the only thing that returned (and the weak morning woods).

The worst thing of all is that I took this stuff for 3 years straight and I CAN'T remember that well how I was before. For example, I wouldn't remember my sensitive glans if I hadn't a vivid memory of it making my feet tremble when I was younger.

 

[markitouuu]

well i think it would be highly unlikely that after 3 years the finasteride suddenly changed your body. it is much more likely that over the course of your life these things occur naturally. i haven't had morning wood in 10years, since i was in puberty and who gives a sh*t? i only have them if i remain abstinent for many days, however i have strong nocturnal erections(in the night) thats what matters. libido can be so much in your head you wouldn't believe it. i have no libido because of my inadequacies and because i am so unattractive but when i see someone with a gf that is less attractive than me, i get rock hard

I never said the change was overnight, I said it was progressive and I didn't realize until some months ago. And the mental sh*t I didn't attribute to fina at the time because I didn't even know it was possible to have mental sides from it.
How can I know if I have nocturnal erections? Don't you need to go to a doctor or something for it? I mean, I'm asleep, how would I know?
And yes I agree that libido is all in the mind and maybe I'm at fault for that. But the rest of the symptoms I'm sure are caused by the finasteride, and taking into account that finasteride is said to decrease libido, I wouldn't rule it out.

Next friday I'm gonna reach the 1 month mark off fina. Gonna see how I feel then.

 

[markitouuu]

So I just got back from a party, went there with a friend. Danced with a girl and kissed her. Other times I would get raging boners from that, but today I just got semi'd. But one thing that made me happy and gave me hope is that I precummed for the first time in months. Not 100% sure because I didn't reach there for obvious reasons, but it was a solid 99% feeling. Don't know if I could replicate it by masturbating, gotta try but still scared to do it. Also alcohol raised my libido a bit, or in better terms, lowered my inhibition. If I was sober I would never have danced with that girl.

 

[markitouuu]

Just woke up. Morning wood 4th day in a row, still weak though, but I think it's a sign of improvement because since I became self aware about them in April I had none whatsoever. Still bothers me not remembering the quality of them before taking the drug.

But today I woke up pretty depressed, the worst things are:
-numb penis (especially glans): this is 100% true because of what I said before, feet would usually tremble while stroking bare glans. I'm really scared sensitivity will never return to normal.
But on the other hand, if tissue really changed, couldn't it change back again? Or is the change permanent? How can that be, I'm scared shitless.

Also, prostate supposedly shrinks with use right? So does it grow back again after stopping the treatment?.
On the bright side, theoretically this should make me last longer in bed, too bad I have zero libido and no way to try it. And even then I would prefer things going back to normal and having premature ejaculation than this.
-mental issues and depression: I'm not 100% sure it is the finasteride, it could also be just me, or it could be just that I'm anxious and depressed because of the sexual sides, but being a shadow of my former self feels bad man, also I feel pretty alone because nobody could possibly understand me, and I also don't want to tell anybody that I was a dumb f*** and fucked up my body just to keep my hair. I just feel, really unhappy and sad about life.

Other stuff I forgot to mention in the first post:
-weak orgasms: don't know if there was any improvement since last time I masturbated (3 days ago), but I've been off the drug for 3 weeks and they still felt weak. The thing is I can't remember exactly how they were 3 years ago. But they sure as hell weren't this weak.
-penis size: so, I'm not so sure about this, I think mostly this is just in my head after reading some stories. The thing is I can't compare it to before because I never took pictures of it fully erect. I think I measured it a lot of years ago, and a measurement I did some months ago gave 1cm less as a result (at least in lenght, girth I never measured). But like I said, this particular point could all be my imagination.

I guess the trial by fire shall be having sex, but sadly there's no motivation for me to try it since my libido is dead. Alcohol seems to help in that regard though but I can't live all day drunk.

Also, I'm trying to find recovery stories of long term users like me but I find nothing. Either they were very short term users who recovered in months or really long term users (+10 years) who never had a problem to begin with. I really need some hope.

 

[Manochoice]

You've only quit for 3 weeks so I think you shouldn't panic just yet. Just as the positive results come on slow - in months - so can the sides go out slow. There are various stories from various people with various recovery times. Hard to predict. Statistics are in your favor so you should stay positive, think about a good future and plan to be and stay healthy. There's a whole lotta different recovery stories and "protocols" our there that you can search for.

- When you say you lost sensitivity, what exactly do you mean?
- I read about low libido and hope to never experience. Ia it really a lack of sexual desire? Is it just the idle desire that is missing (as not getting horny for no reason anymore) or even when in proximity to an attractive woman?

Also, don't isolate yourself from the world; it will only make you spiral down even more. And, if you can, don't be ashamed and don't hide! Your experience could help others and it could help you (because you never know when you meet someone that might have an idea of how to recoup or improve your life, eight?). For example, every time I read a story like this, like yours, I add a notch to my resilience to the temptation of Finasteride.

 

[markitouuu]

You've only quit for 3 weeks so I think you shouldn't panic just yet. Just as the positive results come on slow - in months - so can the sides go out slow. There are various stories from various people with various recovery times. Hard to predict. Statistics are in your favor so you should stay positive, think about a good future and plan to be and stay healthy. There's a whole lotta different recovery stories and "protocols" our there that you can search for.

- When you say you lost sensitivity, what exactly do you mean?
- I read about low libido and hope to never experience. Ia it really a lack of sexual desire? Is it just the idle desire that is missing (as not getting horny for no reason anymore) or even when in proximity to an attractive woman?

Also, don't isolate yourself from the world; it will only make you spiral down even more. And, if you can, don't be ashamed and don't hide! Your experience could help others and it could help you (because you never know when you meet someone that might have an idea of how to recoup or improve your life, eight?). For example, every time I read a story like this, like yours, I add a notch to my resilience to the temptation of Finasteride.

-I mean that I touch the head and it feels almost as if touching any other part of the body, no "sexual" sensation, ALMOST. There's still some otherwise I wouldn't be able to masturbate and ejaculate. But BEFORE taking the pill, when I masturbated I always stroked the head using my foreskin (I'm uncircumcised), but if I stroke the bare glans directly (withouth using foreskin) then my toes would tremble, it was that sensitive. Now that does'nt happen anymore.

-I hadn't the highest libido before, but sometimes I felt urges to masturbate, I felt the NEED to and would search the opportunity to do so. Also used to go out to hook up with girls or chatting them on tinder and other social networks.
Now, I could go on without masturbating for whole weeks and I stopped going out to bars and discos because I don't see the point anymore (I don't care about hooking up with girls).

That feeling kind of subsides if I'm drunk, like I said the other day I danced with a girl, kissed her, got an erection (a semi though). Which isn't a good sign because before when I was with a girl I would get rock hard in any situation, even while completely wasted.

 

[markitouuu]

Yup, can completely relate sadly

You said the sides weren't as bad though right? What sides and intensity of them did you have when you quit the drug (or while on it) and how do they compare to now?

 

[INT]

could be purely placebo and most likely is. i have gone through periods of depression and low or non existent libido as well. its incredible how muh the mind an play a role into this

Don't think you are really in a position to give anyone advice on what is only in their head, or psychological issues in general for that matter...

 

[markitouuu]

Update: girl I kissed two days ago at the disco asked me out today. Went. Had sex. (last time I did it was on november 2017)

Pros:
-dick worked, the whole day I was scared it wasn't gonna work but it did. Sustained an erection for 2 hours straight although it seemed thinner than usual.
-semen seemed normal, white color and normal quantity

Cons:
-still numb sensation, felt almost NOTHING, lasted longer than usual because of this but I wasn't feeling any pleasure at all.
-completely uninterested, zero libido still, felt KINDA horny at first but second round was a complete chore, I just wanted to go home. I think she realized this as well because she wanted to go too. Don't even wanna talk to her anymore.
-weak orgasm, almost didn't realize I cummed.

Still have hope of a full recovery, but being like this just doesn't fly. What's the point in having your dick work if you feel nothing at all?

 

[markitouuu]

f*** you

what the f*** is your problem dude, chill out

How long have you been on it and how long since you stopped taking it ?

I was 3 years on it (september 2016 to august 2019) and I quit exactly 24 days ago

 

[justinbieberscombover]

Update: girl I kissed two days ago at the disco asked me out today. Went. Had sex. (last time I did it was on november 2017)

Pros:
-dick worked, the whole day I was scared it wasn't gonna work but it did. Sustained an erection for 2 hours straight although it seemed thinner than usual.
-semen seemed normal, white color and normal quantity

Cons:
-still numb sensation, felt almost NOTHING, lasted longer than usual because of this but I wasn't feeling any pleasure at all.
-completely uninterested, zero libido still, felt KINDA horny at first but second round was a complete chore, I just wanted to go home. I think she realized this as well because she wanted to go too. Don't even wanna talk to her anymore.
-weak orgasm, almost didn't realize I cummed.

Still have hope of a full recovery, but being like this just doesn't fly. What's the point in having your dick work if you feel nothing at all?

You should try Cialis.

I'm considering to get a prescription myself but my problem is caused by another medicine (escitalopram).

 

[markitouuu]

You should try Cialis.

I'm considering to get a prescription myself but my problem is caused by another medicine (escitalopram).

But isn't Cialis just go get it up?

I have no problem regarding that, my problem is lack of desire and no sensation, weak orgasm.

 

[markitouuu]

Question for you. If you want to get hard, do you need manual stimulation or does it go up from visual stimulation?

Ok so before going out with this girl I was super paranoid and kept thinking I wouldn't be able to get it up, I even thought about buying v**** or something along those lines. I even tried masturbating before taking a bath and I couldn't do it, I was just reaching a 70% erection.

But when I was with her it suddenly got up in anticipation for sex and while kissing her. And stayed that way until the end of the night. So it wasn't physical stimulation nor visual, just psychological.

HOWEVER, I felt nothing and was a bad experience. Libido is still nuked, I wanted to go home even before cumming for the first time.
And regarding erections in general, I have no random erections during the day, don't know if I have nocturnals (still need to test it), and I think I'm starting to have morning erections but they are at 50% at most. I also stopped masturbating because I really doesn't feel to or need to. And if I stumble upon a sexy or p**rn image on the web, most of the times I feel nothing at all, and other times a VERY slight sensation down there, but it doesn't even get up.
Before, just by looking at p**rn or thinking sexy thoughts I would get fully erect in a matter of seconds.

 

[markitouuu]

How much you fap?

Some got better going on a long streak of no fap ( 3+ months) combined with going to the gym and hitting the weights.

I always fapped every day, mostly watching p**rn, then I noticed I was producing less and less semen and with less force and one day I came and nothing came out (but I felt it going the other way). I got scared and that was when I searched on the net and found that finasteride could cause that and made me realize that maybe I was having other problems caused by the medication as well that I didn't know it could cause (like depression or loss of sensitivity). Then I stopped masturbating and learned I was doing it just out of habit, because now I can spend days or weeks without even thinking about it. And some years ago it wasn't that way because I felt HORNY some times, I wasn't the horniest person in the world before but the little libido I had died completely.

I'm gonna see if I try nofap, at least for now I think I haven't done it for a week almost or two (withouth counting sex).
I'm algo gonna start running and maybe hit the gym soon to see if it helps.
But seriously I'm scared as f*** libido will never return. I feel empty, like a husk with no motivation to do anything.

 

[markitouuu]

this is actually amazing because a lot of people on nofap have those very serious issues and also at a very young age often times. similar to symptoms of finasteride sides which OBVIOUSLY further cements the theory of this being purely placebo and not even that, also just ED that could occur at any point like in those guys at nofap, most of whom have never been on finasteride as a result of how they say, unhealthy fapping culture and p*rn consumption

I don't know what kind of problems do that people have or how much they masturbate, but I never had ANY kind of problem before. Coincidentally, all bad stuff happening to me (mental and physical) started after a year or two on the medication. Could it be a coincidence? Yes it can, but there's some stuff which I'm 100% sure it's caused by the medication.

For example, I know that my loss of libido could be just psychological, but changes in the color of semen and loss of sensation in the glans? That is 100% the finasteride.

 

[markitouuu]

i mean its not like it appeared a week after starting finasteride. how much time until its not? 10 years? you'd still blame the finasteride didn't u

Why does it matter how long it took to appear, there's countless testimonies of people starting to have sides after years on the medication, also they can be gradual and you don't even realize it (I think that is the case with me).

Then explain to me what caused my loss of sensation in the glans, or why after I stopped the medication my semen turned white again. I may be imagining some things, but not ALL of them.

 

[INT]

this is actually amazing because a lot of people on nofap have those very serious issues and also at a very young age often times. similar to symptoms of finasteride sides which OBVIOUSLY further cements the theory of this being purely placebo and not even that, also just ED that could occur at any point like in those guys at nofap, most of whom have never been on finasteride as a result of how they say, unhealthy fapping culture and p*rn consumption

Again, you should be the last person here to give others advice on ANYTHING related to psychology (which you confirm again in this post).

PS: Did you already call a therapist?

 

[INT]

Why does it matter how long it took to appear, there's countless testimonies of people starting to have sides after years on the medication, also they can be gradual and you don't even realize it (I think that is the case with me).

Then explain to me what caused my loss of sensation in the glans, or why after I stopped the medication my semen turned white again. I may be imagining some things, but not ALL of them.

Ignore him, he will defend finasteride to the death with a golden medal for doing mental gymnastics.

 

[HLV]

lol damage their hormonal system? are you serious? I guess i could agree that it desensitized their penis but everything not close to the actual organ is kind of ridiculous. it appears to be more of a mind thing as well, who has not experienced this, after a few days of abstinence it feels totally different. same thing could apply here

Did you Call a therapist.

HLV