concernedfellow
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hail, hair loss talkers...
i previously made a post questioning finasteride side effects issues. i've quit it now, but i wanted to contribute and make a follow up post, because when i was looking to use propecia i was keen to read as many opinions as i could find. i hope this assists people in making decisions on whether to try / continue using finasteride.
i started using finasteride on approx 22/08 this year and quit it about 19/09 (4 weeks). during this time i was taking 0.25mg / day to see what it was like. i was taking 'finpecia' tablets. im 25 and started noticing i was losing hair in Feb 09. prior to taking it i researched it as much as possible on this board and the others (including propeciahelp)
over the period i was taking it i interpreted the following side effects:
- decreased erectile strength (i am young but i could still tell the finasteride had an effect)
- some change in semen consistency
- definite change in semen smell (sorry decided not to taste test)
- ball ache (not too bad)
- greasy skin (seriously like day old pizza grease - thats right fkn gross!)
- therefore pimples etc
- despite more greasy skin, my skin felt thinner like that of an old person, and it seemed like it was wrinkling more easily (ie expression wrinkles from smiling etc)
the ones that started a little later and really troubled me were these:
- continual leg ache (ie like i had gone to the gym without adequate rest or nutrition. like the muscles were not strained and stimulated into growth, but just plain damaged (ie atrophy))
- decreased cardiovascular fitness (if you refer my last post this was rapid and disturbing)
- noticable decrease in long distance vision (i am short sighted to a degree but this seemed to rapidly get worse)
- specks and flashes on my vision (very minor at first, but have resolved into a speck that is still on my vision)
so i reflected on the pros and cons, and i quit and have gone back to normal. but after quitting, i still have the following issues:
- cardiovascular fitness still lower than before (but 'normal' low fitness rather than disturbing weakness - i will be able to sort this out with my fitness regime)
- i still have a speck that floats in my right eye's field of vision. i find it hard to believe this is from finasteride but i read stories that suggest this is a reported side effect, and it showed up in the 4th week of taking finasteride. this is the most disturbing thing and im waiting for it to go away...
if you put my mind in the body of a person with different DNA who would possibly deal differently with finasteride (ie have none of the side effects above), i think i would try it again. when i experienced the side effects i didnt freak out, i just observed them and determined whether continuing on the drug was a beneficial action or not.
this is almost self-evident, but no one describes this much: - in my experience with finasteride, there is *zero* scalp itching due follicle attack when you are taking the tablets - it is very encouraging. this has a response time of about 1.5 days - ie if you miss tablets for a while (or conversely take them up again), it takes about 1.5 days for the itching to start up (or conversely stop) again. i never found that nizoral helps this in such a noticable way.
i dont think finasteride is something to be frightened of, but it has some really significant effects on your physiological processes. after trying it, being unwilling to deal with the side effects, and quitting, i still think that the best initial course of action is to trial it at low dosage and be very observant about the effects.
i hope the information above helps the rest of you make decisions regarding this drug. cheers
i previously made a post questioning finasteride side effects issues. i've quit it now, but i wanted to contribute and make a follow up post, because when i was looking to use propecia i was keen to read as many opinions as i could find. i hope this assists people in making decisions on whether to try / continue using finasteride.
i started using finasteride on approx 22/08 this year and quit it about 19/09 (4 weeks). during this time i was taking 0.25mg / day to see what it was like. i was taking 'finpecia' tablets. im 25 and started noticing i was losing hair in Feb 09. prior to taking it i researched it as much as possible on this board and the others (including propeciahelp)
over the period i was taking it i interpreted the following side effects:
- decreased erectile strength (i am young but i could still tell the finasteride had an effect)
- some change in semen consistency
- definite change in semen smell (sorry decided not to taste test)
- ball ache (not too bad)
- greasy skin (seriously like day old pizza grease - thats right fkn gross!)
- therefore pimples etc
- despite more greasy skin, my skin felt thinner like that of an old person, and it seemed like it was wrinkling more easily (ie expression wrinkles from smiling etc)
the ones that started a little later and really troubled me were these:
- continual leg ache (ie like i had gone to the gym without adequate rest or nutrition. like the muscles were not strained and stimulated into growth, but just plain damaged (ie atrophy))
- decreased cardiovascular fitness (if you refer my last post this was rapid and disturbing)
- noticable decrease in long distance vision (i am short sighted to a degree but this seemed to rapidly get worse)
- specks and flashes on my vision (very minor at first, but have resolved into a speck that is still on my vision)
so i reflected on the pros and cons, and i quit and have gone back to normal. but after quitting, i still have the following issues:
- cardiovascular fitness still lower than before (but 'normal' low fitness rather than disturbing weakness - i will be able to sort this out with my fitness regime)
- i still have a speck that floats in my right eye's field of vision. i find it hard to believe this is from finasteride but i read stories that suggest this is a reported side effect, and it showed up in the 4th week of taking finasteride. this is the most disturbing thing and im waiting for it to go away...
if you put my mind in the body of a person with different DNA who would possibly deal differently with finasteride (ie have none of the side effects above), i think i would try it again. when i experienced the side effects i didnt freak out, i just observed them and determined whether continuing on the drug was a beneficial action or not.
this is almost self-evident, but no one describes this much: - in my experience with finasteride, there is *zero* scalp itching due follicle attack when you are taking the tablets - it is very encouraging. this has a response time of about 1.5 days - ie if you miss tablets for a while (or conversely take them up again), it takes about 1.5 days for the itching to start up (or conversely stop) again. i never found that nizoral helps this in such a noticable way.
i dont think finasteride is something to be frightened of, but it has some really significant effects on your physiological processes. after trying it, being unwilling to deal with the side effects, and quitting, i still think that the best initial course of action is to trial it at low dosage and be very observant about the effects.
i hope the information above helps the rest of you make decisions regarding this drug. cheers