how long will the side effects take to go?

[ahmedwk]

I am on proscar for 20 months now (6 months 1 mg then 16 months 0.625mg effective).
how long will the side effects take to go? I experienced the sides nearly within 2 weeks time but it was till the last 2 months that the sides increased very much.

I read horror stories that the sides could never go away??!!?? is it true?

 

[Mew]

Yes it's true for some unfortunate men. Of course this is all anecdotal so you just have to take our word for it.

If you are getting side effects, you won't know if they will go away until you quit. If they do, great. If they don't, welcome to Merck's unlucky 2% and the battle to try and figure out why and how to reverse the damage.

More info @ http://www.propeciasideeffects.com

 

[ahmedwk]

Propeciasideeffects.com was formed to spread the word about the undocumented potentially irreversible side effects caused by using Propecia (finasteride) 1mg each day

OH MY GOD.. this is the first statement in the site!! what is going here?

 

[Tallinn]

This site is bs, the guy could lose his left arm in a car accident and still blame the Propecia for causing him brain fog when he was driving even if that make 4 years he didn't touched a pill, you get the idea . Read his story, 3 doctors told him that it was not propecia and he is still blaming propecia for everything.

 

[ahmedwk]

Tallinn,
After going through the site, I feel the same now.. Most probably, it's his illusions or maybe he has other problems. He said it himself, He started crying after reading stories in the internet. That's the power of suggestion.
Whatever, I am off for 3 days and nothing changes!! ==>just kidding.. I know it will take more than 3 days. but like what?? 3 weeks? 3 months?? 3 YEARS!!??

does anybody know stories of ppl who quit finasteride because of sides? how long did it take them to recover?

 

[Mew]

That's just one guy's story. For what it's worth, it is true -- he even did an interview on Swedish TV about it:

http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/m ... rch&lpos=0

You want more?

http://www.propeciahelp.com
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.a ... e=PROPECIA
http://www.askdocweb.com/propecia2.html

Think about it. If none of these problems existed, none of these sites or stories would exist.

Wether you want to believe it or not is up to you. I hope you recover within a month or two, otherwise you'll be in the same boat as the rest of us, searching for answers on what happened to your endocrine system, how to reverse the damage, and how to get your sex life back.

 

[ahmedwk]

Mew,
What do you mean by "The rest of us"?
Did you have irreversible sides from propecia?

 

[Mew]

The rest of us meaning those that did not go back to normal after quitting. And that includes me, search my post history here for details.

Took 1.25mg/day for 11 months, experienced sides while on the drug, been 2 years and 1 month off and still have no sex drive, penile/testicular shrinkage & numbness, and loss of spontaneous/morning/nocturnal erections. Decreased semen volume still present as well.

Furthermore, my Testosterone levels crashed when I came off the drug, just like most of the other guys at propeciahelp.com. Seems to be a common trend for those of us that have things not resolve. Read the FAQ on that site for more details.

 

[ahmedwk]

Oh my god!!

and did you goto a doctor regarding this?

I got my Estradiol results: it's 41. which is in the normal range (0-50 I think)

 

[Mew]

Yea, I've been to the doctor, as have many others. Seen 2 endos, a uro, and 4 GPs. None have any explanation, although one endo said he's seen this before in a few other guys before me. They tend to just give you a RX for v**** and cialis and send you on your way. But that's just a band-aid, it doesn't help with libido -- which is hormonal, and something the drug interferes with.

Problem is most docs don't recognize a decimated sex drive and lowered T levels as a possible outcome of using finasteride... because it's not well-known (yet). However, there are doctors, such as Dr. Eugene Shippen, author of the Testosterone Syndrome, who has treated a number of men with these issues post-finasteride and claims to have had some success in helping them recover via further treatments to boost endogeneous Testosterone, reduce Estradiol, Prolactin, SHBG, or other imbalances post-finasteride.

All the info is in the FAQ on propeciahelp.com if you've haven't read it.

And your Estradiol level should optimally be between 20-30... consider getting some DIM supplements, and eating a ton of brocolli to help with Estrogen metabolism. What are your side effects, anyway?

 

[ahmedwk]

I think I got all the sides. however, it was until the last 2 months that they become unbearable.
1. Difficulty to get erections
2. Loss of libido
3. Shrinked testicles (this is new: I am sure it wasn't there before)
4. Watery seamen
5. BREASTS ENLARGEMENT

what are DIM supplements?

 

[Mew]

Get bloodtests as outlined here:
http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=92

"Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a stable indole found in cruciferous vegetables which promotes a beneficial estrogen metabolism in both women and men." More info: http://www.dimfaq.com/index.htm

In other words, its a natural compound found in brocolli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts that can help to reduce high estrogens.

Get your bloodwork done to see what's wrong, the symptoms you describe are consistent with an altered Testosterone/Estrogen ratio, and other imbalances guys have experienced post-finasteride.

 

[ahmedwk]

2 weeks update:
After 2 weeks:
I can see that my problems with getting erections is less. I have a better libido (but still far cry from my previous level).
Unfortunately, today I saw the healthiest fallen hair in the 2 years period and yes!! all the previous 2 years I was watching my falling hair in shower and over my sleeping pillow.
another strange effect that I just noticed now is: zits!! before starting propecia I was having a lot of zits. I took a medicine to get rid of it and it worked great.. however, now i have the worst zits attack since I took that medicine.

 

[Guest]

2 weeks update:
After 2 weeks:
I can see that my problems with getting erections is less. I have a better libido (but still far cry from my previous level).
Unfortunately, today I saw the healthiest fallen hair in the 2 years period and yes!! all the previous 2 years I was watching my falling hair in shower and over my sleeping pillow.
another strange effect that I just noticed now is: zits!! before starting propecia I was having a lot of zits. I took a medicine to get rid of it and it worked great.. however, now i have the worst zits attack since I took that medicine.

Nah, it must be that you're imagining things. Finasteride doesn't cause ANY SIDE-EFFECTS whatsoever. Period.

 

[Guest]

The rest of us meaning those that did not go back to normal after quitting. And that includes me, search my post history here for details.

Took 1.25mg/day for 11 months, experienced sides while on the drug, been 2 years and 1 month off and still have no sex drive, penile/testicular shrinkage & numbness, and loss of spontaneous/morning/nocturnal erections. Decreased semen volume still present as well.

Furthermore, my Testosterone levels crashed when I came off the drug, just like most of the other guys at propeciahelp.com. Seems to be a common trend for those of us that have things not resolve. Read the FAQ on that site for more details.

sh*t man, I've noticed penile numbness aswell, not to mention the loss of spontaneous and morning woods. You know, we wear long underwear here in Finland in the winter, and I always used to wear short ones under the long ones because I had strong spontaneous erections and it felt really uncomfortable inside the long underwear. Guess what: haven't needed the short ones since last winter, since I never get spontaneous erections anymore, nor do I get morning wood.

 

[ttroy]

This site is bs, the guy could lose his left arm in a car accident and still blame the Propecia for causing him brain fog when he was driving even if that make 4 years he didn't touched a pill, you get the idea . Read his story, 3 doctors told him that it was not propecia and he is still blaming propecia for everything.

I thought so too, I cannot even begin to describe how wrong I was