Quitting Propecia After 9 Years

[Fanjeera]

I quit finasteride after 13 years. I stopped taking it in January 2012 after starting it in 98 when I was 25. I had already lost most of my crown area by the time I started it and managed to regrow a decent amount of peach fuzz and maintained the fuzz with finasteride and minoxidil. The hope was that I didn't lose anymore hair and succeeded in doing so. Since I stopped it in January the fuzz in the crown -as you would guess it- has shed greatly. The rest of my hair is hanging in there so far! My libido has increased and I find that my erections stay harder for longer although I never had trouble getting it up while on finasteride. Ejaculations/orgasms feelings are improving slowly...before it felt weak. I also feel my hormones release pleasurable feeling throughout my body after orgasm as before it was very weak to none. Sexually, I feel better overall and now wished I never started it because I missed out on better sex. I'm grateful I don't have severe sexual sides so far. It was very difficult to tell if I truly had sexual sides or not as it happens/or seems like it happened, very slowly. Now that I'm off I know for sure I was having sides. I'm done with taking systemic treatments/pills. I'm willing to experiment with topicals, in fact I have 20 grams of RUM sitting in my freezer since march and haven't touched it till my family member gives birth. I was afraid to use it during her pregnancy as we live in the same house. Not even sure if RUM is legitimate or not but I took the chance when it was being sold. I'm open to using RU as well. If any sexual sides are felt with RUM/RU I will be dropping it.

Did you notice a change in your semen? Has it improved in appearance after quitting the drug?

 

[hairwish]

that's hard to answer, I have to say nothing that is "significantly" noticeable so far. I might just need more time

 

[Lewis Hamilton]

Takes about 9 - 12 months

Takes about 9 - 12 months to lose about 70% of it id say, then the rest takes time.

Sex could be an issue for you...

You will also find if you go for DHT/THT therapy that this will make more hair drop out as the high testosterone is what contributes to that in the first place.

I'd recommend coming off it cold turkey for 10 days, then going on to a 0.5mg dose for 3 - 4 months (a leading UK hair clinic is advising this for long termers of over 5 years) as this will reduce the total drop/crash to something more managable.

 

[008]

Did any of you experienced depression while on finasteride ?

 

[medilook]

I took proscar for 3 days and it's been about one week since i got off it and i still have a lower libido and erections aren't as strong. This drug is ****!

 

[elephant_knight]

I took proscar for 3 days and it's been about one week since i got off it and i still have a lower libido and erections aren't as strong. This drug is ****!

You will probably recover, but it will take you some time. I only took it for about four, maybe five months, yet, a month after I quit I am still not completely recovered, I am better though...

- - - Updated - - -

You will probably recover, but it will take you some time. I only took it for about four, maybe five months, yet, a month after I quit I am still not completely recovered, I am better though...

No wait, I misread your post, i though you took it for three years. If you only took finasteride for three days and sides have not yet disappeared, then you're probably just one more of those crazy hypochondriacs

 

[Thatwouldbenice]

Hello all, I started noticing early signs of male pattern baldness about two years ago and got on Propecia. I took the drug for about a year, my hair looked great and thickened back up. My miniaturized hairs went away and my hair started to have a generally healthy appearance again. However, I developed a hard painful lump under my left nipple and also developed a serious case of ED for a while there. Meaning, even with intense effort my partner could not elicit a physical response even though I was interested on a mental level. So, I figured out that v**** gets me all the way there regardless, but the pain and swelling under my left nipple finally got to a point that I quit taking Propecia. I guess I am about a year off of it and my hair is starting to miniaturize all over like it was before I took Propecia, but a hell of a lot faster. Also, my hair is starting to get really light all of a sudden. So over the last six months it appears that I have lost what I gained and maintained. I know that I am a good responder based on my past experience, but that nipple pain and swelling was a major negative. The ED not so much because v**** is a freaking wonder drug for me. Is there any chance that the nipple pain and swelling will subside if I get back on finasteride and stick it out?

 

[Quantum Cat]

Hello all, I started noticing early signs of male pattern baldness about two years ago and got on Propecia. I took the drug for about a year, my hair looked great and thickened back up. My miniaturized hairs went away and my hair started to have a generally healthy appearance again. However, I developed a hard painful lump under my left nipple and also developed a serious case of ED for a while there. Meaning, even with intense effort my partner could not elicit a physical response even though I was interested on a mental level. So, I figured out that v**** gets me all the way there regardless, but the pain and swelling under my left nipple finally got to a point that I quit taking Propecia. I guess I am about a year off of it and my hair is starting to miniaturize all over like it was before I took Propecia, but a hell of a lot faster. Also, my hair is starting to get really light all of a sudden. So over the last six months it appears that I have lost what I gained and maintained. I know that I am a good responder based on my past experience, but that nipple pain and swelling was a major negative. The ED not so much because v**** is a freaking wonder drug for me. Is there any chance that the nipple pain and swelling will subside if I get back on finasteride and stick it out?

did you speak to a Dr about the nipple lump?

 

[Petchsky]

I've been on propecia for ten years now, and yes it can be hard to notice certain side effects, but I do know now that for me, propecia does decrease sensitivity in my penis by about 40% and I get less spontanious erections.

It's not been a big problem for me though as I reduced my dosage a few years ago to .8mg from 1.25mg and use only on Mon-Wed-Fri with no obvious loss of hair....

If i've got a bird on the go and i'm getting plenty of sex I use Zinc, and/or work out with weights more often and drink protein supplements, this helps regain stronger longer hard ons, failing this I just stop taking it for a couple of weeks, and my libido flys through the roof, morning glory the lot...but I am ten years older now also...

Our physiologies are all different though, and what may work for me, may not for you.

And just to add, despite the decrease in sensititivity in my dick, this did not happen straight away, but creeped up on me over the years, but it didn't effect my lidido, and I still jacked off as much as I always had - If I suffered from premature ejaculation this side effect would work in my favour. This decrease in sensitivity just meant that I needed more direct stimulation of my member to keep him saluting, but reducing dosage and frequency helped, and if propecia side effects are not too bad, and you want to keep using it, then look in to dosage and frequency of dosage.

It takes six months from quitting propecia for your hair to start returning back to baseline. If this drug made me impotent i'd get the **** off it, pronto.

 

[Quantum Cat]

Petch, have you noticed in the 10 years you've been on finasteride, has it lost it's efficacy at all? Have you kept most or all of the hair you had when you started?

also I've recently been doing pelvic floor exercises, and maybe it's my imagination but but orgasms seem more intense. Makes sense I guess since the muscle is involved in ejaculation. They're really simple exercises to do

 

[Petchsky]

I've not noticed a lack of efficacy no. It's possible I have lost a little ground, but the fact that I don't know for sure indicates that if I have, it's minor, very slow loss.

Although I had a transplant at the front in 2009, I still have my crown to check and I still have the same thin spot at the back that I did at 22, looks the same now as then from photos taken at the time. My side hair has not continued to recede either, so basically, yes i've kept most, if not all hair from when I started on the big 3 back in 2002

Pelvic floor exercises, think might look in to that. Nice1

 

[walker13]

Those shampoos won't do (hardly) anything to keep your hair on your head. Also, you have a 98% chance of not getting sexual sides. If you do get them, then just stop finasteride. You'll have a 99% chance of the sides going away in a month or less. Basically you have a 1-in-2000 chance of getting sides that persist for more than a month after you quit.

I delayed going on finasteride for 2 years because I was afraid of sides. I'm 4 years in now, and side-effect free (except maybe some very minor ones, but nothing major). My current greatest regret in my life is that I didn't start finasteride 2 years sooner than I did. 80% of my current hairloss happened in those 2 years :-/

When you say sides (but nothing major) can you explain further please?

 

[hairwish]

2 year update after quiting finasteride use of over 13 years.

Did you notice a change in your semen? Has it improved in appearance after quitting the drug?

there was definitely a change in my semen. If I don't ejaculate for a few days and then finally do; it'll come out more fluidly(thick fluid, lots of it!) then under the same circumstances while on finasteride. My libido is much higher now then while on finasteride. Example: when I see a hot babe, I get these strong chemical urges in my lower grown region (includes all the lower abdomen area as well not just my unit), before while on finasteride much of this was absent and took actual physical stimulation to get some urges going vs just by looking

I've been on propecia for ten years now, and yes it can be hard to notice certain side effects, but I do know now that for me, propecia does decrease sensitivity in my penis by about 40% and I get less spontanious erections.

It's not been a big problem for me though as I reduced my dosage a few years ago to .8mg from 1.25mg and use only on Mon-Wed-Fri with no obvious loss of hair....

If i've got a bird on the go and i'm getting plenty of sex I use Zinc, and/or work out with weights more often and drink protein supplements, this helps regain stronger longer hard ons, failing this I just stop taking it for a couple of weeks, and my libido flys through the roof, morning glory the lot...but I am ten years older now also...

Our physiologies are all different though, and what may work for me, may not for you.

And just to add, despite the decrease in sensititivity in my dick, this did not happen straight away, but creeped up on me over the years, but it didn't effect my lidido, and I still jacked off as much as I always had - If I suffered from premature ejaculation this side effect would work in my favour. This decrease in sensitivity just meant that I needed more direct stimulation of my member to keep him saluting, but reducing dosage and frequency helped, and if propecia side effects are not too bad, and you want to keep using it, then look in to dosage and frequency of dosage.

It takes six months from quitting propecia for your hair to start returning back to baseline. If this drug made me impotent i'd get the **** off it, pronto.

I quit finasteride 2 years ago after 13 years on. Immediately lost the peach fuzz in crown but still maintained all of my mid scalp and frontal hair until recent! last couple of months now unfortunately noticed the beginnings of frontal hairloss! I'm thinking I'm going to try your approach of every 3rd day. If I can maintain most of my current libido plus stop any more hairloss I would be content until something better comes along. Note that I'm only deciding this because it seems that I was able to reverse the side effects when I quit finasteride cold turkey. OR I'm looking into the RU58841 as a possible alternative to the finasteride, just a pain to get a hold of in my opinion but maybe well worth it

 

[azuri]

I decided to quit finasteride a year ago after being on it for many years also. The first 2 or so months went well then I started losing ground like neve r before. I panicked, jumped back on it but haven't being able to grow back what I lost. As far as side effects, I don't really think about them and seem all good.

 

[Petchsky]

I think for you guys who quit finasteride and then started losing hair, your options are accept being bald, or reduce dosage and frequency of taking propecia, or find another anti androgen, which is most likely to be topical application after finasteride, something like spironolactone, revivogen, RU58841.....

I don't think people regain their losses from quitting propecia but then maintain what they have...

 

[badbeat2]

Hi Guys-

I am the OP to this thread and I wanted to follow-up on it. As I mentioned, I am a 28-year old that took finasteride for 9 years. I had severe side effects immediately and instead of quitting like a rational person, I continued to take it. I would always pose the question “be bald and get no desirable chicks or get desirable chicks and not be able to pleasure them/myself”.

While on finasteride, I did not get morning wood, I did not get random erections, and it was hard for me to get a full, healthy erection even in the most intimate situations. When I would quit taking finasteride, after a week or so, I would have a full sex drive return including full erections and morning wood.

I made my OP in June of 2012, but finally quit taking finasteride in November of 2012. Two weeks after quitting finasteride, I developed shingles. Well not an extremely bad case, I have never experienced anything like this previously. I also recall feeling very tired for a month or so after this period.

After the breakup referenced in the OP, I also changed my diet and lifestyle. While always thin, I decided to really focus on diet and exercise in an effort to be at my peak performance. So from this perspective, I should be as healthy as I have ever been. I have run/lifted 4-5 times a week for 18 months and eat a pretty clean diet.

Now to the interesting part… After the month where I had shingles, I began to feel better physically. I had plenty of energy and a passion for life I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was also experiencing morning wood again. While I was getting morning wood, I was not feeling that desire in my body to pork anything decent looking with a vagina. This concerned me, but I ignored it.

I developed a casual relationship with a girl that continued through the early part of 2013. In June, I began to experience pain while urinating. I went and got tested for STDs as this pain continued for 2 weeks. The results came back showing I had chlamydia. I was emotionally crushed by this and felt dirty, but the Dr. assured me that one dose of antibiotics would take care of the problem. I asked when I should make a follow-up appointment and they said there was no need as the drug is 99% effective. I cutoff contact with the girl after informing her of what I had.

Two months went by and I still wasn’t feeling right. Sometimes, especially if I was dropping a deuce, urination would be extremely painful. Anyways, I went back to the Dr. for another test, still tested positive for chlamydia and another dose of Zithromax was prescribed. In addition to painful urination, I was experience lower back pain and a bad stomach. Rinse and repeat this procedure 2 more times. I was treated 4 times for chlamydia in 6 months. This was at a clinic where I was seeing various Dr.’s. They were also perplexed as to why the antibiotics were not effective.

Finally, I went to see a urologist. My first visit was in November. He reviewed the “affected area” and thought it looked fine. He also didn’t think my symptoms were congruent with chlamydia. I’d like to note that when I walked in, I told him about my propecia use and he dismissed any issue that could cause. Anyways, before I knew it my prostate was being examined and boy did it hurt. My penis has never throbbed so bad. After removing himself from me, he diagnosed me with prostitis. He would explain it as an inflamed prostate. That explained the back ache, the painful urination, and the clear discharge. The stomach issue was explained by taking 5 (once I was treated with a double dose) doses of antibiotics over 6 months. He said the normal treatment for prostitis was a 3-week antibiotic treatment, but he couldn’t give that to me for a couple of months because of the amount of antibiotics I had taken recently. He said while he was unsure what was triggering a positive chlamydia result, he was fairly certain I never had it. We scheduled a follow-up for early January. I again brought up that my gut was telling me that this was linked to the propecia use that had given me so many issues and he again dismissed it.

Sometime in December, things changed. My limited sex drive got worse and I felt extremely lethargic. On the other hand, the painful urination began to decrease. Fast forward to last week when I was in his office again. He asked me how I was feeling and I explained that the painful urination and discharge had gone away, but my back was still sore and I was having sex drive issues. I then took the opportunity to discuss the fact pattern again with him. That I had taken propecia for 9 years and had extensive sexual side effects. That two weeks after quitting I had shingles. That last time I saw him I had an enlarged prostate. That my sex drive has been limited since I began using it. He told me I looked like a brick and he would bet my testosterone levels were fine. Anyways, he performed a blood test and I just got a call back from his office today that my T-Levels were 252 which is low. I have set up an appointment for next week to discuss Testosterone Replacement Therapy options with him. I can not believe I am in this position. I was literally the horniest person I knew before propecia. Since quitting it, I have developed a case of shingles, prostitis, and now have to look at my Testosterone Replacement Therapy options.

If I could go back, you could not pay me to take this stuff again. I can’t believe I did not quit immediately when I had side effects. I take responsibility for that. I assumed my body would rubberband back to normal just like it did when I would quit taking the medication for a week.

Does anyone have alternative suggestions to T Replacement Therapy? I am not well read on the subject. Is there some way to hit reset on my body’s hormonal system? I feel like if I could kickstart the testosterone factory I would be fine going forward. Finally, I will certainly get a second opinion before proceeding. Is there a specific type of Dr. I should seek out for this?

Thanks for any helpful advice.

- - - Updated - - -

By the way...

In contrast to my expectations and other people's experiences, I have not shed by any noticeable amount. Could this be because of the low T levels?

 

[ham373]

You should do a slow taper (slower than almost everyone considers doing). This has a very good chance of reducing the chance of post-finasteridesyndrome. Apart from requiring patience there is no down side.


The short summary:


1. Very small doses of finasteride(like 0.04mg) inhibits DHT quite a lot.
2. A single dose of finasterideinhibits DHT for 4-7 days for a tiny dose (like 0.04mg to 0.2mg) andeven longer for a 1mg dose.
3. The post-finasteride syndrome has alot of the hallmarks of a hormonal axis shut down, likely due to thesurge in DHT following stopping the drug.
4. Like in other hormonal shutdownsthis risk can be minimised by a very slow tapering regime.
5. I will explain at length therationale below but one point worth making- there is no downside totapering. If you have been on the drug for x years then three months(or so) tapering cannot add a lot of risk and it may be highlybeneficial.
6.A slow tapering regime forfinasteride involves the following in broad outline:
a.going to about 0.25mg a day straightaway (this inhibits DHT the same as 1mg/day),
b.then going to 0.25mg every secondday, third day and then fourth day.
c.At this point you should reduce thedose, while dosing every fourth day. An eight of a tablet is 0.125mg.
d.Ideally you would get down to about0.04mg every fourth day which might be done by very careful cuttingup of eights of a tablet.
e.From every fourth day on 0.04mg,space this out to 5, 6, 7, 10 and 14 days.
f.There is even rationale to go toeven more smaller doses - like 0.02mg and 0.01mg at these intervals.
g. Timing: step a. can be donestraight away. step b. can be done over a couple of weeks. steps c.to f. should be done as slowly as you can stand. It is very likelythat when you get to 0.125 mg every fourth day you will notice animprovement in your side effects and you might also be able todiscern a time line of worse symptoms about 24-36 hours after a dosethat improves over the next 2-3 days. This is not the time to quitcold turkey! This is the time to go slow. This period should removeany doubt in your mind where the side effects have come from. But youneed to wean off slowly to give a chance to safely land your hormonalsystem. It is tough to put a drug into your mouth that you realise isdoing you harm, but it is far tougher to risk the prolonged sideeffects that might come from stopping quickly.

 

[ak_1981]

I used finasteride for 10 years. Started at age 23. I was so horny in my 20s I did not care about the sexual sides. Just last year I was going through a break up and other personal issues, and the medication was making me extremely moody and my engine downstairs was shutting down. I went to an erotic massage parlor and this lady was giving me a massage in a bikini, and touching my wiener and my dick was still not getting hard. I just stopped getting erections or would get one with a lot of trouble. Looking back there were times I was naked with a girl, I had a few dates with and my dick would just stay limp. Not getting rock hard. That is when I decided to get off the pill. I started feeling pleasure again. After 6 months, I have tried popping the pill again and now I just don't feel anything downstairs. It just feels numb and dead. It takes a lot of effort to get an erection and even if I get one; complete lack of pleasure. I am going to get off the pill and stay off the pill. Looking into shampoos like revito, nizoral, zinc supplements, biotin and may continue topical Rogaine. The pill is dangerous. What are you going to do with all the hair on your head if your dick does not get hard, stay hard and is numb??

- - - Updated - - -

Hi Guys-

I am the OP to this thread and I wanted to follow-up on it. As I mentioned, I am a 28-year old that took finasteride for 9 years. I had severe side effects immediately and instead of quitting like a rational person, I continued to take it. I would always pose the question “be bald and get no desirable chicks or get desirable chicks and not be able to pleasure them/myself”.

While on finasteride, I did not get morning wood, I did not get random erections, and it was hard for me to get a full, healthy erection even in the most intimate situations. When I would quit taking finasteride, after a week or so, I would have a full sex drive return including full erections and morning wood.

I made my OP in June of 2012, but finally quit taking finasteride in November of 2012. Two weeks after quitting finasteride, I developed shingles. Well not an extremely bad case, I have never experienced anything like this previously. I also recall feeling very tired for a month or so after this period.

After the breakup referenced in the OP, I also changed my diet and lifestyle. While always thin, I decided to really focus on diet and exercise in an effort to be at my peak performance. So from this perspective, I should be as healthy as I have ever been. I have run/lifted 4-5 times a week for 18 months and eat a pretty clean diet.

Now to the interesting part… After the month where I had shingles, I began to feel better physically. I had plenty of energy and a passion for life I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was also experiencing morning wood again. While I was getting morning wood, I was not feeling that desire in my body to pork anything decent looking with a vagina. This concerned me, but I ignored it.

I developed a casual relationship with a girl that continued through the early part of 2013. In June, I began to experience pain while urinating. I went and got tested for STDs as this pain continued for 2 weeks. The results came back showing I had chlamydia. I was emotionally crushed by this and felt dirty, but the Dr. assured me that one dose of antibiotics would take care of the problem. I asked when I should make a follow-up appointment and they said there was no need as the drug is 99% effective. I cutoff contact with the girl after informing her of what I had.

Two months went by and I still wasn’t feeling right. Sometimes, especially if I was dropping a deuce, urination would be extremely painful. Anyways, I went back to the Dr. for another test, still tested positive for chlamydia and another dose of Zithromax was prescribed. In addition to painful urination, I was experience lower back pain and a bad stomach. Rinse and repeat this procedure 2 more times. I was treated 4 times for chlamydia in 6 months. This was at a clinic where I was seeing various Dr.’s. They were also perplexed as to why the antibiotics were not effective.

Finally, I went to see a urologist. My first visit was in November. He reviewed the “affected area” and thought it looked fine. He also didn’t think my symptoms were congruent with chlamydia. I’d like to note that when I walked in, I told him about my propecia use and he dismissed any issue that could cause. Anyways, before I knew it my prostate was being examined and boy did it hurt. My penis has never throbbed so bad. After removing himself from me, he diagnosed me with prostitis. He would explain it as an inflamed prostate. That explained the back ache, the painful urination, and the clear discharge. The stomach issue was explained by taking 5 (once I was treated with a double dose) doses of antibiotics over 6 months. He said the normal treatment for prostitis was a 3-week antibiotic treatment, but he couldn’t give that to me for a couple of months because of the amount of antibiotics I had taken recently. He said while he was unsure what was triggering a positive chlamydia result, he was fairly certain I never had it. We scheduled a follow-up for early January. I again brought up that my gut was telling me that this was linked to the propecia use that had given me so many issues and he again dismissed it.

Sometime in December, things changed. My limited sex drive got worse and I felt extremely lethargic. On the other hand, the painful urination began to decrease. Fast forward to last week when I was in his office again. He asked me how I was feeling and I explained that the painful urination and discharge had gone away, but my back was still sore and I was having sex drive issues. I then took the opportunity to discuss the fact pattern again with him. That I had taken propecia for 9 years and had extensive sexual side effects. That two weeks after quitting I had shingles. That last time I saw him I had an enlarged prostate. That my sex drive has been limited since I began using it. He told me I looked like a brick and he would bet my testosterone levels were fine. Anyways, he performed a blood test and I just got a call back from his office today that my T-Levels were 252 which is low. I have set up an appointment for next week to discuss Testosterone Replacement Therapy options with him. I can not believe I am in this position. I was literally the horniest person I knew before propecia. Since quitting it, I have developed a case of shingles, prostitis, and now have to look at my Testosterone Replacement Therapy options.

If I could go back, you could not pay me to take this stuff again. I can’t believe I did not quit immediately when I had side effects. I take responsibility for that. I assumed my body would rubberband back to normal just like it did when I would quit taking the medication for a week.

Does anyone have alternative suggestions to T Replacement Therapy? I am not well read on the subject. Is there some way to hit reset on my body’s hormonal system? I feel like if I could kickstart the testosterone factory I would be fine going forward. Finally, I will certainly get a second opinion before proceeding. Is there a specific type of Dr. I should seek out for this?

Thanks for any helpful advice.

- - - Updated - - -

By the way...

In contrast to my expectations and other people's experiences, I have not shed by any noticeable amount. Could this be because of the low T levels?

Bro. when I got my T-levels checked about 2 years ago. They were in the 250-300 range. The doctor immediately recommended TRT. He dismissed finasteride had any effect on this. I did not get onto TRT. Find natural ways to boost your T. Don't f*** with your hormones. Let your body bounce back on its own, be patient.

 

[Lucas92]

It's surprising that people are saying that they don't want to have sex with their gfs or have little interest in doing so. All the gfs I have had whilst on finasteride have, by extremely poor luck for me, had next to no desire in sex (once or twice a month max), and so I've still always been wanting it far more often than my partner which has made determining a reduction in libido more difficult than it should be.

 

[Notcoolanymore]

It's surprising that people are saying that they don't want to have sex with their gfs or have little interest in doing so. All the gfs I have had whilst on finasteride have, by extremely poor luck for me, had next to no desire in sex (once or twice a month max)

That sucks. Ship them out and replace them immediately.