Problems with Finasteride

[BigThinker]

Hey wobbly, just curious: what dosage were on before 0.6? Based on your OP, it seems like you went down to 0.6 over a month ago. Did lowering the dose help at all, and did your hair deteriorate at all due to lowering the dose? Regards.

[d2001chen]

Some doctors say that Finasteride stays in the body for 72 hours and then flushes out. It does not stay in the body permanently. I don't know how true this is, but if it is true, you can stop taking the med for a week and see if this helps.

Some members have mentioned shrinking of prostrate and I did know about this. But is this permanent? Or does it return to original size once the med is stopped?

[wobblywilly]

Originally Posted by BigThinker

Hey wobbly, just curious: what dosage were on before 0.6? Based on your OP, it seems like you went down to 0.6 over a month ago. Did lowering the dose help at all, and did your hair deteriorate at all due to lowering the dose? Regards.

I was on 1.25mg per day - basically cutting the tablet in quarters.

My hair might have slightly deteriorated at the temples, but then it was thinning there anyway. It is hard to say what would have happened without going back in time and repeating with the increased strength.

[wobblywilly]

Originally Posted by d2001chen

Some doctors say that Finasteride stays in the body for 72 hours and then flushes out. It does not stay in the body permanently. I don't know how true this is, but if it is true, you can stop taking the med for a week and see if this helps.

Some members have mentioned shrinking of prostrate and I did know about this. But is this permanent? Or does it return to original size once the med is stopped?

If you read the wiki entry now for Finasteride it states:

There are case reports of persistent diminished libido or erectile dysfunction, even after stopping the drug.[18] In December 2008, the Swedish Medical Products agency concluded a safety investigation of finasteride and advised that finasteride may cause irreversible sexual dysfunction. The Agency's updated safety information lists difficulty in obtaining an erection that persists indefinitely, even after the discontinuation of finasteride, as a possible side effect of the drug.[19] The UK's Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) cites reports of erectile dysfunction that persists once use of finasteride has stopped.[20] Similar labeling changes have been made by the Italian government. For a period of time there was a discrepancy between European and North American warning labels regarding the risks of developing persistent sexual side effects from taking Propecia but after two years in April 2011 Merck revised the United States' warning in consumer and medical leaflets to include erectile dysfunction that may persist after stopping finasteride.[21] In April 2012, the FDA chose to approve Merck's proposed labeling from 2011 only after the warning label was further strengthened to include reports of persistent libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, orgasm disorders, and decreased libido. [22][23][24]

[wobblywilly]

It doesn't sound great. I really hope against hope that I've not ruined myself. I've noticed that there is decreased sensation with orgasm and that ejaculation is very watery. I put this down to the prostate not producing sufficient (if any) fluid during ejaculation and hence it is watery which causes the lack of sensation during orgasm.

I'm currently weaning myself off this stuff. I don't think it is worth it any more.