Is it possible to combat side effects of Propecia?
- Thread starter JohnC43
- Start date
The differences such supplements can make vs nearly 70% serum DHT inhibition while taking finasteride is minimal, at best. The other likely issue is it could all be psychological for these men.
On the other hand, there are guys that need v**** while taking finasteride just to get a sustainable erection. That should tell you something about the power of Finasteride.
Do whatever you want, just don't expect much if anything to change while you're on the drug. If you quit and find things get better, problem solved. If you quit and things go to hell -- well, welcome to the club of post-Finasteride sufferers.
On the other hand, there are guys that need v**** while taking finasteride just to get a sustainable erection. That should tell you something about the power of Finasteride.
Do whatever you want, just don't expect much if anything to change while you're on the drug. If you quit and find things get better, problem solved. If you quit and things go to hell -- well, welcome to the club of post-Finasteride sufferers.
Oh wow, I figured you had quit right away. Now I see why you are so insistent that I quit. If you don't mind giving me a little insight, did the effects creep on you gradually, come in waves or just hit you hard and you stuck it out? For this entire time, were you still able to get an erection and feel somewhat horny if you were stimulated?
ali777
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 4
I tried finastride for a month on two occasions. My libido was affected, but it wasn't too bad. I could get an erection if I needed to.
For me the problem wasn't just the erection, my whole hormonal balance wasn't the same. People say once the body gets used to living with finasteride, it should get easier and all the sides should subside. After a month on both occasions I got fed up of not being myself and I quit. I don't think I'm ever gonna try it again.
I understand the logic of adapting to hormonal changes, I gave it a month and I lost patience with it.
You could try exercising, zinc (don't overdo it), vitamins, etc. For me the best natural v**** is exercising.
For me the problem wasn't just the erection, my whole hormonal balance wasn't the same. People say once the body gets used to living with finasteride, it should get easier and all the sides should subside. After a month on both occasions I got fed up of not being myself and I quit. I don't think I'm ever gonna try it again.
I understand the logic of adapting to hormonal changes, I gave it a month and I lost patience with it.
You could try exercising, zinc (don't overdo it), vitamins, etc. For me the best natural v**** is exercising.
its not worth combating the sides..your damaging your body with that poison..i took it for almost a year and i quit over a month ago and im almost back to 100%,,i was basically in a dream for 1 year,no libido,no semen,weak erections,fatigue(and i lift and run 6 days a week) just a frickin nightmare,,quit taking it,theres no long term studies on that crap,,
Within 3 days of taking it my dick and balls began to tingle, as numbness set in... as if the nerves/sensitivity receptors were dying. Around this time I also found it very difficult to get an erection, it was like a wet noodle, and when looking at p**rn I couldn't get turned on mentally like before -- nothing was "happening" in my head, as if the horniness had been turned off. When I ejaculated, semen weakly oozed out, and the consistency was different -- more like water than thick white like it used to be. Also noticed loss of morning, nocturnal and spontaneous erections within the first week (which are vital for maintaining penile health via bringing fresh oxygenated blood to the tissues).
I thought this was par for the course of adjusting to the drug, thought I'd "ride it out" like people on hairloss sites suggested, and of course believed that I could quit at any time and everything would go back to normal. So I stuck it out for 11 months hoping things would get better but instead they only got worse, with gyno and weight gain starting in month 6, then anxiety, panic attacks and full blown depression from month 8 onwards.
Also had extreme fatigue, constipation, stomach pains, dark circles under eyes, sleep problems (lack of REM sleep, waking up gasping for air), and severe mood swings (feeling like crying one day to snapping and getting enraged over trivial things, unlike my old calm self before the drug). Also noticed I was beginning to slur my speech, have memory recall issues, blanking out, and just generally feeling very mentally slow... and had muscle twitches flare up all over my body from month 10-11.
By the end of my 11 months I felt like a complete passive zombie, as if viewing life through a filter, in a disassociative state where I didn't care about anything emotionally... completely emotionally flat, hobbies, music etc no longer excited or motivated me anymore, nor gave me pleasure.
So, the sexual dysfunction happened within the first week for me and stayed that way throughout, while the other issues crept up over time such that I didn't even really notice them happening as it was so slow and insidious... only after quitting did the mental aspects even begin to start clearing up (and have yet to 100%).
Unfortunately the sexual side effects only got worse as shortly after quitting, my Testosterone levels crashed through the floor like many other guys with permanent issues from the drug, accompanied by my dick and scrotum shrinking up and becoming basically impotent, with no libido and genital tissue that feels like rubber/similar to touching the top of your foot, along with ongoing fatigue and a bunch of other issues.
I took that sh*t at age 25 and within 11 months destroyed my body and health to the point hormonally where I became an 80yr old man, with post-finasteride Testosterone levels dropping to near hypogonadal levels to prove it.
It was extremely difficult to get turned on, and even if possible, mechanically very difficult to obtain and maintain an erection without constant physical stimulation, it would no longer go up on its own in anticipation of "the act" and was basically a wet floppy noodle the entire time such that often it was impossible to get hard enough for intercourse.
Quite a contrast compared to my Pre-finasteride state where I would get rock hard and stay that way at the drop of a hat, had the urge to wack off daily and was constantly horny... and always woke with a raging morning woodie that wouldnt even go down after taking a piss.
Looking back I should have quit the drug immediately upon those first side effects but like I said, Merck claims all side effects will resolve after you discontinue and at that point I believed them... especially as they do not disclose the full mechanisms of action or effects of their drug, and I and others had yet to compile enough research to find the truth.
Unfortunately I and certain other men found out the hard way reversal of side effects after quitting has not been the case, for us... and we are still struggling to find answers and get help from the medical community to investigate, trying to figure out why/what changed in certain men like us to experience these permanent issues/post-finasteride crash, and how to treat/cure us.
So my advice to people experiencing the same sh*t I did is get off it at the first sign of trouble because the longer one takes it the more they deprive their body and genitals of vital androgen (DHT) and nitric oxide, alter the androgen/estrogen ratio in favor of estrogens, continue to inhibit neurosteroid synthesis in the brain (Allopregnanolone, THDOC), and chemically castrate and involute/destroy their prostate via cell apoptosis (death). Not to mention the fact that 5AR2 and DHT play a vital role in many other processes in the body... plenty of which I'm sure have yet to be discovered.
If things come back online after quitting, as for most men they do, fantastic -- continue on as normal. But if not, you've got a big problem on your hands with regards to your health, far greater than concern over a few hairs on your head.
People need to realize that even though Merck doesn't market it as such, Propecia transforms your hormonal profile to match that of a 5AR2-deficient pseudohermaphrodite and is a form of androgen deprivation therapy. Google the side effects of that and you'll see most of them match exactly what I and others have experienced.
Here's some documents worth reading:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl ... id=1477613
http://www.racgp.org.au/Content/Navigat ... 8kabir.pdf
Eureka
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 9
I remember visiting the merck site right after I started propecia... and although they didn't nail it into your head I got the pretty clear message that- if you continue to take the drug while experiencing side effects then your proceeding at your own risk whether or not the symptoms will clear up.
I ignored the warnings myself, Did the exact same thing you did, stayed on it for 11 months. But still all problems that followed were my own fault.
jakeb
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 0
It's your body. Just know there are guys out there (like me) who are still not the same after stopping finasteride. Most people don't have these sort of problems with finasteride... but just be careful if it starts to look like you're one of the lucky ones who do.
evolutionary
Member
- Reaction score
- 0
I definitely don't think it's a poison, but I'd agree that while you're on it at least it changes your hormonal profile. Keep in mind that like the "Forum Rules" at the top of this section warn, the vast majority of people are fine. The ones that come to post usually are the ones that had the bad experiences. For me, I had the mood swings and libido decline. I worked out, and did everything I physically could to keep myself level, but I couldn't find anything that would help. I remember drinking extra coffee at the time, which helped spark me a little bit, but that's about it. I take a green tea capsule everyday now which makes me feel awesome, so maybe that in conjunction with ginseng or other herbs that speed you up might help offset the feelings. Another option would be just see if you can reduce your daily dose low enough that the sides are negligible. This didn't work for me, but I've read some others have felt better doing this. Just make sure to lower your hair improvement expectations the lower your dosage goes.