New finasteride User

[fcukgentetics]

Ok so:

I'm 20 years old, almost on 2 months of generic finasteride by Cipla (with a 2week break cause of shipping), very nervous about my decision because I do not see a doctor ($$).

I have been taking 1mg sometimes but .5 most of the time, and have already definitely seen a loss of libido and sure difficulty to achieve an erection. When I do achieve an erection, it is a lot softer than normal (keep in mind this is sober, drunk is not even close to a possibility).

But, I have seen a lot of hairs falling, so I think it is shedding and it is working.

Really I guess I am wondering if my sex drive will come back and this is just temporary, and if continuing finasteride is worth it. Besides it bothering me now, i've read the posts of people experiencing long term sex problems, which is what realllllllly worries me. ALSO, I truly feel my weightlifting has been effected since I feel weaker and also am eating a lot and making no gain.

Can someone please help??? I'm so confused

Thank you!

 

[Primo]

Definitely it sounds like it's working, perhaps a little to well. I think you might be one of those unfortunate people with a naturally low level of DHT, when you add finasteride to the equation, it means you no longer have enough DHT to achieve and maintain FULL erections.

I would recommend lowering your dose first of all because .5mg inhibits almost exactly the same amount as 1mg, if you drop it to .25mg and then even .125mg per day you may see a reduction in sides still with an adequate amount of DHT inhibition.

Realistically though if you're experiencing sides already after 2months, the best you can hope for is slight improvement, but very unlikely that they will disappear completely.

I say this because some people take finasteride for 15 years with no sides at all, others have no problems initially but then develop sides after 5years, but for you to get sides at this early stages shows how sensitive your system must be to the drug.

I don't know how agressive your male pattern baldness is, but maybe you could look at alternative anti-androgens/growth stimulants or ask yourself "how badly do you want hair??" Because there is a big trade-off with Finasteride and you must decide yourself what will make you happier in life.

 

[TheGrayMan2001]

You might want to take some zinc, 50 mg a day for a few weeks and see if that helps.

Just stay on .5 mg of finasteride, don't take 1. Keep working out. Try not to stay stressed over it. You ought to start getting your libido back if the sides are going to disappear if you do that.

if the sides get any worse or don't disappear then you might wanna taper off to .25 and if the sides are still there, get off of it altogether.

 

[fcukgentetics]

Thanks a lot for your help..I guess my only questions are how do you break up those tiny pills evenly and correctly? What are other good anti-adrogen things? And I had ED twice in highschool once cause of sodium and once cause of too much creatine..so am I gonna be one of those people that gets off of finasteride after a few months of trying and is screwed sexually for a long *** time?

 

[Primo]

No at this early stage your sides should reverse given time, that is if you quit Finasteride.

It's important to act now though because the longer you wait the more damage gets done and after a year or two it can become irrepairable for some, as you may well know from reading about Enden and Propecia.

At the same time you don't want your hormones to crash by jumping of the drug straight away, so I recommend you lower your dose to 0.25mg per day intially and work your way down slowly until the side-effects start to reduce.

If you're lucky you may be able to get by on a low dose without suffering any side effects, mpbsux20 takes 0.25mg every other day and apparently doesn't get sides anymore. If however you get down to that dose and still suffer sides, then it would be best to get off finasteride for good.

You can get pill cutters from WalMart, or if you live outside of U.S. you should be able to get them from your local pharmacy.

I too suffered ED from Creatine when I was younger, and it sounds like your system is also too sensitive to deal with finasteride. I also sometimes suffer ED if I drink or smoke too much, but the ED I suffered from finasteride was like nothing else.

There are other anti-androgens like Revivogen and spironolactone, which if used in combination with each other can work to halt your hairloss, although obviously they're not as powerful as finasteride.

Personally, I've been using Minoxidil for 14weeks now with great results. Admittedly it's not hitting the root cause of hairloss (DHT), but it will stop your male pattern baldness for a good 3yrs at the very least, while adding some pleasing on the eye regrowth also. Once I get to the 6month stage I will consider whether or not to add Revivogen and spironolactone to my regimen. At the moment I'm just happy to be getting moderate regrowth without any sexual side effects.

 

[fcukgentetics]

Thanks a lot for your help and taking the time to answer me, truly appreciate it

 

[Ende]

I recommend quitting IMMEDIATELY. Your estrogen level has increased, and your testoserone level has probably decreased. DO NOT continue at a low dose at this point. 0.25 mg is almost as potent as 1 mg.

There's no point in tapering off the drug either. Quit, and hope the the burst of DHT is enough to counter the excessive estrogen, and restore balance. Use 50 mg of zinc every day in addition. It works as an aromatase inhibitor, shifting the testosterone/estrogen ratio in favor of testosterone.

When you're recovered, try finasteride once more, but use a low dose of zinc every day too, and increase the dose if needed.

 

[Mens Rea]

Your call TS but fact is your body is reacting to it badly your hormones are being badly distorted. Your body may well adapt but considering how sensitive you obviously are to the drug my bet would be you get worse.

Problem is going off it now could crash your system too. You need to think carefully, maybe taper off.

NB: Lowered dosage means next to nothing with finasteride.

 

[fcukgentetics]

So I have just tapered off after going from .5 to .25 to .0125 per day, and my hormones are SCREWED. Not only am I weak in the gym and not making muscle gains even when massing on calories, but more importantly I have no , at best low, libido and my erections are only maxing at about 90%.. I'm trying to set up an appointment with a doctor, I guess a urologist? But without health insurance it is going to be so expensive, especially if I get blood work taken. I have been taking Zinc 50 , double dosages everyday, but what should I do to repair my hormones? I'm so nervous, I hate note being able to bang the beautiful college girls around me, and even worst, all the finasteride did for me was shed off my temples more. Damn it. Someone please help!!!!!!!

 

[Ende]

Try creatine monohydrate, 25g a day for 7 days. An experiment, which you find a link to in my thread, shows that it increased the DHT level by 56% without affecting the testosterone level.