i dont understand?

[ben760]

newbie here, i started finasteride in 2002 and quit 2006 taking 1mg. back then i did not get sexual sides. i did well on the drug. i quit because i thought im harming my body when using finasteride in long term. now my male pattern baldness progressed rapidly and restarted finasteride at 0.5mg. in just 8 days i got sexual sides(no erection at all) which scared me so had to dropped it.

now why did i get sides on restarting finasteride? im totally lost and clueless. i did well back then but now it turned upside down. anyone here got the same experience? pls advice.

 

[Wuffer]

I'm willing to bet you are experiencing side effects due to what is called the nocebo effect. It sounds like when you originally quit, you did so because you learned of some of the problems people had while taking the medication, and quit out of fear as opposed to actual side effects. Now that you restarted, your mind is telling you this drug is dangerous and you are experiencing psychosomatic symptoms. In laymans terms, your mind is causing these sexual problems. Erections are controlled entirely by the mind. Fear and anxiety over your sexual function, or other mental blocks, are the number one cause of erectile problems.

As a good example for this, imagine a young man about to have sex for the first time. Even though he is excited and aroused, nervousness over performance can keep from obtaining an erection. Even though it's not the same situation, I am guessing you are experiencing something similar.

For more information, do some google searching on the 'nocebo' effect. Keep in mind it is also possible you are experiencing 'real' side effects, but I think that is unlikely since you tolerated it without any problems for 4 years.