I need help, had to quit finasteride, Heart Palpitations, horrible!!

[indianacrean]

Re: I need help, had to quit finasteride, Heart Palpatations, horrible!!

Hello

I started taking Propecia for 15 months and for the first 15 months did not experience any side effects. However, that quickly changed during the 16th and I experienced the following side effects:
1. Rapid Heart Beat
2. Panic Attacks
3. Elevated Anxiety
4. Brain Fog
5. Memory loss.

I am an consultant and 35 years old, I can tell you that I have never ever taken any type of medication nor have I ever experienced any of the aforementioned issues. I am about as "normal" as a guy as you will ever meet.

Now, for the positive news, within 7 days of getting off Propecia, ALL of my symptoms suppressed and went away. I am now happily off that crap and I am doing quite well. Just get off Propecia and you will be just fine. Good luck!

 

[47thin]

Re: I need help, had to quit finasteride, Heart Palpatations, horrible!!

Are you taking minoxidil? It will make your heart do funny things.

 

[Mew]

Re: I need help, had to quit finasteride, Heart Palpatations, horrible!!

Finfighter, I thought all Finasteride side effects were in our heads?

Looks like you finally realized the truth... hope your issues resolve, but next time don't be so dismissive when people post about issues from Finasteride -- messing with hormones can really throw some people for a loop, as you've now found out a few years after usage.

 

[Mew]

Re: I need help, had to quit finasteride, Heart Palpatations, horrible!!

There's a website for guys affected by longterm issues from the drug, Google it.

Propecia
Help

Review the Finasteride Studies section there, it should give you some answers. Good luck.

 

[Timi]

i think that comes from minoxidil

i have take minoxidil 3Years
the first 2Years low Problems
than the Heart palpitations worser and worser

Puls was Dayli by 100-120

Timi

 

[indianacrean]

No we don't have any family history of hyperthyroidisim or supraventricular tachycardia.

All i can tell you is that I experienced these symptoms for months, but after I stopped taking propecia, the symptons went away within a week.

That said, I do agree that perhaps we are in that 2-5% of the population that experience these uncommon side effects.

I have a few other friends that take it, and they have thus far not experienced any of the aforementioned issues.

That said, I use rogaine and it has thus far done a pretty good job of maintaining my hair. And I don't experience any side effects.

Perhaps you should try taking a loser dosage and see what happens. But, I cannot endorse you taking it. That said, I am not a doctor I am just a guy wanting to make sure you aware of the possible side effects.

Good luck!

 

[Timi]

i think that is a Allergic Reaktion

 

[TA45]

I also experienced the same cardio sides! I felt very winded after doing minor running/jogging....got pains and heavy feelings in chest. No joking guys, not trying to scare you.
My heart would also beat HARDER when on Finas. It felt like it was working way too hard! If I took one dose by the 3rd day I would feel very tired like I just ran a few miles. Finas causes something in my body to tell my heart to work harder....that was one of the boggest sides I had. Yes, I had just about evry side except for gyno, but feeling like a cabinet was sitting on my chest was not cool! Any feedback/insight?

 

[inland]

finfighter, you sound just like me. I cannot express the hatred I have for this drug. I went through agony for years. I thought I was going to die.

And the gasping for air.... a horrible horrible feeling. I can relate to everything in your OP.

stopped finasteride and 6 months later, presto. back to normal.

 

[inland]

Inland if you don't mind could you post the list of cardio vascular problems (in this thread) that you were experiencing while taking finasteride, that you mentioned in the PM you sent me? I think it would be good for other people to see.

Sure. From the PM:
I had frequent PVCs and PACs, also small bouts of a-fib, sinus arrhythmia, random SVT. BP was elevated, but that was probably due to stress / anxiety. Thyroid and other hormones were "off" meaning they were just slightly out of the normal range. I was not put on any meds for any of these. It was hyperthyroid. I was very high strung.

 

[CCS]

So my question is, how do I know if I'm having side effects or not?

I feel just fine, the same as always. I masturbate at least once a day. I look at women, and my brain is sharper than ever. I've been on finasteride about 8 years.

My question is, how would I know if I have heart palpitations or liver problems, etc, without paying $$$ for some tests? I get generics because I don't have $$$. My brother had to take tests to get prescribed, and he had no problems. I also read that bigger guys and guys taking steroids or alcohol are more likely to have liver problems from finasteride. I'm pretty skinny.


Should I be concerned, or should I continue to count myself lucky?

The only strange thing is, I have lots of joint injuries that don't recover that fast. But so do my brother and father, who don't take finasteride.

 

[inland]

As you can see, all of these are related. The sinus arrhythmia can cause the PVCs and PACs, and a more extreme case is a-fib. SVT just means fast heart rate.

@CCS - you are fine, you would definitely know if something was wrong.

@timallen - I had the powerful heart beat too. Horrible feeling. I could feel my heart beating in the back of my eyes sometimes, while sitting at my desk doing nothing! And the anxiety was horrible.

I can't believe how my life has changed over the past few years. I would be in a very different spot had I never developed these problems. Now that I am back to normal, I am trying to get focused and catch up on things.

 

[CCS]

My lack of side effects does make me wonder if my meds are fake, but even Nizoral does not give me sides, and neither did the Proscar my doctor prescribed me for the year or two I actually paid for that before going generic.

 

[inland]

My lack of side effects does make me wonder if my meds are fake, but even Nizoral does not give me sides, and neither did the Proscar my doctor prescribed me for the year or two I actually paid for that before going generic.

That just means you are normal

finasteride is the only drug that gave me any sort of effect. All the others did not change a thing - besides growing more hair :innocent:

 

[OhioGuy]

Okay I wanted to post on your thread Finfighter to get your opinion as well as others on here. My heart palpitations have increased and I now feel this is not worth the danger. I have been on finasteride for about 7 months and min for a little over 2 months. I dont know which one is causing the heart problems but I want them to go away. Before I quit everything I'm gonna try to lower my dosage for both. I currently take proscar quarterly which is 1.25 mg. Since the pills are already in 1/4 (fourths) they are too small to cut even more. What I'm going to do is take the pills on Mon, Wed, and Fri. and apply the minoxidil on the same day (smaller amounts).

Do you or others on this forum think that will help?

Is finasteride affective when taken 3 days a week vs everyday?

Is finasteride definitely the cause or is it possibly only minoxidil causing this?

Finfighter= what products have you switched to since quitting min/finasteride and have they been working?

Sorry for so many questions in one post. Just really concerned.

 

[OhioGuy]

Thanks for the response. I have experienced some minor palpitations in the past. Before finasteride or min. Nothing too scary or alarming. My first 6 months on just finasteride caused no problems. 2 months into min and finasteride I started experiencing the symptoms. The day I first noticed them (post finasteride/min) happened to be after a weekend that I was using too much foam minoxidil. These symptoms were more aggressive than anything I had felt previously. It was a sensation of a fast heart beat. Coming for a few beats then returning to normal. I decided to lower my min doses and It worked for a week or so. I may have gotten a little greedy with the min not sure but a week later the fast heartbeats returned with a shortness of breath. This time more frequent throughout the day and in bed before sleep at night. A little light headedness as well. So yesterday I decided to not take any minoxidil. I felt fine all day. Thought I was onto something. That night after taking my daily finasteride pill I went to bed and felt the most intense heartbeats ever. Even a little panicky. Thats when I decided that these drugs probably arent for me. Going to try a reduction in doses but if that doesnt do it Im done for good. I'll look hopelessly into some other alternative.

To be clear on symptoms thus far:
- sensation of a fast paced heartbeat
- light headed at times
- slight dizziness (once)
- sensation of irregular heartbeat
-a change in postion on the couch or in bed has caused a shortness of breath and fast paced heartbeat

Would appreciate any input as this is nothing to be taken lightly.

 

[OhioGuy]

whats the story on RU58841? is it available for sale in the US? Is there a risk for side effects?

 

[Wuffer]

I thought I would chime in on this; it might be a long read, but I feel it may ring true with some of you. Since Anxiety affected my life so profoundly, I think it’s important for some of you to consider this as a possible cause to your problems, as they describe exactly what I have experienced (years before I ever touched finasteride)

I suffered from generalized anxiety for over 7 years, from when I was 20 until around 27. I spent years studying all the side effects I had, saw dozens of doctors and had dozens of tests, was on dozens of medications (including self-medicating with drugs and alcohol) and unfortunately, the best decade of my life (my 20’s) was a living hell. I am 29 now, and have almost completely recovered from this disorder. After a year of hard work, from cognitive behavioral therapy, regular exercise, and tackling things in my life that have caused me great stress, I was able to get over this condition. Unfortunately, hair loss hit me right after I got over this, but it’s not nearly as disastrous as it would have been if I still had an anxiety disorder. Hair loss sucks. But don’t get me wrong; if I had to choose between losing all my hair and having anxiety, I would choose to lose all my hair. Hell, I would literally choose to lose an arm.

If you have done any reading about it, it is a complex disorder. All of the symptoms are manifested from your mind. I experienced dozens of them, including but not limited to: Heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, sexual disorders, depression, racing heartbeat, weight gain, weight loss, etc. This was hell; I literally felt like I was dying, and I would have given anything to fix it. The absolute worst was severe depersonalization. If you don’t know what it is; Google it. It is the worst sensation I’ve ever experienced.

This disorder was caused by my thoughts; nothing more, nothing less. Constant worry, rumination, and focusing on negative things cumulate into this massive, overblown disorder that can ruin your life. I am now extremely mindful of the thoughts that could potentially bring me back to where I was, and I am sure to put a stop to them before they take over again. It’s a disorder that can really start from some insignificant worry, and for people who can’t see the signs (because they can’t recognize them) it is a huge potential problem.

Unfortunately for me, symptoms didn’t really manifest physically. Not in any way that could be tested and diagnosed by doctors. All my tests came back healthy, so I was left to think I had some new or extremely rare disease… This of course worsened my anxiety. Eventually I discovered what my problem was, and worked towards curing it.

After my years of studying the issue, I would almost call myself an expert on the subject. I am able to recognize these symptoms in other people and do my best to help them through it, like I’ve done for several friends.


Here is an example of how the symptoms usually manifested for me:

Acute situational anxiety (for instance, being on public transit) caused a release of adrenaline and cortisol, which caused my heart to race. This triggers a sense of panic, and deep, heavy breathing (hyperventilation). This lowers C02 in the blood, raising ph, constricting blood vessels and preventing oxygen transport. This obviously made me feel like I wasn’t getting enough oxygen, which made me breathe even heavier, leading to dizziness, and inducing nausea. This made me worry I would vomit in public, causing more anxiety. For me, this usually resulted in a full blown panic attack, which included all of these symptoms plus that great feeling that you are literally going to die. There is a reason panic attacks send so many people to the hospital!

Getting back to my point here, I believe that many people experiencing a shopping list of symptoms from Finasteride are simply experiencing anxiety. I’ve seen these signs in people on Propeciahelp, and even on this board. I think that Finasteride can cause some people to feel ‘off’. Very analytical people (such as us) can look into these feelings as odd, and easily start the rollercoaster ride of anxiety. Intelligent, sane, rational individuals experience anxiety, even though they refuse to believe it.

I’m not saying some people don’t experience very real symptoms from Finasteride, but I’m just saying to consider that all symptoms are not a direct cause of this drug or from lowering/raising hormones. Constant worry about side effects and hair loss and so on can be extremely stressful!

Anyway, that is my rant. I hope that anyone who feels like they may be experiencing this would feel free to PM me for advice.

 

[OhioGuy]

so I've been reading some of the threads about Ru58841. Risks seem pretty unknown considering it's not even to market yet. How do we know how it will effect people like us that have heart palpitation concerns? Not trying to sound negative. Don't want to give up hope. Just curious. Will continue to follow the threads. Also why do you (finfighter) feel revivigen and spironolactone won't work?

 

[OhioGuy]

Finfighter, you have also stated your body can't tolerate minoxidil. What happened with you and minoxidil?