Stopped Finasteride after 4 months due to sides. Should I start again?

[wiseg_7]

Hello guys.

I am 27 years old, with extreme thinning. I havent got any bold spots yet, but there are bald strips in the usual places. Last year I decided to try Finasteride.

After 4 months I can assure anyone reading/wondering, its a wonder f$&/4n drug, my hair looked thicker, healthier, and one day i just noticed I had stopped losing hair (currently losing about 50 a day, but this has been happening for about 3 years i think).

I got some side effects, decreased sex-drive. I knew this because (im not trying to be funny) but I watch alot of p0rn. All of a sudden I just wasnt watching any. I cant say actual sex was a problem (yet), but not watching p0rn - i knew I had the side effect.

Other than that I can confirm 1 other side effects.

This is the reason I gave up the Finasteride. Its hard to explain but there was a tingling feeling in my penis area, around the testicles. Sometimes there was pain in pee-hole area (3 times a week roughly). I even thought it could be an STD, until I thought ok maybe its the Finasteride. The tingling feeling was uncontrollable and the stinging/painful feeling could last a few hours.

I stopped the Finasteride, and Im pretty sure things are back to normal. I cant confirm other side effects, I can guess but these 2 I know happened.

However I do want to stop my hair loss and I know it works.

Maybe if I didnt have the pain and tingling I probably would have stuck it out a while longer seen what happened.

My question is has anyone else had the pain or tingling? Was my body getting used to the drug and then it would have gone away?

I would just like to hear some opinions. Naturally Im planning to speak to a doctor too, but i know there are some hair experts on this forum and I am keen to hear from them too.

Thanks very much.

[DaveintheUK]

I'm 30 now, I took finasteride for 18 months until 6 months ago. I can definetly relate to the lowered libido. Porn/women in general just were'nt interesting anymore, it's like literally losing your mojo.
I didn't realise before just how important libido is, your entire exsitence revolves around procreating, lessen or take away the desire and you literally have almost no reason to live, it takes the edge off of every aspect of your life.
For me, this coupled with the brain fog and everyday fatigue that followed after about a year of being on the drug (it creeps up on you very slowly and subtlely until one day you realise "I just don't feel normal anymore") just wase'nt worth keeping some hair on my head, so I quit cold turkey, and I feel a milion and 1 percent better for it.
I do feel because of how it affected my hormones personally, that my personality took a huge nosedive, I felt very different looking back, which kind of makes sense when you consider the mechanisms behind the drug.
Just my experience. Others may vary considerably!
All power to the people that can tolerate this stuff.

[DaveintheUK]

Oh and to your original point (sorry was rambling a bit) I did experience a certain numbness/tingling sensation intermittently while on the drug, particuarly while stop/starting/experimenting with dosages.

[wiseg_7]

Thanks for that mate, like I said I had other side effects but no proof. I am usually a very good talker, but I noticed I kept stumbling on words and was just stop mid sentence - brain fog. But like I said I have no proof of this. Being tired yes I remember this too, but again no proof. But not watching porn (probably a blessing in disguise ) was too weird.

My dermotogoligist said in the 8 years he has been prescribing the drug I was the only one to complain! I think you don't actually remember what you were like before the drug until shit really fits the fan. I know about 5 people on fin they can live with the lower sex drive, and decreased sperm count. 1 mate reckons he has no side effects at all and has been taking it for 2 years. But it's interesting to note that all it's done for him is stopped his hair loss. His hair looks like crap but hey he has hair.

Maybe for those where the drug works wonders are more effected.

I couldnt deal with the pain down there- that was weird.

Any other advice experience guys?

[DaveintheUK]

I think you don't actually remember what you were like before the drug until shit really fits the fan.

Yep, I think you hit the nail on the head their mate.
I think this is why very few actually report side effects to their Doctors.
You can't remember what you were like before, I thought I was completely side effect free for a long time, until a little nagging voice said "Somethings wrong" I thought I was just getting older or something.
Now I look back on it as a very odd period of my life...

[Romeo]

same tingling after quitting Finastride

Hello guys.

I am 27 years old, with extreme thinning. I havent got any bold spots yet, but there are bald strips in the usual places. Last year I decided to try Finasteride.

After 4 months I can assure anyone reading/wondering, its a wonder f$&/4n drug, my hair looked thicker, healthier, and one day i just noticed I had stopped losing hair (currently losing about 50 a day, but this has been happening for about 3 years i think).

I got some side effects, decreased sex-drive. I knew this because (im not trying to be funny) but I watch alot of p0rn. All of a sudden I just wasnt watching any. I cant say actual sex was a problem (yet), but not watching p0rn - i knew I had the side effect.

Other than that I can confirm 1 other side effects.

This is the reason I gave up the Finasteride. Its hard to explain but there was a tingling feeling in my penis area, around the testicles. Sometimes there was pain in pee-hole area (3 times a week roughly). I even thought it could be an STD, until I thought ok maybe its the Finasteride. The tingling feeling was uncontrollable and the stinging/painful feeling could last a few hours.

I stopped the Finasteride, and Im pretty sure things are back to normal. I cant confirm other side effects, I can guess but these 2 I know happened.

However I do want to stop my hair loss and I know it works.

Maybe if I didnt have the pain and tingling I probably would have stuck it out a while longer seen what happened.

My question is has anyone else had the pain or tingling? Was my body getting used to the drug and then it would have gone away?

I would just like to hear some opinions. Naturally Im planning to speak to a doctor too, but i know there are some hair experts on this forum and I am keen to hear from them too.

Thanks very much.

Hi .. M getting the same tingling feeling but its after I have stopped Finastride for a few months now. Its been 4-5 months I have not used it .. And now I have same tingling feeling. Its like irritating .. U always feel distracted .. But thats after I have stopped.
I haven't noticed any other side effects.
Any idea after how long the tingling stopped? If u visited the doc and what was his advice.

[rusalmei]

Hi...i too stopped finasterided 1mg, which i have been taking for almost a year and a half since May 2017 along with Minoxidil 1ml once a day. I had normal thinning of hair which my derm said was male pattern baldness. Finasteride 1mg and 1ml Minoxidil helped maintain my hair and infact made it look thick too. However i did feel a very similar feeling as you guys did...I was always in a low mood, decreased sex drive and erection issues. I stopped finasteride on 28th September 2018 and am just on minoxidil 1ml x 2wice a day since then and 2wice a week Scalpe+ shampoo that has ketoconazole which i massage on my scalp and wash it after 3mins. I will send the before after pictures after 6 months to see if Minoxidil has helped maintain the hair or it takes me back a year ago where my hair was thin..